We Are At War in Iraq Because Iraq Is The Number One Producer of Asparagus

I had the pleasure of attending a Transfaith panel discussion last night here on ETSU’s campus. There was a great deal of interest in this forum discussion, the room was packed. I had wondered whether this type of discussion was going to be well received by students on campus. This topic and the ensuing discussion were important to all of those attending. I find it amusing that the organizers of this event were atheist and agnostics ETSU’s own S.A.N.E. These fine students have presented in my undergraduate class for the past couple of years. My students are always astonished when they come to present, that is, they are not expecting such down-to-earth, laid back fellow students. I think that in their minds, they are expecting to see goth/emo students all dressed in black and spewing forth flames and nihilism from their various body orifices. SANE folks are generally disarming in their appearance and presentation style.

But anyway, packed room and a small stage with various local representatives present  from some of the major faith perspectives:

·         Catholic Center

·         CREW (Campus Crusades)

·         RUF (Presbyterian)

·         Muslim Student Association

·         DHARMA Center

·         SANE – Skeptics and Atheist Network at ETSU

Chris Dula, the evening’s moderator indicated they had sought out someone from the Jewish faith but they were unable to procure a speaker from this position. The goal was to explore similarities and differences in these faith perspectives by hearing responses from pre-prepared questions given to the representatives. All in all I think there were close to 20 questions; however, given the time available and response time, the panel discussed six questions. They were:

·         What is the general faith perspective that you represent? What basic information and tenants of belief can you tell us?

·         What are the overarching moral tenets of your religion? Christians and Muslims were asked to comment on their shared Abrahamic root and any implications that this shared history has. 

·         How do you establish morality? (this was asked of the Buddhist and Atheist positions)

·         What causes suffering and how do we deal with it? How does suffering influence the world around you?

·         What does your religion have to say about war and violence?

·         What is your position on the doctrine of separation of church and state here in the USA?

As you can imagine, this was a lively and spirited conversation – not a debate. Overall, I was impressed with the comments shared by those representing Islam, Buddhism, and Atheist/Agnostic. Perhaps this is because their perspectives are more inclusive in nature. Christianity did not fare as well in my opinion, but overall, the responses from the Catholic priest present were better thought out and “meaty” so to speak.  I also have been considering his discussion on the “Just War Theory.” I need to look into this more. What he said, from the Catholic tradition perspective, was the pacifism on an individual level is admirable and acceptable, but this position could not be taken at a governmental level. I need to think about this, and although I understand where he is coming from, government policies are enforced through those very same individuals that he referred to. Do the needs of the state outweigh the needs of the individual – if governments are justified in response through war, what about those individuals who will be carrying this mandate? Is there a position that would allow these objectors to refuse an order? Or was he implying that the actions of an individual are negated morally and spiritually if they are acting on behalf of their governments?  Food for thought I think.

I thought the tone of some of the responses from Christ’s representatives  were tinged “just a bit” with making sure the audience “knew” that Christianity was the only faith being represented on stage that offered real solutions to the world. Again, in my opinion, this smacked of an attitude of superiority and the assumption that Christianity was the only true choice. Even Taneem from the Muslim Center here in Johnson City did not go down this road even though his faith (coming from a revelatory stance) states they are a continuation and expansion of previous revelations (People of the Book). He never once made this assertion and was respectful of everyone else on stage. He even referred to the audience as being part of various tribes and kindreds that Allah has decreed that Muslims should live in peace with and get to know.  Perhaps I am too overly sensitive where Christianity is concerned, but I did pick up on their responses as soon as they said them. This elicited  some comments that these three felt the need to be sure that their “brand” was being advertised more than others and there seemed to be just a bit of “one upmanship” going on.

This was a good thing to take place on campus. If things such as this can further dialogue and understanding  amongst differing groups of people then this should be encouraged.  We do this on a much smaller scale in my classroom. Honestly, I want people to just communicate and consider the views of Others when interacting with those who do not share their same beliefs or are different in their behaviors or presentation.

BTW - the title of this entry comes from a comment made last night during the discussion - when asked about war and violence and reasons for the justification of war. Taneem was right on point here, and his humor was very much needed at that time.