6 May
The Moral Problem of Asymmetrical Forgiveness
The spiritual fate of Osama bin Laden continues to intrigue me. None of us will ever know the conversation God/or the Heavenly Court would have with this twisted and demented human being. Maybe it would go something like, “Osama, you got it all wrong!” If I believed in the doctrine of reincarnation ( I have never arrived at a conclusion, yea or nay), I would imagine that God would incarnate this soul in a life where he experienced the hardship of discrimination and abuse . . . However, the Christian response to this ethereal meeting offers much fodder for discussion-especially since it is so diametrically different from the Jewish perspective.
One fellow blogger, Jonathan Marx raises a couple of interesting questions that I would like to focus on for the next few minutes:
Is Gandhi in heaven right now because he was good enough?
Is Osama bin Laden in hell right now because he was too evil?
The above author contends that just because a person is a “good” human being like Gandhi, does not necessarily mean or even suggest that he is automatically a given that he is going to Heaven.
He explains, “Christianity teaches that there is no one so far gone that cannot be forgiven—even Bin Laden. Here’s why. Christianity teaches that even when we are dead in our sins that God can make us alive with Christ. How does he do this? God “forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross” (Col. 2:13-14). Think of it. Jesus’ death on the cross was sufficient to pay the penalty for every sin ever committed (cf. 1 John 2:2).”
This has often been called, “the scandal of the cross,” or “the theology-of-the-cross” (Theologia Crucis) is a term that was originally coined by the theologian Martin Luther, who felt that the cross is the only source of knowledge concerning who God is and how God saves. It is contrasted with the theology of glory (theologia gloriae), which places greater emphasis on human abilities and human reason (Wikepedia).
As I mentioned to Professor Marvin Wilson, author of the book “Our Father Abraham: The Jewish Roots of Christianity”, if one follows the logic of this type of statement, all anyone has to do is simply declare “Jesus saves” and poof! One is instantly saved. Yet, despite all the theological rhetoric that stresses Jesus’s unconditional forgiveness of anyone, but the fact remains that Hell is a place of torment—not just for a momentary period of time, but for all eternity. Why can’t the miserable souls of Hell simply say, “I believe in Jesus!” and be immediately “saved”? Why have Hell altogether? For the serious Christian, you cannot have a God who forgives unconditionally, while toasting those who do not believe in an eternal barbecue. It simply doesn’t work. Moreover, if the God of justice is to have any meaning at all, then shouldn’t there be ultimate consequences for wicked behavior? Why have a world based on justice at all when forgiveness can be granted so easily?
Rabbinic tradition has long taught that anyone who acts compassionately toward the cruel will in the end act cruelly toward the compassionate. For all the carte-blanche forgiveness granted to the mass murderers and genocidal maniacs, the Christian track record toward the non-believers of their communities has been dreadful.
For nearly two millennium, the traditional Christian world has maintained that all non-believers are condemned, Gandhi and the Jews, or for that matter—all decent non-Christian people are not so fortunate. Pelagius argued with Augustine and rejected the belief that Jesus was necessary for personal salvation. Pelagius felt that according to Augustine, the countless number of people who never heard of Jesus are condemned to eternal damnation for having dared to reject the divinity of the Savior since “ Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).
So based upon Augustinian theology, Buddha, Gandhi and Moses, sorry all you Jews, Muslims, Hindus, and whoever—you are out of luck-but all you miserable mass murderers are welcome to Hotel Salvation. All you have to say is “I accept Jesus . . .” What is wrong with this picture?! As my son observed, “What incentive is there for anyone one to act like a decent or moral human being, if all one has to say is ‘Jesus save me!’?” Sorry, this type of thinking is wrongheaded.
It seems to me that much of the New Testament reflects more the spiritual ideology of Paul more than the actual spiritual teachings of Jesus, or for that matter, James his brother. The Book of James stresses the primacy of deeds in a manner that is very reminiscent of the early tradition found in the rabbinic traditions of the 1st century.
Listen to what James says:
“Anyone who listens to the Word, but takes no action is like someone who looks at his own features in a mirror—once he has seen what he looks like, he promptly forgets what he looked like. But the one who peers into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres, and is not a hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, such a one shall be blessed in what he does” (NT James 1:23-25).
“For just as a body without a spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead” (James 2:26).
The best passage comes from James 2:17-26.
So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead. Indeed someone might say, “You have faith and I have works.” Demonstrate your faith to me without works, and I will demonstrate my faith to you from my works. You believe that God is one. You do well. Even the demons believe that and tremble. Do you want proof, you ignoramus, that faith without works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by the works. Thus the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called “the friend of God.” See how a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. And in the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she welcomed the messengers and sent them out by a different route? For just as a body without a spirit is dead; so too, is faith without works also dead.[1]
I have little doubt that James would say that any evil person like Hitler or bin Laden were irredeemable sinners-unworthy of God’s forgiveness. Continue Reading
