7 minute read
Chaplaincy
The gift of difference
We have been through an extremely difficult time in New Zealand in the past weeks. The events of Friday 15 March have changed our country forever and we have, in some ways, become like any other country in the world where the violence of terrorist attacks has been felt. And yet, there is something about the response that has been seen here in our own country that sets us apart. It has been interesting to watch our Prime Minister and other top-level politicians as they have navigated their way through this extremely delicate and potentially divisive time in a very dignified and deeply caring way. There has been an outpouring of love towards the Muslim communities in this country, and particularly in Christchurch. This is, of course, very appropriate and I hope and pray that it is an indicator of some real change that will endure into the future.
The attack has given us all a lot to think about in terms of how we each see one another, where our own privilege or disadvantage is, and where our prejudices are evident. On 15 March and in following days, such a wave of love washed over the Muslims who live in New Zealand. This was evidenced by the vast numbers of flowers and other tributes that were left outside the two mosques in Christchurch, and mosques in other cities across the country. I wonder if that sense of love was there on 14 March, or if it actually took such a tragedy for us all to think about how we view and treat people who are different from ourselves, to realise that at our most basic level, we are all just human beings trying to live meaningful lives, who love and are loved, who contribute to society.
It was interesting to see the variety of opinions about the Muslim call to prayer that was broadcast across the country – many seeing it as a sign of respect, but others seeing it as a threat to all that this nation stands for. It was very apparent in some of the opinion pieces written about it that the writers come from very different backgrounds and understandings about God. Some expressing the belief that the God of Islam and the God of Christianity are two very different beings and
responding to a call to prayer to Allah amounted to blasphemy. Others were definitely of the opinion that there is only one God and all religions are facing in the same direction, so therefore there was no conflict. It is difficult to deny that the God of Judaism, Christianity and Islam is the same, one God, as we all share common creation stories.
So often, for all people, our negative responses towards those who are ‘other’ than us are fuelled by fear. We feel threatened by the difference we see in someone of another culture or religion and we interpret that threat as a threat to our own existence. Almost always, that interpretation of our feeling threatened is incorrect – there is no real threat to our existence at all. Maybe we might have to make some adjustments to our own lives to make space for another, but that does not mean we are diminished. My experience is that, more often than not, engaging with those who are different from me brings rich learning about my own life and a wider perspective on life in general.
One of the fundamental principles of Christianity is that no matter what we see as our differences from one another, we are all created in the image of God. Somewhere, in each and every human being, is God’s image. In the creation narrative in the book of Genesis, it says:
Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness” … so God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. (Gen 1:26a and 27)
Within Christian teaching, this is the basis for the respect and dignity that every person must be afforded. Not because of anything a person has done or will do, not because they display certain characteristics and not others, but simply because every human being bears the image of God, and that makes every human being sacred. No human being is worth more than another, no human being is merely a cog in a machine. Every human being matters to God – they carry God’s image in them! Every person we meet is made in the image of God whether we like them or not, respect them or not, understand them or not. You might be thinking, as you sit there reading this, of the numerous ways in which the Christian church throughout the centuries has not lived this Christian principle – the Crusades, inquisitions, slavery, oppression of women, sexual abuse, and so many more. The Church’s hypocrisy, however, does nothing to invalidate the Biblical principle that every human being deserves respect and dignity simply because we are all created in the image of God.
Talking about being made in the image of God is all very well, but what exactly does it mean? An excellent question and one that Jewish and Christian theologians have been grappling with for millennia. Most theologians are pretty sure that it does not mean God looks like a human being – that interpretation is far too literal and Jewish scriptures were never interpreted literally like that. I have wondered if perhaps the God-ness in each of us is the creative power to impact others and the world with our decisions and our behaviour, just as God was doing in the story of creation. to others and helped those around him to know that they were significant, that they were seen and that they mattered. He used his creative power to lift others up and to serve them.
As human beings, we can be much more inclined to avoid any encounter with the ‘other’ and it is a real challenge for us to respond out of love and generosity of spirit, to afford dignity and respect to the ‘other’. It is a challenge for us to look for the God-image in every person we come across rather than looking at them through the lens of our own narrow perception and judgement. Every person deserves to have their personhood – their innate being as a person – validated.
Over past weeks we have seen a majority of people in New Zealand come together to affirm the innate dignity of all Muslims in our country after the tragic events of the mass shooting in Christchurch. Questions have arisen about how a white supremacist ideology was able to go unnoticed. Questions have arisen about the nature of racism here, and whether
or not it is fair to say that this is a racist country. It is undeniable that New Zealand has been predominately Eurocentric since the early to mid-1800s. Immigration over the past century and more has meant that in 2019, we are now a varied mixture of almost all of the world’s cultures. This is part of what makes New Zealand such a vibrant place in which to live, but we also need to work out who we are as a country and how we live in such a culturally diverse world. We do not need to be afraid of each other or of our cultural diversity. We do not even need to be afraid of our religious diversity. Judaism, Christianity and Islam all come from the same roots. We do not need to feel threatened by each other. We are all children of God who seek to spread love, peace and hope to the world. May we continue to be open to each other, open to learning about the vast variety of people who live in this beautiful country, open to sharing the common humanity that connects us all to each other.
If we look at the life of Jesus, I think we get a real glimpse of what it looks like to not only be made in the image of God but also to live into that God-ness. Jesus is the ultimate image of God. In every part of his life we have knowledge of, Jesus treated every person with whom he came into contact with dignity. He wasn’t always nice and friendly – in fact sometimes he was harsh and the truth he spoke was painful to hear – but he never discounted anyone. Quite the opposite actually, his life was one of service and goodness. Everyone who came to him was given respect and dignity, without question. Each person was truly seen, accepted and loved for who they were. All through the Gospels Jesus did this for people who were marginalised for whatever reason. Jesus offered them all dignity and respect, he acknowledged that all people share a place of equality.
In Jesus we have a picture of what it looks like to live into the image of God we all have in us. He lived a life of service Reverend Sandy Robertson, Chaplain
