The guest editorial “Kill or be killed” by David Gushee left me wondering — what was the point that Dr. Gushee was trying to make? Was he saying that we have crossed some line where it is now legitimate to do whatever it takes to stay alive? Has it now come down to survival of the fittest?
Evil is real. That cannot be denied. But looking through the eyes of Christ, as only his followers can do, is that evil something to be killed? Has not Jesus already overcome the source of evil? Isn’t that what Jesus meant when he said, “Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world”? Wasn’t that the whole point of the resurrection?
Dr. Gushee spoke of “existential hatred.” He attributes this rabid hatred to Osama bin Laden, Hitler and space aliens. His last paragraph begins, “Kill or be killed.” Can you really remove evil by killing the people or creatures who embody evil? If evil is a spiritual reality, can it be overcome through killing the body? How often in history have the methods of Jesus really been tried to confront evil? Does the good that Jesus said would overcome evil ever include killing?
You can ignore Jesus and try to remove evil with force. That is the human instinct. Revenge feels so good. Kill or be killed sounds right. But it’s not the way of Christ.
David Henry, Spotsylvania