Five Days after the Christchurch Shootings: Subversive Compassion

Last updated on: March 20, 2019 at 8:07 am by Gina Colvin

Five Days after the Christchurch Shootings: Subversive Compassion 2019-03-20T08:07:28+13:00 Gina Colvin

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

As I read the international response to the Christchurch mosque shootings, I find some Americans (#notallamericans) over-busy trying to fit into their heads the possibility that our community response to this terrible event is to draw together and offer compassion and peace in spite of our differences.

It’s a subversive act to take such a vicious event meant to highlight ‘us’ and ‘them, and then refuse to be vicious. It’s a tough act, to turn our attention away from the perpetrator and refuse to use his name, or dignify his politics with attention to his agenda. Sure, we’ve got a conversation awaiting us about white supremacy and the insidious legacy of racism that colonial white supremacy left us with. That will come.

But in the mean time, all of the usual boundaries are being wonderfully transgressed.

At churches on Sunday we heard, ‘As-salamu alaykum’. At our local LDS meeting the Stake President talked about the Five Pillars of Islam. Māori blessings are being offered on mosques. Gangs alongside police are protecting the sacred spaces of Muslims.

What, I’m saying is that it’s not weak, fluffy headed, liberal, left-wing stuff. It’s by far the toughest response to bring all inside the tent, reserving the top tables and chief seats for the stranger and the outcast.

It’s tough, tough stuff to be willing to cross divides, surrender the cultural ground to another we’ve been taught to either fear or ignore.

Now, if that causes some Americans (#notallamericans) to lose their shit, its no wonder. America’s political, economic and cultural ground thrives on competition and on whose ideas are better than whose.

Even the veneration of Jacinda Ardern in the US buys into this idea that as a supposed icon she is now ahead of the competition with other world leaders.

Jacinda Ardern is a New Zealander first and foremost. She’s not interested in competing with other world leaders for the top spot (whatever that is).

She’s serving the community, as she was elected to do.
We are serving each other, as we as a community should.

There’s no subversive liberal agenda here. At the apex of all spiritual traditions, including Christianity, the aspirations of peace and love are foremost. God or the Divine is seen as the source of that peace and love.

And in New Zealand by some alchemy of the collective we have decided that our reaction to this atrocity is to simply be good Muslims.

Uncategorized

Christchurch Mosque Shootings

Compassionate response

jacinda ardern

Previous Post

March 16, 2019

From Christchurch: A Critique and a Lament

Next Post

December 9, 2019 A Year After a Church Discipline and I'm Still Mormon!

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category A Thoughtful Faith Adultery Apostasy Brigham Young BYU Church Culture Church Leadership Clergy Sex Abuse Community of Christ Divorce Excommunication faith crisis Faith Development Heavenly mother Heresy Indigenous Mormon James Fowler Jesus Christ John Dehlin Joseph Smith Kate Kelly LDS Church Politics LDS doctrine LDS Essays LGTB Maori Mormon marriage and family Mitt Romney Mormon church discourse Mormon church history Mormon Conservatism Mormon corporate culture Mormon Cultural Identity Mormon feminist politics Mormon finances mormon matters podcast Mormon Political Economy Mormons feminism New Zealand and US Mormonism New Zealand Mormon Culture New Zealand Mormon Feminist Thought New Zealand temple Official Declaration Two Ordain Women Pastoral Theology for Mormons phillip barlow Polygamy Practical Theology Prayer Protect LDS Children Racism in the LDS church Sexual Abuse temple recommend temple recommend interview Temples tyranny of certainty Uncategorized why mormons leave

Select a Month April 2020 December 2019 March 2019 December 2018 October 2018 September 2018 June 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 March 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 August 2016 May 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 March 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who saw a vision of a ladder reaching heaven?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Adam Joseph Isaac Jacob