Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Catholic
Politics and Religion
Joseph Czuba and the Violence of American Christianity

Joseph Czuba and the Violence of American Christianity

Last updated on: October 17, 2023 at 2:16 pm by Mary Pezzulo

0 Comments

Joseph Czuba and the Violence of American Christianity 2023-10-17T14:16:20-04:00 Mary Pezzulo

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.

image via Pixabay

I didn’t think the news cycle could get more horrendous, but it has.

Besides all the unimaginable suffering in Israel and Palestine, there’s been an anti-Palestinian hate crime here in America. It’s been reported that Joseph Czuba, a landlord in Plainville, Illinois, stabbed his tenant, Hanaan Shahin, and then murdered her six-year-old son, Wadea Al Fayoume. Shahin had emigrated from the West Bank to escape the violence twelve years ago. Al Fayoume had not been afraid of his landlord, who’d previously been kind to him and even built him a treehouse. He reportedly ran to Czuba for a hug. Shahin tried to shield her son and was stabbed a dozen times; she is recovering in the hospital. Al Fayoume was stabbed twenty-six times and died with the seven-inch blade still in his abdomen.

Czuba screamed “All Muslims must die!” and “You are killing our kids in Israel. You Palestinians don’t deserve to live” as he committed the murder.

It’s been alleged that Czuba was radicalized by listening to conservative talk radio; Czuba’s wife has claimed that her husband was obsessed with being killed by Palestinians and with a “national day of Jihad.” Jihad is a word that can sometimes refer to a literal battle but really just means “a meritorious struggle,” similar to Christian notions of or doing battle with principalities and powers.

Today, it’s been reported that Czuba is a Roman Catholic. He’s a parishioner at Saint Mary Immaculate parish in Plainfield. And I hope there is no retaliation or anger against that parish, because they seem to be behaving in an exemplary way. I’ve become accustomed to Catholic communities that shield their members when crimes are committed, or pretend to have nothing to do with them. The pastor of the parish has released a statement decrying the murder, as has the Diocese of Joilet. The parish is holding a holy hour to pray for peace tonight, and I encourage any of my readers of all faiths who live nearby to attend.

I am reminded again of all I have learned about American Christianity— not Christianity that happens to be practiced by Americans, but that bizarre mix of white nationalism, conspiracy mongering and paranoia that so many Americans think is synonymous with Christianity. That bizarre alliance between Catholic descendants of immigrants and xenophobic white Evangelical Christians who despise us and think we’re not truly Christian. The substitution of the heretical Prosperity Gospel for the four Gospels that are actually in the Bible. The idolatry of gun culture and the canonization of violence, in place of Christ’s exhortation to pray for your enemy and turn the other cheek. The quest for a strongman to protect us from immigrants, people of color, and vaguely defined “liberals,” instead of imitating the Carpenter of Nazareth who voluntarily laid down his life.

Instead of encouraging its adherents to die to themselves, American Christianity demands human sacrifices of other people, and Wadea Al Fayoume is one of the most recent.

Yes, if I had to guess, I would say that Czuba seems to be mentally ill, but his mental illness was manipulated on purpose. The media talking heads who peddle American Christianity are stochastic terrorists. They preach hatred and paranoia until someone in their congregation gets the message and commits murder. I don’t think they believe what they preach; I think they’re in it for money and power. But Czuba believed it. Many believe it and approve, even if they don’t go that far themselves, and now one person picked up a knife and acted on what he’d been told. That’s how stochastic terrorism works. Czuba became a terrorist because of the propaganda he’d been fed, and now a child is dead.

I offer my prayers for the family of Wadea Al Fayoume. Indeed we belong to God, and indeed to Him we will return.

May the God of Abraham comfort all those who mourn.

I also offer my prayers for my country. May God convert our souls from all idolatry and violence. May my Christian brothers and sisters be converted back to Christianity, instead of the idolatry of American Christianity.

Let’s all try and make it a better world.

Mary Pezzulo is the author of Meditations on the Way of the Cross, The Sorrows an d Joys of Mary, and Stumbling into Grace: How We Meet God in Tiny Works of Mercy.

Steel Magnificat operates almost entirely on tips. To tip the author, visit our donate page.

Politics and Religion

Religion News

American Christianity

Previous Post

October 17, 2023

Sunday, Outside the Church

Next Post

October 18, 2023 An October Theophany

Recent Comments

0 | Leave a Comment

"You're talking about supercessionism, the idea that Christians "replace" the covenant that the Jewish people ..."

Alex

Yes, the Old Testament is About ..."

"Oh I'm sure it did."

Mary

A Televised Execution is a Moral, ..."

"For what its worth, it seems like the whole thing originated from Pete Hegsith speaking ..."

Evil-Striker

A Televised Execution is a Moral, ..."

"You may be right. A war and its aftermath are different than day-to-day governance. Still, ..."

Mary

On Traditionalist Bullies, and the Death ..."

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category abortion Abuse Advent America American Christianity angel angels Annunciation Appalachia apparition apparition chaser apparition chasers apparition culture art art review babies baby baby Jesus Bad Lip Reading bad statue contest bath beauty Bible story blog blogkeeping blood book review Brandon Sanderson breastfeeding bus Catholic catholic conspiracy alarmism Catholic Oppositional Disorder Charismatic Renewal Charlie the Cat chastity Christ Christian idenitity Christianity and Judaism Chronic Illness clean clothing COD piece comedy compassion conscience conspiracy theory conversion cop-on-black violence Crucifixion cry of the poor culture Daesh Daily Saints death death penalty devotional diaconate diaper diapers dirty disability Donald Trump Dorothy Day dream drugs Eastern Catholicism Eastern Christianity education election election update Elsewhere on Patheos empathy environment Fear feminism film review fish flashback fluffy buns food Franciscan University of Steubenville Friendship Room fun Gabriel gardening gospel hair-splitting Heaven hell heresy Hillary Clinton history Holly the Witch Holy Spirit holy war Homeschooling homosexuality horror human dignity humor Icon idol immigrants infection inter-religious dialogue Interpretation of Scripture Islam Jesus Jihad Joseph joy laity and lay vocations lamb dinner laundry lent lgbtq literature love manners Mary Medicine and Science Meditation mercy mess milk misogyny Missouri monasticism monster motherhood mourn with those mourn movies movis music mystery nature neurodiversity New Pro-Life Movement news nonsense nostalgia O antiphons obituary objectification Ohio Valley Ordinary Time ordination Ordo Amoris parable paradox Passover peanut butter personal beliefs pets philosophy Planet Charismatic poetry politics polls poop Pope Francis Pope Leo power in the Church prayer prayer request prayers preferential option for non-violence president presidential election priest primary private revelation pro-life prophecy Public face of Catholicism Pure Flix Q and A race racism random rape rape. sexuality reader's request Reckoners refugee religious trauma ressurrection Right to life Saints saints and celebrations same-sex same-sex marriage satire scandal secular feasts seder Seven Joys Seven Last Words sex sexual ethics sexuality silencing six months skid row slavery social justice Speculative fiction spiritual abuse spoon stain story suffering suffrage suffragette Sunday Gospel temple Tenebrae Responsories Terror the exorcist The Friendship Room The New Pro-Life Movement Things I Learned on the Internet tin cup traffic true story tv review Uncategorized USCCB vice and temptation violence Virtue virtue and vice war Way of the Cross whimsy whole life women's ordination work of mercy Year A

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What principle is behind "let your light shine before men"?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Boast of your wealth Never speak of God Show good deeds to glorify God Hide your faith