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世界に平和を
宗教の数だけ「神」は存在するかもしれないが、
もし戦争をせよと命じる「神」がいるとしたら、
それは「悪魔」の声だと考えた方がいい。
Peace on Earth
Christmas is the only time of year a mainstream Christian can hang up signs and send out cards saying "Peace on Earth" without being considered a crackpot.
In other seasons it's considered unacceptable to sing hymns such as:
"Onward Christian soldiers, Marching as to war"
Or:
"Mine eyes have seen the glory
Of the coming of the lord.
He is trampling out the vintage
Where the grapes of wrath are stored.
He has loosed the fateful lightning
Of his terrible swift sword.
His truth is marching on."
Christmas is a remarkable moment in the Christian calendar. The sacred act being celebrated is the act of birth. The chief actor is not the man - Joseph had little to do with it - but the mother. And the object of worship - God - is in the form of a newborn baby. This is a god who cannot even walk, let alone "march" or "trample" or wield a "terrible swift sword."
How good it would be if Christians and other religious believers would always imagine their gods in such an innocent form.
But today millions of Christian, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs and others are persuaded that their respective gods want them to go off to war: holy war, crusade, jihad, etc.
Think. What sort of god would it be, who would sit up in heaven and command His (or Her) believers on Earth to kill or conquer people who believe otherwise?
Does this mean (as the Old Testament seems to say) that actually there are many gods, each seeking to defeat the other? Do these gods, instead of bravely fighting it out directly among themselves, fight "proxy wars," using their believers on Earth as cannon fodder? Would such behavior be worth worshipping as "sacred"?
Or does it mean (as many believers think) that only one of these gods is the God, and the other supernatural beings who are worshipped are actually manifestations of the Evil Spirit, the Devil, Satan, as he is variously called? If so, this would only mean that the believers in other religions have been deceived, not that they themselves are evil. Would it be god-like to send out proxy armies of believers against such people whose fault is only an innocent mistake?
Or is the situation, as Mahatma Gandhi believed, that the believers in all religions worship the same God but in different ways? If so, can we imagine that this God would organize wars among His (or Her) worshippers merely because He (or She) likes some manners of worship better that others?
As you have probably guessed I am not a religious believer. But for those who are, or wish to be, I have a suggestion. If you think you hear a voice from a supernatural being urging you to go to war, you will be wise to assume that this is the voice of Satan, not God. If you want to worship God, worship the child. Merry Christmas.(489 words)
Discussion:
Consider the relationship between organized religion, god(s) and war.
Shukan ST: Jan. 6, 2006
(C) All rights reserved
- hang up signs
- プラカードを掲げる
- crackpot
- 変人
- hymns
- 賛美歌
- "Onward Christian soldiers, Marching as to war"
- 「見よや、十字架の旗高し」
- Mine ... on
- 「リパブリック賛歌」("The Battle Hymn of the Republic")の歌詞
- Mine
- =My
- lord
- 神
- is trampling out 〜
- 〜を踏みつけながら歩いている
- vintage
- ぶどう農園
- grapes of wrath
- 怒りのぶどう(神の怒りの象徴)
- are stored
- 蓄えられている
- sacred act being celebrated
- 祝われる神聖な行為
- chief actor
- 中心になっている人
- Joseph
- 聖母マリアの夫ヨセフ
- object of worship
- 崇拝の対象
- let alone 〜
- 〜は言うまでもなく
- wield 〜
- 〜を振り回す
- innocent
- 無垢な
- Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs
- ユダヤ教徒、イスラム教徒、ヒンズー教徒、シーク教徒
- are persuaded that 〜
- 〜だと信じている
- respective
- それぞれの
- holy war, crusade, jihad
- すべて「聖戦の意」
- sit up
- 鎮座する
- command 〜 to 〜
- 〜に〜するよう命じる
- conquer
- 征服する
- people who believe otherwise
- 他の宗教の信者
- Old Testament
- 旧約聖書
- seeking to 〜
- 〜しようとする
- defeat
- 打ち倒す
- fighting it out
- 戦い抜くこと
- proxy wars
- 代理戦争
- cannon fodder
- 使い捨ての兵士
- supernatural beings
- 超自然的存在
- manifestations
- 表れ
- Evil Spirit, the Devil, Satan
- すべて「悪魔」の意
- would only mean that 〜 not that 〜
- 〜ではなく、〜を意味するに過ぎないだろう
- Mahatma Gandhi
- インド独立運動の中心人物
- manners of worship
- あがめ方
- urging 〜 to 〜
- 〜に〜せよと促す
- be wise to 〜
- 〜と思った方がいい