Aug 2005 #4

(Right Click here to download Audio - MP3)

 

On the same day that Scotsmen and women symbolically buried William Wallace, a true hero and freedom fighter for their cause, American rightwing Christian extremist televangelist Pat Robinson calls for the assassination of another true freedom fighter, Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez. What links these two events through history is the firm belief that both Wallace and Chavez are threats to the dominant ideology of their times and the links between the religious zealots who defend that ideology in the name of their god.

 

On the same day our Prime Minister, now lauded as world statesmen and duly rewarded for his patriotism and allegiance to his Emperor, John Howard met with “hand picked, moderate” Muslim community leaders to implore them to stamp out “extremist elements” who, he asserts, have infiltrated their youth. What links this event to Wallace, Chavez and Robinson is how it conforms to the behaviour patterns established by the dominant classes. However another interesting facet of these men and the events in which they find themselves caught up is the ongoing war between and within religions.

 

It would seem then that nothing has really changed and while the modern “global struggle against violent extremism” takes new turns and deadly twists where its real triumph lies is in diverting us from focusing on the extremists who have already infiltrated our public sphere and who are allowed free reign to spew their ugly brand of so called god ordained ‘order’.

 

While Wallace and Chavez fight for the freedom of their people to determine their own history and causes, men like Robinson and Howard spend their lives rallying the gullible, the fearful and the naive to fight on the battle fronts for them. Unlike Wallace and Chavez these men hide behind others and would never consider joining in the front line. They are far too comfortable in their cloistered and protected bunkers to venture into battle.

 

Not content with spouting their spiteful messages in their houses of worship the modern warriors of god have developed new means of propagating their hateful message to the young and energetic. One of the key ways has been to develop new forms of expression and, as the Christian church has become expert at, appropriating cultural practices in order to draw in new converts.  Music has always played an important role in battles and it is worth having a look at some of the lyrics young people are exposed to as they enter the modern Christian holy of holies.

 

Payable on Death, known to most as POD, are one of the US’ most successful Christian rock bands. The genre they occupy is known as metal of which their secular counterparts are Metallica, Dragonlord and Chimera among others. When visiting POD’s website one is exhorted to “sign up today on the Warrior email list!” Their award winning album “Fundamental Elements of Southtown” includes a song titled ‘Tribal’ the lyrics of which include the following:

“The reconstruction commences; the soldiers equip for the lessons

My life, a sacrifice is made new through these confessions

Manifested, this joy is my desire

Light this fire to flames; praise the name, Jehovah Jireh

Is my provider, the truth that lives inside of this fighter?

Take me higher, Master, Sire makes me a good rider

I'm gonna ride on down til I break through the front lines

And ain't going home until I gets mines.”

 

Another successful and now more ‘mature’ Christian artist is Michael W Smith. His album “Go West Young Man” features a song titled ‘Love Crusade’ which includes an exhortation to

“Fight the fire with a fire,

Push it to the limit,

And be a renegade,

Light a fuse-make a spark” and

“That's the nature of the beast,

So don't ever let your heart be swayed,

Draw the sword, slay the dragon,

Get on the bandwagon”

 

Closer to home the internationally successful and multi award winning US based Australian band “Newsboys” 2004 album “Devotion” features the track ‘Strong Tower’ which declares,

“when the enemy surrounds us

closing in as darkness falls

though his armies rage against us

they can never scale these walls”

 

The writer’s of the song, Jim Laffoon and Peter Furler note that, “Time and time again when (I) have faced the vicious assaults of the enemy, God's word and promises have risen like a mighty bulwark around my battered soul.”

 

These song lyrics are being sung by people who believe that they have found a god who has ordained them as “soldier”, “fighter”, “renegade”, slayers of dragons, pursued by enemies and who are protected by “a mighty bulwark” from harm. To these lyrics could be added Carmen’s ‘People of God’ chorus line which reads, “We're the chosen, rising to a higher plane” and not be left out, Christian female artist, Nicole C. Mullen sings on her “Talk About It” album of how

“We’re looking for some ladies and some young men

To run the race and endure to the very end

No turning back no quitting if you’re gonna win” and

how, once you’re in you will

slay giants just the way David did”.

 

The question that should be put to the current so-called leaders in the “global struggle against violent extremism” is how will they deal with the violence and ideology so glibly sung about by hundreds of thousands of young people who attend the places of worship these same leaders frequent. Do they mean to say that they feel quite justified supporting one side who preaches hateful and violent lyrics while at the same time feel righteous in condemning the ‘other side’ who also allow these same sentiments to be echoed but not in their places of worship?

 

As Howard exhorts Muslim leaders to reign in those he categorises as “potential terrorists” he blindly turns an eye to those on his side who support and endorse lyrics like those above. Perhaps he has even sung one Sunday morning “The victory is ours, the battle’s the Lord’s” (Dan Gardner, “The Victory is Ours”, 1982) or perhaps Jan Garretts 1986 classic “Arise Australia” with its triumphalist opening stanza, “Arise Australia, together let us stand. March forward to conquer, let the trumpet sound”. He maybe even kept up the pace to sing “To win this battle the keys are in your hand”.

 

Christian hymn books and youth songbooks, CD’s, videos and DVDs are chock full of exhortations to do battle with enemies, to slay the dragons, to fight and not fear death, to aim for heaven and not fear pain, to walk through fire and not burn. All of these motifs are common to nearly all religious movements and not surprisingly, ideologies.

 

The Muslim faith has no claim to exclusiveness when it comes to those on its fringes, the “crazies”, who in all religions and faiths see themselves as somehow different to the average mortal. These “crazies” it would seem, those who are supposedly “on our side” now hold the keys to power and have mixed up their own notions of immortality with a twisted outlook on the world. They are encouraged and egged on by men like Pat Robinson who is allowed to speak what men like Howard can’t say but which resides in their hearts. This sets them apart from the true heroes like William Wallace and Hugo Chavez.

 

William Wallace was a freedom fighter of and for the people. He died to liberate his people from an oppressor who, to this day, still reign over his beloved homeland. Hugo Chavez is spoken of as “communist” and “totalitarian” yet he was democratically elected three times. His people, like those of Wallace, may not necessarily worship him, but when they see food on their tables and the enemies of their state retreating, they know they are in safe hands.

 

The words of Pat Robinson are echoed in the songs of the Christian culture, both its youth culture and its mainstream church on Sunday morning culture. While men like Robinson and national leaders like Howard are allowed to carry murder in their hearts we have more to fear from them than we do our Muslim sisters and brothers. What Australia really needs now is not protection from a phoney war being carried out by faux Christians, it needs men and women like Wallace and Chavez who see their calling as liberating people from the chains that bind them here on earth and who are prepared to allow heaven to take care of itself.