Praying in War

I saw a picture of an Israeli soldier praying alone with a book and a cloth over his head. This obviously is the way he was taught to pray. I asked myself what might he pray about or what might he pray for. Might he be asking for an end to bloodshed in his region? Might he ask for forgiveness for having caused bloodshed in his region? Ask that his enemy be struck down so that he and his comrades might go home quickly? Ask that he not be injured? Ask that his comrades not be injured? Ask that his god punish his enemies? Ask that his god punish all enemies present and future? Ask for a good lunch for himself, his comrades, his family and friends? Ask that the enemy might starve, the enemy's families might starve?

News prints and blogs never suggests that Israelis pray for conciliation between themselves and their neighbors. And that raises another question regarding the problem with a religious state like Israel; of course not unique to Israel. When a religion is applied as the supreme underpinning of a state we see two very different functions lose their individuality. Both religion and government are very necessary for human existence. A religion is for our souls. It is for our highest thoughts.

How then can a government be a religion? A government is to deal with necessities. It must protect its population and may justify a means of doing so on practical grounds. The military government easily fulfills this definition. The military acts out of necessity in protecting the people under its domain. The military can be brutal and can act without remorse for the terrible things it does. After all, it is a functional institution.

A great problem arises when a government is sanctioned by a religion. When government becomes the pragmatic arm of the religion we sing psalms of our glory to the heavens, for it becomes righteous to fight and kill our enemies. In fact, it becomes our duty and our greatest honor to serve our religion in this way. It becomes our point of entry into fanaticism, an unwavering belief that we are correct, righteous and just in all that we might do in the name of our religion. We are expected to act beyond mere words. In a modern day we speak these truths in bombs and bigger bombs; bombs so powerful they could make even god blush with shame.

So today we are once again faced with children dying in the Middle East. Does it matter why or by whose hands? We kill humans and we should be ashamed. Maybe it is the shame that Israeli soldier was praying about.