Friday, March 04, 2011

Dying and killing for blasphemy


Indeed, an hour is coming when those who kill you will think that by doing so they are offering worship to God.

- John 16.2b.

Shahbaz Bhatti, Pakistani government minister for minorities, was assassinated this week for speaking up as a Christian against Pakistan's blasphemy laws. He was the only Christian minister in the Pakistani government and his murderers left behind a tract claiming responsibility in the name of "Taliban al-Qaida".

Only days before, he had given an interview in which he addressed threats against his life (see above): "The forces of violence, militant [?] organisations, the Taliban and [?] al-Qaida, they want to impose their radical philosophy in Pakistan. And whoever stands against their radical philosophy, they threaten them. When I am leading this campaign against the Sharia law for the abolishment of blasphemy law and speaking for the oppressed and marginalised Christian and other persecuted minorities, these Taliban threaten. But I want to share that I believe in Jesus Christ, who has given his own life for us. I know what is the meaning of [the] cross. And I am following of the cross. And I am ready to die for a cause. I am living for my community and suffering people and I will die to defend their rights. So these threats and these warnings can not change my opinion and principles. I would prefer to die for my principle and for the justice rather [than] compromise on these threats."

May he rest in peace awaiting a glorious resurrection.

Shahbaz Bhatti is far from the only Christian this week who has died for his faith, but his high profile and eloquent and timely witness are likely to see this issue receive a little media attention. His death is a reminder that Christians fight for the truth by being willing to die, rather than being willing to kill. Killing to prevent or punish blasphemy is itself blasphemous against the one who gave his life as the true and living way. He was himself killed for blasphemy (Mark 14.64).

Of course Christians would never consider killing Muslims to be a good thing or condone state sanctioned violence with this goal, would we? We would never seek a spurious theological rationale for our fears in order to justify murder or oppression, would we?

12 comments:

byron smith said...

Guardian: Bhatti's funeral attended by Pakistani PM, but hope for reform of the blasphemy law dies with him.

Mike W said...

Unfortunately the media in Australia played his quote, cutting out the part about Jesus Christ and the cross

byron smith said...

Are you serious? Do you have a link? Do you mean they shortened the quote to end at "these Taliban threaten" or that they gave the whole quote but left out the lines about Jesus and the cross?

opit said...

You shouldn't get too excited. Islamofascism and hatemongering in general are used to whip up hate and fear of the victims of aggression for the Crusades. The Taleban is an extremist cult dreamed up by the Saudis which attacks conventional Islam. Plus al Qaeda is a farce used as a disinformation plot for False Flag attacks by Black Ops.
Something which loosely translates as 'the Toilet'....I'm sure the phrase 'You're s**tting me' will resonate...

byron smith said...

Opit - That may all be true and yet would that make Shahbaz Bhatti less of a martyr? Whether the killing was for political or religious reasons (as if they can always be separated), it was still an assassination of a Christian who was standing up for Christ.

I have written in the past about fear and hate-mongering and have no room for the simplistic and counterproductive narrative of the so-called war on terror. But I honour a man who stood for the truth at great risk (and cost) to himself.

opit said...

Less of a martyr ? Not in the least. My point is only that Black Ops use religion to divide people so that churches calling for brotherhood...end up in contention because of human tendency to form 'gangs' of different styles. ( I'm using 'churches' as a generic term here.)
And that's Blasphemy if I ever heard of it.

byron smith said...

Indeed, the sowing of disunity is a grave sin.

I was responding to your opening comment about not getting too excited, which I thought implied a dishonouring of my honouring of Bhatti. Apologies if I misunderstood.

opit said...

Here are some posts and sources I thought worthy of note. As a general rule my only note about being 'Christian' is to stand up against liars who work against the obvious moral of the Gospels : the state will use propaganda and false witness to carry out its aims and murder and torture the innocent. That includes perverting appreciation of a wonderful world into a cult tool by using 'his-story' and 'education' to sow dissent, fear and hate. The Temple and Rome represent power of the law and power of the mind., : combined in an unHoly symbiosis.
http://opitslinkfest.blogspot.com/2010/10/beliefwonder-dogma.html

byron smith said...

Guardian: More killings over blasphemy laws in Pakistan.

byron smith said...

Guardian: 11 year old Christian girl charged with blasphemy.

byron smith said...

Avaaz: Muslim rage: some perspective.

byron smith said...

Real vs imagined persecution. Or, how to tell if you're being persecuted for being a Christian or for being a jerk.