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September 5, 2006Faith and Reason and Forced Conversions
It is the rarest of days when I disagree with my favorite blogfather Ed Morrissey, but after mulling over this post of his as well as others, and after thinking quite a lot about the forced conversion of Fox News’ Steve Centanni and Olaf Wiig while under the guns and knives of their Islamofascist captors, I find that I do disagree with him. Ed wrote:
He is not alone in thinking this way. Indeed, I would bet he is among a fair majority (including an engineer friend) who are perhaps overthinking the thing. Faith and Reason share a kinship, and within that kinship the natural and supernatural wave back and forth, like wind-stirred wheat in a field, but only to an point. The gift of faith is itself supernatural, but let’s call it a small-s-supernatural, one in which reason may be easily ascertained. I think once circumstances have led one - willingly or unwillingly - to confront capital-S-Supernatural, the waters become very deep, and reason must necessarily hang back near the shore. The demand to “convert or die” is not a thinking demand, it is not born of reason. It is culled forth from a dark heart given over to something larger than a human sense or sensibility. It is an unnatural requirement; it is Supernatural. As such, it can only be properly answered through Supernatural means, through a heart that is not dark but which is equally given over to something larger than our rational and reductive imaginings. Can you reduce the response to a forced conversion into whether one “meant it” or not? Yes, you can, but in doing so you have taken your eyes off of something hugely in play but easy to miss - that the greatest feats of heroism written in the annals of human history have come about through a combination of faith and reason, but with reason bringing up the rear. Firefighters on 9/11 asked a blessing from Fr. Mychal Judge before they headed into the burning towers of the World Trade Center. Reason cautioned that running into such a hellish conflagration was foolhardy - faith whispered something else, and it won. Reason told Casper ten Boom and his spinster daughters Corrie and Betsy that it was risky-unto-madness to try to hide Jews in a bedroom wall while Nazis occupied their village - faith shrugged, “how can you not take the risk?” Reason told the 16 Carmelites of Compiegne that renunciation would save their lives; after all, anyone would know they didn’t really mean it. Faith said, “trust in the Lord at all times,” and they went to the guillotine singing psalms and offering their necks for the defeat of “The Terror,” which, it must be said, came to an end some ten days later. It has been mentioned that we are battling an enemy that “loves death more than life.” Certainly we have seen that they are willing to die for their beliefs. An enemy who does not care if he dies as long as he can kill you, too, is an enemy who cannot be reasoned with. This is an enemy thoroughly appreciative of the power of martyrdom, its ability to inspire, to convince and even to claim victory. We seem to have forgotten that martyrdom - a foolish waste, to Reason’s sensibility - is often the key componant toward changing social perceptions and even morals. The virgin martyrs, much derided in our “enlightened” era, were the first women to declare themselves set apart, meant to be more than chattel, able to declare themselves as belonging to no man or house, to “no one but Christ.” An unheard of concept! To my knowledge, the pre-kidnapping religious beliefs of Centanni and Wiig are unknown. Some say that if the men had no particular faith to start with, their going along with a forced conversion was a reasonable tactic, and perhaps it was. If faith is meaningless to you, then a forced conversion will be too. Frankly, if you held me at gunpoint and told me to confess myself a Democrat, or even a Boston Red Sox fan, I’d do it in a heartbeat. Hollywood aside, political parties and baseball teams, with very few exceptions, are not the concerns of angels, who fight more pressing battles. But whether Centanni and Wiig were men of faith, or not, their “conversions” were a sort of victory for our enemies. They displayed to the world what the West “holds dear.” I am not saying the newsmen were cowards, not at all. I’m only saying that in a clash of civilizations, their pronouncements about Allah and Mohammed, and their confession of new, Islamic names, was a real-time demonstration to the Islamofascists in our midst that “staying alive,” means the world to us. It can be translated as “look at these callow Western dogs, so in love with life, so beholden to nothing that they will say anything, do anything, even allow us to rename them, to cling to life…while we will give up everything…” The re-naming of these two Western men is particularly telling. While it may mean nothing at all to a secularist, it means quite a lot to the Islamists watching the world over, and to the Christians and the Jews, as well, because they too understand it. Abraham, Noah, Jacob, Sarah, even Peter and Paul were all given new names by God, the new names had to do with relationship and covenant. “I shall give you a new name,” is one of God’s promises. To give up one’s name is to give up one’s self. To allow someone else to name you is to count yourself the lesser. It might all seem pretty innocuous to Reason. To Faith, however, this is fraught with meaning - this is all about surrender and the handing over of power. By proclaiming their new Islamic names Centanni and Wiig - probably quite unwittingly - were declaring themselves new men in Allah. They were also living metaphors for the surrender of “the lesser” West. I wonder, in war, can any innocent captive live or die only to themselves? I don’t think so, not when our enemy is so fluent in the language of symbolism and imagery. Martyrdom is not about justice - it is not about reasonable death. It is about exactly the opposite, it is about facing down what is completely unreasonable and unjust and offering oneself to the cause of what is just - is reasonable. And yes, there is victory in it. But belonging, as it does, to the realm of the Supernatural, that victory is not always obvious and clear. Still, we all know that simply because a thing is not obvious does not mean it is untrue. The Carmelites of Compiegne and Takashi Nagai knew that. Am I urging the West toward martyrdom, here? No, I am not urging it. But I am suggesting throughout history, martyrs have spilled blood and it has made a difference. I am suggesting that down the line some may well be called to martyrdom, and we might be wise to anticipate it and understand its use. I am suggesting that when one is caught in a fight between darkness and light - a fight that is more super than natural - such blood might well be required. It always has been, before. Please check out the links below, bloggers and op-eds on the topic, some agreeing, some disagreeing. Kobayashi Maru’s post is particularly thoughtful, and there is much to think about, here. Also, I’ll be including those books referenced here, The Hiding Place and To Quell the Terror: The Mystery of the Vocation of the Sixteen Carmelites of Compiegne Guillotined and All Saints in The Bookshelf, as they are all great reads. Check out The Sanity Squad’s Podcast for last week, which discusses this topic from the perspective of mental health professionals - very interesting, indeed, particularly Shrinkwrapped’s remarks. Related: Sr. Leonella’s Victory Related: http://theanchoressonline.com/2006/09/05/faith-and-reason-and-forced-conversions/trackback/ 31 Responses to “Faith and Reason and Forced Conversions” |
September 5th, 2006 at 7:04 pm
Super post, terrific insights and a real pleasure to read.
In particular, the bestowing of new names, has always been understood to be a welcoming event and gesture of a kind of grace.
When bestowed in terror, the gesture and meaning become ugly and tainted. Even the bestowing of that kind of Grace is stolen from God, by evil men, who in their hubris, believe they can appropriate what is in God’s purview, so as to promulgate an agenda.
Clearly, they do not fear God. In fact, they do not even know how to love God.
No one who professes to love God would ever steal from God those things that belong in his Dominion.
September 5th, 2006 at 8:55 pm
Another masterpiece. I have been thinking about it since it happened. I hope I would have the courage to refuse. I think I would. I don’t think I could live with myself afterwards, if I didn’t.
September 5th, 2006 at 9:13 pm
It was interesting that my thoughts seemed to have evolved in much the same way as yours. I wonder if I would have the courage faced with the choice, but to deny Christ does not seem to be anything that makes sense for me. I do not know their faith, but with faith in the USA becoming all religions including the denial of God as equal, it is easy to see that many would just say “whatever” not only to save their life, but to save their style of life.
But if we watch the video’s these nuts recently released, is that really a choice? They will not stop until we all convert and change our lifestyle to that we recently saw with the taliban or die. That is the choice.
September 5th, 2006 at 10:05 pm
Superb post, Anchoress. I’m thinking….
September 5th, 2006 at 11:17 pm
‘
Siggy, the names Sadrach, Mesach, and Abed-Nego were given exactly under these circumstances. People don’t seem to think that changing one’s name by force only attempts to erase the biggest mark of their identity.
‘
You are so right on target.
September 5th, 2006 at 11:30 pm
I don’t know what to say. I’m from the old school that prefers to see the other guys become martyrs for their cause.
There are civilian ‘martyrs’ in Iraq every day and the world media tallies them in Bush’s column, rather than the Islamofascists’…I suspect we’d never hear about Centanni and Wiig’s heroic refusal. If the Islamofascists were silly enough to disclose it, the world media would spike the story in short order. I suspect they would be telling ‘jokes’ about the IFs not getting their hands on more Fox reporters, don’t you? Are any of the other Western martyrs regarded as heroes here? Do you know that they did NOT refuse to convert?
September 5th, 2006 at 11:48 pm
Darrell, the thing about martyrdom, though, is that somehow, the stories always do get out, even if they’re buried…sooner or later, they always emerge.
September 6th, 2006 at 12:10 am
I remember Fabrizio Quattrocchi. He was the Italian hostage in Iraq who, when facing his execution, shouted “now I’ll show you how an Italian dies.” Let’s get that out!
September 6th, 2006 at 4:07 am
The Anchoress
cautions us about the supposed harmlessness of forced conversions….
September 6th, 2006 at 7:51 am
Martyrdom?
This incident reminds us that Islam, for all the talk of “no compulsion in religion” approves of conquest of the unbelievers.
It also raises the question of whether we in the secularized West have the strength and belief to resist a more brutal bu…
September 6th, 2006 at 9:03 am
While I agree with you, Anchoress, I have to wonder how any of us would do in their shoes … it’s easy to talk a good talk sitting in front of this computer terminal, quite another to actually be there.
‘nother thought: Check me on this … but how many of the early martyrs were people responsible for families? It’s one thing for a single woman or a young man to offer him/herself for martyrdom … quite another for a husband and father to leave his family and children destitute.
That’s one of the things that brings me up short … it’s easy enough to say “no” when my life is the only one on the line … but what about my family?
I’m fortunate in that I’ve talked it over with my family and they’ve agreed that, should it ever be necessary, we refuse to convert, even in pretense, and we trust God to look after the survivors, if any. But not every Christian is so fortunate to have such support at home.
Respectfully,
Brian P.
September 6th, 2006 at 10:02 am
[...] Yesterday, The Anchoress wrote a post, Faith, Reason and Forced Conversions, in which she discusses the forced ‘conversions’ of former Fox News kidnap victims Centanni and Wiig and the meaning behind those forced ‘conversions.’ She touches upon a few very very nuanced realities: The demand to “convert or die” is not a thinking demand, it is not born of reason. It is culled forth from a dark heart given over to something larger than a human sense or sensibility. It is an unnatural requirement… [...]
September 6th, 2006 at 10:52 am
An Essay On Forced Conversions
The Anchoress has an essay posted on forced conversions and provides some very interesting things to think about.
The demand to “convert or die” is not a thinking demand, it is not born of reason. It is culled forth from a dark he…
September 7th, 2006 at 2:01 am
Links That Don’t Stink
Funnies/Of Interest Waste of Alien ExperienceAnother Hippy LimerickCBS Reveals Top 10 Couric Sign-Off SuggestionsNews/Opinion Islam TodayFaith and Reason and Forced ConversionsBad boys, bad girls: Keeping naughty Okies in line is a big job….
September 7th, 2006 at 4:12 am
A Time for Christian Reflection
Can we children of this post-modern age wrap our minds around martyrdom?
To leave all in His hands an ultimate test of Faith.
September 7th, 2006 at 6:30 pm
In all honesty, I have no idea if I would have the guts to refuse to convert at knife-point. Rationalizing that it would not be a conversion of the heart only goes so far. I can’t say I would be as brave as the Carmelites.
Stinks, facing your own lack of moral fortitude.
September 15th, 2006 at 5:33 pm
[...] I am not especially saddened to see the brouhaha that is gaining strength over Benedict’s speech. Whether he is “media savvy” or not, Benedict has managed - in his very scholarly fashion - to apply a very hot drawing poultice to the enormous and festing boils of both radical Islamism and rampant secularism. At the very least, it will cause some Muslims to insist that distinctions be made between them and their more extreme co-religionists, and it may rouse the West to examine how cavalierly it has tossed off the “shackles” of Christianity only to open itself up to the scimitar. Perhaps some will look at the spires of their great cathedrals and wonder if they really want to see them replaced with minarets. [...]
September 16th, 2006 at 7:00 pm
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September 17th, 2006 at 6:59 pm
[...] About two weeks ago I wrote about Faith and Reason and Forced Conversions: [...]
September 18th, 2006 at 11:46 am
[...] I cannot help thinking about the 16 Carmelites of Compiegne who were guillotined during the French Revolution, and of whom I wrote just two weeks ago. William Bush writes about them movingly in To Quell the Terror; he recounts how they went to their deaths singing hymns of praise to God, and how they forgave their executioner before they knelt beneath the blade, how they stated their desire to offer up their lives for the of “the Terrors.” Bush notes that Robespierre was himself guillotined some ten days after their deaths, and with him went the worst of it. [...]
October 3rd, 2006 at 6:47 pm
[...] WELCOME: Instapundit readers! While you’re here, please look around. Blogging has been lighter than usual, but over the past few days we’ve been discussing the need for moderate Muslims to unambiguously declare themselves, the disappointment of baby boomer politicians, how presidential one Rudy Giuliani is looking these days compared to almost anyone else, some stuff Bill and Hillary forgot and matters of faith and reason and forced conversions. If you check back later, I plan to put up a recipe for baked oatmeal that will bring you to your knees! Mary Katharine Ham tracked back with If You Can’t Say It Better, Just Link It [...]
October 6th, 2006 at 11:59 am
[...] There are things visible and invisible. A thought is a thing. A hateful thought is a thing, as is a loving one. A hateful thought offered up to an altar of the invisible is hate on a supernatural level, and it can only be confronted and overcome by love on a supernatural level. [...]
October 6th, 2006 at 3:49 pm
[...] Read the whole thing. Julie has a much holier take on all of this than I do, although I must say reading her brought to mind part of something I wrote a month or so, ago: Faith and Reason share a kinship, and within that kinship the natural and supernatural wave back and forth, like wind-stirred wheat in a field, but only to an point. The gift of faith is itself supernatural, but let’s call it a small-s-supernatural, one in which reason may be easily ascertained. I think once circumstances have led one - willingly or unwillingly - to confront capital-S-Supernatural, the waters become very deep, and reason must necessarily hang back near the shore. […] Firefighters on 9/11 asked a blessing from Fr. Mychal Judge before they headed into the burning towers of the World Trade Center. Reason cautioned that running into such a hellish conflagration was foolhardy - faith whispered something else, and it won. [...]
December 28th, 2006 at 6:16 pm
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January 12th, 2007 at 3:03 pm
[...] Their battlefield is literally EVERYWHERE. What do they want? They don’t want land - not even giving them Israel witll stop them, because all of this is not about Israel. This is an enemy that says, “you love pepsi, we love death. And we are happy to die as long as we are killing you, too.” It is an unconventional enemy, and unconventional war, and we have absolutely nothing to offer within a diplomatic solution. This is an enemy that will take your diplomatic solution and use it against you, anyway because it is not fighting out of loyalty to a king who may be appeased…they’re fighting and using terrorism as a means of movement, to advance an idea the bottom line of which is “die. Or, you know, convert. But mostly die.” [...]
January 21st, 2007 at 9:05 pm
[...] Faith and Reason and Forced Conversions Originally posted September 5, 2006 [...]
August 8th, 2007 at 5:23 pm
[...] nation, and also during the French Revolution) the cloisters are made illegal, the nuns and monks imprisoned, killed or forced [...]
September 6th, 2007 at 5:32 pm
[...] piece reminded me of this quote, which I initially had posted here: “Was not Nagasaki the chosen victim, the lamb without blemish, slain as a whole burnt offering [...]
November 29th, 2007 at 10:40 am
[...] as a means of movement, to advance an idea the bottom line of which is “Die. Or, you know, convert. But mostly [...]
December 7th, 2007 at 10:08 am
[...] faith and reason are mutually exclusive, and I hope no one takes it that way. As I have written elsewhere: Faith and Reason share a kinship, and within that kinship the natural and supernatural wave back [...]
December 11th, 2007 at 9:29 pm
[...] And Politics Without God — brings his own considerable reasoning skills to the issue of faith and reason, which has been so much to the fore in public debate, lately. While acknowledging the positive idea [...]