Loading...Bishop Nathan Baxter was recently asked this question: "What do you say when a child asks why someone world blow himself up to kill other people?"
I’d ask them, “Have you ever been so angry with someone, just for a moment, that you wished they were dead or didn’t exist?” Was there a time when a sister or brother said something very hurtful to you; or a parent or teacher made you do something you really did not want to do; or someone you loved was made to feel very sad? Did you feel like the world would be much better if the persons who made you sad didn’t exist? We all have such feelings sometimes.
As a pastor I have often asked in children’s sermons: “What keeps you from doing something really, really bad to others?” Often children will respond by saying that it’s wrong to kill others; or that God would be unhappy with them; or that they might not go to heaven. Some say they feared that their parents, their friends and neighbors would be disappointed, ashamed and very sad if they blow themselves up or hurt others.
When addressing this subject, I try to explain to children and teens that all the great religions teach it is wrong to hurt ourselves or others no matter how angry we are. The teaching of Jesus is especially clear that vengeance against our enemies is wrong. Jesus even teaches we must respect our enemies. This teaching is hard to do, but it makes us think twice before doing something we will regret.
But in some neighborhoods around the world bad leaders teach people that God thinks its O.K. to kill or mistreat people who make you feel bad. Children in these such neighborhoods grow up thinking that if you blow up those with whom you are angry you will be remembered as a brave hero. They think this because when somebody blows up themselves there is often a big funeral party in the community. Lots of friends and neighbors shout your name and march in a funeral parade through the neighborhood; and they hold up large pictures of you. So for a few people in the world, when they are very angry at others they don’t feel much inside that tells them this it is wrong to blow themselves up and hurt others just to get back at them.
Having said this I always want to assure children that there are many religious and community leaders in America and other countries are working very hard to help all boys and girls to know that God is love; that hurting others because we are angry is not good. We all should remember that when children and adults have not been nurtured with positive religious values and respectful social constructs there is nothing to counter the very human experiences of anger and vengeance. Such neglect always leads to individual and social tragedy.
Bishop Nathan D. Baxter
