Those Who Draw the Sword

It was certainly unfortunate and heinous the act of terror committed by Muslim extremists against the French weekly Charlie Hebdo on January.

No form of religion or ideology can be imposed or defended by violence because this is an aggression against free will, the basic principle of human life.

Only God, who is absolutely just and omniscient, can use violence to defend the righteous; in extreme cases of oppression and spiritual contamination by the wicked, as it happened in the early history of the Jewish people.

Jesus twice rebuked the use of violence by his disciples, to defend him. The first time was when he crossed the Samaritan territory, in his way to Jerusalem, and was denied hospitality there. When James and John asked permission to destroy that village, He said that He had not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. (Luke 9:56)

The second time was when he was arrested, on the orders of Jewish priests and elders. One of his disciples, angrily, hurts the servant of the high priest. Jesus then heals the man and says, "Put away your sword, those who use the sword will die by the sword.. " (Matthew 26:52)

In the case of religious extremism, typical of some Muslim sects, the religious principles of Islam are distorted, which has led to the oppression and murder of many who oppose their wicked doctrine.

Such cases of extremism must be fought, in all possible peaceful ways, just like all tyrannical and totalitarian political regimes and ideologies. However, there is one aspect of this tragic incident of the French weekly, which usually goes unnoticed, because it is a normal aspect of our times.

Freedom of expression is undoubtedly one of the consequences of free will and as such should not be hampered. However, the ideological and religious beliefs are also expressions of human free will and as such must be respected, as long as they do not impose a threat to life.

However, what is found very often in the media is the indiscriminate use of freedom of expression as a weapon to confront any form of ideology or religion, whose principles contradict the humanist and materialistic ideology that currently prevails in the world, especially in the West.

This confrontation is often offensive, by satire and mockery, which is also a form of disrespect for individual liberty. Although not threatening human life, this kind of criticism brings about a sort of moral violence, for some forms of expression can also be considered as weapons.

Christianity has been, throughout its history, one of the favorite targets of this critical violence. Even though many mistakes in the history of the Christian church deserve to be execrated and criticized, the media often turns its irreverence and mockery towards aspects of the Christian faith itself. The Christian principles, even when not fully understood, should be respected as an expression of religious freedom.

There are countless times when the human figure of Jesus was outraged, vilified, scorned and stripped of his divinity, both by the informative media and the entertainment industry. His role in human history was, many times, reduced to the one of a simple revolutionary leader; and his behavior compared to the wicked and ordinary men, and even to perverts. The weekly Charlie Hebdo published in November 2012, one of its most repulsive charges, satirizing the Holy Trinity.

The fact is that the Christian faith presents a model of life that reflects the standard of life expressed by God in the Biblical scriptures, a model that conflicts with the humanist and materialistic interests that lead the life in this world.

Those who draw the sword of irreverence refuse to recognize the sovereignty and the divine omnipotence and are resentful at all forms of constraint and restriction on their materialistic and hedonist views.

They cannot bear the anguish of feeling themselves limited in their ego, and recognize their absolute dependence on a true and living God, of whom nothing can be hidden.