Religion, war linked in history
We should seek God's will with humble heart, shun arrogant power

They pray for divine protection in their quest for earthly retribution:

One asks to be strong enough to kill as many of the Irish and other ``Roman papists'' as possible, the other as many ``natives'' and other Protestant oppressors.

The scene is from the movie Gangs of New York, a riveting account of the struggle by 19th century immigrants to find their place in America as rival ethnic gangs choose sides to control the turf and ultimate destiny of a still-emerging country.

It's not a movie for those with weak stomachs, but filmmaker Martin Scorsese has peeled back layers of 19th century New York to reveal a slice of America that people need to ponder.

All the ugliness of an area of Lower Manhattan called Five Points is laid bare: the prejudice, brutality, racism, political chicanery and immorality.

Competing gangs have one thing in common: an uncompromising belief that God is on their side and that they must and will prevail.

The prayers of their leaders, calling on God for vengeance, are chilling. Sadly, history is rife with such invocations.

The psalmist sings of vengeance on the Edomites for their destruction of Jerusalem: ``Happy shall he be who takes your little ones and dashes them against the rock!'' (Psalm 137:9)

The Quran refers to the battles fought in defense of the faith: ``Then We said: Go you both to the people who rejected Our communications; so We destroyed them with utter destruction.'' (Sura 25:36)

Today, suicide bombers in the Middle East seek what they believe to be divinely sanctioned justice. Israelis, with their understanding of biblical morality undergirding their actions, retaliate with swift and deadly force.

The United States is poised to defend its way of life and to destroy a brutal dictator -- and countless others -- by attacking Iraq. Civil religion will probably be the rallying cry if war comes.

And so it has been and will ever be: religion and war inexorably linked. Prayers reach the heavens imploring God to exact justice, for real or alleged offenses, on one's enemies. And so it goes, day after day, century after century.

In Gangs of New York, it's sobering to see how each leader has defined God in his own image. The Irish-American leader calls on the Archangel Michael, who threw down Satan from heaven, to guide him and his gang of immigrants in battle. He also asks that the Virgin Mary fill his heart with love.

The Nativists' leader, who controls a Protestant anti-immigrant gang, asserts his duty to defend America against the ``invading hordes'' and calls on God to lead the way. His hatred is matched only by his cruelty.

As the fight begins, the city is plunged into four days and nights of rioting: the 1863 Civil War Draft Riots. The violence is no respecter of person, class or ethnic group. Force begets force, death follows death.

Buried deep in the story is the struggle to understand -- and embrace -- tolerance and good will. As the movie points out, what began in the hellish Five Points of New York is still aborning.

Nearly 140 years later, it's our choice: Do we seek life or death? The task is no less difficult in a world that continually slips back into a Five Points mentality.

What should those of us who believe in divine involvement in human affairs be praying for? Certainly not the brutal death of enemies. Nor a deserved victory for a seemingly noble cause. Those prayers have been uttered by untold millions, and the outcome always results in devastation. Instead, we need to regain the simplicity of humble faith, not arrogant power.

On the brink of war, in the midst of uncertainty and fear, when hatred threatens to consume compassion, this should be the prayer of those who look to God for guidance: ``The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.'' (Psalm 51:17)

In such an act of humility, we seek less the desires of our own hearts and more the will of the One who desires not the death of anyone.

Following such a path is not an easy way to live, but it is one sure way out of Five Points and, God willing, into a brighter future.

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Tom Schaefer writes about religion and ethics for the Wichita, Kan., Eagle.