God, Caesar and Conscience

The problem of the religious not knowing the difference between God and Caesar is not confined to any single denomination or even religious tradition, and I never intended to make it seem that way. Roman Catholics, especially beginning in the later part of the 19th century, could be just as nationalistic and committed to “the nation,” militarism and imperialism as any Protestant group. And many protestants — especially anabaptists — emerged out of resistance to the state. The Lutheran confessions contain some angry refutations of the kinds of pacifist and anti-state doctrines that started with the anabaptists, for example.

I cited Benedict because he appears to understand, in a way I’ve not seen any mainstream religious figure in this day and age, just what kind of problem state power really is.

What I find interesting, in all this talk about allegedly separates Islam from Christianity, is the assumption that “Render unto Caesar, render unto God” actually entitles Caesar to anything. As I understand it, and I may be wrong, Jesus was merely refering to the dinar with Caesar’s profile on it, and not some great “sphere of life” where Caesar was entitled to taxes and loyalty. Given the totality of the Gospel, I’m not entirely sure Caesar is entitled to take anything. Caesar takes anyway.

The invention of Christendom — the merging of God and Caesar — created a process, entity and set of expectations among many Christians little different from what Muslims would create with dar al Islam: the expectation that Islam would always rule, that Muslims would be privileged in Muslim society, and that the law and culture would reflect scripture and the prejudices of the majority. The slow unraveling of Christendom over the last several centuries, an unraveling at the hands of the total state and of secular ideologies gives us a wonderful opportunity to reclaim the Gospel as a way of living that doesn’t also expect the state and the culture to look certain ways, that doesn’t expect that Caesar will be on “our” side and uphold “our” values.

Besides, anyone looking to Caesar for affirmation is unlocking a great big trunk of troubles. Get a dog.

Dar al Islam is finished too, and for many of the same reasons.

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10:01 am on January 28, 2006