GOD Gap 030110

Its official there is a “God Gap” in American foreign policy.  According to a two-year study by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, American foreign policy is handicapped by narrow, ill-informed and "uncompromising Western secularism" that feeds religious extremism, threatens traditional cultures and fails to encourage religious groups that promote peace and human rights.

The Council is not alone in its findings a number of previous government studies support their findings.  Senior scholars have long noted that the government has failed to understand the roll of religion in many parts of the world.  In 1998 Congress passed the International Religious Freedom Act making religious freedom a U.S. foreign policy priority.  Of course Congress' focus was only on freedom for Christians.  

Richard Cizik notes that some parts of the world are particularly sensitive to the U.S. government's emphasis on religious freedom and sees it as a form of imperialism.  The current wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan began as religious wars of Saintly Christians against Demonic Muslims.  Senior American officers preached that Islam was next to devil worship and invading soldiers desecrated Islamic relics, holy places and insulted religious leaders.  The United States has been slow to adjust to the global role of religion not only in the Middle East but also Latin America, Africa the Far East even to domestic religious turmoil.

Religious warfare is not new.  In 1096ce, 200 years of Catholic Crusading began against Muslims.  Today it is ignored that the Crusaders killed probably more Christians than Muslims.  It is also forgotten that the crusades began because a Roman pope wanted to bring all Christendom under his power and his soldiers wanted only loot.  The eight crusades in the “Holy Land” were followed by brutal crusades across Europe.  Martin Luther put a match to the fuse in 1517 with his (Protestant) thesis leading to French religious wars, and 400 years of Irish warfare that is still on and off.  America was founded with a principle of religious freedom but has been less than free with a history of religious persecution of Indians, Catholics, Jews and any other group not of an accepted Protestant faith.

In the mid 1940s when the issue of Israel and Palestine was being hotly debated at the United Nations, the American ambassador stated he could not understand why the two parties could not sit down as Christian gentlemen and settle their differences.  The Jews and Muslims looked at each other asking how Christians settled disputes and have been killing each other ever since. 

The Council’s report was intended as a call to accept religious differences in foreign affairs.  It is probable however that the religious right will seize on the report as justification of their particular brand of fundamentalism.  The 21st century is in danger of being the century of religious warfare.  A century where all sects invent their own Joan of Arc rallying the fateful to kill for a GOD.