Clinging to Archie Bunker's God
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“God don’t make no mistakes,” declared Archie.
“That’s how he got to be God.”
For those too young to
remember Archie, who in 2005 was listed as number 1 on Bravo's 100 Greatest TV Characters,
Wikipedia says Bunker was characterized by his bigotry towards “… blacks, Hispanics, "Commies," gays, hippies, Jews, Asians, Catholics, "women's libbers," and
Polish-Americans….”
Bunker was presented as a
Christian, however, and “… often misquotes the Bible. He takes pride in being
religious, although he rarely attends church services ….”
An Anonymous Contributor
Sister Mary Matilda, my
eighth grade teacher, would accuse me of being uncharitable but I imagine that an
anonymous contributor to a recent newspaper column is an “Archie Bunker.” He had
this to say about a couple accused of mistreating their foster child.
“I believe in an ‘eye for an
eye, a tooth for a tooth!’ The family that abused and tortured their foster
child should receive the same treatment!” It was signed “Equal Justice.”
Where did this writer’s
“belief” come from? The “eye for an eye” quote is from the Book of Exodus in
the Hebrew Bible, so the writer appears to be appealing to religion to justify
his views.
But scripture scholars say
the Exodus phrase is meant to prohibit compensation that exceeds the damage,
that the injured party may require no more than that. There was no requirement
that the injured party seek any compensation, in fact.
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But if “Equal Justice” is a
Christian, he would be bound by Jesus’ take on the phrase.
“You have heard that it was
said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, do not
resist one who is evil. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to
him the other also….”
Jesus, writes scripture scholar
Alexander Jones, editor of the famous Jerusalem Bible, is using vigorous and
colorful language to get across his point. Jesus himself didn’t “turn the other
cheek” when he was assaulted by the Roman soldiers but instead asked his Father
to forgive them. He “subordinates strict justice to generous charity (love).”
It’s interesting how so many
of us substitute popular “wisdom” – the kind of thing you see on bumper stickers
– for the teachings of Jesus and other religious leaders.
Popular wisdom likes a Jesus who
would say “America, right or wrong;” who would describe the poor as lazy and
interested only in a free ride; who would easily jump to conclusions about the
guilt of others with phrases like “lock ‘em up.”
The Plastic Jesus
Popular wisdom likes the
plastic Jesus, the one whose countenance is portrayed in countless images as
bland and melancholy, who understands and approves of our prejudices, our
clinging to popular beliefs instead of his actual teaching.
In a recent blog, former
classmate and retired psychologist Ted Wolgamot comments on Jesus’ shocking
advice in Mark’s Gospel: “If your hand
causes you to sin, chop it off …. If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off …
If your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out.”
Jesus, Ted writes, used this language to get people’s
full attention. “Jesus wanted them to be shocked, even appalled, so they would
sit up and listen. …Clearly, Jesus was not promoting self-mutilation. Instead,
he wanted people to begin understanding what his life and mission was truly all
about.
“And … his life mission was about revealing, in an
unmistakable way, a radically different understanding of who God is and what
God wants from each of us.”
It’s clear that people
searching for God won’t find him/her in Archie Bunker’s god.
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