Article Image

IPFS News Link • WAR: About that War

God of War

• https://www.lewrockwell.com

I mean by "myth of redemptive violence," in a nutshell, the quasi-religious belief that we may gain "salvation" through violence.  People in the modern world (as in the ancient world), and not least people in the United States put tremendous faith in instruments of violence to provide security and the possibility of victory over their enemies.  A number of trust people put in such instruments may be seen perhaps most clearly in a number of resources they devote to preparation of war.

–        Ted Grimsrud, The Good War That Wasn't – and Why it Matters.

I hope in this post to tie together two different threads running through my mind.  One is based on this idea from Grimsrud, cited above.  The other is inspired by the recent attacks in Belgium.

Redemptive Violence

Grimsrud uses the words "faith" and "trust" to describe the view held by many toward this myth – this god of war.  Certainly it is not based on science or reality.  It is obvious to all but the most willingly ignorant or willingly blind that the violence "over there" is easily paid back "over here."  Call it blowback, because that is what it is.

Does this stop the standing ovations at sporting events when military veterans are paraded out like saints?  Does this stop worshipful treatment in every public venue?  No and no.  As if we are thanking them for the blowback they have caused.

Part of the effectiveness of this myth stems from its invisibility as a myth….We think we know as a simple fact that violence works, that violence is necessary, that violence is inevitable.  We don't realize that, instead, we operate in the realm of belief, of mythology, of religion, in relation to the acceptance of violence.

Citing theologian and social critic Walter Wink, to understand how this redemptive violence works toward achieving "salvation":

"Violence is the ethos of our times.  It is the spirituality of the modern world.  It has been accorded the status of a religion, demanding from its devotees an absolute obedience unto death."

Wink offers that this "spirituality" is more reflective of the Babylonian creation myth than anything deriving from Christianity: "It, not Christianity, is the real religion of America."

The Babylonian creation myth, according to Wink, teaches that subduing chaos and establishing order requires violence.  Let's take a look:

The Enûma Eliš is the Babylonian creation mythos (named after its opening words).

This epic is one of the most important sources for understanding the Babylonian worldview, centered on the supremacy of Marduk and the creation of humankind for the service of the gods. Its primary original purpose, however, is not an exposition of theology or theogony but the elevation of Marduk, the chief god of Babylon, above other Mesopotamian gods.

To make a long story short, there is an epic battle of the gods:

A lengthy description of the other gods' inability to deal with the threat follows. Marduk offers to save the gods if he is appointed as their leader and allowed to remain so even after the threat passes.

In the end, Marduk is called upon to bring peace to the situation:

When the gods agree to Marduk's conditions he is selected as their champion against Tiamat, and becomes very powerful. Marduk challenges Tiamat to combat and destroys her.

This victory is not enough – total and utter devastation follows:

He then rips her corpse into two halves with which he fashions the earth and the skies.

In subduing this chaos, civilization and order follow:

Marduk then creates the calendar, organizes the planets and stars, and regulates the moon, the sun, and weather.

It is not enough to defeat the enemy – their cities must be devastated, bombed into rubble, burned to the ground.  It is not enough to capture the perpetrators of terrorist activity, cities that had absolutely no connection at all to the alleged terrorists must be devastated, bombed into rubble, burned to the ground.  It is not enough to stand in defense; one must pre-emptively divine and thereafter destroy any who might one day be a threat…maybe.

thelibertyadvisor.com/declare