Yale Divinity School Gregory E. Sterling issued the following statement today:
The attacks in Beirut last Thursday, in Paris on Friday, and in Baghdad on Sunday were betrayals of sacred trust. Those who profess an allegiance to God should not void that profession by violating the sacredness of life. We submit ourselves to God with the confidence that we are secure in divine love. We cannot use our own confidence to take the lives of others or threaten them because they have a different understanding of God or have no understanding of God. Such acts betray God who has given all humans life and undermine the place of religion by demonstrating that religion works against human welfare, not for it. An understanding of religion that works against the good of humanity is unacceptable.
ISIS has become synonymous with unacceptable religion. A movement that fosters a theology of rape and acts of terrorism does not represent the Muslim faith. Those of us who are Christians should remember that we have also had moments in our tradition when groups of Christians have engaged in violent activities that have been indefensible. Every major religion has such examples. It is time for all of us who care about the welfare of humanity-–Christians, Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, and all other religious traditions–-to speak out in the strongest terms against such acts, not as specific to a particular religion but as the acts of individuals who have a unacceptable understanding of their own faith, whatever faith that is. They have betrayed humanity and the sacredness of religion.
May we also lift our voices in prayer to remember those who have died, those who are left alone to grieve, and those who have witnessed these atrocities. We want in special ways to remember our own students and their families who live in one of these places. Our hearts go out to you and our prayers go up to God on your behalf. May we also pray for those whose hearts need to be turned from hatred and violence to understanding and peace. It is in moments like these that the difficulty of the words placed in the mouth of Jesus on the cross, “Forgive them for they do not know what they are doing,” are most keenly felt.