A Christian Reads the Gita

Recently my daily devotions have included reading a chapter from the Indian spiritual classic the Bhagavad Gita. Each morning I read a chapter from the Hebrew prophets (I am presently reading Isaiah), a section from Thich Nhat Hanh’s Living Buddha, Living Christ, and then a chapter from the Gita.

The Bhagavad Gita is probably the most famous Hindu scripture, written about the same time as the Hebrew Torah was being finalized.  I first came in contact with it while in college. I was offered a copy of The Bhagavad-Gītā As It Is by a shaved head, chanting, dancing devotee of the Hare Krishna movement who was visiting campus. I read it and kept it for years.

I studied the Gita again in seminary while studying the world’s religions, but I have not read it since. I thought it was about time to buy a new translation and explore it again. This time I purchased Stephen Mitchell’s new translation. His edition of the Tao Te Ching is my favorite, so I was eager to see how he approached this beloved Indian scripture.

I have been surprised at how this reading of the Bhagavad Gita has affected me. Although I do not resonate with it as much as the Upanishads, which have been very influential in my spiritual life, I find it is helping me work through a moral dilemma that I am struggling with at this time.

For those of you unfamiliar with the Bhagavad Gita, it is a conversation between the Indian warrior Arjuna and his charioteer, who is actually Krishna, an incarnation of God. Arjuna is about to go into battle against some of his kinsmen when he has crisis of conscience. He cannot bring himself to fight and kill people that he knows. He decides to lay down his bow and become the ancient equivalent of a conscientious objector.

At that point Krishna starts up a dialogue with Arjuna, attempting to persuade him to fulfill his duty as a member of the warrior caste and fight. This conversation is the substance of the Gita, which itself is part of the larger epic the Mahabharata. During the conversation Krishna explains various ways that one comes to know God. He speaks about the true nature of Reality, God and human beings.

These topics are interesting, but it was the subject of war that got me thinking the most. This has been a struggle in my life ever since the Vietnam War. Over the years my approach has fluctuated between an ethic of nonviolence and just war theory. I consider the major American wars during my lifetime – Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan – to have been unnecessary and costly in human lives and suffering. I opposed them all. But I cannot rule out the possible need for military action when the situation requires it.

I consider the United States to be at a crossroads at the present time. For the first time in my lifetime American democracy is being threatened by a domestic enemy. The January 6 attack on the US Capitol building was just the opening salvo. Christian nationalism and the right-wing anti-democracy movement are gaining strength. It is working at the local, state and national levels to rig elections, censor books and roll back basic rights.

There is a large portion of lawmakers and the American population who are willing to dismantle our two-century-long experiment in democracy in order to advance their political, religious, and social agenda. So far it has not resulted in widespread violence, but I can see where it could end in armed conflict if this trend is not reversed.

I have been contemplating how far mainstream Christians should go in defending our democracy against these anti-democracy forces. I have not come to a decision. Part of me wants to follow in the footsteps of Martin Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi. Another part of me wants to exercise my second amendment right. Do I practice nonviolent resistance or do I use force to stop fascism before it gets too powerful?

Last year I penned several blog posts about Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a theologian who was faced with a similar dilemma in Germany during the 1930’s and 40’s. He ended up working as a double agent in German intelligence and becoming part of the plot to assassinate Hitler. He was executed by the Third Reich for his choice. I admire his Christian faith and his courage.

In a recent radio/podcast interview on The Meetinghouse, my friend Dwight Moody and I talked about the threat of Christian Nationalism and how it is affecting churches and pastors. We both agreed that this was not the time for clergy to keep silent about these threats to American freedoms. But what more can we do than just talk? I think we can learn from the example of the 20^th century Civil Rights and Anti-War movements.

At the end of the Gita Arjuna is persuaded by Krishna to fight in the upcoming battle. In chapter after chapter of the Book of Isaiah, God declares war for his divine purpose. Yet Isaiah also has the most beautiful images of the peaceable kingdom in the Bible. For a Christian the ethic of Christ supersedes the Old Testament ethic. Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said of old, but I say unto you…..” In the same spirit Gandhi concluded, “The Gita does not decide for us.”

Reading the Bhagavad Gita has been a way for me to have an internal debate about how far a follower of Jesus can engage in earthly battles. For now my pacifist roots are prevailing. Nonviolence seems like the only long-term solution. Violence sows the seeds of future violence. An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth only makes the whole world blind and toothless.  And my dentist says I have no teeth to spare. Yet if the redcaps try to do to my house what they did to the People’s House, I am not making any promises.