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Our country is far too big and diverse a place for there to be only be two schools of political thought. Perhaps that’s why a 2023 Gallup poll found that 41 percent of Americans consider themselves to be independents, as opposed to Democrats and Republicans at 28 percent each. Yet, the rules state by state make it incredibly difficult for a third voice to crash the national political party.
The very idea that every question can somehow be broken down into a black and white (or blue and red) answer is silly. Most of life happens in grey areas, in part because knowing all of the answers is impossible, even if some people don’t want to admit it.
“People find it scary to live in the grey. Some even find it offensive, because they believe they must have all the correct responses to the world’s toughest situations,” Dr. Irene Cohen wrote on her website. “In the grey area, there are no universal laws dictating wrong or right. There are no best answers or perfect choices.”
The result is you actually have to think for yourself. Unfortunately, that’s something fewer people across the political spectrum are doing nowadays, especially extreme partisans who believe compromise is tantamount to treason.
For example, take the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict which, according to the Cherokee Scout’s opinions pages, has raised strong emotions even on the other side of Earth in Cherokee County.
For many Christians, supporting Israel is part of their faith; Palestinians are bit players in a biblical prophecy that has yet to unfold, as God has future plans for His chosen people and Jerusalem. Others back Israel as a vital American ally in the Middle East that had no choice but to respond harshly after the brutal Hamas attack on Oct. 7 left 1,139 people dead, with dozens more still held captive.
However, especially on many of our nation’s college campuses, students and others have risen up in support of the Palestinian people. They have spoken out against what they call an overreaction by the Israeli government that is resulting in the deaths of innocent residents and aid workers. So far, the numbers show that 34,904 people have been killed and 78,514 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since Oct. 7, though some reports call that count incomplete.
Coming from the grey area in the middle, my question is: Why can’t we take a stand for peace? Why can’t we pray for all people in the human race?
After all, God commands us in Scripture to love our neighbor – and there isn’t an out clause. The Bible says both the Israeli and Palestinian people, along with everyone else, were created in the image of God. And Romans 2:11 tells us, “God treats everyone the same.”
In a similar way, Scripture also compels us to turn away from war. “Blessed are the peacemakers,” Jesus said in Matthew 5:9, “for they will be called children of God.” In John 16:33, Jesus summed up his words by saying, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.” Luke 1:79 says God’s mercy will “guide our feet into the path of peace.”
Since I’m not on the ground at Columbia University nor on the Gaza strip nor in the halls of power with a security clearance – and many international media organizations are not being allowed to report up close and personal, where the truth lies – I’m not going to be bold enough to suggest I have an answer that could somehow resolve a millennia of ancestral anger. However, I do have a suggestion on a place to start.
Instead of deciding ahead of time which side to love or hate, usually based on partisan media sources, let’s instead pray for the people of both nationalities. Let’s ask God to show His greatness by bringing peace to a land that desperately needs it. Let’s support nonprofit organizations with the courage to clothe the naked, feed the hungry and house the homeless in areas devastated by fighting.
In doing so, we will help fulfill what Jesus proclaimed in John 13:35: “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
David Brown is publisher of the Cherokee Scout. You can reach him by phone, 828-837-5122; email, dbrown@cherokeescout.com; or on X @daviddBstroh.