Belief, Monday to Friday, Radio 3
Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war ...
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.I've often wondered how soldiers can be Christians, given the fairly clear instruction from Him Upstairs that homicide's a no-no. But those of a religious persuasion, I've noticed, usually manage to find get-out clauses for the big things while sticking rigidly to the rules about small stuff.
So it was in Belief, a five-parter in which Joan Bakewell quizzed various representatives of the great and the good about the religious impulses that fuel their lives. Richard Dannatt – that's General Lord Dannatt to you, former Chief of General Staff who was in charge a few years ago when war opened on two fronts, Iraq and Afghanistan, what he described as “a perfect storm”.
Bakewell got quite quickly to the nub of the matter, the apparent contradiction between beliefs and action, asking him, “Where is God on the battlefield?” Dannatt responded by doing the thing that irritates me most about God-fearing types (well, apart from killing people with different beliefs): purporting to know what God “thinks”.
“God on the battlefield is within individuals,” he told her. “God doesn't say, 'this is right or that is right,' though there may be some issues where the right and wrong is so clear he may well take a clear view of it.” God “take a clear view”? I wonder what he “thinks” about plebgate? Or volleyball losing its funding for the Olympics? Dannatt will doubtless be able to tell us.
Bakewell didn't get where she is today by soft-soaping, and she asked the all-important question – what about “Thou shalt not kill?” – triggering the get-out clause. “I think there's a doctrinal debate to be had,” he suggested, “whether that commandment is 'thou shalt not kill' or 'thou shalt do no murder'.” There's a doctrinal debate? Oh, that's all right then. Shoot to kill.
On Christmas night it was Jimmy Carter's turn, and he made quite a contrast. Although in the past 30 years he has become one of the world's leading statesman, he was much derided as president of the United States. But, as he observed: “We never went to war. We never dropped a bomb. We never fired a bullet.”
Sounds like a complete triumph to me.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments