For such a time as this
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March 6, 2023
Today (March 6-7, 2023) is the Jewish festival of Purim. It
commemorates the events written in the Hebrew Scriptures book of
Esther. It is a fun time of celebration. You can (mostly) think of
Purim as Mardi Gras and Halloween rolled into one. There are
costumes, food, parties, and lots of drinking. But behind all
these, Purim celebrates a defeat of a genocidal attempt by a
politician who harbored xenophobia and anger.
In the 5th century B.C.E., Persia was a superpower that dominated
over 127 provinces stretching from India to Greece to Northern
Africa (although, by the time of Xerxes I, it was beginning to
decline). Emperor Ahasuerus (historians generally identify him as
Xerxes I, who reigned 486-465 B.C.E.) had appointed a man named
Haman as his prime minister (or viceroy). During this time, Jews
were a conquered people and many of them were taken to Persia.
This Haman apparently viewed Jews with contempt and suspicion. He
was not pleased with Mordecai, a Jewish man he encountered near the
palace gate, who refused to bow down to him (to the Jews of this
time, bowing down implied worship, and therefore idolatry). Having
been offended and his massive ego hurt, Haman as the head of
government and a member of the emperor’s inner circle, plots a
sinister plan to eradicate all Jews living within the borders of
the Persian Empire.
When Mordecai found out about Haman’s genocidal plan, he sends a
secret message to Esther, and with her courage, wisdom, and
strategies, she derailed the plan, lets the emperor know what Haman
was up to, and had the emperor execute Haman — and by this, saved
Jewish people in Persia from the impending extermination.
Who knows whether you haven't come to the kingdom for such a time
as this? — Esther 4:14.
If one man and his anger culminated in a massive genocide campaign,
it also took the focused, braved actions of one Esther to stop it
and save the lives of thousands ("Never doubt that a small group of
thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's
the only thing that ever has." — Margaret Mead.) Of course,
Persia at the time was not a democracy but an absolute monarchy;
access to the emperor was extremely restricted (no one could
approach the emperor, unless called to by him, under the penalty of
death). Only Esther had an access to the seat of power, and even
then, it was extremely risky. If she earned the emperor’s
displeasure she would be executed and genocide would still go on as
planned (since Ahasuerus would not become aware of Haman’s plot).
The situation feels hopeless, as though she is screwed if she did,
and screwed if she didn’t.
We also live in a seemingly hopeless world today.
In the United States, Conservative Political Action Conference
(CPAC) was held this past week. The event featured speakers who
called for a “total eradication of transgenderism” (sic) and a
former Immigration and Customs Enforcement chief (who worked under
both Barack Obama and Donald Trump) who said he “[does] not give
a shit” if children of immigrants and refugees are ripped from
their parents.
CPAC 2023 took place against the backdrop of an apparently
coordinated multi-state political campaign to legislate trans and
nonbinary people out of existence; a disturbing resurgence and
mainstreaming of antisemitism in the U.S.; a rise of far-right
authoritarianism across America disguised as “Christianity”;
and globally, Russia and Communist China’s display of aggressive
imperialistic ambitions.
Even in an allegedly democratic society such as the United States,
exclusionism and exterminationism raise their ugly heads
periodically. Before this iteration of transphobic moral panic
(circa 2015-present), there was a wave of anti-immigrant and
anti-Muslim (due to ignorance of many Americans, Sikhs and Hindus
were also sucked into this) political and social sentiments (post
9/11/2001-much of the Trump era). For that matter, anti-gay hate
dominated U.S. politics well into the first decade of this century
(and now it is seeing its revival).
Even though the social and economic uncertainty during the COVID-19
pandemic of 2020 was a source of depression and anxiety, I felt
that it also was an optimistic time in a weird way. The pandemic,
for a brief period of time, fostered a sentiment of solidarity and
mutual aid. People were being innovative in reaching out to their
neighbors in need while also being cautious: restaurant owners were
sending dinners to first responders and hospital workers; breweries
and distilleries switched their production lines to make hand
sanitizers to give away; local activists built free fridges and
free pantries in neighborhoods. The Black Lives Matter
demonstrations that summer, although turning violent and
destructive at times, finally seemed to get elected officials to
talk about racial justice and equity and even led many localities
to take a hard look at police funding, how criminal legal systems
operate, prison overcrowding (made critically important due to the
cluster transmissions of COVID-19), and larger equity and inclusion
issues. BLM and rainbow flags were seen even in a small, typically
conservative rural town I used to live at the time. Many felt
relief and even hope as Joe Biden and Kamala Harris campaigned that
summer and fall and won—normalcy and decency are back, at last!
Yet, three years later, hate, rage, and fascism are back, and their
promoters are scheming to divide and conquer the populace so they
may establish their white “Christian” nation inspired by
despots such as Vladimir Putin, Jair Bolsonaro, and Victor Orban.
Moderate and reasoned voices are being pushed away by the loud,
obnoxious demagogues helped by social media and right-wing
organizing machines.
For women currently capable of pregnancy, as well as for LGBTQ+
people, the situation today feels markedly different from three
years ago. The onslaught of toxic rhetoric and anti-LGBTQ+ bills in
legislatures across the U.S. have a very negative impact on the
mental health of nonbinary and trans people. According to a report
by The Independent quoting a recent survey of Trevor Project, 86
percent of those surveyed said: “debates and laws targeting LGBT+
people have negatively impacted their mental health, weighed down
by ‘anger, sadness, stress, and fear,’ with fear ‘most
intensely felt’ among trans and nonbinary young people.” There
are now over 300 anti-LGBTQ+ bills that have been filed, according
to James Factora, writing for Them. A quick look at Twitter can
tell you how this fear of an impending genocide is real to them.
Many of them, and many parents of trans or nonbinary youth, are
considering moving to a “safer” state (safer, provided that the
2024 congressional elections won’t result in Republican
majorities), or even abroad. If you consider yourself an ally of
LGBTQ+ people — or for that matter, a person of faith who values
love and decency over doctrinal grandstanding and
self-righteousness — please do not downplay or invalidate their
fears. Listen to them.
I believe that this is another Esther generation. The world needs
those with wisdom, courage, and true faith to speak the truth and
fight this new wave of violent hatred against marginalized people
who are inconvenient to today’s Hamans. I think we are here for
such a time as this. There is nothing Christian about co-opting the
machinery of state violence to exterminate people one does not like
or understand (indeed, much of this “Christian nationalist” and
Dominionist rhetoric originates in a faulty exegesis of the Hebrew
Scriptures).
And think for a moment: What if the political tide shifts again?
The dangerous precedents created by these toxic bills can and will
be used against Christians to restrict their liberties (had they
already forgotten 2020?) — How would you feel if politicians
started calling Christians “groomers” and “indoctrinators”
for merely taking their own kids to church or reading the Bible to
them? Or making it a felony to expose minors to religion? It is a
timely reminder for all those who profess to be Christians that
Jesus taught this: “Therefore, you should treat people in the
same way that you want people to treat you; this is the Law and the
Prophets.” (Matthew 7:12, CEB).
=>
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