The Syrian Conflict and the Value of Human Life

If you have noticed there is a strong possiblity of going to war with Syria. Many are for it. But the consensus, especially among the common people (you and me) is that we shouldn't go to war. I have an opinion of this and it is heavily influenced by my political positions, but I am not here to tell you why or why not we should go to war. I am here to talk about something that I find particularly odd in the proceedings on Capitol Hill.



It is on how they are addressing the value of the people in Syria.

Now this may seem to be an odd thing to take from the proceedings about a possible war, but bear with me. The biggest thing that is causing many of our countries leaders to want intervention in Syria is the use of chemical weapons by the government of  Syria on the people of Syria. Now the question I have to ask is, why does the use of chemical weapons evoke such harsh feelings, but not the deaths of people in general? Many have died in Syria due to conventional weapon attacks without much being said.

This civil war has been going on in Syria since 2011, so it is not something out of left field to the international community at this point. In that time thousands of people have died. Why is there no regard for those who have died or lost families before? There are also 2 million refugees who are displaced by the fighting. That is like having the entire population of San Antonio, Texas or Phoenix, Arizona displaced. That is a number that while seemingly small on paper, is huge when it comes to real people.

Now while the US government clearly is making this move out of political posturing and a desire to enforce international laws on chemical weapons, we must wonder, where was the outrage before? Why none for those who have lost their homes, families, or even lives?

The government cannot really see it this way, unfortunately. It is in a constant mode of self preservation. As Christians we have a different view of the value of human life. It isn't a view that is clouded by the desires of self preservation or political posturing, but out of love and true concern for people. Our response, in any situation not just this, should not be held up until we feel like it may negatively effect us. We should be proactive.

Jesus taught frequently about how we should regard those who are going through tough times. In one of his famous passages he says:

"For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me,I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me. Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ -Matthew 25:35-40

This isn't just a call to social justice, it is a call for us to be compassionate and look outside of ourselves in the name of God. Jesus wouldn't command this if he did not see a strong of the life of men and women. Regardless of whether you die from starvation or by chemcial attack, you are still dead. All people die, but we should find value in those people regardless of what is causing them affliction.

The Christian response should be very different from that of any governments when hearing of any death. It should concern regardless of the circumstances. Our concern for a person or multiple people shouldn't spring up whenever there could be negative consequences for us. Chemical weapons and other forms of negative reinforcement shouldn't be required for kind actions and regard for others. 

We don't pick how much God values a person based on their situation. We see them as valuable because God has given them immense value.

Now may it be a bit off base to assume our government doesn't care about those who died before the chemical attack? Maybe. But I still think we can find ways to learn from this. Regardless of the political spin on this conflict God, our Father in Heaven, loves those we may call vile terrorists as much as he loves would be liberators, and also as much as those afflicted in the many refugees camps. We should reflect the same love and concern that Jesus showed for those in Matthew.

While this is a multifaceted and highly complex situation, we should always maintain our ethical grounding in the teachings of Jesus Christ. Not in the teachings of elected political figures.