As I meditated this morning I found myself wondering how to
keep an open hearted attitude towards the depraved individuals who spend such
efforts attacking our religion and making life miserable for other people in
general.  

It is relatively easy to do this when you are part of a long
tradition that has as a matter of intent sought to minimize its involvement
with the world, like many Buddhist traditions.  The Dalai Lama seems to be a good example of this capacity
at its best.  I have had Buddhist
teachers explain that until you are enlightened your actions, no matter how
well intended, will simply prolong the state of suffering.  So meditate rather than agitate.

There is a certain truth to that at an individual level, but
when the Chinese invaded Tibet its over 1000 years of Buddhist practice did not
preserve it.  Years later, during
the Cultural Revolution, thousands more Buddhists followed the original fleeing
Lamas into exile in the West.

The relatively great degree of religious freedom in the West
made the revival of Buddhism possible on new continents.  But had good men and women not fought,
and sometimes given their lives, for liberty the West would have been another
closed theocratic society, and Vajrayana Buddhism would likely have died out.

We Pagans do not regard embodied existence as a problem
ultimately to be overcome, and have little difficulty pushing back against
religious bigots and moral monsters when given a chance.  Landing solid blows in whatever form the
contest takes can be supremely satisfying.  Seeing spiritual cowards (like “MM” in a previous set of
comments) retreat in disgrace feels good. 
And there is the danger.  

Alas, I think the Buddhist caution is not without
weight.  The excitement of battle,
with lines clearly drawn, the support of allies and the adrenal rush of anger
and righteousness are addictive. 
They are also dangerous. 
All this speaks the language of Power, and when isolated, Power depends
on differentiation between the one who has it and the one who doesn’t.  Battle isolates Power from other
contexts, for one either prevails or one does not.  Other issues are set aside until later.  In battle Power is all that counts, and
so those addicted to Power thrive in battle.  This is as true in battles on a blog as in physical battle
in Iraq or Afghanistan, although the immediate stakes in the latter are far
higher for all concerned. 

But let it be clear that we battle here to try and keep
those highest of stakes from also applying in America.  Christian terrorists have already
killed many people, particularly as targets and “collateral damage” over
abortion.  And for every one who
murders many more cheer them on. 
The battle is not of our choosing, and I believe never has been.

In the heat of struggle it is very easy to dehumanize
enemies who have done such a good job dehumanizing themselves, their lives and
words having become a towering example of religious and moral hypocrisy on a
vast scale.  But if we do we come
more and more to resemble them and come to worship the same Moloch of Power
they do, only under a different name. 

Power is never stronger than when its devotees hate and kill
one another as perpetual offerings to it. 
The more hate the stronger it grows because it gets ever more difficult
to see the wider context beyond the struggle.  We should work hard not to fall into this trap, and I speak
here for myself as much as anyone else. 

In meditation I wondered where the spark of goodness could
possibly reside in the hearts of those who attack others for the crime of being
different from themselves, and who, in their pride and arrogance, believe they
set an example everyone else should follow. 

The insight that came to me was that even these people take
pleasure in those like themselves. 
Here is where a spark of compassion and decency resides even among these
most spiritually fallen folks. 
Their compassion for those who are different is not extinguished, but
the differences must be very small. 
No one is simply a carbon copy of another, and so any care for another
involves caring for someone who is different as well as similar. 

Where hope lies is in their realizing, bit by bit, the
ability to expand that small circle of care and compassion into larger more
inclusive dimensions.  And in that
task, they face the same spiritual challenge I do, and I suspect the rest of us
do as well.  How far can we expand
that circle?

And for those of us who by choice or circumstance have come
to be spiritual warriors, can we keep that circle large and inclusive even in
the midst of struggle with those who would oppress and even kill?  For there are oceans of Pagan and other
blood on the hands of the ancestors of those who call themselves the
“Christian” right, and more than a little on their own.  And yet, if we do not, we will
eventually be like them and rather than our Gods, we too will worship the
Moloch of Power.

We will sometimes fail in our efforts to keep our hearts
open, even if we otherwise prevail. Certainly I sometimes do.  Even those who win wars are wounded by
them. This is true for societies and equally for the individuals in those
societies.  So we should be gentle
with ourselves when we fall short of our goals.  We need to remember that those who made it possible for
Buddhists to have another chance with their path were not perfect, but they created
a big improvement over what would have been the case if they had not tried to
strive for a better world.

At the same time, we need to keep in mind what I regard as
one of the most important Pagan insights: that at the deepest level there is an
underlying harmony, and that we manage best when we can act in keeping with it.
Can we remain aware of this larger context in which Power exists?  The more that we can the more our struggles
against those who would destroy us will pave the way for a better world for
ourselves and those who come after. 
The more we can, the more power will be a blessing than a curse.