Christchurch has had its fair share of tragedies with several severe and devastating earthquakes, the effects of which are still visible years later when I spent some time there half a year ago. It doesn't seem fair that now such a horrific terrorist attack would happen there too.
As we are aware, this devastating attack on a couple of mosques has made its impact not just on Christchurch but the whole world. This is because this event is salt in the wound of the already tense cultural conflict we see in the West today.
An event like this begs the question how do we adequately respond?
The response has been predictable
Much of what has happened since the attack has been entirely predictable. There has been an increased polarization of the left and right sides of politics. Both sides are doubling down on their convictions about what is going on in the world and what needs to be done about it with fresh determination. The tired gun debate has resurfaced, there have been expressions of solidarity with Muslims, fear of creeping 'white supremacy' and most significantly a new wave of suppression of conservative viewpoints.
All of this is predictable if one understands the cultural war of the last few years. By now most of us who are paying attention recognize that the West is engaged in a bitter conflict over which direction our culture should be going in.
It is so volatile at the moment that retaliation cycles could have massive effects. Some of us are realizing how fragile civilization really is and that we are potentially approaching the point where things could rapidly escalate out of control and go very bad, very quickly.
The shooter himself understood this well and according to his manifesto, stoking division was the purpose for the massacre. He wanted the liberal establishment to come down hard on the political right in the hope that it would be radicalized to violence. Although he is wicked he is also clever and knew how to play the conflict happening in the West like a fiddle.
As Christians we are called by Christ to be peacemakers and love all people regardless of what our political views are. All people are worthy of dignity whether they are Muslims, refugees, leftists, conservatives or white nationalists.
So how can we avoid violence and promote peace in the current climate? I want to suggest that there are two related things that we can do.
Free speech
Firstly, we need to recognize that suppressing free speech is a really bad idea.
Many have linked the attack with hate speech and reasoned that shutting down hate speech will stop incidents like this from happening again. Hence there is growing pressure to censor the internet and particularly conservative voices. We have even seen someone as centrist as Jordan Peterson banned from a New Zealand bookstore after the shooting.
The most prominent example is the response to the infamous Fraser Anning statement released after the shooting. The immediate response from the establishment and many leftists has been to censor Anning and attempt to have him thrown out of parliament.
Whatever you think about Anning's statement you only need to look at how much support he actually has in the public to realize that the sentiment that he is voicing can't be suppressed. You don't have to like or support Anning to understand that he is tapping into something among many Australians.
Trying to suppress the deeply felt concerns of large segments of the population is irresponsible and dangerous. Those viewpoints don't go away, they just go underground leading to an increased likelihood that desperate people who believe they have no other option will resort to violence.
What we need right now is open dialogue and conversation in trying to find solutions.
We need to have a conversation about multiculturalism and mass immigration
Secondly, it is time to listen to the criticisms of multiculturalism and mass immigration with an open mind.
Are the people who warn us of danger peddling hate and conflict or are they the peacemakers trying to avoid it? Look past your prejudice and you will find that more often than not they are the latter.
As easy as it is to simply dismiss these people with labels like 'far-right', 'racist' and 'white supremacist', complex questions about culture, nationhood, immigration and identity can't be reduced to simplistic categories like this.
Many people are understandably concerned about increasing political and religious violence in their countries. Or they are aware that white people are on a path to becoming a minority in almost every western nation on earth in a culture that routinely demonizes them and their history. To say that there is something inherently dangerous about recognizing these things and being concerned about where this is all leading is ridiculous.
To the contrary it is dangerously irrational to shut down anyone who simply wants to have an open and honest discussion about these kinds of issues in the hope that we can find some reasonable and workable solutions to some of the problems we face in the West.
Suppressing the free speech of anyone who sounds the alarm to these issues is burying our heads in the sand and will almost certainly lead to more bloodshed and violence.
Conor is from Adelaide South Australia. He is a gardener and is involved in ministry. He loves God, music, reading and thinking deeply about philosophy and current events in the world.
Conor Ryan’s previous articles may be viewed at www.pressserviceinternational.org/conor-ryan.html
Conor is from Adelaide, South Australia. He has a history degree from Tabor College and has a gardening business. Conor has played in Christian heavy metal band Synnove. He is involved in Operation Canaan, a ministry that prays and intercedes for the music scene. He loves God, music, reading, traveling and thinking deeply about philosophy and current events in the world.
Conor Ryan’s previous articles may be viewed at www.pressserviceinternational.org/conor-ryan.html
