Jesus Christ the Ultimate Scapegoat

 Happy April Fools Day and happy birthday to everyone who was born on this special day – as I was.  As my blog is entitled Another Fool for Christ, I want to explore, on this Easter Monday, a view of Jesus Christ that is somewhat different – a look at Jesus Christ through the lens of Rene Girard’s theory of the scapegoat.   I trust that this will not be too foolish. 

Rene Girard, a French philosopher, introduced the groundbreaking concept of the "scapegoat mechanism."  The basis of the theory is the idea that human societies often resort to scapegoating as a mechanism to alleviate social tensions and restore balance.  Girard’s theory holds that societies undergo a process of collective scapegoating, in which a particular individual or group is singled out as the source of a problem or problems in the society. This individual or group scapegoat becomes the target of collective aggression, blamed for the society's woes, and often subjected to punishment or expulsion. By directing hostility towards the scapegoat, society experiences a sense of catharsis, as internal conflicts are externalized onto a convenient target.  However, this equilibrium is only temporary and the cycle of scapegoating resumes.

Girard's theory held that scapegoating serves as a mechanism for social order and cohesion. By sacrificing the scapegoat, societies reaffirm their shared values and norms, reinforcing a sense of solidarity among its members.  Girard's theory sheds light on contemporary phenomena, such as mob mentality, political scapegoating, and ethnic violence. In times of crisis or social upheaval, individuals and groups are often demonized or vilified as scapegoats.  This is reflected in the biblical passage in Leviticus 16:21-22 in which the sins of the people are placed on a literal goat which is sent into the desert relieving the people of collective guilt and restoring equilibrium to the community. 

With this background, let us look at the crucifixion of Jesus as playing out the scapegoat mechanism which may be considered the ultimate example of the scapegoat mechanism.  Girard holds that Jesus' teachings and actions challenged the prevailing social order of his time, exposing the violence and hypocrisy embedded within it. Through his radical message of love, forgiveness, and compassion, Jesus confronted the mechanisms of scapegoating and offered an alternative vision of social relations based on mutual respect and solidarity.  The triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday was the ultimate challenge to the religious and Roman authorities.

In Girard's interpretation, the crucifixion of Jesus represents a paradoxical inversion of the scapegoat mechanism. Instead of legitimizing the violence of the mob, Jesus' death exposes its irrationality and injustice, revealing the innocence of the victim and the guilt of those who perpetrate violence in the name of righteousness.

Moreover, Girard suggests that Jesus' resurrection signifies the ultimate triumph over the forces of death and violence, offering hope for redemption and reconciliation. By overcoming death, Jesus breaks the cycle of scapegoating and opens the possibility for a new way of being based on love and forgiveness.

On our journey may we be blessed to recognize where the scapegoat mechanism is playing out in our lives.  

Talk of Love Not Hate

 

I saw Jesus on the cross on a hill called Calvary
"Do you hate mankind for what they done to you?"
He said, "Talk of love not hate, things to do - it's getting late.
I've so little time and I'm only passing through."
Passing through, passing through.
Sometimes happy, sometimes blue,
glad that I ran into you.
Tell the people that you saw me passing through.

These lyrics by Leonard Cohen came to mind as I was reading an article in our Diocesan newspaper, The Huron Church News.  The article, A brighter Spiritual awareness, by Rev. Jim Innis, noted a signboard he had seen in London which read, “May Love Always Be Stronger Than Hate.”   This is a value and understanding that is deeply needed in these times, and possibly every time since people began to walk on this earth.

However, as St, Leonard (the saint of song as I fondly think of him) states in his song Passing Through, it seems to be getting late and the need to speak of love seems all the more urgent that we not only speak of love but live out love as we pass though this time we have on earth. 

When I think about loving versus hating it can seem that hating seems to be easier to do than loving.  Can it be that it is more natural to hate others than to love them?  It is natural to find scapegoats for the things that are wrong in this world.  Rene Girard developed a scapegoat theory of how this mechanism has been at work in the world for time immemorial.  We unconsciously can collectively find an innocent victim or victims to carry the guilt for the sins of the world.  Individually, we can find ourselves consumer with hatred for someone who’s only crime is to be different than us – different in behaviour or appearance or even their attitudes and beliefs.  We can think of the strong negative emotions - okay let’s just call it hate – for people who may refuse to be vaccinated against COVID or against officials who are setting rules that appear to force people to be vaccinated against their will. 

 

It seems much easier to hate these people than love them, but is that actually the case?  Theologians and philosophers have proclaimed that love is the foundation on which the universe rests and is bound together.  Jesus Christ based his understanding of the Kingdom of God on love being the ruling principle.  He proclaimed that the commandment could be summed up in love, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

You might suppose that this was a commandment because it was not something which came naturally to people.  Therefore, we had to be commanded to do and be loving despite ourselves.  However, that is not the case.  When we consider all that love has inspired in the world – great art and poetry, love sonnets and romantic novels, and the accounts of the love between people, we know that love is a great force in this world.  IS love stronger than hate as the hope expressed in the billboard?  I have to believe it is despite some of the signs to the contrary.  Love can choose us and we can be swept off our feet and lose ourselves in the depths of love but we can also choose love.  This choice was addressed by -Br. David Vryhof of the Society of Saint John the Evangelist, “Why would we choose to love our enemies and do good to those who hate us? Because that is the way of God. God never stops loving, never stops blessing. Only God’s love abiding in us can love in this way, only God’s strength at work in our weakness can make us God-like in our words and actions.”

So, let’s talk of love not hate as the song proposes and let us all choose love and not hate.  After all there are things to do and it is getting late on our journey. 

Blessings. 

Jesus Christ the Innocent Scapegoat (part 1)

This summer I have been delving into the works of Rene Girard, the developer of the scapegoat theory. 

In brief, Girard, whose work cover many differ fields including literary criticism, theology, anthropology and philosophy developed the ground breaking theory which claimed that human culture is founded on the scapegoat theory of mimetic (copycat) violence in which all violence originates in the mimetic desire to, in effect, obtain what other people have.  This violence would have destroyed humanity if unchecked and was only kept in check by the scapegoat mechanism which found a common victim – the scapegoat – who was accepted as being the cause of a crisis such as a famine or plague which was consuming the community.  An example of the scapegoat can be seen in the witch-trials of the middle ages in which the women accused of being witches were assumed to be the cause of a crisis in the community.  The sacrifice of the scapegoat seemed to restore order in the community which confirmed the guilt of the scapegoat victim.  The scapegoat mechanism led to the development of all religions and this, in turn, led to the development of culture.

This just scratches the surface of Girard’s ground breaking work and in no way does justice to the complexity and comprehensive nature of his thought which can be seen as a meta-theory of a human development.  It is well worth exploring in depth as it can be validated in much of what se see going on in the world in the prominence of populism in many parts of the world today with many groups being targeted as the source of the problems that individuals and institutions are dealing or not dealing with.   An example of this is the focus of the Trump Administration on immigrants and the resonance of his slogan to “build the wall and have Mexico pay for it.”

That, I hope will give the reader the background to an application of Girard’s theory in considering Jesus as the end of the Scapegoat mechanism.  Next week I will explore Jesus as the innocent victim who ultimately overturns the scapegoat mechanism for all time.   This week I invite you to see if you can identify where the scapegoat mechanism is operating in the word and especially in your life personally.  Where have you blamed an individual or a group for problems in your life? 

Blessings on your journey