From Darrell's Desk
By Rev. Darrell Maguire
Occasionally a phrase or word takes on a new significance and can even get overused. Case in point is a phrase that has reared up in our Canadian consciousness in the last few weeks which politicians and political commentators have latched onto with abandon. The phrase I am speaking about is “existential threat”. It is a phrase that was somewhat new to me, but whose meaning seemed clearly obvious. The intent of using this phrase arises out of the current crisis that has been precipitated by our trading relationship with the USA. The phrase “trade war” is also being bandied about with considerable frequency.
As a graduate of the University of Guelph philosophy program, existential was a word I was quite familiar with, but in this context with the word “threat” I wanted to be sure of its usage. Existentialism as a philosophy is a school of thought which seeks to understand a person, nation, corporation etc., in terms of its existence. At the heart of existentialism is the idea that our existence is determined by our choices or the implication of the choices of others. Existentialism seeks to understand how we define ourselves in an absurd, illogical world. Does this sound familiar?
An existential threat in its current usage, therefor, is something that threatens the existence of our nation Canada. It implies that there is some foreign influence that seeks to undermine how we view ourselves in the world. The weapons used in this endeavour often include propaganda, fake news, and hyperbole (extreme exaggeration). All are used to convey a reality that simply does not exist with the intent of forcing a capitulation to the desired reality of the nation or person making the threat.
I was considering all of this and asked a serious question. Does God have anything to say about an existential threat? It was as I pondered this that I realized that Israel as a nation, over the history of the Bible, was constantly facing existential threats from other nations. Time and time again, Israel was assaulted by foreign powers who were considerably stronger than Israel who sought to conquer them and destroy their culture and religious beliefs. Philistines, Persians, Babylonians, Seleucids, and of course the Romans all wanted Israel under their thumb.
In each case, Israel's treasures were plundered, its people were oppressed, and religious beliefs were assaulted with a vulgarity it would be hard to imagine. Antiochus Epiphany IV of the Seleucid dynasty was perhaps without equal in his desire to destroy any sense of Jewishness. Much of this story is found in the book of Maccabees and was the inspiration of much of the book of Daniel. Among his atrocities was his ordering of sacrificing pigs in the Jewish temple.
In each period of occupation, Israel feared it was going to lose its identity and cease to exist with any semblance of independence. It is no wonder that modern Israel is intent on destroying all threats to existence. Canada is not Israel, but we have existed next to a powerful nation, whose mere musings about incorporating our nation and dispensing of our sovereignty shakes us to the core. We feel existentially threatened. So, I wondered if the lessons learned by Israel over its troubled history could be applied to we Canadians in our anxiety.
How did Israel cope? How was its national identity and religious ideas able to persevere through all this turmoil for thousands of years? The answer is simply this: amid every national crisis, calmer heads prevailed, and prophets emerged who pointed the nation to the one anchor that would hold them in the tossing seas. It every threat, every crisis, prophets reminded the people that God was in control. God had a plan. I am reminded of the story of Nehemiah who rebuilt Jerusalem in the shadow of enemies. “And when all our enemies heard of it, all the nations around us were afraid and fell greatly in their own esteem, for they perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God.” (Nehemiah 6:16) Forget “elbows up” Canada. Instead let us rely on the hope we have in God.
