First People’s Forum on Peace for Life

“Sowing Seeds of Peace in the Era of Empire: Christians in Solidarity with Muslims”

2004 November 28 to December 4 | Waterfront Insular Hotel, Davao City, Philippines

Theology of Resistance Against Empire
and the Theory of Just War

By CHUNG, SOOK JA

2004 December 2

South Korean Military Dictatorship Leaders kept saying that North Korean Communist destroy the democracy of South Korea. Under this theory, so called ‘Peace’ was kept under the strong control of the ideology and the speech of South Koreans. And many were called communist because they were critical to the military government leaders and tortured in prison.

From this experience I read the Bible and found a lot of problems in it. The most problematic issue is the Solomon’s story, which is still used to build huge church building in Korea. There are clear difference between Solomon’s point of view and the mothers’ point of view on Peace in the story of Solomon’s Wisdom in Judgment (IK 3:16-28).

Empire’s (Solomon’s) point of view on Peace is to cease the fighting, which is occurred in the country including people’s struggles. The purpose making peace for Empire is to keep the stability of his reign, but not of the people. Therefore there was no concern for using any kind of weapons to achieve the purpose, even using knife or sword to cut for ceasing the women’s fighting. Some people say that it was only a gesture and he knew that the real mother would stop his decision. But this is very naive thinking in the serious situation of killing the baby.

And the more dangerous issue in here is the justification of his using weapon in the name of Wisdom given by God. Solomon might need God’s help for his position of Kingship because there were many elder brothers in the King David house. Ands the bible tells as if he is the one who specially selected by God, because he requested Wisdom. Was the evidence of receiving the Wisdom using sword to cut the baby? What a nonsense story the Bible tells!

But the mothers were serious and this story was not theory of Peace for them, but the life itself. In front of Empire, they could not resist to say, ‘Don’t use weapon for judgment, but use other method.’ Only a mother could say, ‘Stop’ by giving up her motherhood to save the baby. This is the mother’s point of view on small peace. Her purpose to stop the Empire’s decision was to save the baby’s life.

Some people think this story as women’s fighting and the solution of Solomon by his Wisdom. What an unrealistic understanding and also discriminatory evaluation it is! People never concern on the issues of context: where they lived, who they were and why baby died, why they had to fight. I suppose they were wives or concubines of Solomon. They lived in Harem while Solomon lived in the huge place. The harem was small and crowded because Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines (IK 11:3). There were fighting atmosphere in this situation between women. Not because they were women, but because they were possessions of the Empire, they had to be better commodity for the King. This story should be understood from the perspective of the oppressed under the power of Empire. The death of the baby caused from the structure of Empire’s corrupted life, but the judgment came to the mothers.

In all cases, the resistance of the oppressed rises from the bottom of the society. Solomon could solve the mother’s fighting, but he could not solve the resistance of the people who were used as forced labor. He could oppress them by military power to be quiet, but this resistance would rise up after his death. His son had to receive the result, which remained the division between North Israel and South Judah. Solomon’s Wisdom to cut the baby resulted to cut his nation. What an ironical story it is!

The writer and the editor of the Bible stand on the side of the Empires (David and Solomon), but God did not say on the side of them. Even though they brought the Moses’ ark and build the beautiful temple in Jerusalem for God, God left the Israelites and stayed in Minjung who were seeking justice and human rights. The life of Jesus testifies that God works with the people of oppressed, the sick, the hungry, the imprisoned, etc.

Now US leaders think that God will be with them. But I believe that God will stay with Islam, who are invaded by the strongest powers and killed by united forces of military. I believe that theory of ‘Just War’ was made by the powerful for justification of their deeds of starting war by using God’s name.

God will stay with the people who need to be helped, but not the people will choose God on their side. The resistance can be justified because the oppressed need to be free from the oppression. God is working even now to free all the oppressed people in this world. If we enslave God in the name of religion or church, we are already departed from God because we become an empire of religion.

Related page:

• Photo Album: First People’s Forum on Peace for Life