COMMENTARY: In Raw Aftermath of Death, Next Steps Can be Exploitive, or Godly

c. 2005 Religion News Service (UNDATED) Now that death has occurred, what next? In the case of Pope John Paul II’s death, the rules and procedures are clear and accepted. Historic rituals began immediately. Even as millions grieved the deceased, leaders began preparing for his successor. Moving on won’t be easy. The election of a […]

c. 2005 Religion News Service

(UNDATED) Now that death has occurred, what next?

In the case of Pope John Paul II’s death, the rules and procedures are clear and accepted. Historic rituals began immediately. Even as millions grieved the deceased, leaders began preparing for his successor.


Moving on won’t be easy. The election of a pope is intensely political. The stakes are high for everyone: for the church, for the Christian movement, and for a world torn asunder by religious conflicts. The election will reflect and influence the widening gaps between progressive and conservative Christians, between First World and Third World sensibilities, and between the haves and have-nots in every land.

Terri Schiavo’s death has the same elements _ grieving, politics, moving on, high stakes _ but next steps take us into a world without rules and procedures, where mutual respect is missing, where many want only to grieve someone they didn’t know, whose tragic circumstance spoke to common issues like end-of-life ambiguities and family feuds, and where some seem determined to exploit the one woman’s death for their ideological ends.

At one level, the question is a familiar one: How do we end a fight? Now that sides have been drawn, harsh words spoken, opponents demonized and all-or-nothing consequences threatened, how does anyone move on?

That question dogs our marriages, communities, churches and national politics. When words like “murderer,” “culture of death,” “moralizing” and “pontificating” are thrown into television lights, how can husband and wife sit together and find peace? How can races stand down from disgust and disrespect and find common cause? When the other side is declared morally bankrupt, utterly without merit or honor, an enemy of God and delusional, how can the divisions that exist in any human community be healed?

It was tragic watching a wounded family carry its longstanding feud to public extremes. Many Americans know that script too well: battling in-laws, accusations of bad behavior and bad intent, pleading with neighbors and extended family to take sides. Survivors of divorce and inter-generational warfare cringed at the escalating verbal assault and legal wrangling.

It was tragic to see a worst-case version of the end-of-life agonies that touch many families. When is enough? Who decides? How do you deal with the confusion and guilt that can follow any decision to allow a dying person to die?

It was tragic to see how eagerly our politicians and religious warriors exploited this death to curry favor and to advance unrelated political agendas. In behavior that reeked of demagoguery _ exploiting popular prejudices and making false claims and promises _ they turned normal anguish into a shouting match, grief into threats of retribution, and prayerful vigil into an opening salvo for realigning America’s judiciary and political balance. Millions who wanted only to pray and to grieve found themselves being handed placards for the next Red vs. Blue contest.

So, what next? In a political-religious climate increasingly prone to extremism, how do we proceed? Christian faith’s answer, while unsatisfying and rarely honored, can point the way.


Jesus’ dying traumatized his followers. With the body gone, they turned on each other _ Jewish Christian vs. Gentile Christian, male vs. female, this belief vs. that belief _ and soon an entire world became embroiled in religious wars that continue to this day.

But there was a moment when God’s way had a chance. Although they were starting to divide, the disciples gathered in one room, and Jesus stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” He loved them all. He showed them the tokens of sacrifice.

The path to oneness is never victory. Peace comes when combatants gather in the same room and allow God to stand among them. Peace comes when warriors stop needing to win, to be right, to make money, to gain power, to exploit others. Peace comes when warriors stop using God as an excuse to keep on fighting, when they unclench fists of rage and extend the open hand of sacrificial love.

MO/JL END RNS

(Tom Ehrich is a writer, consultant and leader of workshops. His forthcoming book, “Just Wondering, Jesus: 100 Questions People Want to Ask,” will be published by Morehouse Publishing. An Episcopal priest, he lives in Durham, N.C. His Web site is http://www.onajourney.org.)

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