Prayer is Good Against Barbarism…and Civilization

“As we manipulate everyday words, we forget that they are fragments of ancient and eternal stories, that we are building our houses with broken pieces of sculptures and ruined statues of gods as the barbarians did.”

– Bruno Schulz

A buddy of mine linked me to this article, entitled Does Prayer Do Any Good Against Barbarism? and asked my thoughts.

I think it’s important to say first off, yes Prayer is a great way to combat Barbarism. Prayer is a great response to everything come to think of it. Good or bad.  So while, I agree with the sentiment about prayer being more than just some anesthetic, I do find the rest of this quote to be an issue:

When we ask ourselves whether prayer has any meaning in the face of horror, we must remember what prayer really is. It is not simply an anesthetic for the weak-minded against the pain of reality. It is nothing less than the blade that separates civilizations—societies that upholds the goodness of being—from barbarism, and that is infinitely valuable.

This is a precarious position as it does two things, one it separates us from the violence that occurs and allows us to wash our hands of it. Two, it allows us to frame Civilization as the embodiment of virtue. The author makes some distinctions about civilizations that do not meet this critiera, but I think the criteria in itself is problematic.

Let us not forget that it was Rome that utilized Crucifixions, and made a practice of martyring Christians until a conversion was well underway. I say this not to liken us to Romans entirely, but it is a reminder that Civilization should not be embraced as the friend of Catholicism at all times. Lest we forget that our own society is increasingly growing antagonistic towards many of the tenets of our faith. The answer here is prayer as well.

Also let us remember the countless times, some of the great Saints and prophets left civilization to go into the wilderness and subsequently found God, and holiness. Clearly the dichotomy of Barbarism/Civilization is a bit too simplistic for our faith.

It’s important to be mindful of this, especially as we encounter violence, both within society and without.