Because al-Daya holds the respect of both the Palestinian Islamic fundamentalist terrorist group Hamas and the ultra-conservative Salafi Muslims who also oppose political accommodations with Israel, his edict gives the truce a religious legitimacy and provides the Gaza government, which Hamas controls, with grounds to enforce it.
"Honoring the truce, which was sponsored by our Egyptian brethren, is the duty of each and every one of us. Violating it shall constitute a sin," the fatwa read.
The United States also helped broker the deal.
A spokesman for Gaza's government said that Hamas is committed to the truce. (The term used by Hamas and in the fatwa is the Arabic word hudna, which does not correspond exactly to either "truce" or "cease-fire." It means calm, tranquility or intermission. In conflict, it means the cessation of hostilities, but does not imply the end of the conflict.)
The Gaza-Israel conflict, which is now in abeyance, left more than 160 Palestinians dead, many of whom were civilians. Six Israelis also died during the conflict, including civilians and soldiers. Almost 1700 rockets have been fired at Israel from the Gaza Strip this year, up from 627 fired last year.
More on this story can be found at these links:
Gaza Cleric Calls Violation of Israel Truce Sinful. USA Today
Hamas Leaders in Egypt for Cease-Fire Talks Involving Israel. CNN
The Big Questions
1. How do you define sin? Is "sin" something different from "sins"? If so, in what ways are they different?
2. Who has the authority to declare something a sin? Why?
3. How are our sins and our intentions related? How often do you think you sin? Might there be sins you commit of which you are unaware?
4. Are some sins minor and some major? If so, give examples of each. Do you think God regards all sins alike? How has your opinion regarding the nature of sin changed over the years? In what ways are your views the same? Whose statements about sin have been the most off-putting to you? Whose statements about sin have been the most perceptive, in your opinion, and have had an influence in how you look at the world?
5. How does some action that is neutral in its own right become a sin? How does it become a blessing?
Confronting the News With Scripture and Hope
Here are some Bible verses to guide your discussion:
Proverbs 14:21
"Those who despise their neighbors are sinners, but happy are those who are kind to the poor." (No additional context needed.)
Proverbs 21:4
"Haughty eyes and a proud heart -- the lamp of the wicked -- are sin." (No additional context needed.)
Romans 14:23
"But those who have doubts are condemned if they eat, because they do not act from faith; for whatever does not proceed from faith is sin." (For context, read 14:13-23.)
James 2:9
"But if you show partiality, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors." (For context, read 2:8-13.)
James 4:17
"Anyone, then, who knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, commits sin." (For context, read 4:13-17.)
We quote these five verses not to comment on each, but simply to point out some examples of biblical authors declaring some attitude or action a sin. In the biblical milieu, these declarations are not seen in quite the same way that an Islamic fatwa is, but more in the sense of teaching what sin is through examples and urgings to examine one's heart. Still, the biblical authors were not shy about calling out sin when they saw it.
Questions: How have biblical pronouncements about sin and wrongdoing helped you understand what righteousness is? Each of these verses could be considered a "one-off" or "stand-alone." How do these verses reinforce each other? In what way would any of these verses be deficient without the other verses or a larger biblical context? Can sin and righteousness be defined in a single verse? Does one verse speak for the entire Bible?
1 Kings 12:29-30
"He set one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan. And this thing became a sin ..." (For context, read 12:25-33.)
After King Solomon died, the nation of Israel split into two, with the southern group remaining under the reign of Solomon's son. The northern group chose Jeroboam to be their king. Since the temple was in Jerusalem, which was in the land of the southern tribes, Jeroboam did not want his people worshiping there, fearing they would want to revert to the leadership of Davidic kings. So Jeroboam set up two worship sites within the northern territory, complete with golden calves and a non-Levitical priesthood.
Jeroboam's actions are judged harshly in the Bible. The author of the book of Kings comments that "this thing became a sin."
The meaning of that phrase comes from the intent of Jeroboam's actions. We can imagine him saying, "Well, yes, I know God instructed us to worship at Jerusalem and not to make any graven images, but these arrangements work out better for my plans." Jeroboam's real sin was in putting himself above God.
Jeroboam actually had God's blessing initially. A prophet named Ahijah even announced to Jeroboam that God had selected him to rule the northern tribes. So Jeroboam began in favor with God, but because of his high-handed action in establishing the calf worship, he became separated from God. The action became a sin.
Questions: What in general makes something a sin? If sin, as it is usually defined, is an offense against God, can it be that something that offends God in one time period does not offend him in another? Can you think of occasions you have experienced or observed when an act, in and of itself perhaps innocent, became sinful because of the context in which it happened? What about the opposite circumstance -- can you think of acts or situations that might normally be considered sinful that might even be righteous in certain cases (from simple things such as breaking the speed limit to save a life to more complex questions of ending one life to save others)?
Jeremiah 17:9
"The heart is devious above all else; it is perverse -- who can understand it?" (For context, read 17:5-13.)
Jeremiah is here using "heart" metaphorically to mean our spiritual, emotional, moral and intellectual core, and he says that deviousness and perversity lurk there.
A common definition of a sin is "doing something that we should not do or failing to do something that we should do." By that definition, neither deviousness nor perversity are A sin, but they are the very foundation of sin.
At the root of sin is an attitude that fails to honor God and/or fails to love one's neighbor. Sinful acts are what follow from that attitude.
Questions: What steps should we take to safeguard against perversity in our hearts?
There is a long prayer confessing sin prayed by the character King Claudius in Hamlet, in which he reflects on how his actions are sins, but does not wish to undo those sins -- renounce his crown, for instance -- in order to receive forgiveness. In the end he states:
My words fly up, my thoughts remain below.
Words without thought do not to heaven go.
How important is it for words and thoughts to be tied together for forgiveness to take place? Is it possible to confess sins and pray for forgiveness with words only, even if our heart is not yet there? Is that enough?
Matthew 6:1
"Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven." (For context, read 6:1-6, 16-18.)
In Matthew 6:1-18, Jesus talks about practicing piety, giving alms and praying. By themselves, these are all good things -- very good things. But Jesus' comments about them in this passage show how they can be perverted: Practice your piety so that you can be seen and praised by others. Give to the needy so that people will speak of what a charitable person you are. Make a big show of your praying so that people will praise you as a great prayer warrior.
Questions: Let's say you like to play golf. Nothing wrong with that. Certainly nothing sinful about the game as it stands. But now suppose you like to play golf so much that you abandon your family every Saturday, despite promising to participate in some activity with your spouse and kids. Under those circumstances, could playing golf become a sin? To the extent that you feel comfortable doing so, discuss things such as an obsession with golf that might be sinful for you that are not sinful for others. What does this say about sin as an absolute or relative condition?
Ephesians 1:7-8
"In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace that he lavished on us." (For context, read 1:3-14.)
Trying to teach the meaning of "repentance," a Sunday school teacher wanted to make sure the class had understood her point. She asked, "Can anyone tell me what you must do before you receive forgiveness for your sins?" There was some silence, but it was finally broken by a small voice from the back of the room:
Of course, that's the problem: We already have sinned. But that realization can make us ready to hear this statement of pure gospel from the apostle Paul.
Note the word "redemption." In the sense in which Paul uses it here, he means that Christ's saving action "buys us back" from the sins to which we have sold ourselves. Redemption in that sense is something that only God can do, but he offers it freely.
Question: How does the Christian faith help you to both define sin and accept redemption in your own life?
For Further Discussion
1. Consider the following, from pastor and author Tony Campolo: "I always am uptight when somebody says ... 'I love the sinner, but I hate the sin.' I'm sure you've heard that line over and over again. And my response is, 'That's interesting. Because that's just the opposite of what Jesus says. Jesus never says, "Love the sinner, but hate his sin." Jesus says, "Love the sinner, and hate your own sin. And after you get rid of the sin in your own life, then you can begin talking about the sin in your brother or sister's life." ' "
2. Comment on the following from Martin Luther: "God does not save those who are only imaginary sinners. Be a sinner, and let your sins be strong, but let your trust in Christ be stronger, and rejoice in Christ who is the victor over sin, death and the world."
3. The following are some stories and comments about sin. Some are lighthearted, but each makes one or more serious points. Ask your members to tell what the point(s) of each is (are):
*A TV evangelist once announced on his program that there are 577 different sins that people can commit. He received thousands of letters asking for the list.
*A big church had a lighted board out front, on which the pastor put slogans and sayings for the edification of passersby. One week the motto was, "If you're done with sin, come on in." But someone had written an addendum on the sign in lipstick:
*St. Anthony, a Franciscan monk from the 13th century, counseled, "Expect temptation with your last breath."
*A grandfather wanted to make sure that his grandson, whom he sent to church every Sunday, was actually attending, so when the grandson came home one Sabbath, Grandpa asked, "What did the preacher talk about?" "Sin," the kid said. "What did he say about it?" Grandpa asked. The kid said, "He was against it."
4. Respond to this: While Christians are all against sin, we don't all agree on what constitutes sin, or which sins are grave and which are not. Comedian George Carlin grew up Roman Catholic, which he speaks about on his album Class Clown, on the track titled "Special Dispensation -- Heaven, Hell, Purgatory and Limbo," he expresses the hope that they promoted all those people who went to hell for eating meat on Fridays.
Responding to the News
Sin is not something to brood about. Jesus came in part to forgive both the specific actions and the rebellious attitudes that separate us from God. But after we are redeemed, it's still wise and useful to test the actions we are unsure about against this question: If I do this thing, will it become a sin because of my intention and attitude?
Closing Prayer
We pray, O Lord, that you will work in the hearts of all involved, that the fragile cease-fire may blossom into real peace. In Jesus' name. Amen.
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