Streams in the Desert

When Scapegoating Goes Awry          

A sermon delivered by Rev. Dr. Randy K. Hammer, April 25, 2021

Leviticus 16, selected; Luke 6:36-37

Something I read recently set me to thinking about the ancient idea of scapegoating.  Now, you may be thinking, That’s an odd, antiquated topic for you to be thinking about.  But bear with me.  So, this past week, I did a bit of research on the topic.  First, I went back to the Hebrew Scriptures, and I was surprised to learn that the term “scapegoat” occurs only three times in the entire Bible; all three of them are found in Leviticus chapter 16 that was read earlier. 

According to this passage, the scapegoat was connected with what would come to be known as Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement.  As Leviticus describes it, two innocent goats would be chosen by the Jewish priest, and one would be sacrificed and the other would have the sins and guilt of the people symbolically transferred to it, and then it would be driven off into the wilderness.  Such was to occur on an annual basis.  And the text says, “He [Aaron, the high priest] is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites—all their sins—and put them on the goat’s head. He shall send the goat away into the wilderness. . .”  So, each year, the Jewish people could enjoy a “fresh start,” as it were, as they engaged in prayers and rituals and actions that gave a sense of relief and assurance that sins and guilt had been forgiven.  Hence, the scapegoat (as I understand it, at least) was part of a larger religious drama that had positive spiritual, emotional, psychological, and societal benefits.

But somewhere along the way, the idea and practice of scapegoating went awry; not with the Jewish people and their religious practices, but with humanity as a whole.  At various times throughout history, various ethnic groups or certain segments of society – all like the ancient goat, totally innocent – have become a scapegoat and have had unwarranted guilt and blame transferred to them, thus making them a target for hatred, scorn, and violence.

During difficult periods in history, many people feel the need to place blame somewhere for what ails society.  Targeting a person or group of people is a lame attempt at trying to explain why bad things happen.  Scapegoating is a misguided attempt to relieve anxiety.  It can be a flawed exercise in trying to make ourselves feel better.

Ironically, the Jewish people themselves time and again have become a primary scapegoat and target for misplaced blame and hatred.  The Jews have been blamed for such things as causing the “Black Death,” the plague that killed thousands of people throughout Europe during the Middle Ages.   Hence, society’s scapegoat.  In reality, the “Black Death” likely was caused by rats and fleas.  In Austria, in the early 20^th century, the Jews were blamed for bad economic times.  This had a profound impact upon the thinking of Adolf Hitler and the Holocaust that would follow.  And the Jews have been blamed for the economic woes of the world at other times as well.  A scapegoat for society.

At different times, the LGBTQ community has been the scapegoat and focus of blame for such things as natural disasters.  When massive hurricanes have struck, conservative televangelists have attributed the cause of those hurricanes to the “sinful lifestyle,” as they put it, of gays and lesbians.  Hence, society’s scapegoat.

Most recently – and this is what really set me to thinking about the practice of scapegoating – Asian Americans have become a scapegoat, being blamed for the coronavirus.  We have heard numerous reports of Asian Americans being brutally attacked, including one elderly Asian American woman walking to church on a city sidewalk while shopkeepers a few feet away stood by and watched without intervening.

Many more examples could be cited.  But you get the idea.  When bad things happen, a human tendency is to try to pinpoint the cause, to find someone to blame, to single out a “societal scapegoat” upon which to transfer anger, anxiety, and aggression.  As President Dwight D. Eisenhower put it, “The search for a scapegoat is the easiest of all hunting expeditions.”

So, when it comes to scapegoating, what can – what should – progressive-minded Christians do?

Be cognizant – of the fact that scapegoating takes place yet today.  Whenever world problems press upon us, people become anxious and fearful and feel the need to pinpoint the cause of those problems.

Be observant – identify instances of scapegoating when certain groups are singled out for blame and become the scapegoat for misplaced hatred and acts of violence.

Be compassionate – reach out to members of groups who are singled out for misplaced anger and aggression to let them know you care.

Be vocal – speak out and stand up for those who are victims of misplaced hatred and violence.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Rationalizations and the incessant search for scapegoats are the psychological cataracts that blind us to our sins.”  In case you haven’t noticed these past few years, society is full of sins, and scapegoating is just one of them.

In ancient Hebrew religion, the idea of the scapegoat driven off into the wilderness, symbolically taking with it the sins and guilt of the people, served a psychological, spiritual and societal purpose.  But the practice of scapegoating a group of people or segment of society by thrusting upon them unwarranted blame for the world’s problems, resulting in hatred and violence, is evil, pure and simple. 

When it comes to something like modern day scapegoating, It falls to people like us to be standard bearers of reasonable, rational thought; responsible action; mercy; compassion; and understanding.  May it be so.  Amen.