Photo taken from New York Times!
Human and Senseless Violence!
The Eclectic Church would like to extend its sympathy,
prayers, and love to those who have lost their lives, and their families, in
the senseless act of violence that took place.
Our hearts go out to them realizing that there are no words that can
comfort people in such a time of sorrow, and, there are no satisfactory
explanations for such seemingly senseless evil.
With that
being expressed, we wish to express some thoughts and reflections on this
tragic event.
There are
insufficient adjectives to describe the horrific and barbaric act that took
place on Tuesday. There is no doubt
that it represents evil at its peak.
Those who planned and carried out these monstrous acts represent the
worst of the human condition. If Satan
were to have form it would be in the actions of these individuals.
But too often,
evil spreads evil like a cancer and can consume even the best of us. While the news is full of courageous and
wonderful acts of humanity, demonstrating human potential; it is also bringing
out the worst of our ranks showing how low we can sink. Stories of false reports of survivors, ever
growing numbers of bomb threats, and
the inevitable scams that would try to profit on the tragedy of human suffering
--- are all being reported in the news these days.
We are all
angry, and justifiably so. But, we must
never let that anger consume our logic, compassion, and quest for equitable
justice. Some of the reports about
attacks on Arabs, talk of bombing innocent peoples in retaliation, and calls to go to war against any enemy we
might infer: play right into the evil perpetrated by the terrorists. The spreading of hatred, fear and paranoia
are exactly what they hoped to accomplish, and the evidence of these aims is
building in its momentum. We as a great
nation need to rise above them in spite of our sadness.
Just look at
some of the hostility directed toward Islam and Arab peoples. Mosques have been shot at, there have been
reports of name calling and beatings.
Rush Limbaugh called for the “leveling” of Iraq on the radio and I have
heard others call for the use of Nuclear weapons against Afghanistan and Libya. This type of “revenge” mentality is no
better than the convoluted thinking that the terrorists used to justify their
attack on Americans. While it is true
that those who planned and helped these individuals must be brought to justice,
the killing of other innocent people will not bring one of the dead back, nor,
will it honor their memories. To
inflict harm on the innocent in the name of justice and freedom is a hypocrisy
of the worst kind.
We need also
reflect when directing our anger against particular religious groups;
remembering, that there are sins committed by all faiths, and every religious
ideology will have those who distort and misuse its sacred ideologies. Islam is a great religion and has served the
needs of millions of peace loving and wonderful people. And when we begin to think that those of one
nation, those of one faith, those of one race, can be held accountable for the
sins of some of their brothers --- we need only look to our own house and
review our own sins and ask: should we be held accountable!
Look at the
atrocities committed against the Native Americans in the name of the spread of
democracy. What about the European
colonization of the Americas and the atrocities which accompanied that? There are the crusades and inquisitions of
the Christian churches? And let us not
forget slavery and the evils it brought to our own nation. We here in America have our own brand of
evildoers of which we should not loose sight.
We have men and women who would exploit peoples (even our own) without a
care as to the suffering and pain they might cause. There are drug peddlers and pimps who walk among us, destroying
the lives of countless people. And, our
government has historically supported dictators and tyrants, not to mention
having made its share of mistakes.
While the Eclectic
Church supports justice for these atrocities, it is our hope that our leaders
will reflect upon our own shortcomings and strive to avoid the taking of
innocent lives and reeking more human misery in our world. Talk about a war on terrorism sounds about
as effective as our war on drugs.
Contrary to what President Bush stated, we will never destroy evil, we
can only rise above it. And while it is
tempting to seek revenge, perhaps it would be a more fitting memorial to those
who lost their lives to strive for a real peace in our world --- to set a real
example on just what freedom, tolerance,
and democracy can mean. Just
maybe, as we seek solutions to these problems, we might take a look at some of
the aspects of our society that makes us a target of such hatred. We could stand to temper our greed and
strive to play a more constructive role in our world. If we are going to strive to purge the world of evil, which is what
would need to happen to stamp out such senseless violence, then we need to start
with our own house and work outward.
There is no better way to lead than by example, and as Jesus so often
pointed out, hypocrisy always reveals itself.
If we are to reflect on evil, let us not make it selected evil, but a
complete examination of conscience that includes our own short comings.
And let us be
careful of statements that attribute such tragedy to “God’s Will”. This is a purely human act of evil certainly
outside the realm of anything God might will.
Such senseless human suffering is more often than not the work of human
beings originating in the minds and hearts of evil men.
Our thoughts
and prayers go out to the victims and their families, and it is our prayerful
hope that the sacrifice of these lives will ultimately accomplish some
good. We hope and pray our leaders are
thoughtful and careful in their response to these atrocious acts and do not
resort to many of the mob tactics being
suggested by so many here. We
are all outraged, but we do not need to become uncivilized to demonstrate
it. Ultimately, these perpetrators will
have to carry any consequence for their acts into the eternal plane.