2.23.2006
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Sectarian Violence
Today's theme in the world news is sectarian violence. And this time, it's not just muslims exploding at real and imagined slights. We've got idolatrous Shiites rioting because their gold-plated mosque was bombed by other muslims. The good news is that nobody was injured in the mosque bombing. The bad news is that the shittes are mad, and they're looking for payback -- and, guaranteed, people will be hurt.
We've still got muslims all fired up about some silly 'toons (here's a Cox & Forkum cartoon that pretty much sums up this situation).
We've got the expected intolerance of the "religion of peace" in Egypt, where muslims have attacked Coptic Christians. This is, in politically correct fashion, headlined: "Attacks on Copts Expose Egypt's Secular Paradox; Tensions Between Muslims, Christians Grow Violent in Time of More Openness." Note that "tensions," and how, somehow, these, all by themselves, "grow more violent." Tensions don't exist is a vacuum; they are caused by human actions. In this case, the tensions are simply due to muslims, in an officially Islamic state, Egypt, attacking Christians and, as it the norm, treating all non-muslims as dhimmi, i.e. citizens who lack full rights.
All of this is ho-hum, just another day, which happens to have more reporting than is the norm. But there is one more story dealing with sectarian violence that is disturbing to a Christian -- or should be. It is the case of some Nigerian Christians striking back at Nigerian muslims, and killing at least 30 muslims. Why striking back? Because Christians have been the target of muslim violence in Nigeria as part of the Islamic world's convulsions over free speech in the West.
My first reaction, I'm ashamed to admit, was something along the lines of, "it's about time!" Then I reflected, for just a few seconds, and realized: this is not what a Christian does. No Christian may kill an innocent person whose only crime is to be a moslem. We must protect other Christians, it is true. But, absent an imminent threat from that person, it is absolutely wrong to take God's judgment into our own hands and kill him. Or her.
No Christian should do such a thing; no Christiant should applaud it. No Christian can say, "well, they're Africans...that's their way." No. God will punish muslims at the end for their idolatry; it is not for us.
Pray for our muslim brothers and sisters, that they may see the Light that is Jesus Christ. And that they abandon their violent and idolatrous ways.
We've still got muslims all fired up about some silly 'toons (here's a Cox & Forkum cartoon that pretty much sums up this situation).
We've got the expected intolerance of the "religion of peace" in Egypt, where muslims have attacked Coptic Christians. This is, in politically correct fashion, headlined: "Attacks on Copts Expose Egypt's Secular Paradox; Tensions Between Muslims, Christians Grow Violent in Time of More Openness." Note that "tensions," and how, somehow, these, all by themselves, "grow more violent." Tensions don't exist is a vacuum; they are caused by human actions. In this case, the tensions are simply due to muslims, in an officially Islamic state, Egypt, attacking Christians and, as it the norm, treating all non-muslims as dhimmi, i.e. citizens who lack full rights.
All of this is ho-hum, just another day, which happens to have more reporting than is the norm. But there is one more story dealing with sectarian violence that is disturbing to a Christian -- or should be. It is the case of some Nigerian Christians striking back at Nigerian muslims, and killing at least 30 muslims. Why striking back? Because Christians have been the target of muslim violence in Nigeria as part of the Islamic world's convulsions over free speech in the West.
My first reaction, I'm ashamed to admit, was something along the lines of, "it's about time!" Then I reflected, for just a few seconds, and realized: this is not what a Christian does. No Christian may kill an innocent person whose only crime is to be a moslem. We must protect other Christians, it is true. But, absent an imminent threat from that person, it is absolutely wrong to take God's judgment into our own hands and kill him. Or her.
No Christian should do such a thing; no Christiant should applaud it. No Christian can say, "well, they're Africans...that's their way." No. God will punish muslims at the end for their idolatry; it is not for us.
Pray for our muslim brothers and sisters, that they may see the Light that is Jesus Christ. And that they abandon their violent and idolatrous ways.
posted by John Luke at 1:44 PM
Welcome. My name is John Luke Rich, (very) struggling Christian. The focus here is Christianity in its many varieties,
its fussing and feuding, how it impacts our lives and our society, with detours to consider it with other faiths (or lack thereof).
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