9/11
I doubt that many people living in this country in our time will ever be able to think about September without reference to September 11—both to the actual events of September 11, 2001, and to the symbolic and emotional reactions and meanings whenever “9/11” is evoked. I suspect that many of us can remember exactly where we were and whom we were with on that September morning in 2001 when we heard the news. Beyond the news and verbal reports were the images of that day that we will carry with us to our graves.
I have long wanted to do a theological reflection on September 11. To some, this reflection may seem political. But I’m like Jim Wallis, editor of Sojourner’s Magazine, who wrote a book entitled God’s Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn’t Get it. My intention is not to engage in the Republican/Democratic Party debates and the coming electioneering season. My interest is in asking what God may want us Christians to wrestle with.
When I was in college, a wise political science professor advised us students to ask, “What do my opponents want out of me?” “The answer,” he suggested, “will give you significant insight.”
So I ask what is it that Osama bin Laden and his accomplices wanted to achieve? What did they want from us coming out of September 11? And the answer is pretty obvious. They wanted to create terror. After all, terrorism is the title that we’ve given to our response, The War on Terror.
Terror. I looked it up. It means fear. Synonyms are fear, horror, fright, dread, shock, panic, alarm. Antonym: security.
The follow-up question is this. What would we do if Osama bin Laden were successful in terrorizing Americans on 9/11?
Out of our fear, horror, fright, dread, shock, panic, and alarm, we might do one or more of the following:
- We might declare wars on predominately Islamic countries, which would have the twin effects of alienating millions of Moslems and helping to bankrupt America with military budgets so high that we could not properly educate, provide healthcare for, or support the common good.
- We might become so paranoid that strangers would not be welcome in our land . . . especially strangers who came here looking for a good deal just like our ancestors did.
- We would do away with freedom of religion guaranteed in the Bill of Rights . . . especially freedom for Moslems to build mosques and to worship not only in Manhattan but in many places across the country (like Sugarcreek, Oh
- We might do away with freedom from harm by arming citizens with concealed carry weapons, because they’d be so afraid . . . even to carry guns in bars and churches and public parks.
- We would pass laws that over-ride protections from government scrutiny of our communications without court orders.
- We would require people to carry papers at all times to prove our identity and citizenship—just like they used to do in the Soviet Union under the communism and in other repressive regimes.
- We might incarcerate people without trial and torture folk.
Osama’s goal would be to destroy us by creating enough fear that we would abandon our highest ideals: free exercise of religion, the rule of law, equality, generosity and hospitality.
To all of this fear, to all of the horror and terror, what does the Gospel of Jesus say?
“Fear Not!” To Mary the Angel Gabriel said, “Fear not, the Lord is with you.” The herald angels declared to the shepherds, “Fear not, for to you is born this day a savior.” And at the end of his life, the angel said to the women who had come to the tomb, “Be not afraid. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen; He is not here.”
Throughout Christian history there have been many martyrs, saints, and holy women and men who have followed in Jesus’ footsteps. Even though they may have been very afraid and rightly so, they did not allow their fear to rule their lives or to disrespect the lives of others.
The answer to horror is not “security,” but trust in God. As we recite regularly from the 23rd Psalm:
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil;for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.
The purpose of terrorists is to terrorize. For people of faith, our purpose to refuse to be terrorized, “to fear no evil.,” but to trust in God.
–John Paddock
Christ Church Blog 
Ok Father,
Let’s take this point by point:
1. Your question “what God may want us Christians to wrestle with?” Your answer appears to me to be “trust in God”. I agree with you: Trust in God to stand by us in these difficult times and protect us from attacks inside and outside our country.
*We were attacked on 9-11 where over 3,000 of our citizens were killed. People jumped for their lives from skyscapers and Moslems dance in the streets in the Mideast.
* In the past 31 months, Congress has ADDED 4.4 trillion dollars to the 10 year spending baseline(CBO baseline estimate). As recently as 2005, total federal spending was only 2.47 trillion. Non-defense discretionary spending rose by 11.2% in 2009 and will rise another 14.7% in 2010.
* Strangers are welcome in our land LEGALLY. Their intent is not important, their entry method is.
* Freedom of Religion still exists. Moslems can build their mosques anywhere in the U.S. where they pass the zoning ordinances and local laws. Does this apply to ANY Moslem county? As a matter of fact, the Taliban just approved a cathedral in the southern part of Afghanistan–not!!! little humor there, very little but some. Just because Moslems have the legal right to do something doesn’t mean they should-especially if they want to “build bridges”. I have the legal right to burp in church, but that doesn’t mean I should.
*There is no “freedom from harm”. Life happens and pain happens in that life. Didn’t Paul say suffering builds character? There is a Second Amendment however which was recently supported by the Supreme Court. For the people I know that carry a weapon, it is not fear involved in carrying that weapon-there is defense. If a person comes into my house to do harm, I trust God to shoot straight.
*The Constitution LIMITS government powers. It protects us from governments encroachment. In terms of communication, the present administration wants the ability for the FBI to look at our emails without a court order.
*We must sho identification when we drive, when we write a check, when we enter a government courthouse. Other countries also require identification especially for tourists.
*The terror suspects incarcerated in Gitmo are prisoners of war and not members of a “declared army” therefore they are not privileged to be treated under the Geneva Convention. Even so they are subject to the Gitmo 50-they gain at least 50 lbs while they are incarcerated. They have arrows painted on floors pointing towards Mecca so they can pray wherever they are. Last time I checked Al Queda was still stoning, beheading and blowing up innocent civilians.
What does the Gospel of Jesus say?
“Whoever believes in me believes not in me but in him who sent me?”
“Do not think I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace but a sword”.
Throughout history, those many martyrs, saints and holy women and men stood for Christ. They did not bow to political correctness, nor did they worry about others feelings. They faced the hate and lost their lives for Christ.
You are right-trust in God. Trust He will stand by us for our freedom, our love of liberty and our faith.