I clearly remember where I was on 9/11, ten years ago. I was buying AAA batteries in the Radio Shack on Highway 93 in Whitefish, MT when I saw it on one of the TVs they had on in the store.
Ten years later, we are still dealing with the aftermath of that horrible event. We are in a war because of it. People live in fear because of it. Many people despite Muslims because of it. And that, I think may be one of the greatest tragedies of the whole event.
Don’t get me wrong. I am grieved over all the lives that were lost on 9-11, and in the ensuing war. I support our troops in every way possible. I love my country. I love the people of the United States. I think this is the best country in the world, and I thank God every single day that I was born here. Someone has said that being born in America is the equivalent to winning the lottery of life. I couldn’t agree more.
And yet I am troubled by the hatred that many feel toward Muslims because of the events that happened on 9-11. I was troubled then, and ten years later, I am still troubled.
I think that what happened on 9-11 was a terrible event, but I often wonder what Jesus wants our response to be. Somehow, I just don’t think that response would have included bombs. Remember when the disciples wanted to rain down fire from heaven on a Samaritan village for rejecting Jesus (Luke 9:54). Jesus rebuked the disciples and said, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of.”
Of course, just a few verses later, when Chorazin and Bethsaida reject Him and His followers, Jesus announces judgment on them which will be greater than what happened to the people of Sodom, Tyre, and Sidon. But He doesn’t actually call down this judgment right then.
What am I saying?
It seems that Jesus went out of His way to show love to His enemies, to bless those who were trying to kill Him, and to do good to those who slandered Him, hated Him, and sought His imprisonment and death.
He didn’t let himself get walked over or trampled upon, but found a third way of non-violent resistance whereby He exerted His own humanity and sought to restore the humanity of his enemies.
I know many Muslims, and the majority of them are wonderful, kind, devout people. There is much that we, as followers of Jesus, could learn from Muslims. However, I also know some mean and nasty Muslims, who seem to be full of hatred and anger. But I do not wish that these Muslims would die, nor do I think they are representative of all Muslims.
Look at it another way. I know many wonderful, kind, and devout Christians. But I also know many mean and nasty Christians. But I hope that simply because some Christians are mean and nasty, people recognize that not all Christians are mean and nasty.
And what do I hope for the mean and nasty Muslims? I hope the same thing for them that I hope for mean and nasty Christians - that they will find freedom from the hate that is driving them to do what they do. I don’t know how this can happen, but I am pretty sure it will not come by bombing them.
Let me be clear: I am not a pacifist. I do believe that the actions by Muslims on 9-11 were evil, and I believe that all evil must be resisted. And resistance is more than just talking to your enemies. But the resistance must come from the core belief that our enemies are not humans, but are powers and systems which have enslaved humans, and the one things these powers want is death and destruction. By giving these powers what they want, we enslave ourselves to these powers as well, and only make the hatred and destruction grow.
The only way forward is to resist the powers, seeking to restore the humanity and freedom of our human foes. Then our light will rise in the darkness, and our night will become like the noonday sun.
Note: Dealing with an organization of terrorists, or even a nation bent on your destruction, requires a very advanced form of non-violent resistance. It may be that violence and war may be the only possible solution in a broken and sinful world such as ours. I am a novice in the ways of non-violent resistance, but one thing I know: large-scale non-violent resistance is not possible until and unless we have first learned interpersonal and one-on-one non-violent resistance.
I am trying to learn some of this myself, and if you are interested in learning more about it, I recommend Engaging the Powers
