9-11
The Terrorist Attacks and god... a Wakeup Call
2002revised 9/11/06
This terrible event should be causing all people to rethink their religious faith.
If there was ever a moment when a kind, loving, caring, watchful Father could have shown a sign of His existence, this was it. If there was an all-knowing god, he would have known about the attacks before they happened. If this god was an all-powerful god, he would have been able to prevent them. If this god was an all-good god, he would have.
Unless Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson are correct.
Option One:
Right after 9/11, Robertson and Falwell told us that God (acting like He used to in the Old Testament) was punishing our sinful nation because of our continued failure to stamp out abortion, and for allowing homosexuals to live. Of course, it is hard to reconcile that image of God with the Christian "feel good" idea that Jesus brought a New Covenant of peace, paying for our sins so that the bloody killing of the Old Testament need not ever happen again. Which is it? I think Christians dismiss this line of thought, because it's too complicated and uncomfortable. Maybe that's why Falwell and Robertson made such a quick retraction.
But, if you're a Christian, the question remains. If God is all-powerful and all-knowing, He allowed this Islamic attack to succeed. How come? Was everyone who worked in the World Trade Center a homosexual or abortionist? Of course not.
If indeed God allowed this attack on the U.S. to succeed as a punishment for not following His instructions, then who exactly was punished? If people die, they are (under the Christian mythology) either sent to heaven or hell. If they sent to heaven, then they are not really punished, are they? What kind of punishment is it to send someone to heaven, the best place in the universe? If they are sent to hell, then they are denied the opportunity in their remaining years to repent and accept the lord, thereby redeeming themselves. What kind of kind, loving god would do that? Besides, what difference does it make whether they are sent to eternal, endless torture in hell right now (in a fiery act of terrorism), or 30 years from now (after dying in their sleep). Eternity is eternity-- what difference does 30 years make? The people who died and went to hell were going to go to hell anyway. The people who are really punished are those that loved them, those that are left behind. Let's face it. It makes absolutely no sense to call the tragedy a punishment from god. And yet, if there is a god, what else could it have been?
So, the first option in explaining how the 9/11 attack succeeded is to admit that the God of Christianity is a malicious god, who can allow an act of monumental violence against his own children, and cause pain not only to those He allowed to burn to death, and to be crushed to death, and to suffocate on burning hot ash, but to their families and children. Even though this does not make any sense, in the Christian scheme of things-- because all one needs to do in order to earn salvation is to believe in Jesus Christ and repent of one's own sins. At least that's what the Christians keep telling us. If they're right, where does this punishment from God fit in? It doesn't...
In the Old Testament, God did indeed tell his people that if they didn't follow His laws (which included the execution of homosexual men), He would rain down destruction on their villages-- plagues, hailstones, famines, wars. He even said that He would go so far as to arrange things so that the most gentle woman among us would eat her own children! Wow, nice god... However, in the New Testament, or new Covenant, Jesus came down and committed suicide for us so that all we have to do in order to earn salvation is to believe in him, and repent of our sins. It doesn't matter what the sin is... you could be gay, you could have slowly tortured to death a hundred school children-- a sin is a sin, all you have to do is say you're sorry. Under this current plan, there is no explanation for this mass 'punishment' from God-- people have the option of accepting Jesus and going to heaven, or rejecting him and going to hell. There's the punishment... hell. Torture for all time.
Option Two:
Maybe the Muslims are correct, and god's name is Allah. You must admit, the attack succeeded. The terrorists accomplished what they set out to do. They affected America the way they wanted to. They achieved their revenge. Osama Bin Laden has apparently have gotten away with it. And presumably, he and his muslim associates prayed to Allah beforehand...
But Christians in America prayed too... unsuccessfully. President Bush called for an unconstitutional National Day of Prayer. They prayed for the survival of the victims of the attack. But what good did all that do? All those prayers were spectacularly useless. Despite the bible saying that all prayers will be answered, all those prayers didn't do a thing to avert the 3000 deaths. The prayers didn't create a large number of survivors. The prayers didn't clean up the mess. The prayers didn't bring Bin Laden to justice. The prayers didn't do a thing. If there was a god, and he gave a damn, he would have done something before the planes hit the buildings.
So, the second option in explaining how the 9/11 attack succeeded is to accept that the true god is Allah of the islamic religion. But I unconvinced of that explanation for the exact same reasons I am unconvinced of Christianity.
Option Three:
This event serves as evidence-- evidence that god, whether it's the Christian version or the Muslim version-- is imaginary. Completely made up. Every thinking person should realize that nieither the first nor the second option explaining the terrorist attack is logical, and this event is just one more bit of proof that the idea of a watchful god is nothing more than wishful thinking.
Not surprisingly, this event has seemed to solidify the faithful for some reason... they cry "God Bless America", clinging together in their fear, confusion and uncertainty. They cry "United We Stand", while they divide the nation along lines of Christians and Muslims, and the believers and the nonbelievers. They use the event to further their ideological causes, and as a grab for political power.
What is the real root reason that Muslims hate us? Would they still hate us if we were Muslim like they are? Would they still hate the Jews if they converted to Islam? No, they wouldn't. If we converted to Islam, they would leave us in peace. The reason for the terrorism and the military unrest is the same old reason that has plagued humanity since the beginning of civilization: religion. Religion is the real evil here. ALL RELIGION.
Should Christians kill terrorists in retaliation? Jesus taught against it. Resist not evil, he said. If struck on one cheek, turn the other and let them hit you again. He said love your enemies. He said: let he among you that is without sin cast the first stone. Thou shalt not kill, it says. It does not say: Thou shalt not kill, except under the following conditions... No true follower of Jesus should be in favor of taking up arms against Osama Bin Laden. In fact, all good Christians should forgive him, pray for him and LOVE him. If you cannot say this, then you are a hypocrite to your Christianity.
The truth is that this tragedy only confirms one thing: there is no watchful eye in the sky. Heaven is just cold, empty space. We Americans are under no special protection just because the majority of the population are Christian. This event confirms that prayer is utterly useless. It confirms that there are no supernatural forces at work-- that we are subject only to the malicious acts of hateful humans and the random acts of nature. Be honest with yourself. Allow yourself to think this way, if only for a moment. It may be a hard truth, but feel the satisfaction of intellectual integrity. Feel the moment of moral clarity. This is what it feels like when the world makes sense.