![]() World Trade Center© 2006 by Peter Jude Fagan Many extreme right-wing religious fundamentalist individuals believe that terrorist actions against the United States and aginst U.S. military personnel will destroy that government. But such activity is misguided. First of all, to kill someone or to explode a bomb and destroy a building or an airplane or to cause any kind of death and destruction in the name of God is a blasphemy. It is not a holy act and those who claim that it is are distorting the word of God. This is true regardless of what faith one believes in. Secondly, if the U.S. government and the Americans are the infidels, as they claim, then they should be trying to convert them to their faith, not murder them. One knows this to be true because God does not desire the death of any of His children, especially those who are in sin (Wis.1:13; Ezech.33:11). A person converts another to their faith by teaching that person their faith, not by killing that person or committing acts of violence against that person. Violence of any kind is not of God. Atrocities committed in the name of God are a blasphemy. The killing of someone or the killing of oneself in an act of terrorism is not the will of God; it is the will of Satan. It is the will of those who deliberately distort the word of God in order to fulfill their own fundamentalist beliefs and obtain their own terrorists goals. Further, when an individual blows himself up while riding in a bus or on train full of innocent people or hijacks an airplane and blows it up or flies it into a building, such action is not going to destroy his enemy or destroy capitalism. It only makes his enemies stronger. It only strengthens the resolve of his enemy. It only makes capitalistic imperialism stronger. It gives those capitalistic imperialists in positions of authority the excuse they need to further enrich themselves at the expense of the poor, to chip away at the Bill of Rights, and to further enslave the children of God by taking away their civil liberties. (This is done under the disguise of allegedly patriotic laws against terrorism.) If those who would seek an end to capitalistic imperialism chose peaceful means of obtaining their goals then they would find that they would make better and more lasting gains than they would by choosing to commit acts of terrorism, violence and war. By choosing to use such tactics they are only strengthening the ability and determination of their enemies to further enslave the children of God. They are only making it harder for themselves to defeat capitalistic imperialism. In fact, anyone who chooses terrorism, violence and war as a means of settling disputes is choosing against God, for God is a peaceful God. Acts of terrorism, vigilantism, police brutality, and all such similar actions are not proper methods of dealing with those who one perceives to have broken the law. One is never justified by taking the law into one’s own hands and executing justice to a suspected law breaker. The only true justice is justice administered by and through a lawful judicial process. It is true that quite often this type of justice is slow and sometimes the criminal gets away with his crime. In such situations it is frequently because there was not enough evidence to convict the guilty. But it is far better to allow the guilty to be set free than to convict the innocent. This is a basic tenant of Jeffersonian democracy and one proves himself a true child of God by accepting such verdicts. One need only put himself into the suspect’s shoes to see the truthfulness of this precept. All you have to do is imagine yourself accused of a very heinous crime which you did not commit. Yet, all the evidence pointed to you as the culprit. Would you want someone else to kill or injure you in an act of vigilantism? Of course not! Then neither should you resort to such actions. The classic 1943 western The Oxbow Incident, starring Henry Fonda and adapted from the 1940 novel of the same name by Walter Van Tilburg, provides an excellent example. This is the story of three men accused of murder and cattle rustling. There is some evidence that indicates that they are guilty. A posse hangs the men in an act of vigilantism. Then it is discovered that the three men are innocent. Further, if a person violates the civil rights of someone who has committed a crime – any crime – then that person is giving that criminal a “get-out-of-jail-free” card. Such a person is allowing that person to commit his foul deed and get away with it. This is because the criminal can use acts of terrorism, vigilantism, police brutality and other similar actions against him to get the courts to dismiss the charges against him. Hence, one is not justified in committing acts of terrorism, vigilantism, police brutality and other such similar actions against another person. This is true regardless of what crime the person has committed or allegedly committed. However, this is not to give the government the right to make repressive laws. Often individuals will commit an act of terrorism, vigilantism, etc. because they perceive that the government has made laws that are repressive to the people. These individuals believe that they are justified in their actions because they are opposing a corrupt government. However, the only proper way to change the laws of a government is through the legislative process or through non-violent protest and peaceful demonstration. Any laws enacted by the proper authorities of government are laws that ought to be obeyed, regardless of whether these laws are just or unjust. If the law is corrupt then any non-violent actions against them (i.e. peaceful protest) will eventually lead to new laws passed by the legislative branch of the government. Until such time, all laws, including repressive laws, need to be obeyed until they are repealed. One knows this to be true because one could be opposing a law that one perceives to be unjust but in reality is a just law. A classic example of this is the Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion. Many individuals perceive this to be an unjust law because it allows the legal killing of innocent babies. This is true, many babies are murdered. But it is only half of the picture. It is also saving the lives of many women who would otherwise die at the hands of a butcher in an illegal abortion. Those who are choosing acts of violence to oppose legalized abortion are in violation of the law. They are violating the rights of those who are following the law. Finally, if there is anyone wants to change what they perceive to be an unjust law then they should try to change the law through the legislative process. Then they would not be found to be using corruption to oppose a law, whether this law be justified or repressive. Whether the Nuclear War comes or not is mankind’s decision. God is not forcing mankind into any action. He is allowing mankind to make his own decisions about what course to follow. Today mankind is at a fork in the road and he cannot travel both roads. It is man’s decision as to which road he will follow: War or Peace. This is the same choice God offered to man in the last discourse of Moses to the Israelites, Deuteronomy chapters 28, 29, 30. If there is a nation or people who have a dispute with another nation or people then the only effective and lasting way of settling the disagreement is through peaceful, honest negotiation. Any other course of action will only bring on the dreaded Nuclear War. Please End All Corruption on Earth. |