Danger! Danger! Serious Post Alert!
You've been warned.
I, for one, am not happy that the United States is in Iraq at all - I wish we'd never gone, but now I want nothing more than to get it right. Unfortunately, as we discovered (again) yesterday, there is very often a tragic price to pay for mistakes made by others.
Yesterday in Fallujah the bodies of four Americans were desecrated by a mob. They chanted anti-American slogans, one boy said, "Where is Bush? I want him to see this," and members of the crowd said "Allahu Akhbar," which means "God is great."
Very often, the most religious members of society are also the most gullible - they can be swayed by promises of heaven or curses of damnation very easily, because what we do here on earth is so fleeting when compared to an eternal reward or punishment. So we'd better spend our time here doing the righteous thing, they often say. And a pastor (or imam) can very easily sway his charges to do pretty much anything he or she wants with those otherworldly promises, right?
If you believe in heaven or hell for the saint or sinner, then you're pretty much screwed when you realize you've committed a heinous sin. And that brings me to my point:
In the Quran, in the 2nd Sura (chapter), the Prophet Muhammed covers, basically, the "Rules of Engagement" of Islamic War. Keep in mind that "Islam," by itself, means "Peace," but that Muhammed (and presumably Allah) make an allowance to fight back against oppressors.
In that Sura, in verse 190, the angel Gabriel tells Muhammed this:
"Fight against those who fight against you in the way of Allah, but do not transgress, for Allah does not love transgressors."
The Prophet explained to his followers that transgressions included fighting women and children, fighting the elderly, and desecrating the bodies of the defeated.
What happened yesterday is appalling, but what may be almost as bad is not what the flock has done - it's what the shepherd asked them to do. I despise religious arguments because they can be twisted any way you want, but even worse is asking your own charges to commit a sin and damn themselves for you own petty politics.
You've been warned.
I, for one, am not happy that the United States is in Iraq at all - I wish we'd never gone, but now I want nothing more than to get it right. Unfortunately, as we discovered (again) yesterday, there is very often a tragic price to pay for mistakes made by others.
Yesterday in Fallujah the bodies of four Americans were desecrated by a mob. They chanted anti-American slogans, one boy said, "Where is Bush? I want him to see this," and members of the crowd said "Allahu Akhbar," which means "God is great."
Very often, the most religious members of society are also the most gullible - they can be swayed by promises of heaven or curses of damnation very easily, because what we do here on earth is so fleeting when compared to an eternal reward or punishment. So we'd better spend our time here doing the righteous thing, they often say. And a pastor (or imam) can very easily sway his charges to do pretty much anything he or she wants with those otherworldly promises, right?
If you believe in heaven or hell for the saint or sinner, then you're pretty much screwed when you realize you've committed a heinous sin. And that brings me to my point:
In the Quran, in the 2nd Sura (chapter), the Prophet Muhammed covers, basically, the "Rules of Engagement" of Islamic War. Keep in mind that "Islam," by itself, means "Peace," but that Muhammed (and presumably Allah) make an allowance to fight back against oppressors.
In that Sura, in verse 190, the angel Gabriel tells Muhammed this:
"Fight against those who fight against you in the way of Allah, but do not transgress, for Allah does not love transgressors."
The Prophet explained to his followers that transgressions included fighting women and children, fighting the elderly, and desecrating the bodies of the defeated.
What happened yesterday is appalling, but what may be almost as bad is not what the flock has done - it's what the shepherd asked them to do. I despise religious arguments because they can be twisted any way you want, but even worse is asking your own charges to commit a sin and damn themselves for you own petty politics.
posted by Brian at 9:59 PM
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