Now, I know that the ten year anniversary to 9/11 is tomorrow, but I feel like I need to write it all down now and post it, because if wait until tomorrow I might have forgotten some of my ideas.
Sometimes I read books or watch movies that mention New York before the disaster, and I am struck by the fact of how they show the twin towers as a fact. Its existence is not questioned, and if you went up to someone the morning of September 11, 2001 and said that someone would blow up the twin towers, they would either laugh or think you are crazy. They do not question that it is there today and will be there tomorrow. I guess all people think about things like that. But its not the Towers that were the big loss. I mean, sure, it was great to have the world trade center in our own country, but we could do without it. What really struck us hard is the people.
We never expected that people could just be killed in such large numbers. I mean, wars can wipe out far more people than that, but wars have happened before. Disease can wipe out more people as well, but disease has happened before too. What hasn't happened is just all of a sudden an airplane crashes into a major landmark of a huge city. That really took people off guard.
If you walked up to any American and asked "Do you think if hell exists the suicide pilots of September 11 belong there?" I would say you would get almost none who say no.
But I say no.
I say no because they thought they were doing the right thing. They thought their god would reward them. They thought it was the right thing to do. So yes, they were wrong, and their mistake cost us thousands of lives, but they thought with all their heart (If they didn't they wouldn't have killed themselves) that this was the right thing to do. It scarred out nation and will for years to come, but I would forgive any of them. ANd if you disagree with me to a point of extreme anger, I will remove this post immediately.
Your last paragraph reveals how important it is to carefully discern God's voice - to be able to distinguish between what is God's voice and what is not. I think you are right that these people really believed they were doing God's will....and that is part of what is so scary - that people can believe that such evil is for God.
ReplyDeleteA question I would ask you to think about is: is your forgiveness dependent on the wrongdoers believing they did the right thing? Do you think Jesus only asks us to forgive people when they think they were doing the right thing - or even when they know they are doing wrong. (I think it is the latter....which is a lot harder.)
Once upon a time (Labor Day weekend of 1984, I think), I spent the weekend with a friend in New York. He said something about the wonders of New York and seemed to suggest that New York was eternal; those massive buildings would be there forever. Perhaps I was a better read budding historian than he was because I responded by saying that as amazing as New York was/is, nothing on this planet is eternal. When the Twin Towers fell I thought about that long ago conversation. I miss those iconic towers, I mourn for the loss of life and the pain and grief that 9/11 visited on our country. But a part of me recognizes that the world is always, always changing. What seems permanent is probably not. I think we need to live in full appreciation of the gifts we experience everyday. The Twin Towers were part of a New York that is now gone. I am grateful that I had a chance to know that New York.
ReplyDeleteMr. Author, sir,
ReplyDeleteDo you believe in Hell? If not, does this affect your view on this?
But-- answer Susan's question first!
Dear Mr. Commenter
ReplyDeleteNo I do not believe in hell, so I do think it affects my view on this. I do not believe in hell because it is supposedly where evil people go. However, this is not a saturday morning cartoon. People are not just evil for the heck of it. They either think what they are doing is right (Like the 9/11 terrorists) or, as susanjoan pointed out, are doing it knowing fully it is bad but either have a reason for doing it that blocks other judgement (Revenge, greed, .etc). It is the effect that is evil, not the human cause. Of course, it would be completely unfair to say that all people are equally guilty of the evil effects or that the cause should suffer no punishment.
As for Susan's first question, I think I answered this in Mark's question, but to elaborate on it, yes Jesus asks us to forgive others even if what they know what they are doing is wrong. I would elaborate more, but I have not lost a loved one because of an action of another, so I do not think I fully would understand what it would be like to forgive that. But yes, Jesus asks us to do it.
That is an honest answer. As you may know, I did lose a close family member (as well as a friend) in the 9/11 bombing. For many people in my family, forgiveness is not possible - there is too much anger. But I do believe I am called as a Christian to forgive even the worst acts...even when it leads to the loss of someone I loved a great deal. We are called to forgive even when forgiveness is not easy.
ReplyDeleteYou might want to listen to the following - it is only two minutes long, but it addresses the point:http://www.ipadio.com/phlogs/AidanRooney1/2011/9/12/Seventy-etc-catholic
Thank you for the link. I listened to it and enjoyed it very much.
ReplyDelete