Some deserve to reappear on the national stage and some to drop out. Jesse Jackson should do the latter in my opinion instead of trying to insert himself into an international crisis. But Al Gore ought to remain in sight after that patriotic address Saturday that pulled us all closer together behind president Bush. In fact, Gore's gracious concession speech last November had already shown that he put American first. So I hope we'll keep seeing him, though our prayers now must hold up our nation's leader who has thus far shown good judgement. A sudden attack on Afghanistan might have pleased our hawks, but could have created an even worse international situation. He is being very deliberate and doubtless has covert action already underway that we don't get in the news. Retaliation, retribution and revenge are the strong urge that we naturally feel after taking such a terrible blow. But he keeps saying "justice rather than revenge," which is according to the Bible. The terrorists sure didn't learn that, though it may also be in the Koran. In all my years I've never been more proud of my country. We are presently spending millions on aid being sent to Afghan refugees to supplement the UN's here at the very moment their Taliban government is thumbing it's nose in our face and saying that we don't have the courage to attack but only to fire missiles from away off somewhere. It appears that we turned the other cheek by sending aid, in spite of Osama bin Laden's treachery (which the Taliban seems to condone though they say not). So there may be overt military action by the time you read this column, because the Lord didn't say what to do if your other cheek also gets slapped. And ours did by that Afghan insult. I'd think Jesus would feel we've already tried to be a peace maker. They talk a lot about defeating the Russians ten years ago, but don't they remember it was with our aid? Yet we must also remember that six million Muslims are here as American citizens. So we need to know more about their religion. The word Islam comes from the Arabic Salaam which means peace or surrender. Those who profess Islam are Muslims and worship Allah, a name that combines the Arabic article al meaning "the" with the Arabic word Illah, meaning "God." Islam is surrender to Allah and his prophet Muhammad, who was born in Mecca 570ad. He felt himself selected at age 40 to be the Arab prophet of true religion, which he then lived to spread for a dozen years. His revelations and teachings are recorded in the Koran. In 622ad he escaped from a plot to murder him to Yathrib. From that event, the Hagira, Islam dates it's calendar. Medina (city of the prophet) was Yathrib's new name and the city where he built his model theocratic state, from which he ruled his rapidly growing empire, to include Mecca where the faithful gather from all over the world each year. He seems at first to have expected Jews and Christians to welcome him, but was disappointed. By 630ad he had won all Arabia to his puritanical faith. It accepts Jesus as another prophet, but not as the Son of GOD nor as great as Muhammad. I recall my effort at witnessing to a Palestinian teen that I met on the bus in east Jerusalem years ago. All the passengers were Arabs so far as I could tell. I learned that his father taught in their Muslim university. So I asked the boy what he hoped to do with his life. "To kill Jews" was his immediate answer. I was stunned and I tried to tell him of Jesus and forgiveness. The boy listened, but made no response when I said "Jesus shows us the way of love rather than hate." Then I noticed that several other passengers were watching us suspiciously. Later I learned how many Palestinians are Christians, but I think they were all Muslims on the bus that day in 1980. I've since learned that in an Islamic state it's illegal to witness for Christ. And Muslims are so super religious that it's hard to break through. Now I understand the Taliban is holding eight Christians in Afghanistan at this very hour for being missionaries there and I sure don't think Jesse Jackson could get them released no matter how "sincere" his offer. Jimmy Carter might bring them out since he's been a peacemaker before. And our special forces can surely bring bin Laden out along with his henchmen, dead or alive. The CIA will get them all over the globe and the FBI is bringing them out of hiding right here at home. The war is being waged, but in strange new battles, Maybe it can even include drugs, porn, gambling, aids etc. along with terrorism because THE DEVIL is our common enemy: A CRUSADE AGAINST CRIME, WAR ON WICKEDNESS, ASSAULT ON SATAN!
Some of the inmates watch current events carefully. Here's a poem one wrote, with my own smoothing of te meter. Rhymes were ok: Title, "OH ISRAEL" You've suffered persecution and been scattered through the lands. Your men have fallen by the sword, but anew your nation stands. In the past you've gone astray, and failed to hear God's call. So He let you come to hardship and He let your cities fall. Your history"s long and bloody and your people have been pained. But your God has not forgotten and your homeland stands regained. For He still keeps His promises; your cries are not ignored. The Temple soon will be rebuilt; your glory then restored. (Wm H Davis, Jr.)
Though we see the present war as only against terrorism and not Islam, it's certainly difficult to maintain that separation. We are a nation of the Bible and our presidents have taken their oath of office with a hand laid upon it. Even if we ever elect a Jew, I feel sure that he or she would continue that tradition. But how can Muslims hold to that since the Koran is their holy book. I've wondered if our only Catholic president laid his hand on the Protestant or Catholic Bible. So far we've agreed on the Protestant one, but the 14 books of the Apocrapha could be also accepted as they once were until the Jews cut them out of their Scripture in the first century. However, Islam also reveres the Bible and so they can show it such respect. They even equate Allah with Yahweh of the Old Testament, though they don't believe that Yeshua was the Son. Still we all believe in the One creator, so the Holy Bible should be those sixty-six books of the Old and New Testament as I see it. And instead of speaking of Protestants, Catholics and Jews in America we'll make it Jews, Christians and Muslims instead. Surely the Almighty is working His will through our history. The blessed hope of our Gospel may also be hidden in Islam's waiting for the last Maddi by Sheites. Of course it's the Messianic hope in orthodox Judaism. So we Christians need to declare the One Whose final coming we await is Christ Jesus the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. And so we need to keep as much harmony as possible in order to make Him known. And our attitude toward the Jews' rejection of Christ should be in those words of our Lord from His cross, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do." For two millennia they have suffered until in 1948 they were allowed to regain their nation. So if GOD would allow them that much, we owe them our fullest admiration and respect. Many are becoming Messianic Jews which is certainly a moving of the Spirit among them. Now we need some such approach to Muslims; perhaps a "Muslims for Messiah" that would draw on the references to Jesus in the Koran and point back to the full revelation of Him in the New Testament. I've only known one convewrt from Islam in my career and that was years ago. He had to break with all his family to accept Christ, so I know it's a tough mission field.