“France, because it was freely, cowardly attacked, will be merciless against the terrorists. France will triumph over barbarism.”
-- French President François Hollande
Where change is the only constant in the universe, evil seems to be the change when we allow history to repeat. We never learn the lesson of an immediate and overwhelmingly terrible response to absolute evil. Again, as in wars past, we find ourselves at the tipping point, shoulder to shoulder with our allies, discovering that band aid solution to a bloody, suppurating, cancer is not an answer. How many Britons had to die before we woke up? How many Jews had to die before the world finally got a clue? How many Christians are dying now? How many innocent are required to be thrown on the sacrificial alter of incompetence before the world finally turns around to face the evil at their back?
France represents over 400 readers of, The Path. This makes them my third largest readership and, because of this large following, I felt it prudent to voice my anger and sadness. My tears and prayer are with you all. Know that I spend last night in the company of many friends, at a local shop, and all of our attention was riveted on what was happening in Paris. We, also, have suffered this loss on a much larger, but no less horrific, scale; evil is evil.
We also need to be mindful that our media and press no longer operate under the misguided reporting of facts and truth. When they can't bend the story to meet the current political ideal, they opt to lie by omission. Do not wait to hear anything from the peaceful Islamic factions. I have come to learn that what is reported from them by the media in Europe, and throughout the rest of the world outside of our country, is censored as it sifts its way through that sieve of questionable reliability we call the U.S. press. It would seem, at times, the press is controlled by our own government under the guise of trying to protect us by forwarding their own agenda. We should all be outraged.
What we all need to remember is not to condemn all of Islam for the actions of heretical factions. They do not represent Muhammad (pbwh), Allah, or the Qur'an (depending on your interpretation), any more than the Westboro Baptist Church is a representation of a loving Jesus, God, or the Bible (depending on your interpretation). Both of these great works of scripture come under much fire for their many misinterpretations, and why not? Neither one can be attributed to the person or people claiming authorship, and the apostolic leadership of both, immediately following the death of their respective prophets, began preaching their own interpretation of the Word. So, I ask everyone to show restraint in their condemnation of an entire people for the actions of insane, murderous, heretical, sociopathic factions hell bent on the total destruction of our world, and of their own. We must always strive to live together in peace, even though it may require a firm hand to guarantee that peace.
Vive la France! The world is with you. No matter the name we use choose to call God, there is only one God and we pray, in the name of peace, that God protects us all!
Editor's Note
(re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card)
Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other. An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so.It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and then engaging in peaceful, constructive, discussion and debate in an arena of mutual respect concerning the opinions put forth. After over twenty years as a military intelligence analyst, planner, and briefer, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.
We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we do afterward, and what we learn from the experience.
Frank Anthony Villari (aka, Pastor Tony)
Pastor Tony is founder of the Congregation for Religious Tolerance and author/editor of the Congregation's official blog site, "The Path."
When the rest of the world hears noting but silence from the Muslim world on the murderous criminal activities of Islamic pirate terrorists, they are free to assume what they wish about that, but when we all hear Turkish Muslim soccer fans chant "Allahu Akbar" during a requested silent moment of remembrance for the victims of the recent Paris attacks - we no longer need to assume anything about where their feelings or loyalties lie. It is not with peace, it is for continuing evil, terror and war.
ReplyDeleteTherefore, with this quite valid representative sample of Turks as a confessed and self-described enemy of peace (NATO membership or not!) I suggest that the collective sane world would be well served to support and enforce a no fly zone to halt any future cross border Turkish air strikes against the Kurds as a good start. Also, we need to ensure that any and all Syrian and Iraqi oil being stolen by ISIL never again makes it to market delivery, apparently much of it being transported through Turkey whose corrupt officials are making personal fortunes thereby.
I suspect, however, that the Russians and Iranians have a head start on regaining some necessary order in Syria, so perhaps the rest of us should just stay out of Syrian air space altogether, meaning that the use of any air bases in Turkey that Obama betrayed the Kurds for is not really necessary except to cause trouble and/or stroke certain U.S. egos. The egos I speak of not only includes the U.S. President (who actually desires peace, IMHO) but more particularly those egos and self serving special interests belonging to certain war mongering U.S. Military Industrial Congressional Complex hawks who have a long history of inciting and supporting trouble in this region. Such is the truth.
Considering the secret side deals that the U.S. made with Iran and by extension, Russia and not to mention the obvious massive release of cash involved, the U.S. - Iranian "nuclear disarmament deal" guarantees that Assad will remain in control of Syria indefinitely and the U.S. government knows this well. Therefore, any further U.S. involvement in the multi-national, cross-purposes exercise of air power over Syria's air space against various perceived enemy forces amounts to nothing less than our having an ever increasing potential for incidents with possible escalation into WWIII. "Do you see now what you have done?" - V. Putin in address to the UN.
God is Great!, but the continuing slaughter of innocents brings no joy to Heaven. Repent therefore from evil and corruption or most certainly burn.
I thought your last statement seemed vaguely familiar. Odd how many of us accept the loss of innocence, to protect innocent from loss. How easy it is for us to become the enemy we despise. "BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Islamist insurgents have issued an ultimatum to northern Iraq's dwindling Christian population to either convert to Islam, pay a religious levy or face death, according to a statement distributed in the militant-controlled city of Mosul."
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