Unsung Heroes of Faith

Define a coward.  For an most military personnel, this is easy.  When it comes to faith, however, the definition begins to blur.  A coward can become the instrument of evil.  Real men like to think of themselves as knights in shining armor, afraid of nothing, protectors of the innocent and everything good in the world.  For many of us, this is the way we were brought up, with moral values and manners, a life steeped in correctness.  And then we come face to face with evil.  We faced it with the Nazis and the Japanese in World War Two, and now we face it with the insane sociopathic religious heretics of the Islamic State, ISIS.  Actually, the initials for the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria make much more sense if we remember them as the Insane Sociopathic Islamic State.  Just saying.

Real men don't kill for the sake of killing.  Real men don't intentionally kill the innocent, and we certainly don't kill women and children.  Who would do such a thing, cowards?  People that hide their faces because they know, deep down inside, the shame and evil they represent?  If they were proud  of what they do there would be no reason to hide who they are, but this isn't war, and they certainly aren't soldiers as much as they'd like to use "jihad" as their twisted excuse for rape, murder, and the killing of innocence.  No, these are psychopathic killers interested only in the power they can hold over others.  That they claim to be doing it in the name of Allah would seem an affront to the Islamic faith which proclaims belief in peace, tolerance, and love.

ISIS and radical Islamic terrorism is a philosophical hold over from the Nazi regime which nurtured its birth. This is surprising for many to learn.  I know that it took me aback when I heard about it.  Yes, Islamic terrorism is the ugly stepchild of another failed, insane, regime.  Hitler must be laughing in his eternal damnation.  If it weren't for the Nazi Third Reich this new insanity probably would not exist.

It would be nice if the world would confront this murderous organization of evil with real soldiers, if just to show them what real men are.  It would also be good if a coalition of Islamic countries would attack terrorism with real Islamic men of their own.  Islamic soldiers should be the ones to send Islamic heretics back to Allah for eternal punishment as atonement for their heresy, their evil, and their murdering of Allah's own innocents.

With all of the attacks against Christianity, from within and without our country, it seems peculiar for our country, our Supreme Court and elected leaders, to seemingly align themselves in supporting terrorism as it burns a path through Judaism and Christianity, the United States and the world.  I'm sure there are the Godless, like the League of the Perpetually Offended, simply beside themselves with delight as atrocities are perpetrated against those of peaceful faith, any peaceful faith.

Struggling with my own humility, I can only remind everyone of the quote from Pastor Martin Niemöller (1892–1984), "First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out - because I was not a Socialist.  Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out - because I was not a Trade Unionist.  Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out - because I was not a Jew.  Then they came for me - and there was no one left to speak for me."

Those who would have icons, the religious carvings, statues, and art representing the Christian history of this nation, removed from government buildings because they view it as an offense, are also removing the very foundation of philosophy which has given many of these same detractors their freedom to practice being offended at every little thing.  This country was settled by people escaping religious oppression, by people of faith, and to say the fabric of our society isn't based on the moral laws of faith and God is to deny our history.  Is it not bad enough that ISIS has set about erasing religious history from the Middle East?  Several thousand year old irreplaceable art and architecture being destroyed in an attempt to control religious thought and foster an evil ideology of intolerance for love, beauty, and innocence.

Is this intelligent?  No, but it does represent everything this country of ours has come to represent as we slink slowly backward, with eyes closed, instead of moving boldly forward to create a world which celebrates the peace, tolerance, and diversity our forefathers came here to enjoy.  Instead, we have set ourselves back on the path of divisive intolerance and hate, a recent history and well worn path which we only just left.  It weakens us as a people, and as a nation.  It weakens all civilization as we know it.  Rome will fall again, and for all the same reasons.  Remember this quote from Emma Lazarus?

“Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me:
I lift my lamp beside the golden door.”

This is what I think happens when people take too much advantage of hospitality:

Give me your cowards, tired from running, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe freedom not earned,
And to change our country to mirror that which they left,
The wretched refuse with which our enemy hides.
Send these, homeless cowards, and tempest-tossed terrorists, to me,
For I've become apathetic:
I lift my cold, dark, lamp beside the gold plated door,
Which we used as collateral for loans from communist China,
To cover mass deficits we are drowning in.

Are these offended people, in our own country, cowards, traitors, or, in the case of refugees, simply offended because this country doesn't strip them of dignity like the piece of shit government they escaped from?  We try not to judge, but this becomes nigh impossible as factions in their ranks seem bent on exercising a lack of sense as they bite the hand that feeds them benefits even our own people don't enjoy, and then show gratitude by standing offended against the very philosophies which give them the rights to be offended.  God bless America, it isn't where you just ran away from.  As for our own offended citizens, these brethren must also be careful how loudly they silently cheer, lest the loudness of their silence gives away the position of the rocks they hide under.  When our enemies finally breach the gates of freedom, only then will the perpetually offended realize the cost of freedom, as judgment paints a bloody target on their backs as they try to run somewhere else.

With this said, I vote we remember those heroes who have recently died without denying their faith, the ones who didn't run away.  Let us remember the heroes of Christianity, Judaism, and of peaceful Islam, who stand and confront this newest of evils infecting our world, and let us give them our praise as "medals of honor" for all those who will receive little, if any, recognition for being an example to all of us on how to bravely die as people of faith.  I vote to deny all those that turn their backs on heroes.  To deny our heroes is to silently support the terrorism infecting our world, and we have enough elected officials, on both sides of the aisle, doing this as it is.

God bless the innocence of all people of peace, and peaceful faiths.  God bless those willing to die than deny peace, or their peaceful God.  And God bless all the children of Abraham, the unsung heroes of faith, as they continue to confront the evil in their own lands.

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. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider another viewpoint. 

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and then engaging in peaceful, constructive, discussion in an arena of mutual respect concerning the opinions put forth. After over twenty years with military intelligence, 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.

Pastor Tony spent 22 years with Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, and instructor. He is founder of the Congregation for Religious Tolerance and author/editor of the Congregation's official blog site, "The Path," which offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's own personal, spiritual, path toward peace and the final destination.