I DON'T REALLY KNOW THE MOST FITTING PLACE FOR THIS. . . . It flowed out in response to a reply in the prayer thread. . . and it felt as I finished it that there was a more fitting place for it. This is the only one I could think of--so I'm throwing it in here. I hope it's useful for some hereon as they prayerfully ponder our current global situation.
I think the unforgiveness is so poisonous because it is birthed of a subset of the pride that caused God's closest assistant to get kicked out of Heaven.
Our pride rises up and declares that WEEEEEE ARE MORE RIGHTEOUS THAN THEY!!!!
And we may be in this or that area or even a list of areas--ALL BY GOD'S GRACE. But that we may be more righteous here or there is not the point.
Somewhere in all of us is the rot that got Adam and cohort kicked out of the garden. And that rot left to it's own--will do most any evil imagined in the "right" "nurturing" circumstances for it's flowering.
We delude ourselves to think otherwise. . . . we self-rightously and arrogantly delude ourselves.
That's another reason humility is so essential. We ARE all but grass. . . . made in His image, to be sure. . . but that image is terminally marred apart from His Mercy and Blood--ongoingly applied.
We have NO PLACE to stand on which will afford us any loftier platform from which to look down on fellow travelers. Our place on The Cross is a place of "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do." And a place of realizing that it is our sins which helped put Him there.
Yes, Ben Laden is working hard to demonstrate his being deluded and consumed by pernicious evil from the pit--from the heart and mind of satan. Prayerfully, no matter the circumstances, none of us will go 1/1,000,000,000th down that road.
But we have all gone plenty far in that direction to mandate humility; contrition, forgiveness, compassion. God knows it and satan knows it whether we do or not. About the time we think not, the enemy knows a whole set of traps easy to apply.
That's one reason why, when praying The Lord's Prayer, and I come to the part "Forgive us our sins as we forgive . . . " I pause and confess that I forgive everyone, all--and I repent for having anything against anyone. And I earnestly try and do what I humanly, prayerfully can to have all my relationships clear before I go to sleep each night. I think this is BASIC GOSPEL.
Alas, I think Ben Laden's parents taught him nothing like this. Christians aren't even very good at "By this shall all men know that you are my disciples--that you have love one for another."
Given no parental teaching and modeling; given no cultural teaching and modeling; given such lack of Christian contrast available too commonly; given the statements in the Koran . . . . given satan's wiles. . . . It's not real surprising there are plenty of Ben Ladens. The wonder is that there are not more.
As Francis Shaefer (sp?) said so well and often--the world--the Ben Laden's of the world have a right to say we are not Christians because we show such little love one for another.
Yes, there are exceptions. Exceptions are often not very convincing as proof of the rule.
What would have become of Ghandi and India had the Christians around him behaved differently? How can the Believers in the various driver's seats of this situation behave differently in ways that will cause the world to sit up and take notice--not of fire power--but of the fierce and fiery Love of Jesus The Christ who died for all?
Perhaps prayers along those lines would be in order.
I'm not talking about mindless--give-the-axe-murderer-another-axe sorts of misguided terminally foolish "kindness."
I am talking about a Love as radical as Calvary. . . . and praying in new culturally creative and potent ways to demonstrate it.
It's easy for me to consider executing Bin Laden a kindness to prevent him from racking up more punishment in hell. But I don't think the demonized Islamic radicals are the most likely candidates for messages of Love--though I don't think we should write every one of them off as 100% hopeless either.
But there are millions looking on who are vulnerable to the fierce fiery Love of our Lord and God. Are we up to the challenge of manifesting it to that level, quality, tenacity. . . . only by His Grace.
I don't know the therefore what's. But God is able to show us, support us, provide for us, help us carry such out WHEN OUR HEARTS ARE WILLING and humble before Him. Perhaps praying along those lines would be fitting.
And if we refuse to allow our hearts to become so broken, humble, contrite, forgiving, then we have leaned in the direction of joining the Bin Laden's of the world regardless of the whitewash of our rationalizations.
I don't have any convincing reason to avoid wiping out all the possessed terrorists who plan so much death and destruction. . . . and who have done so much such already.
I have no real trouble praying that God would overwhelm such with a St Paul type miraculous conversion experience complete with blinding light, speechlessness etc. And God may humble the west and pull such a drama. What an evangelistic drama that could spark. Imagine a right hand man of Bin Laden's having his own "Road to Damascus" experience. . . . or a Mt of Transfiguration sort of experience where standing alongside Christ he viewed the prophet M and Komaine (sp?) in hell telling him to accept The Messiah and be kind to Israel. He might need an angelic host as bodyguards. But it would sure be interesting.
I don't know what God has up His sleeve. But I suspect it's at least as dramatic as our wildest fantasies. He's not about to let satan forever have all the press. He's not about to let satan be lastingly more dramatic. He's not about to let satan lastingly appear more powerful. He's a wise General. And in the proper time, and the proper ways, God Almighty will be more shocking for Good than the WTC began to be shocking for evil.