Terror

The news today reports the anniversary of the death of the man accused of being the world’s chief terrorist. He was a man, like so many others, who had as a life’s goal to destroy. I don’t understand the mindset of a desire to cause terror in others’ lives.

I surely get it that there are beliefs and people worth fighting for, dying for, and even killing for if there is no other way to defend them. I think about Jesus praying in the garden and asking his Father if there might be some other way than the one filled with terror, pain, and death. I think of Jesus asking his Father to forgive those who were the very tools of the terror, pain, and death. Jesus, the Prince of Peace, refused to be a terrorist.

The other evening, my farmer and I watched a movie called Wild Hogs with Tim Allen and John Travolta. It is a comedic story of four middle-aged men, frustrated with life in their post-youth phase (mid-life crisis), who take a cross-country motorcycle trip. Soon, they meet a motorcycle gang, the Del Fuegos, and as you would expect, trouble ensues. Both groups end up in a small town which has been regularly terrorized by that gang of bullies.

As I watched, I thought (yes I know it was fiction) that the gang was an example of terrorists who had no real cause except a lust to show off their power. They were mean!

Yesterday, May 1, the “Occupy” movement wanted to cause chaos around the nation in the form of destroying this and that. Last fall, that movement cost us taxpayers untold thousands of dollars as they protested whatever and trashed places leaving behind much filth. They terrorized anyone who disagreed with them.

Earlier, groups called “Tea Party” had demonstrated. However, they obeyed laws, made their point, and cleaned up after themselves. They were taxpayers and cost other taxpayers very little. They did not resort to terrorism; they went to the voting booths. Their ideals resulted in a change in the elected officials in Washington.

It seems to me to be a no-brainer which group would be supported by our government and by the media? But it wasn’t. The law-abiding citizens were and still are ridiculed and criticized. Does that make any sense?

Since 9-11, we live in the shadow of terrorism—of fear for our lives. We are afraid of terrorists who willingly blow themselves up to kill and cause maximum havoc. We are afraid of terrorists who have sneaked into our country across unsecured borders. We are afraid of terrorists who have moved to our country and enjoy its blessings yet seek to destroy it. We are afraid of the thugs that our ungodly society has created in the name of freedom from religion.

Terror—it is so obviously from the kingdom of darkness. But, we have a God, whose Son took the terror for us to give us peace. We can now claim the promises of God—Psalm 91:5 “You shall not be afraid of the terror by night. . .” and 2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

Taylor Swift wrote and sang a song about mean people:

♫ Someday I'll be living in a big old city
And all you're ever gonna’ be is mean
Someday I'll be big enough so you can't hit me
And all you're ever gonna’ be is mean
Why you gotta be so mean?
All you are is mean and a liar and pathetic
and alone in life
And mean, and mean, and mean, and mean
Why you gotta’ be so mean?  ♫