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An eye for an eye…
Apr. 24th, 2019 04:56 pmHatred begets hatred; violence, more violence.
Last month, reading about the innocent victims of bigotry and hatred that perished in Christchurch, Muslims slaughtered while responding to the call to prayer, left me in tears. These were the lives of good people, mostly immigrants who had come to New Zealand for a better life, a new and more promising beginning than what they had in their countries of origin. Most of these people were in the prime of their lives, with so much promise ahead of them. I could not help but weep. I cannot help but mourn for so much pain and loss of potential. I can only imagine the pain, the communal hole in the heart, that their loved ones and that their communities now endure, but as a child of a family that last many to the holocaust, I suspect I understand their pain better than many.
Holy Week this year was tragically momentous, beginning with a fire that nearly destroyed Notre Dame and culminating with bombings in Sri Lanka that punctuated the prayer of Easter Sunday. More than 300 people perished in half a dozen attacks aimed at Catholics and tourists. Yesterday, the Islamic state claimed credit for those bombings. It appears likely they partnered with local fringe Islamic militants in perpetrating this most recent violence.
The time has come for anyone with a conscience and a heart to stand up and say, “not in my name.“ Each of us, Christian, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist & Jew, the atheist, & the agnostic must stand against more violence. In truth, these faiths all have peace, love and respect at the heart of their teachings.
I have seen so many evangelicals in this country with bracelets that read WWJD; what would Jesus do? It would be just as easy to substitute Jesus with Mohammed, the Buddha, Krishna. Would any of these great souls have chosen to pick up a bomb or a gun? To do so in their name, is an abomination.
To kill the innocent is an abomination.
To destroy the lives of children is an abomination.
To attack people engaging in peaceful prayer is an abomination.
To attack anyone, simply because they are of another race, gender, faith, orientation or ethnicity is an abomination.
To sew seeds of hatred, and fear is an abomination.
To separate parents from children is an abomination.
To knowingly starve people is an abomination.
Last month, reading about the innocent victims of bigotry and hatred that perished in Christchurch, Muslims slaughtered while responding to the call to prayer, left me in tears. These were the lives of good people, mostly immigrants who had come to New Zealand for a better life, a new and more promising beginning than what they had in their countries of origin. Most of these people were in the prime of their lives, with so much promise ahead of them. I could not help but weep. I cannot help but mourn for so much pain and loss of potential. I can only imagine the pain, the communal hole in the heart, that their loved ones and that their communities now endure, but as a child of a family that last many to the holocaust, I suspect I understand their pain better than many.
Holy Week this year was tragically momentous, beginning with a fire that nearly destroyed Notre Dame and culminating with bombings in Sri Lanka that punctuated the prayer of Easter Sunday. More than 300 people perished in half a dozen attacks aimed at Catholics and tourists. Yesterday, the Islamic state claimed credit for those bombings. It appears likely they partnered with local fringe Islamic militants in perpetrating this most recent violence.
The time has come for anyone with a conscience and a heart to stand up and say, “not in my name.“ Each of us, Christian, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist & Jew, the atheist, & the agnostic must stand against more violence. In truth, these faiths all have peace, love and respect at the heart of their teachings.
I have seen so many evangelicals in this country with bracelets that read WWJD; what would Jesus do? It would be just as easy to substitute Jesus with Mohammed, the Buddha, Krishna. Would any of these great souls have chosen to pick up a bomb or a gun? To do so in their name, is an abomination.
To kill the innocent is an abomination.
To destroy the lives of children is an abomination.
To attack people engaging in peaceful prayer is an abomination.
To attack anyone, simply because they are of another race, gender, faith, orientation or ethnicity is an abomination.
To sew seeds of hatred, and fear is an abomination.
To separate parents from children is an abomination.
To knowingly starve people is an abomination.
