Soul and Spirit | Ain't Complicated

More Time for Redemption?

I’m sure you’ve already read/heard:: September 11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui should spend his life in prison instead of being executed for his role in the hijacked airliner attacks, a U.S. jury decided on Wednesday.

I’m left amazed and wondering.

I wonder if his (potentially) longer life will result in his spiritual redemption.

I wonder if that was a jury of his peers (and if it wasn’t, will a mistrial be declared).

I wonder if this is how the war on terror(ism) is to be fought.

I wonder why I thought he should get the death penalty.

I wonder how his case was so much stronger than Timothy McVeigh’s.

I wonder if this means McVeigh got a bum rap (or if McVeigh’s jury would have “hung” Moussauoi).

I wonder how many Christians will (still?) pray for his salvation.

I wonder how many Christians will (still?) wish for his death.

I wonder what the just sentence would be.

I wonder how many people are genuinely happy with the verdict.

I wonder what kind of comments his Al-Qaeda pals will make.

I wonder what Moussaoui truly thinks.

I wonder what I’m supposed to think.

I wonder what you think.

I wonder what God thinks.

Where’s the Media on This?

Did you know about this? But how many people heard about the recent arrest and jailing in Saudi Arabia of a group of Filipino guest workers for holding Christian prayer services in the privacy of their home? Or who knows about the three Sunday School teachers charged in Indonesia last year with the crime of “Christianization” and summarily sentenced to three years in prison? The story is similar wherever Sharia — orthodox Islamic law — reigns supreme. From Pakistan to Darfur, Christians have become regular targets for Islamic gangs who shoot at worshipers, then torch their houses of worship. Even in Islamic countries not strictly run by Sharia law, pressures mount on local Christians to leave the homes they’ve known for centuries. Iraq’s Christian sects, among the oldest Christian communities anywhere in the world, have been directly targeted by terrorist bombs, and Christians are now high on the list of those fleeing Iraq’s sectarian strife. Thirty years ago, Lebanon was 60% Christian. Since then, an estimated 3.5 million Christians have emigrated, reducing the country’s Christian population percentage to barely 25%. And in the Palestinian territories, direct and indirect pressures have also led to an increasing Christian exodus. One striking result: Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus and once a predominantly Christian Arab community now has an overwhelming Muslim majority. Where is the media on this?

Rahman Update

Do you recognize him?

Are they interested in a just solution or a political solution or a diplomatic solution?

The judge presiding over the case of an Afghan man who could face the death penalty for converting to Christianity said on Sunday the case was flawed and would be sent back to prosecutors.

The row over the man, Abdur Rahman, 40, jailed this month for abandoning Islam, threatens to create a rift between Afghanistan and the United States and other Western backers who have been calling for the man’s release.

“The case, because of some technical as well as legal flaws and shortcomings, has been referred back to the prosecutor’s office,” the judge, Ansarullah Mawlavizada, told Reuters.

A prosecutor said Rahman’s mental state would be examined on Monday following suggestions that he may be mentally unstable.

Rahman, detained this month for converting to Christianity, told an Italian newspaper from his Kabul jail cell that he was ready to die for his new faith.

New faith? I thought he’s been a Christian for at least 15 years.

Whatever the case, he’s ready to die for it. (Unlike American Christian military chaplains who seem — mostly — to prefer to kow-tow or sue over praying in Jesus’ name?)

Then there’s this in the story:

The government is trying to satisfy Western demands for the man’s release, while not angering powerful conservatives at home who have demanded a trial and death sentence under Islamic law.

Officials in President Hamid Karzai’s government declined to comment. “I’m hopeful something will be worked out,” said one.

Officials and analysts say they do not expect Rahman to be executed. The outcome could hinge on his mental state.

A spokesman for the Supreme Court said the mental examination had been ordered after Rahman’s relatives said he suffered from mental problems — something he denies.

What a pickle the Afghan government finds itself in!: Defying the conservative clamor, one newspaper — Outlook — made the first public call in Afghanistan for Rahman’s release, saying the country could not ignore international opinion when it needed support to fight terrorism and rebuild.

What a bother to have to consider the opinions and support of other countries when pursuing domestic law enforcement!

(I don’t think the Afghans have a corner on such dilemas.)

Not My Christians!

Christian youths burned the corpses of Muslims…

…on Thursday on the streets of Onitsha in southeastern Nigeria, the city worst hit by religious riots that have killed at least 138 people across the country in five days.

Christian mobs, seeking revenge for the killings of Christians in the north, attacked Muslims with cutlasses, destroyed their houses and torched mosques in two days of violence in Onitsha, where at least 85 people have died.

“The way of peace have they not known.”

And, “Ye are the light of the world.”

And, “Love, bless, and pray for those who treat you terribly.”

Religious Sensitivity

I read news like this and half-wonder about the hue and cry about to be released on the “Arab street” and from the Muslim mosque:: Thirty people were killed and 36 wounded when a suicide bomber attacked a Shiite Muslim funeral procession northeast of the Iraqi capital, police said.

What if this had been a mis-directed missile strike, say by Americans, British, or Israelis?

What if it had been caused by some “Christian” or Jewish zealot?

I remember not so long ago when all manner of warnings were issued against the US military to back off during Ramadan. Gotta show sensitivity and respect for Islam and Ramadan, you know.

Do these Muslim homicide bombers show respect and sensitivity for their own religion?

I say not.

But then again, maybe they’re no more Muslim than some “Christians” are Christian.

The answer is Jesus, folks, not some cultural-religious creed.

ACLU’s Tiresome Arguments

I just learned about this at World Magazine’s blog. And it’s nine-day old news. I want to know why I didn’t know any sooner.

But never mind, here are the story’s lead paragraphs:

A federal appeals court has upheld a display of the Ten Commandments alongside other historical documents in the Mercer County, Ky., courthouse.

The judge who wrote the opinion blasted the American Civil Liberties Union, which challenged the display, in language that echoed the type of criticism often directed at the organization.

Judge Richard Suhrheinrich’s ruling said the ACLU brought “tiresome” arguments about the “wall of separation” between church and state, and it said the organization does not represent a “reasonable person.”

That’s, like, way cool, dude!

Sorry. 😀 That’s not how I talk.

But I think I might like that judge. 🙂

I wonder who appointed him.

Does a quick Google on the subject.

Well, well. According to this, this:: Judge Suhrheinrich has served on the United States Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit, since being appointed by President Bush in 1990. He ascended to the Sixth Circuit after serving on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, following an appointment by President Reagan in 1984.

How about that.

Jones, Darwin, and God

Over at WorldViews I learned about a great piece by David Klinghoffer posted at The Seattle Times

Wrote Jones, “[M]any of the leading proponents of ID make a bedrock assumption which is utterly false. Their presupposition is that evolutionary theory is antithetical to a belief in the existence of a supreme being and to religion in general. Repeatedly in this trial, [p]laintiffs’ scientific experts testified that thetheory of evolution… in no way conflicts with, nor does it deny, the existence of a divine creator.”

As a matter of fact, Jones is wrong. Darwinism is indeed “antithetical to a belief in the existence of a supreme being and to religion in general.” There are three reasons for this, and you don’t have to be a theologian to grasp the point.

The three basic reasons he cites are these:

Not all Darwinists, including the most famous and admired, share Judge Jones’ view that Darwin and God may coexist peacefully.
Darwinism and religious faith begin from antithetical metaphysical assumptions.
Thinkers who have tried to assert the compatibility of God and Darwin invariably end up changing the meaning of one or the other.