A Challenge to Christians
  by Rebecca Hale

Dear readers, I need your help. I'm confused. Over the years I have met many a good Christian. I have asked them what it means to be Christian and they tell me it means they are good people. Then they list a number of the good teachings -- things like: "treat others the way you want to be treated; turn the other cheek; judge not, lest ye be judged;" and "vengeance is mine, sayeth the lord."

These are nice things for the most part and I live by many of these tenants too (even though I am not a Christian.) I recently heard an influential Baptist minister from New York City say that the way to judge if God is behind something is if it promotes the development of the human(e). That is, if something encourages growth and life, that is God's work. If it doesn't, it may be Satan posing as God. So here is my problem:

What happened on September 11, 2001 was dreadful, dark and sad. It was the demonstration of frustration, anger and hatred played out to please a god (Allah, in this case). As Pascal put it: "Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction." And what is our response? What does our president (our good Christian president, no less) and the assumed consensus of our country call for? WAR! Are we to seek vengeance in lieu of leaving that up to the Lord? Are we not to turn the other cheek? Where did all the good Christians go?

I am proposing a different kind of action. Something only the strong can afford to do. Let's not drop bombs, let's drop CARE packages -- food and medicine. Terrorists retain their strength by being able to recruit more "discontented people" and by relying on the loyalty of an equally "discontented" civilian base. They need anger and the urge for retaliation to fuel their fires. And our anger and retaliation will provide much of the kindling. Terrorists know how to respond to bombs and gunfire; but do they know how to respond to generosity? To turning the other cheek? I suspect they are unarmed in such a conflict. Let's not play their game, we can't win it and we won't be able to sleep at night.

I propose that we play a different game! We are a great nation, with more of almost everything than anyone else on the planet. Let's bomb them with the evidence of the successes of our system -- plentiful food, life saving medicines, and the ability to be generous. (We could put as much money into Doctors Without Borders as we would into a bomber.) We will win, there is no doubt that we will with this approach; mothers and fathers will not long support hostile acts against those that help their children survive disease and starvation. The terrorists' base for new recruits will dwindle, instead of grow. And we will be able to sleep at night. Can you good Christians rest easy at night knowing that you supported our government in bringing pain and anguish to children and civilians?

Americans can and will change the face of the planet over the next several years. We can do it in a way that supports human(e) development or we can do it the same old way. And we will achieve the same old results. Just what does it mean to be a Good Christian? Here is the real test. I encourage your comments.

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