Posted by Oxinthefield on September 14, 2001 at 22:49:24:
First of all, I want to express my deepest condolences to the victims of this tragedy. I have had a chance to read some of the posts here, and I see that the feelings I have are pretty much feelings across the board. I must admit, I am incredibly angry with these faceless criminals, and my human nature wants them to feel the wrath of my soul. However, I have been struggling in recent months with the whole idea of forgiveness, and exactly how far to take this ideal. I personally am pretty much divided down the middle, emotionally, on how to feel as a Christian, as a human, and as an American. I totally believe that where sin is, grace much more abounds, and if this is true, then I will go so far as to pray for the very lives of the perpatraters, only because I know deep down that is the "right" thing to do as a believer. However, my sin nature tells me to wish on them the very belly of hell, right into their beds as they sleep.
I am constantly reminded of the story in Judges about the man traveling from his father-in-laws house, back to his home. On the way back, he and his concubine/wife ended up staying with a stranger in town. Later in the night some men came to the door of the house wanting to have sex with the man. The host asked if they would take his daughter and this mans wife. These villians took the mans wife, raped and beat her, and left her for dead outside of the house. The next day, the traveling man picked up his wife, carried her the rest of the way home, cut her into 12 pieces, and sent each piece to each of the 12 tribes. As many old testament stories go, the nation rose up and crushed this small community because they would not tollerate this kind of action to take place in their world.
There is a not so small part of me that wants to send pieces of the WTC and Pentagon all over the world, for people to be able to see, feel, smell, and taste, and to rise up in unity and crush this bastard of a foe (whoever the foe or foes may be).
On the other hand, may God have mercy on their souls, even if we as a human race choose not to.
Peter