Does God Hate America?
Following is one of my favorite quotes. I reminds me to stay open and humble:
"I think if we were given the Scriptures, it was not so that we could prove that we were right about everything. If we were given the Scriptures, it was to humble us into realizing that God is right, and the rest of us are just guessing." - Rich Mullins
The quote came to mind after I saw a disturbing video clip recently. Basically, there were people protesting America's involvement in Iraq war at, of all places, a soldier's funeral. The signs they carried said, in essence, that the soldiers are rightfully dead as a direct result of God's wrath.
(photo used by permission of http://www.godhatesamerica.com/)
This was shocking for me to hear about and see. I was, like many others, indignant about the whole matter. Us? Wrong? How dare someone make that assumption!
I backed up a bit and considered something: the concept of being under some Divine protection (or not) is not a new concept. This is especially illustrated in times of war. I personally have heard and read too many stories to believe otherwise. People of many faiths that have been on the battlefield and have seen swords invisibly deflected, bullets or arrows fall in front of them, angels blocking mortar shells...the list could go on and on. History shows that displays of Divine expression become quite dramatic during wartime.
Consider the matter from the other side. Moral assertions of being right are quite different from Divine grace. Of course, it would be nothing short of arrogant to say we are the dispensers or designators of Divine protection. So, if someone has walked away from God's grace under some moral pretense, however noble, perhaps they have put themselves in harms way unnecessarily.
We live in an increasingly de-spiritualized culture. Because of that, I am less assured that our soldiers are Divine executors of God's will. Religious bigotry is also disturbing to no end. From these protesters at the funeral to the suicide bomber, both are motivated by a sense of religious duty that is either internal and/or imposed on them. In even a limited way, maybe both are right.
But then, I am just guessing.
I backed up a bit and considered something: the concept of being under some Divine protection (or not) is not a new concept. This is especially illustrated in times of war. I personally have heard and read too many stories to believe otherwise. People of many faiths that have been on the battlefield and have seen swords invisibly deflected, bullets or arrows fall in front of them, angels blocking mortar shells...the list could go on and on. History shows that displays of Divine expression become quite dramatic during wartime.
Consider the matter from the other side. Moral assertions of being right are quite different from Divine grace. Of course, it would be nothing short of arrogant to say we are the dispensers or designators of Divine protection. So, if someone has walked away from God's grace under some moral pretense, however noble, perhaps they have put themselves in harms way unnecessarily.
We live in an increasingly de-spiritualized culture. Because of that, I am less assured that our soldiers are Divine executors of God's will. Religious bigotry is also disturbing to no end. From these protesters at the funeral to the suicide bomber, both are motivated by a sense of religious duty that is either internal and/or imposed on them. In even a limited way, maybe both are right.
But then, I am just guessing.
posted by Cool Water William @ 12:20 PM
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