Blessings during this Christmas Time
Supposedly *enlightened* Christians focus on the grace and goodwill aspect of Christmas, choosing to focus on how fortunate we are to have been blessed by God, rather than focusing on the mindless consumerism that you see every time you turn on the television.
That's a good thing, I guess. Unfortunately, I think for many people there's this unconscious "line" that they don't cross when they're praying to God, things that they don't want to think about, things they should care more about but they don't because they don't know what to think. It's all fine and good to pray for those with AIDS, or the homeless, or orphans, but how about those who are being held in captivity indefinitely without charge? Those who have been tortured? In the previous situations, there really was no one to blame directly for the situation and thus there doesn't seem to be some sort of accusatory tone in our prayers. But torture, and the suspension of Habeus Corpus... our own government is directly responsible for this, and thus so are we. No wonder people aren't exactly eager to pray about it.
Whether we like it or not, when we talk about the actions of our government we are discussing what is done in our name as American citizens. We are told that absolutely horrendous acts committed by our government are for OUR good, to keep us safe and secure.
Mohamed Farag Ahmad Bashmilah: Citizen of Yemen. Arrested and tortured in Jordan, eventually given to CIA custody. Later flown to Afghanistan, and interrogated for 19 months total until he was finally released, having never been charged with anything.
All this done to an innocent man. This was done in my name. Because the government said it wanted to keep me safe.
Binyam Mohammed. Ethiopian refugee, arrested in Pakistan based on information given by Abu Zubaydah through torture.
His lawyer wants to make sure any photos of his client's torture are not destroyed, like the CIA interrogation tapes were. This was done in my name. Because the government said it wanted to keep me safe.
Khaled al-Masri, citizen of Germany. Abducted and held in Macedonia and Afghanistan.
Several months later, he was dumped on a road in Germany, never charged. In October the US Supreme Court refused to hear his case against the CIA because it involved "state secrets". This was done in my name. Because the government said it wanted to keep me safe.
Waterboarding. Denial of trials. Torture done by other countries at our behest. Indefinite detention and abuse at Guantanamo. All this, done in my name. Because the government said it wanted to keep me safe. We're told it's necessary, and legal. Yet they never showed how it kept us safe. There has been no evidence. The destruction of the CIA 2005 interrogation videos? Not done for me. It was done for them, to keep themselves safe.
I don't like to seem partisan. But these are reasons why I absolutely cannot in good conscience vote for the Republican frontrunners in 2008. Yet many of my friends will, and the only excuse I can think of for them is that they are afraid. With the Lord with us, we are still afraid. We are willing to allow all these things to be done to fellow men made in God's image because it will help us sleep at night knowing that some dirty terrorist is screaming his soul out into dark walls that never respond.
But we don't want to think about the utmost moral problem - there are innocents that we have wronged. And nothing we can do will ever redeem ourselves and the God we claim to follow in their eyes. There are innocents screaming their souls out into dark walls that never respond. Do you think that they'll ever love the God of this "Christian Nation"?
You know what really brought me back into Christianity? It wasn't just seeing how the lives of my old friends in South Bend had been bettered by them becoming Christians, not just seeing how they were genuinely good people. No, it was Alan Huang saying, "I know a girl that supports torture. That's crazy."
That one line. Before then, I did not know what the soul of Christianity was anymore; I had lost hope. Think hard and long about what your soul of Christianity is. Is it only you believing that God loves you? Indeed he does, but that doesn't mean he damns everyone else that isn't America. Never forget - we are ALL his people.
That's a good thing, I guess. Unfortunately, I think for many people there's this unconscious "line" that they don't cross when they're praying to God, things that they don't want to think about, things they should care more about but they don't because they don't know what to think. It's all fine and good to pray for those with AIDS, or the homeless, or orphans, but how about those who are being held in captivity indefinitely without charge? Those who have been tortured? In the previous situations, there really was no one to blame directly for the situation and thus there doesn't seem to be some sort of accusatory tone in our prayers. But torture, and the suspension of Habeus Corpus... our own government is directly responsible for this, and thus so are we. No wonder people aren't exactly eager to pray about it.
Whether we like it or not, when we talk about the actions of our government we are discussing what is done in our name as American citizens. We are told that absolutely horrendous acts committed by our government are for OUR good, to keep us safe and secure.
Mohamed Farag Ahmad Bashmilah: Citizen of Yemen. Arrested and tortured in Jordan, eventually given to CIA custody. Later flown to Afghanistan, and interrogated for 19 months total until he was finally released, having never been charged with anything.
"They stated tearing down my clothes, from above all the way down. And I was being stripped completely naked. They started taking pictures from all directions. And they started to beat me on my sides and also my feet. And then they put me in position similar to the position of prostration in Muslim prayer, which is similar to fetal position. And in that position, one of them inserted his finger in my anus very violently."
All this done to an innocent man. This was done in my name. Because the government said it wanted to keep me safe.
Binyam Mohammed. Ethiopian refugee, arrested in Pakistan based on information given by Abu Zubaydah through torture.
"They took a scalpel to my right chest. It was only a small cut. Then they cut my left chest. One of them took my penis in his hand and began to make cuts. He did it once, and they stood still for maybe a minute watching. I was in agony, crying, trying desperately to suppress myself, but I was screaming... They must have done this 20 to 30 times in maybe two hours. There was blood all over."
His lawyer wants to make sure any photos of his client's torture are not destroyed, like the CIA interrogation tapes were. This was done in my name. Because the government said it wanted to keep me safe.
Khaled al-Masri, citizen of Germany. Abducted and held in Macedonia and Afghanistan.
"I was dragged out of the car, pushed roughly into a building, thrown to the floor, and kicked and beaten on the head, the soles of my feet, and the small of my back. I was left in a small, dirty, cold concrete cell. There was no bed and one dirty, military-style blanket and some old, torn clothes bundled into a thin pillow."
Several months later, he was dumped on a road in Germany, never charged. In October the US Supreme Court refused to hear his case against the CIA because it involved "state secrets". This was done in my name. Because the government said it wanted to keep me safe.
Waterboarding. Denial of trials. Torture done by other countries at our behest. Indefinite detention and abuse at Guantanamo. All this, done in my name. Because the government said it wanted to keep me safe. We're told it's necessary, and legal. Yet they never showed how it kept us safe. There has been no evidence. The destruction of the CIA 2005 interrogation videos? Not done for me. It was done for them, to keep themselves safe.
I don't like to seem partisan. But these are reasons why I absolutely cannot in good conscience vote for the Republican frontrunners in 2008. Yet many of my friends will, and the only excuse I can think of for them is that they are afraid. With the Lord with us, we are still afraid. We are willing to allow all these things to be done to fellow men made in God's image because it will help us sleep at night knowing that some dirty terrorist is screaming his soul out into dark walls that never respond.
But we don't want to think about the utmost moral problem - there are innocents that we have wronged. And nothing we can do will ever redeem ourselves and the God we claim to follow in their eyes. There are innocents screaming their souls out into dark walls that never respond. Do you think that they'll ever love the God of this "Christian Nation"?
You know what really brought me back into Christianity? It wasn't just seeing how the lives of my old friends in South Bend had been bettered by them becoming Christians, not just seeing how they were genuinely good people. No, it was Alan Huang saying, "I know a girl that supports torture. That's crazy."
That one line. Before then, I did not know what the soul of Christianity was anymore; I had lost hope. Think hard and long about what your soul of Christianity is. Is it only you believing that God loves you? Indeed he does, but that doesn't mean he damns everyone else that isn't America. Never forget - we are ALL his people.
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