A Memorial Day Lesson From Last Week's Murder of Christians in England and Egypt
Memorial Day calls us to remember those soldiers who died for us in all our country's wars. Their sacrifice allows us to live as we do, here in these United States. To honor those men and women who gave their lives, we might look at our own lives. Do we live in a manner that honors them?
Setting aside the fact that we're all sinners, that most of us aren't perfectly pure and holy in our actions and intentions, we can still discern whether we strive to live according some worthy standard. For those of us who are Christians, for example, we've got good, solid guidance, starting with the Ten Commandments, to help us know what our standard should be.
It's said that those who made the supreme sacrifice died for our freedoms. Maybe today we can think about just what "freedom" means for each of us. Does it mean the freedom to do as we please, no matter what that might be? Or does it mean more the freedom to pursue a life of virtue and to practice our religion as we deem fit. It's worth a few minutes' thought. Maybe some of us will make more time for the pursuit of the True, the Good, and the Beautiful.
Perhaps the killings in Manchester could serve as an illustration of what we're driving at here.
Last week brought two horrendous mass murders by Muslim terrorists, one in Manchester, England, the other in Egypt. These separate incidents told us something important about the intentions of the perpetrators.
In Egypt, Coptic Christians were killed. The terrorists could identify their victims, since they were in buses heading on a pilgrimage. They forced the unarmed victims out of their vehicles, separated the men from the group, and after demanding they profess a declaration of faith in Islam. Then they simply shot them randomly one by one.
In Manchester, people attending a pop concert were killed and maimed by a suicide bomber. There was nothing about these victims, which included children. themIsis took credit for the murders in Manchester. We're going to see why the victims they targeted may not have been the ones they intended to kill.
In both cases, "credit" was taken by Isis, and in both cases they declared their intention to kill Christians. While the victims in Egypt were clearly identifiable as Christians, but at the pop concert in Manchester, it's not clear how or why the killer figured he was murdering Christians. The concert featured pop performer Ariana Grande. When I first read of the slaughter of attendees at her concert in Manchester, I had no idea who she was. Frankly, I didn't care. After all, the horror of the killing and maiming seemed the only thing that mattered. Then I came across some comments about the attack that noted that parents took their little girls to see a performer Ariana who boasts about getting engaging in sex acts until she can't walk.
Frankly, I was a bit shocked. Not by the fact that a pop singer would include such lyrics in her song. It was the fact that parent took their children to hear this filth. While this woman was once apparently a kiddie star, an article that subsequently appeared in the New York Times explains:
Making her way from a squeaky-clean teenage Nickelodeon actress to a pop singer who can headline arenas worldwide, Ms. Grande has expertly navigated a 21st-century path to stardom.
So what does "expertly navigated a 21st-century path to stardom mean?
Ms. Grande, now 23, presents herself as a cheerful pleasure seeker, unashamedly fulfilling her desires — not a bad girl or a boy toy, but a modern woman who knows exactly what she wants. “A little less conversation, a little more touch my body,” she urged in her 2016 hit, “Into You.”
The Times then further clarifies this singer's "21st century path" noting that:
Beyond young girls, Ms. Grande has cultivated a diverse fan base and spoken plainly about her interest in LGBT issues; on concert stages she urges audiences to celebrate being different.
While the Times doesn't mention it, the song to which that shocking comment above refers is "Side by Side." If you want to understand where this singer's "21st century path" has led her, you can find the video of the song on Youtube. If you've got kids, especially if you've got kids that listen to this singer, watch it. Spare yourself if you don't - unless, of course, you think this sort of slop is worthy of your attention.
Given what we know about Ms. Grande's "path," it's a tough fathom how the terrorist killer could have identified his victims as Christians, as the killers in Egypt clearly could. Would people who actually took their Christian faith seriously attend this sort of "entertainment," never mind take their children to see and hear it?
To be clear here, we're not questioning whether those people were innocent victims. They were. And the fact that they may or may not have been Christians in their beliefs or their behavior doesn't minimize the horrendous nature of this terrorist act. It also does not minimize the sympathy we should feel for the victims and their families, as well as our determination to support efforts to hunt down and eliminate members of Isis.
But the events in Manchester tell us something about Isis. I suspect that if they were shown that their victims weren't really Christians, they'd shrug their soldiers and go on killing whoever they decide advances their twisted, perverted "cause." The facts likely won't stand in the way.
Does such behavior belie Isis claims to be killing for what they claim as their "religion," Islam. I don't think so. But perhaps it does belie that this thing they kill for is a "religion" as we in the West might understand that term. These killers follow a set of beliefs that makes no distinction between religious doctrine and political power. And in the end, the power part seems to trump the religious part. They'll kill whoever they think will advance their desire to gain power. If their victims aren't Christian, no matter.
It also brings up another point: If we in the West are going to be killed because we're - at least ostensibly - Christians, maybe it's time we started to live like Christians. Put another way, at least the victims in Egypt knew what they died for. They were martyrs for their faith. What did the people in Manchester die for?
As we celebrate those who died for us this Memorial Day, let's do our best to see that they rest in peace. I think there's a better chance they will if we live our lives in a manner that makes their sacrifice worth while.
Setting aside the fact that we're all sinners, that most of us aren't perfectly pure and holy in our actions and intentions, we can still discern whether we strive to live according some worthy standard. For those of us who are Christians, for example, we've got good, solid guidance, starting with the Ten Commandments, to help us know what our standard should be.
It's said that those who made the supreme sacrifice died for our freedoms. Maybe today we can think about just what "freedom" means for each of us. Does it mean the freedom to do as we please, no matter what that might be? Or does it mean more the freedom to pursue a life of virtue and to practice our religion as we deem fit. It's worth a few minutes' thought. Maybe some of us will make more time for the pursuit of the True, the Good, and the Beautiful.
Perhaps the killings in Manchester could serve as an illustration of what we're driving at here.
Last week brought two horrendous mass murders by Muslim terrorists, one in Manchester, England, the other in Egypt. These separate incidents told us something important about the intentions of the perpetrators.
In Egypt, Coptic Christians were killed. The terrorists could identify their victims, since they were in buses heading on a pilgrimage. They forced the unarmed victims out of their vehicles, separated the men from the group, and after demanding they profess a declaration of faith in Islam. Then they simply shot them randomly one by one.
In Manchester, people attending a pop concert were killed and maimed by a suicide bomber. There was nothing about these victims, which included children. themIsis took credit for the murders in Manchester. We're going to see why the victims they targeted may not have been the ones they intended to kill.
In both cases, "credit" was taken by Isis, and in both cases they declared their intention to kill Christians. While the victims in Egypt were clearly identifiable as Christians, but at the pop concert in Manchester, it's not clear how or why the killer figured he was murdering Christians. The concert featured pop performer Ariana Grande. When I first read of the slaughter of attendees at her concert in Manchester, I had no idea who she was. Frankly, I didn't care. After all, the horror of the killing and maiming seemed the only thing that mattered. Then I came across some comments about the attack that noted that parents took their little girls to see a performer Ariana who boasts about getting engaging in sex acts until she can't walk.
Frankly, I was a bit shocked. Not by the fact that a pop singer would include such lyrics in her song. It was the fact that parent took their children to hear this filth. While this woman was once apparently a kiddie star, an article that subsequently appeared in the New York Times explains:
Making her way from a squeaky-clean teenage Nickelodeon actress to a pop singer who can headline arenas worldwide, Ms. Grande has expertly navigated a 21st-century path to stardom.
So what does "expertly navigated a 21st-century path to stardom mean?
Ms. Grande, now 23, presents herself as a cheerful pleasure seeker, unashamedly fulfilling her desires — not a bad girl or a boy toy, but a modern woman who knows exactly what she wants. “A little less conversation, a little more touch my body,” she urged in her 2016 hit, “Into You.”
The Times then further clarifies this singer's "21st century path" noting that:
Beyond young girls, Ms. Grande has cultivated a diverse fan base and spoken plainly about her interest in LGBT issues; on concert stages she urges audiences to celebrate being different.
While the Times doesn't mention it, the song to which that shocking comment above refers is "Side by Side." If you want to understand where this singer's "21st century path" has led her, you can find the video of the song on Youtube. If you've got kids, especially if you've got kids that listen to this singer, watch it. Spare yourself if you don't - unless, of course, you think this sort of slop is worthy of your attention.
Given what we know about Ms. Grande's "path," it's a tough fathom how the terrorist killer could have identified his victims as Christians, as the killers in Egypt clearly could. Would people who actually took their Christian faith seriously attend this sort of "entertainment," never mind take their children to see and hear it?
To be clear here, we're not questioning whether those people were innocent victims. They were. And the fact that they may or may not have been Christians in their beliefs or their behavior doesn't minimize the horrendous nature of this terrorist act. It also does not minimize the sympathy we should feel for the victims and their families, as well as our determination to support efforts to hunt down and eliminate members of Isis.
But the events in Manchester tell us something about Isis. I suspect that if they were shown that their victims weren't really Christians, they'd shrug their soldiers and go on killing whoever they decide advances their twisted, perverted "cause." The facts likely won't stand in the way.
Does such behavior belie Isis claims to be killing for what they claim as their "religion," Islam. I don't think so. But perhaps it does belie that this thing they kill for is a "religion" as we in the West might understand that term. These killers follow a set of beliefs that makes no distinction between religious doctrine and political power. And in the end, the power part seems to trump the religious part. They'll kill whoever they think will advance their desire to gain power. If their victims aren't Christian, no matter.
It also brings up another point: If we in the West are going to be killed because we're - at least ostensibly - Christians, maybe it's time we started to live like Christians. Put another way, at least the victims in Egypt knew what they died for. They were martyrs for their faith. What did the people in Manchester die for?
As we celebrate those who died for us this Memorial Day, let's do our best to see that they rest in peace. I think there's a better chance they will if we live our lives in a manner that makes their sacrifice worth while.
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