Am I the Only One?
I am reading a book with vignettes about Christian martyrs throughout history. The ones from recent history have something in common: Islam is the culprit. While there are some instances right now where repressive, Marxist, or Hindu-inspired governments are behind the persecution, for the most part it is done by Muslims--either governments or individuals.
It seems to me that the western, and some of the nonwestern world, is in a codependent relationship with Islam. We are like a wife of an alcoholic--excusing, enabling, and allowing the behavior of the drinker even while he makes our own situation miserable. Why do we have to be treated like criminals just to fly on a plane? Because of Islamic terrorists. Why are anti-blasphemy laws being passed in Europe? Because of Islamic terrorists. Why is the press afraid to treat Islam the same way it belittles Christianity? Because of Islamic terrorists. Why is religion presented by the clueless news media as a corrupting and violent influence, when there are no reports of radical Methodists or Presbyterians? Because of Islamic terrorists. It's even as silly as the fact the ridiculous movie, 2012, shows the destruction of famous sites but no Muslim ones. Why? Because we can't risk offending the Islamic terrorists.
As is often said, All Muslims are not terrorists, but almost all terrorists are Muslims." If the plane had blown up on December 25, the end result politically and practically would have been no different (thankfully, those people are safe; how must it feel to know that you've been saved from that fate!) except that President Obama will feel less effect.
I have Muslim students and have respect for them. Their families have often come from other countries at great sacrifice and have worked hard to establish themselves here. Muslims are like the rest of us in this country, wanting the best for family, wanting to contribute, build businesses, and often serving in the military. So this is not about them, but about how we have caved into an insane minority. I don't think I'm the only one feeling this way.
I also don't think I'm the only one who is flabbergasted by the cluelessness, or the cynicism, of the media, and this includes everyone except real newspapers. The big stories yesterday:
1. Mark McGwire and steroids
2. Simon Cowell going off American Idol
3. Sarah Palin going onto Fox
4. The balloon boy's dad going to jail
5. The nonsense about Jay Leno and Conan the Barbarian, oops, O'Brien (what kind of a name is Conan, anyway?)
ad nauseum. What do any of these have to do with my life? your life? None whatsoever. What important news got passed over to present these? Does the news media present these (which I would argue shouldn't even be presented, really, except on the back back page) because:
a. they think we are too stupid to care about or understand anything else?
b. they think those really are the most important stories (possible)
c. those stories serve to advertise their own programs.
d. they don't want us to know the truth about the "leaders" they want to support.
I visited with a dear friend last week who is a missionary in a small South American country. She educated her children on the field and had two babies there. She amazes me. I can imagine her perplexity if she reads a paper or watches the news here, when she comes home every four years. Or she probably has figured out by now that the media is hopeless; I'm wondering when I will?
It seems to me that the western, and some of the nonwestern world, is in a codependent relationship with Islam. We are like a wife of an alcoholic--excusing, enabling, and allowing the behavior of the drinker even while he makes our own situation miserable. Why do we have to be treated like criminals just to fly on a plane? Because of Islamic terrorists. Why are anti-blasphemy laws being passed in Europe? Because of Islamic terrorists. Why is the press afraid to treat Islam the same way it belittles Christianity? Because of Islamic terrorists. Why is religion presented by the clueless news media as a corrupting and violent influence, when there are no reports of radical Methodists or Presbyterians? Because of Islamic terrorists. It's even as silly as the fact the ridiculous movie, 2012, shows the destruction of famous sites but no Muslim ones. Why? Because we can't risk offending the Islamic terrorists.
As is often said, All Muslims are not terrorists, but almost all terrorists are Muslims." If the plane had blown up on December 25, the end result politically and practically would have been no different (thankfully, those people are safe; how must it feel to know that you've been saved from that fate!) except that President Obama will feel less effect.
I have Muslim students and have respect for them. Their families have often come from other countries at great sacrifice and have worked hard to establish themselves here. Muslims are like the rest of us in this country, wanting the best for family, wanting to contribute, build businesses, and often serving in the military. So this is not about them, but about how we have caved into an insane minority. I don't think I'm the only one feeling this way.
I also don't think I'm the only one who is flabbergasted by the cluelessness, or the cynicism, of the media, and this includes everyone except real newspapers. The big stories yesterday:
1. Mark McGwire and steroids
2. Simon Cowell going off American Idol
3. Sarah Palin going onto Fox
4. The balloon boy's dad going to jail
5. The nonsense about Jay Leno and Conan the Barbarian, oops, O'Brien (what kind of a name is Conan, anyway?)
ad nauseum. What do any of these have to do with my life? your life? None whatsoever. What important news got passed over to present these? Does the news media present these (which I would argue shouldn't even be presented, really, except on the back back page) because:
a. they think we are too stupid to care about or understand anything else?
b. they think those really are the most important stories (possible)
c. those stories serve to advertise their own programs.
d. they don't want us to know the truth about the "leaders" they want to support.
I visited with a dear friend last week who is a missionary in a small South American country. She educated her children on the field and had two babies there. She amazes me. I can imagine her perplexity if she reads a paper or watches the news here, when she comes home every four years. Or she probably has figured out by now that the media is hopeless; I'm wondering when I will?
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