Amidst
our sanctuaries donned with nationalistic American flags it was refreshing to
worship at church on the anniversary of September 11 without a single mention of the atrocities that
took place in this land on this day fifteen years ago and of course without a
flag of any country present. Yes, I agree with the thoughts that the atrocities
of this day is something that we should never forget. However, I am conflicted
with how we have chosen to move forward since this horrific day. I am in the middle
of a book on death penalty at the moment that also touches on this day in
history. It has this to say:
“Here’s
the key: the ‘eye for an eye’ law was intended to be a limit to retaliation—not
a license for it. The goal was to stop the cycle of violence rather than
validate or escalate it…Escalating violence is not just a demon in the ghetto,
but also of our government. All we need to do is look at what has happened
since September 11, 2001, to see the wisdom of the Old Testament ‘eye for an
eye’: it would have limited our retaliation to 2.977 (the number killed on U.S.
soil) rather than the estimated tens of thousands who have died in the Iraq and
Afghanistan wars” (From Shane Claiborne’s Executing
Grace).
For
those of us that follow a Jewish carpenter from Nazareth named Jesus his
message transcends anything that happened 3000+ miles from his home fifteen
years ago; a message devoid of nationalism and a message full of inclusion,
repentance and reconciliation.
Yes,
we should never forget, but how we choose to remember is paramount!
