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I thought I would create a space to share some of my life thoughts as well as some my life's adventures and misadventures. I am not sure what is in store for this Blog. I love God, I love my wife, I enjoy reading, kayaking, cooking, thinking about ways to sustainably help the world's poor, and leaving a smaller carbon footprint on this planet—Steve G’s Eclectic World. As life is both an experiment and a journey so is this blog. I hope that you will take what you like and leave the rest.



Monday, September 12, 2016

SOME BRIEF THOUGHTS ON THE FIFTEENTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ATROCITIES OF SEPTEMBER 11, 2001




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!