I just asked who could forgive in the spirit of real Christian forgiveness exhibited by the remarkable Amish people in Penn.
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20061009094017AAsx1MV&r=w
I fully admit that I could not have done what they did and acknolwedge their moral superiority. Nevertheless the world seems almost certainly better for people like them than it does for people like me and anyone else who cannot forgive when the most extreme evil is done to them.
Would we be better now if the Christian president of the USA had acted as Christ commanded, and forgiven bin Laden for 9/11? I personally think this is a toughie.
2006-10-09 05:56:38 · 17 answers · asked by Bad Liberal 7 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
He should have gone after Bin with some real police action, captured him , then forgive him. No need to invade Iraq.
2006-10-09 05:59:35 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 1⤋
I think the World would be a better place if President Bush would have actually cared about going after Bin Laden in the first place. President Bush's main goal before and after the 9/11 attacks was to invade Iraq. He used 9/11 as an excuse and went after Bin Laden just enough to make it look like he cared, than he put his true plans into action and invaded a Country that posed no threat.
2006-10-09 13:02:33 · answer #2 · answered by Alex 3 · 1⤊ 2⤋
Firgiving Bin Laden is normally dependent on Bin Laden asking and wanting forgivness. The Amish live under an umbrella of the US Govt. and they have the US Govt and police force that protect them with guns and force. They live a protected life at the cost of others when you think about it.
If we in blanket forgave everyone in prison, do you think that they would not return to their life of crime? Would it be fair to those that have suffered as victums??
What the Amish are doing will not work as a national plan..
If someone steals my horse and i don't go after it, but just forgive them, do you think they will be back for something else or will they write me a note thanking me to help support their drug habit??
2006-10-09 13:00:39 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
It might be, but more likely is that we would be a smoldering parking lot by now, as they would have continually preyed upon our perceived weakness. Your question assumes that the people with whom we are now at war would be sympathetic to reason, or that they have some level of decency to them, and it's obvious that they do not. It's nice to think about how things might have gone differently, if we had tried to show forgiveness to them. They hate us for so many reasons, and if they could do something to the level of 9/11 - against unarmed citizens, what would they stop at?
The axiom about not being able to have a rational discussion with someone who is irrational applies here. We had to respond with the only thing that they can understand - firepower. It is not the perfect response, but nothing that involves humans ever will be perfect...
2006-10-09 13:04:58 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
It would not be what it has become. I have always questioned the Christianity of Bush. He seems to use it for his own political ends.
I feel that we simply can not wage war on terror one hand and then say we will not negotiate with terrorist. Some how we are going to have to figure out how we can co-exist on this planet. If we can't, the logical conclusion is we all die.
2006-10-09 15:37:27 · answer #5 · answered by Paul K 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think it's easy. The Amish killer was dead: no further threat posed. Al Qaeda is very much alive. Blind forgeiveness isn't very proactive. We need to protect what men and women historically fought for us to freely enjoy. You lock your doors at home, don't you? "Terrorists" should be met with a fierce showing of force, whether in our country or outside of. Christians only blow up abortion clinics and picket military funerals. They haven't evolved into sophisticated mass-muderers yet. We should keep them from doing so. Hezbollah is developing at home, right before our eyes. I, personally, think GW has very little to do with it, though.
Edit: It is completely ridiculous to say that Bush "wanted a hit" such as 9/11! It was CIVILIANS who kept a plane from hitting the White House! "Conspiracy theorists" from either side are whack. Our Presidents are pawns, at best. Do you think Clinton used his own brain? We know he used his pecker and a cigar, but a *brain*?
"Paul K": How the hell do we "co-exist" with terrorists, when our VERY EXISTENCE is what they seek to eliminate? How idealistic can one possibly be? Peace and marijuana to you, brother.
2006-10-09 12:59:57 · answer #6 · answered by georgia b 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I don't know about forgiving bin Laden. BUt the world would certainly be a better place if we had not taken the actions we took.
However, we're a bloodthirsty and vengeful nation. If Bush had not invaded SOMEBODY, he would never have been reelected.
2006-10-09 13:08:07 · answer #7 · answered by tristanrobin 4 · 2⤊ 2⤋
We already did didn't we?! I mean no one is chasing after him nor has been in quite some time. He's the one who started this mess anyway. While our men and women in uniform are out there dying in Iraq, Bin Laden is out there free to make more and more videos. Looks like forgiveness to me. :(
2006-10-09 13:07:01 · answer #8 · answered by Ghurricane87 4 · 2⤊ 2⤋
No one's chasing bin Ladin, is that the same as forgiveness? It's certainly letting go.
2006-10-09 13:00:53 · answer #9 · answered by nursesr4evr 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Forgiveness is one thing, but to allow unrepentent evil to remain free to cause more harm is unacceptable.
2006-10-09 13:02:53 · answer #10 · answered by The Question Man 3 · 3⤊ 0⤋