the cause

by teejay 2 Replies latest jw friends

  • teejay
    teejay

    In 1963 a man blew up a church in Birmingham, Alabama, USA, killing
    four innocent girls. Since then, what moved him to do what he gleefully did
    has been identified and the sickness in his mind, the ugliness in his heart,
    was made tangible in a sense. America has picked it up, turned it over,
    looked at it from all sides and, since then, has shown not just a willingness
    but a real effort to leave it behind, as well. Knowing the motivation is pivotal
    in bringing an end to human evil.

    Another bomber was executed today and people are breathing a sigh of
    relief. I hope this is the last I ever say about it. Call him whatever names
    you will and you will find no defender, no apologist, here. I know of no
    words that can be used to excuse him. His heinous act was indefensible.
    But…

    ...he was not an unreasonable man. He was not a crazed wacko. He had
    a plan, carefully laid out, and executed it with military precision. For six
    years he never cracked to show any regret or remorse for what he did.
    He was a human being with human thoughts and emotions. Still, he died
    with the deep conviction that he did the right thing despite the misery
    he caused. Those close to him at the end feel certain that if he could do
    it all over again, he would. So, I'm not resting so easy.

    He is gone, but whatever "logical" reason that led him to do what he did
    is still out there. The danger, I believe, is real, since the "cause" (as crazy
    as it is to us) still lives, and those that embrace it are yet unidentified.
    Somebody needs to figure out what that "cause" is, and the sooner the
    better. If I knew, I'd surely tell them. Until the right people crack the code,
    there remains a very real threat for what he did to happen all over again.
    As we have seen -- again -- one person can bring an awful lot of pain to a
    huge number of people, its anguish rippling out to encircle still many others.

  • Prisca
    Prisca

    Hey, leave logical out of this.

    I still find it hard to fathom why McVeigh did what he did, even if claims he didn't realise there was a child-care centre in the building. In situations like this, I believe that capital punishment is a fair enough punishment. He willingly planned this - it wasn't a mere accident that so much damage and destruction was caused.

    What makes me uneasy is that the conviction he had ("the cause") is similar to the deep convictions JWs have towards their faith. Some of us would have been prepared to die for our faith. And Armageddon is seen as a way to deal with the "problem" of unfaithful mankind. Hence, the doing away of 99.99% of the world's population is seen as "collateral damage", just as Timothy McVeigh viewed the deaths of the victims of his bombing.

    The mindset is not much different. The difference is, we can hope, is that no JW will ever do anything like what he did.

  • ozziepost
    ozziepost

    G'day Prisca,

    Armageddon is seen as a way to deal with the "problem" of unfaithful mankind. Hence, the doing away of 99.99% of the world's population is seen as "collateral damage"

    The shunning process gives the R&F a foretaste of Armageddon's pre-Paradise conditions!

    Cheers,
    Ozzie

    "Truth persuades by teaching, but does not teach by persuading."
    TERTULLIAN, Adversus Valentinianos

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