He was a well thought of African American kid, liked by
all who knew him. In one of the last tweets before his death,
Douglas McCain, a Muslim convert who went to high school in Minnesota and
was killed in Syria in August, wrote: "It takes a warrior to understand a
warrior. Pray for ISIS." Read more of
his story, someone who wanted to be part of a higher cause, who had been
previously a church going Christian.
”When [his best friend Isaac] Chase joined the Air Force in 2007 and
served in Iraq, McCain [who died fighting for the cause of an Islamic
state] was impressed that his friend was
making something of his life and wanted to do the same, Chase said. But after learning that McCain died while
fighting for ISIS, which is trying to establish an Islamic state across Iraq
and Syria, his friend was bewildered.”
Up till then the warriors had been impressed with each other.
We should not be surprised at western Muslims going back
to the Middle East battlefields, to fight, die, and be forever with Allah and
many virgins. We also train our
Christian youth to fight, die, for God and country, as a highly honorable way
to heavenly bliss. We cover this with
language of just doing a job for your country, “be all that you can be,” but
the military’s basic training
is the technology of lethal force. Killing
in God’s {or the state’s} name is required by most all peoples across the globe,
to protect and promote their worldly kingdoms.
We need a new different hero from the one going over the barricades,
in guns-blazing glory. We have that in
the person of Jesus, the Son of God, and the mercy and forgiveness He brought
us. Let us accept the grace to be true recruits
in the nonviolent way of Jesus. We should begin to teach
our young people conflict resolution by drafting everyone into the Peace Corps
and a faith-based AmeriCorps, at least as many as still might choose the
military. It would be two years national
service for everyone, with emphasis on the nonviolent skills that have the hope
of bringing real lasting peace.
And young people could hope to see faithful older adults
rejecting violence and war, re-directing our world’s precious resources towards
education, creative productive work opportunities, and the fights against famine
and disease.
“Make a
Difference Years” to go beyond this week’s “Make a Difference Day”
References
http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2014/10/06/chicago_isis_arrest_mohammed_hamzah_khan_detained_at_o_hare_airport.html
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful
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