War with Iran is looking ever more likely. The Iraq game plan is being used again. As badly as Iraq has been handled, even if the need to confront Iran were genuine, I do not trust our current Republican leadership to handle it adequately.
Terrorism is--under the influence of religionists both Islamic and Christian--a clash of civilizations. Our only escape is the answer given to us by the Buddha millenia ago: Detach from identification with both the self and with one's opinions and beliefs. Teaching fundamentalists to transcend is our only hope.
War with Iran is looking ever more likely. The Iraq game plan is being used again: moving military assets into place and ratcheting up the conflict slowly, while claiming to be strongly in favor of a diplomatic solution (but yet without taking any options off the table). As badly as Iraq has been handled, even if the need to confront Iran were genuine, I do not trust our current Republican leadership to handle it adequately.
To place terrorism into the context of history, we must ignore the meaningless drivel of the Bush administration. They do NOT hate us for our freedom. We have been told by Bin Laden himself that on the list of reasons we were attacked on 9/11, reason #1 is "Because you attacked us and continue to attack us." The sub-points under #1 list Somalia, Palestine, Chechnya, Kashmir, and Lebanon. The point regarding Palestine goes into considerable detail, but summarzies the offense with: "The creation and continuation of Israel is one of the greatest crimes, and you are the leaders of its criminals."
Much later in the text, Bin Laden does call the reader (us) to Islam--within the context that Islam recognizes all the prior prophets. This is an important point I will follow up with shortly. He then urges us to purge the debauchery, lies and immorality from our culture--which, in some ways, makes him a Conservative since he specifies homosexuality, gambling, and even intoxicants. He also lists Usury, a.k.a. charging interest--which, to be fair, is actually prohibited in the Bible but which our economy is based upon. He includes the Clinton scandal in this list of American offenses, along with environmental offenses, exploitation of women, economic policies favoring of the wealthy, dropping the bomb on Japan, and duplicity with regard to posession of WMD (a thought-provoking critique, I must admit).
This is followed with a number of quotes re: Islam. It is my belief from reading this document (and other sources) that their interest in our converting to Islam would be MUCH less strong if there were not issues with (a) our foreign policy, and (b) our domestic offenses. I also believe the domestic offenses would not motivate our world neighbors to terrorism--though scorn and ridicule would be expected. In short, only until we admit to ourselves that our policies in the Middle East are not just and fair and we make appropriate changes, this war will continue on as it now appears to: as a clash of civilizations.
The sad thing about our support for Israel--what choice do we have, lest we be labeled "Anti-Semitic"?--is that our side is behaving as much at the request of crazy fundamentalists as their side. Take a look at Dispensationalism:
Dispensationalist readings of prophecies often teach that the Antichrist will appear to the world as a peacemaker. This makes some dispensationalists suspicious of all forms of power, religious and secular, and especially of human attempts to form international organizations for peace, such as the United Nations. Almost all dispensationalists reject the idea that a lasting peace can be attained by human effort in the Middle East, and believe instead that "wars and rumors of wars" (cf. Matt 24:6) will increase as the end times approach. Dispensationalist beliefs often underlie the religious and political movement of Christian Zionism.
If you're thinking this is an isolated worldview, pointing out that author Tim LaHaye is tied to Jerry Falwell and the Washington Times' Sun Myung Moon shows the level of his influence. Given our nation's steadfast support for war of late, the congruence is frighteningly ominous:
Dispensationalists seem to have a preoccupation with war. In fact, right now, dispensationalist mega-church pastor John Hagee is preaching that a war with Iran is not only the right thing to do, but is prophetically inevitable. Apparently, Bible prophecy demands a showdown with Iran. You see, if you aren't on the side of war, then you aren't on the side of God. Talk of peace now becomes irrelevant. It's God's will that we be militarists. In fairness, not all dispensationalists are militarists. Our own Laurence Vance is an example. But they are in a definite minority. The prevailing worldview of dispensationalism glorifies war, militarism, and the State...Dispensationalists want to bring about world events that would have catastrophic implications for other Christians and for non-Christians.
Ultimately, we're tied back to the issue observed by Bin Laden as our greatest crime--the creation of Israel. Neither Jews nor Christians can realistically be expected to untie from these attachments in full; in the same way, Muslims cannot either. We're at a stalemate. Islam teaches it is the true religion and infidels be damned if not killed first; Left Behind teaches Christianity is the true religion and infidels be damned if not killed first. The only escape--the ONLY escape--is to transcend.
The Buddha taught that over-attachment to the self--one's own identity--is the cause of the greatest suffering. In fact, he taught us that when enlightened, we realize the self does not exist. The self is not only the body, but also one's beliefs and opinions. The true self is more like the Gnostic Christians taught--the spark of divinity, the emotionless and still watcher within. We see ourselves only when completely still, in meditation. At that time of living only in the now, we do not want for anything.
It is my personal view that until the majority of fundamentalist Christians and fundamentalist Muslims are both able to acknowledge the inner spiritual path, and detach from their interest in what everyone else believes, this conflict will never end. Their interpretation of their respective faiths is tragically and totally warped. Though their views of Christianity and Islam can be argued to be diametrically opposed when it comes to the identity of God, the irony is that in truth--at a level of awareness and consciousness above both of them--we do not need to name God. Therefore, if we choose different names, no-one is hurt.