With the passing of time, the urgency we all felt that awful September day seems to have waned somewhat. Now we are more focused on the inconveniences of air travel that event spawned than on what we as a nation and a people experienced in the first weeks and months following the terrorist attacks.
Not that we should keep the fear and anger foremost on our minds, as that terror-mindset just feeds the cause of the terrorists. That was pointed out in a recent column by Steve Blow in The Dallas Morning News last Sunday. He wrote about the hatred against Islam that is sometimes preached in the pulpit and on the airways, pointing out that most Muslims do not support terrorists, especially the most recent activity by ISIS in Iraq.
Steve quotes Robert Hunt, a professor at SMU’s Perkins School of Theology, who wishes that the press would be more interested in spreading the news that many more Muslim nations are condemning the violence than the few who perpetuate terrorism. Unfortunately, the old newspaper adage still prevails, “If it bleeds it leads” and “The fact that Islamic society condemns ISIS isn’t news. We only hear about Muslims at war because peace isn’t news.”
Hunt also offers this comment, “If we want to defeat terrorists, we have to refuse to be terrified. And we have to not spread their fear”
And in honor of this day I want to share this video of the Alan Jackson song, “Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning?” I get goosebumps every time I hear it, mainly because the song encourages love, not fear and hate.