9-11

Years later, I look at 9-11 as a real flashpoint in my faith.

I suppose it had that effect on lots of people. But for me, it was for an unusual reason.

Play the hypothetical game for a minute, and suppose you're a Muslim living in Jordan or someplace. Now, among your friends, there are a group of pretty strict tradionallists.

As a Christian, this isn't much of a stretch for me. I've known people in the church who collect guns to safegard against the advent of a government takeover. I've seen people use their faith as a thin cover for bigotry or sexism. I've heard people say how 9-11 was the fault of the homosexual activity in America, since God was punishing us for our sin. I've known people who said the Branch Davidians weren't so bad. Naturally, these views weren't strictly supported by the churches, but the people were there, nontheless. So it's not too much of a stretch to me to think that a moderate Muslim may have friends who are extremists.

So, bear with me. You're a Muslim in Jordan and you've a couple buddies who are a bit more strict than you. One of them outlines the 9-11 plan to you before it happens. He tells how he's going to go to the U.S. and ... well, you know the story.

And you think... "he's out of his flippin' mind" -- not just because it's evil, but because it's impossible. How could you *ever* hyjack a plane in the U.S. where the security is the envy of the world. And to do it with a box knife? Please. No way. And the buildings.. they're *huge* and solid and steele and unbreakable. Worst case, you put out a few windows.

Then.... it happens.

Now, wouldn't you think that the only way that could have happened is if it was ordained by God?

After the horror of that day, some letters that the terrorists had written were made public. If you ignore the mind-numbing "wrongness" of the content, and you look at the words, they sound very familiar. The words they used, the ideas, the faith, the providence -- those things, I have heard in Christian churches for years. Oh, the topic is differnt of course. I'm not suggesting that we can ignore the terror. But the way those people *thought*, the way they spoke about God and faith and providence is the same way churches do.

That's what shook my faith a bit. I see it still. "God told me to get a new job".... "God said I should do this".... "I overslept today for work, so I have to believe that God was making me avoid an accident or something".

It started me thinking. And questioning. It's where this blog really came from. I started to think that if those terrorists could be so sure of what they were doing, and if the coincidences could line up like that on something that was so obviously not of God, then our confidence in our beliefs must be questioned. I started to look with a new eye. And I saw similar things all over the world. I saw Hindus and Muslims and Evangelicals and Mormons and others all with the same kind of words and ideas. The details differ, naturally. But the faith is the same. And it all seems to be founded on the same things.

How its used is really, really interesting to me. But I'll save that for another time.