Look at those clouds. Sharon... Sharon, listen to me. Look at those clouds. Look at those clouds and then tell me that this isn't the end of everything?
Recently, the SciFi Channel has re-made the television series "Battlestar Galactica". The above quote comes from a scene in pilot movie where Sharon "Boomer" Valerii and Karl "Helo" Agathon are on the ground of their homeworld as it is being bombarded by the Cylons.
The "clouds" Karl refers to are mushroom clouds from the countless nuclear weapons that being detonated across the planet.
Why do I mention it? The miniseries was on again this afternoon, so I watched a portion of it before I went to church.
On my way to church, I drove into a sunset; the sun a large red ball on the horizon, it's light reflected in burning clouds; a beautiful sight.
What came into my mind?
Look at those clouds, and then tell me that this isn't the end of everything?
We are at war. Never forget that, never marginalize that; we are at war, not for "democracy in Iraq" or "to protect American from terrorist attacks", it goes far beyond that. We are in a war for the survival of Western Civilization.
Do you not believe that assertion? Go
here,
here,
here... and many other places, sites, and news services. Pay special attention to
LGF and
Jihad Watch.
The enemy attacked the United States on September 11th, 2001. This was not the first attck of Islamism against the United States, it was merely the first we gave a meaningful response to.
Note that I said "islamism" and not terrorism in describing the enemy of 9/11: to say that we were attacked by terrorism, and by corollary, to say that we are now making war on terrorism, is the equivalaent of saying that we are making war against flanking maneuvers, or against entrenching troops.
Terrorism is a tactic, employed by many to attempt to foster change in one government or another, most famously used by the IRA and PLO.
Terrorists, in this case being primarially composed of Muslims (Islamists, Islamofascists, whatever), are the enemy who wields the sword of terrorism. They wield it to a very specific end: the complete and utter destruction of the West and the imposition, by force or by submission, of a gobal caliphate (empire) based upon Islamic Shari'a law.
i will not attempt to define Shari'a here, for you cna find far more eloquent and rigorous defintions in the sites linked above and in the blogroll; nevertheless, I will say that Shari'a is not something you wish to be under.
Of course, you probably a have a basic idea of the nature of Shari'a from what we heard of the fallen Taliban regime in Afghanistan. I ask you now to draw upon that understanding for the remainder of my pontification.
Wester Civilization is at war, led by it's inheritor and primary bastion the United States, with an enemy that seeks to snuff it out and replace it with it's own twisted concept of "civilization".
I am becoming repetitious, because the point deserves repetition: we are at war with an enemy who wishes to destroy us, not because we have not accomodated them enough, or tried to understand them enough, but simply because
we exist.
Is this enemy Islam in general? I
don't think so, but I do worry. Alleviate my fears, please: show me one comment from a leading imam or other Islamic scholar who repudiates the terrorist interpretation of the Koran in a manner that does not read like a "cover your ass" defense of Islam (i.e., "that statement does not come from the Koran"), that does not accuse the questioner of anti-Islamic bias and a closet desire to abrogate the rights of American Muslims, and that does not blame the "sins" of the West for the actions of the terrorists.
Please, show me one.
Either way, we can agree about a few characteristics of our enemy: they are motivated by the belief that they are doing the will of Allah, they desire our complete and utter annihilation, and they are willing to die for the chance to kill infidels and usher in Islam's dominion over the face of the earth.
Can we win this conflict of civilizations?
No, we can't.
Look at those clouds, and then tell me that this isn't the end of everything?
I hope I am wrong.
But when a large segment of our civilization seems content to prematurely
kowtow to the wishes of those who support the enemy, when some of the loundest voices in the West
deny that the enemy exists, when the information sources for the West
whore themselves out to the propoganda needs of the Islamists, when Michael Moore proclaims that "there is no terrorist threat" and
millions of Americans and even more Europeans agree with him, how can I say otherwise?
When such a portion of threated population gives up, surrenders, collaberates, and all without a fight, when they would seemingly leave Western civilation to the mercies of its very
antithesis, how can any war fought under such conditions have even the slightest hope of victory?
Maybe there is; President Bush presses on, despite unprecedented vitrol from the Left and the media, despite being opposed and decried at every turn, he presses on.
Doing what? Bringing democracy to the realms where Islamofascism festers.
What do we mean, above, by "democracy"? The United States itself is not a democracy, and I doubt that we can export something that we ourselves do not posess.
No, what we are importing goes far, far beyond Athens and Washington; the "democracy" spread by the "Bush Doctrine" is a theory that extends into the politcal, economic, and philosophical regions of life. Most importantly here is the philosophical factor, i.e. that you are free to hold whatever beliefs you wish to chose, and those beliefs cannot be forced on you by the way of the gun, the prick of the knife, or the word of the government.
Such is the antithesis of shari'a.
Can such a thing defeat the enemy, by depriving it of new recruits for suicide missions?
Perhaps; even a pale light illuminates a dark place. Look to Afghanistan for an example of this; I pray that we will soon be able to look to Iraq for another.
But a pale light is not enough, and America is not the world's savior.
That title belongs to a Jew, of the line of David, who lives eternally.
Let us be clear about this: the only thing that will defeat Islamism is Christ. Christ acts, in part, though His Body on earth.
The United States is not the Body of Christ. Portions of the Body compose it, a member of the Body sits at its head, but this nation is not the Body of Christ.
Is it still an instrument of God? Yes, indeed. All are.
We were at a church in Cullman, AL, during the election drama of 2000, and it was obsevered that we might very well be looking at a moment in time whose consequences are far greater than what is immediately obvious, that there had to have been some form of spiritual struggle behind what we were seeing.
I believe that observation was correct; the events surrounding and following September of 2001 confirm it.
Who won that struggle? God. How do I know? Faith.
I said above that I do not believe that Western Civilization will not ultimately be able to win the war against Islamism, simply because so many of our people lack the will to stand against the enemy. Such is probaby needlessly pessimistic.
Should Western Civilization fall, what of my claim that the Lord won the spiritual struggle in 2000?
It will stand, whether the West fall or no. Should the West be destroyed, it's pale light extenguished and a new dark age of Shari'a spread across this continent and the world, then my faith in the Lord's sovreignty and victory will still stand.
Why?
Tell me, first: at what time do you notice a street-light, when it is day or when it is night? You do not see it during the day, even if it is the greater light, for it's light is obscured by the other light surrounding it.
You notice a street-light during the night, when all other lights are extenguished.
Should the pale light of the West fail, then the Greater Light of the Lamb will remain, and will shine all the brighter for being surrounded by naught but it's antithesis, that is darkness of the spirit.
Then the darkness will find an Enemy arrayed against it that no suicide bomber can overcome or terrify into dhimmitude.
This war of civilizations has both spiritual and temporal facets. Democracy and the United States can make inroads and great strides in alleviating the temporal pressures, but there is no final victory there.
The final victory will be spiritual one.
I appologize for rambling one as I have; these were just a few thoughts sparked by a marvelous piece of sci-fi and some wondrous light-work on the clouds, and I felt the need to record them as best as I am able. Feel free to discuss and tell me if I'm off my rocker.
Still, I wonder how long it'll be before someone finds this site, and starts sending me hate-mail?
EDIT (1/17/2005 at 5:18 P.M. EST): Fixed links in the above. Note to self: when using href tags, always include http:// in the link.
