The doctrine of human depravity is introduced near the end of Part
1,
"The Role of God," in this four-part series on Global Terrorism. This
doctrine reveals an aspect of our existence that is reflected in 5000
years of human record: Man's history is a history of wars, bloodshed
and violence-- so much so that some believe God has intervened several
times to prevent us from destroying ourselves. Examples include
Hitler's failed nuclear tests, SAC's computer error (almost started
World War III), and the Cuban Missile Crisis (promised global nuclear
winter). In this scenario, God's Love intercedes to keep us from
destroying ourselves, and God's wrath is expressed when He removes
His
protection, thus leaving us to our own devices.
Regardless of how one understands what occurred September 11, one thing
is clear: America has not behaved as shown on its coins: "In God we
trust." Historically, God is understood here to mean the God of the
Bible, and if America trusted in God, then America would do what God
requires. Instead America's highest court has ruled on abortion, school
prayer, hard core pornography, homosexual behavior and the display
of
God's Commandments in ways that run contrary to what God teaches and
requires. Stated differently, "In God we trust" has been replaced by
"At God we spit." We all know what happens when we spit into the wind:
We reap the result of our own folly. This may be, at least in part,
the
view of those who believe God played a role September 11.
A distinction exists between God judging a nation, and God allowing
a
nation to self-destruct under its own folly. Proverbs 1:27-31 depicts
the latter: "When your dread comes like a storm, And your calamity
comes on like a whirlwind, When distress and anguish come on you. Then
they will call on me, but I will not answer; They will seek me
diligently, but they shall not find me, Because they hated knowledge,
And did not choose the fear of the Lord. They would not accept my
counsel, They spurned all my reproof. So they shall eat of the fruit
of
their own way, and be satiated with the fruit of their own devices."
GOD JUDGES NATIONS
------------------
Proverbs 1:27-31 speaks to a time and of a people who disregarded God,
and who suffered from the "fruit of their own devices." But there are
other texts that describe God's Judgment against nations. Speaking
to
Israel God says, "By the fury of the Lord of hosts the land is burned
up, And the people are like fuel for the fire" (Isaiah 9:19).
Of end-time Babylon God says, "To the degree that she glorified herself
and lived sensuously, to the same degree give her torment and mourning;
for she says in her heart, 'I sit as a queen and am not a widow, and
will never see mourning.' For this reason in one day her plagues will
come, pestilence and mourning and famine, and she will be burned up
with fire; for the Lord God who judges her is strong." (Revelation
18:7-8)
Consider one final example where God judges all the nations: "Draw
near, O nations, to hear; and listen, O peoples! Let the earth and
all
it contains hear, and the world and all that springs from it. For the
Lord's indignation is against all the nations, And His wrath against
all their armies; He has utterly destroyed them, He has given them
over
to slaughter." (Isaiah 34:1-2)
GOD'S FURY OR MAN'S FOLLY?
--------------------------
The lesson we learn is that regardless of whether God's judgment is
against Israel, end-time Babylon or even all the nations, the Bible
makes a distinction between the fury of God's anger in judging nations,
and the folly of men suffering from their own devices due to God
withdrawing His protection. The first is God's Justice punishing sin
after mankind has rejected all of God's attempts at restoration. The
second speaks to God's Love protecting us from ourselves-- until such
time that His holiness can no longer embrace our sins. This view was
expressed by Billy Graham's daughter, Anne when she was asked, "How
could God let something like this (September 11) happen?"
"I believe that God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are,
but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools,
to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And
being the gentleman that He is, I believe that He has calmly
backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and
His protection if we demand that He leave us alone?"
The majority view among those who believe God may have had a role on
September 11 is not that He punished America, but instead that He
withdrew His protection for the purpose of restoring America to the
faith of its founding fathers. This view looks not only to the Bible
for support, but also to the period of tranquility enjoyed in times
before September 11, when America was just as exposed to terrorist
activity but yet, so it is claimed, at peace due to God's protection.
But is this true? Was America open to terrorist activity during the
years of calm prior to September 11, 2001-- and, if so, had God been
protecting America during these years? While no one knows whether or
not God was protecting America in the years before September 11, 2001,
what we do know is that concerns over New York's vulnerability to
terrorist attack go back over 50 years.
AMERICA'S PAST EXPOSURE TO TERRORISM
------------------------------------
In 1949 E.B. White wrote a piece entitled: "Here is New York," in which
he said, "The subtlest change in New York is something people don't
speak much about but that is on everybody's mind. The city, for the
first time in its long history, is destructible. A single flight of
planes no bigger than a wedge of geese can quickly end this island
fantasy, burn the towers, crumble the bridges, turn the underground
passages into lethal chambers, cremate the millions ... All dwellers
in
cities must live with the stubborn fact of annihilation ... of all
targets, New York has a certain clear priority. In the mind of whatever
perverted dreamer might loose the lightening, New York must hold a
steady, irresistible charm".
Do concerns over an attack from a "perverted dreamer" constitute a
terrorist threat? Should a 50 year old speculation to the effect that
New York might be harmed by a "flight of planes no bigger than a wedge
of geese" be accepted as evidence that there has been a threat of this
happening all these years? The answer to such questions is, of course,
no. Nonetheless this doesn't mean that America in general, and New
York
in particular may not have been vulnerable to such threats during the
years prior to the attacks of September 11, 2001.
AMERICA'S RECENT EXPOSURE TO TERRORISM
--------------------------------------
Two and one-half years prior to the WTC attacks, Republican Senator
Pat
Roberts of Kansas held the initial hearing of the Armed Services
Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Military Capabilities. They
discussed the arsenal of weapons that was potentially available to
terrorist groups, and the government's limited capacity to thwart them.
At that time Senator Roberts warned that there is "real opportunity
for
a handful of zealots to wreak havoc on a scale that hitherto only
armies could attain ... (and that targets will) ... be selected for
their symbolic value, like the World Trade Center in the heart of
Manhattan ... because terrorists need to escalate their attacks, making
each more spectacular and horrific than its predecessor".
Senator Roberts also voiced concern that no federal department or
agency (as well as most State local governments) is sure who is in
charge. in February, 2001 the Subcommittee unanimously agreed that,
"The United States is today very poorly organized to design and
implement any comprehensive strategy to protect the homeland". Just
this year at least four distinct, high-ranking commissions amplified
the Subcommittee's warnings.
Taken at face value, these conclusions lend support to the view that
America was indeed exposed to the threat of terrorists' attacks during
the years just prior to September 11, 2001. But does this mean that
divine protection prevented harm from coming to America during these
years? And are we to conclude that America's moral decadence caused
God
to remove His protection because of what happened September 11? For
some, this idea may seem attractive and even easy to accept. But doing
so brings credible objections that are best illustrated by examining
a
part of America's history at a time when the moral decadence now in
view did not exist in America.
EARLY TERRORISM IN AMERICA
--------------------------
In the period from 1914 to 1916, 47 munitions explosions rocked
America-- 28 of these in the NY - NJ metropolitan area. Then in July,
1916 German spies living with false ID's among Americans as "sleepers"
created 2 gigantic explosions in Black Tom (now Liberty State Park)
by
igniting munitions in over a dozen warehouses. The munitions had been
intended for delivery to British and French armies. They also blew
up
87 railroad cars full of dynamite along with several barges filled
with
explosives. Hundreds of people were injured and over one-half dozen
died. Black Tom, Jersey City and Manhattan were never the same again.
In January, 1917 another foreign agent exploded over one-quarter
million shells by setting fire to a munitions plant in Kingsland (now
Lyndhurst). Soon thereafter a federal police force was born (the FBI)
that arrested 3 saboteurs in Hoboken who intended further explosions
at
Black Tom. And if all of this wasn't enough, an American-trained German
army surgeon was part of a plot to inoculate mules and horses before
shipping them to the British and French armies. His name was Anton
Dilger and he manufactured anthrax from biological material smuggled
to
German agents in Baltimore. He later fled to Mexico after President
Wilson declared war on Germany.
Now while it is true that far fewer people were hurt or died in these
incidents, nonetheless harm occurred to the New York area at the hands
of foreign agents before 1920 and after 2000. Yet the nature of the
moral decadence in America after the year 2000 was unheard in the
period before 1920. If God was protecting America in the years prior
to
September 11, 2001, why wasn't He protecting America during the period
of higher morality that existed before 1920?
HUMAN MISUSE OF FREEWILL
------------------------
The God of the BIble is a God of Love, and with the offer of this Love
comes the risk of rejection. Stated differently, the only way that
God
can express His Love is for us to be free to reject it. God thus gives
all mankind the freedom to choose. Theologically, our fallen state
disallows right action. However, we are free to resist God's initiative
at a love relationship. Now you might ask, what has all of this to
do
with September 11? The answer is, all evil proceeds from the misuse
of
free will, including the evil terrorists chose to do on September 11.
The New Testament is in effect, a "new contract" where God, in His
sovereignty, imposes a self-limitation on Himself, thereby allowing
us
to choose. What occurred September 11, 2001 is what happened in
1916-17: Men misused their freedom to choose i.e., men chose wrongly.
What did God do? God permitted it to happen. God allows evil, and He
allowed these evils. Why? Based on Bible revelation, God has set in
motion a divine plan that grants mankind the freedom to choose right
from wrong, good from bad, God Himself from evil. In this plan, God
leaves us to our own devices.
This means that terrorists are fully free to misuse their free will
to
attack targets. What might these be? America has over 100 nuclear power
plants, numerous municipal reservoirs, various dams e.g., the Hoover
Dam, and a number of majestic bridges such as the Golden Gate. But
if
these are attacked, will it mean that God has judged America-- or will
it mean that human beings have again misused their free will?
CAN AMERICA SURVIVE WITHOUT GOD?
--------------------------------
If America is being victimized by terrorists misusing their free will,
we might ask, "Why doesn't God stop them?" The answer lies in another
question: "Why should God act to protect a spiritually lawless nation
that disregards His Instructions, and is indifferent to His Commands?
The Bible contains numerous examples of God judging a nation that sins,
but not one instance of protecting such a nation. God gives people
and
nations the freedom to choose right from wrong, good from bad, and
even
God Himself as over and against evil. Who or what has America chosen?
The Bible passage cited earlier underscores the freedom that God gives
nations (in this case Israel), and the logical outcome to a nation
when
it makes choices that exclude God. This outcome is not one where God
initiates vengeful action against that nation, but rather one where
God
turns that nation over to its own devices.
The text read: "Because they hated knowledge, And did not choose the
fear of the Lord. They would not accept my counsel, They spurned all
my
reproof. So they shall eat of the fruit of their own way, and be
satiated with the fruit of their own devices" (Proverbs 1:27-31).
Should America be concerned? Or will America continue to dismiss
evidences in geology, archeology and history that support the
credibility of Bible testimony, in full confidence that it can handle
terrorism by itself? Can America protect itself? Or is it vulnerable?
AMERICA'S VULNERABILITY
-----------------------
The great problem confronting America is that America is an open and
free society. Anyone is free to go anywhere, and aliens are able to
cross America's borders without serious incrimination. In a word,
America is vulnerable to the terrorists that hide within. These are
the
"sleepers" that live and work among, and behave in every way as do
ordinary Americans. But their hearts are elsewhere, and they plan for
a
day when they can kill as many Americans as possible for Allah.
Moreover, how can America prevent such terrorist sleepers from dropping
Black Plague in ceramic pots filled with contaminated rice and fleas
as
Japan did to China's Cheking province in 1937? Or how can one keep
America's homeless away from Smallpox laden blankets that have been
thrown on the sidewalks of America's cities? The English at Fort Pitt
gave such blankets to Indians loyal to the French in 1763.
There is no end to the sinister mischief that evil terrorists could
do
in spreading disease. Examples include Anthrax, Botulism, Ebola and
Tularemia. Antiviral, antibiotic and anti-toxin remedies are available
for most diseases. However Smallpox has no medical solution, and others
could require quantities of medical supplies and their distribution
not
now available. Is anything being done to deal with this threat?
HOW SERIOUS IS BIOTERRORISM?
----------------------------
Each year DOD's Joint Program Office for Biological Defense invites
scientists and engineers to meet at Utah's Dugway Proving Ground to
field-test devices designed to detect biological agents in minutes.
Harmless bacteria are released to identify the best of these devices.
Unfortunately a practical, effective device is many years off.
A diplomatic solution is likewise lacking. Although the intelligence
community has identified some 24 countries thought to be either
harboring or developing biological weapons, the U.S. government has
failed to achieve an effective agreement that eliminates the problem.
Most of the world's nations now subscribe to the Biological and Toxins
Weapons Convention (BTWC) created in 1972 that bans obtaining these
weapons or a means for their delivery. But the treaty is academic
because it contains no means of enforcing the ban.
The challenge to eliminate biological weapons was recently made more
formidable when researchers inadvertently created a lethal virus by
inserting a gene they thought would make rodents sterile. The BTWC
prohibits acquiring biological weapons, but it doesn't (nor should
it)
outlaw legitimate research. Yet what happened here shows that even
well-intended research can yield ways to produce deadly microbes.