Here’s Hoping

GET THE STORY.

Author: Jimmy Akin

Jimmy was born in Texas, grew up nominally Protestant, but at age 20 experienced a profound conversion to Christ. Planning on becoming a Protestant seminary professor, he started an intensive study of the Bible. But the more he immersed himself in Scripture the more he found to support the Catholic faith, and in 1992 he entered the Catholic Church. His conversion story, "A Triumph and a Tragedy," is published in Surprised by Truth. Besides being an author, Jimmy is the Senior Apologist at Catholic Answers, a contributing editor to Catholic Answers Magazine, and a weekly guest on "Catholic Answers Live."

11 thoughts on “Here’s Hoping”

  1. 1st paragraph of any news story is the killer. “US LAUNCHES MISSLE AT RELIGIOUS SCHOOL”.
    Never mind paragraph 4 that mentions it was loaded with bad guys.
    You cant win.

  2. “Religious School. Right.”
    Maybe if the media were told that it was a Religious Right school…

  3. Really, doesn’t anyone else here feel it’s not charitable to be cheering at the possibility of the death of an enemy?
    Sometimes, there are things that are necessary to be done for self-defense, but what is it we’re hoping for here? That nobody innocent was hurt? That this will end the conflict? Anyone seriously believe THAT!?
    Why would you be happy? Is it the thrill of vengeance that you feel? Is that Christian?
    If this man is dead, we should be sad in that there is no longer an opportunity for his conversion, at the very least.
    It might have been necessary, I’m not saying it was wrong to target him, but I think we should not be happy about it.

  4. Jordan-
    Not only would I be happy with the death of Al Zwahiri, I would be thrilled. This man and his buddy Bin Laden and monsters, the likes of which halloween has never seen. They would more quickly bomb a church full of Catholics than convert to Christianity. And they would laugh all the way back to the holes they live in afterward.
    Let us pray that the US military soon sends Al Zwahiri to his maker where he can see Jesus face to face and give an account for his actions.

  5. “we should be sad in that there is no longer an opportunity for his conversion,”
    He escaped. But even if he had died, there would’ve been an opportunity to repent. God is always merciful.
    P.S. I’m not happy we have to kill him, but he clearly doesn’t plan on changing his murderous ways.

  6. Dan E,
    Sounds like you’re placing yourself up there on the judgment seat somewhere next to Christ…furthermore, it also sounds like your proposed military action that would kill Zawahiri might just provide Christ with that extra little help he needs to rid our planet of a pretty despicable creature…
    I suspect that the judge not lest ye be judged piece applies to you, and I, and Zawahiri, and the rest of the monsters out there that fall far short of the glory of God. For every man, woman, and child Zawahiri and his band kills, you and I kill men in our hearts…which I think Christ says is the same as killing them in reality.
    I think Jordan is exactly right…Jesus wouldn’t revel in the death of any unsaved man…
    Men engaged in active criminal acts should be stopped, or prevented from hurting others, and if the only means to stop them is a predator drone firing a missile then that difficult choice has to be made, but a cavalier “I can’t wait ’til he’s dead” type of mentality is not of Christ and/or his kingdom.
    Pray for the brave men and women over there who have to make those difficult choices and execute those difficult orders!
    Peace,
    John

  7. John,
    First: Matthew 7:1 (Do not judge so that you will not be judged) is one of the most misinterpreted scriptures in the Bible. Jesus is condemning the hypocrites who miss the log in their own eye while criticizing the speck in their brother’s eye. I am hardly engaging in such hypocrisy when I say I would be happy at news of the death of Zawahiri. Of course, Jesus commands the apostles to judge (those who’s sins you bind, they are held bound), and we too must judge between good and evil.
    Second: Zawahiri may easily be judged as evil. He is spreading a heresy by the sword – a sword that he wields against children as well as adults. We know how Jesus feels about those who harm children (Mark 9:42).
    Third: You said, “Men engaged in active criminal acts should be stopped, or prevented from hurting others, and if the only means to stop them is a predator drone firing a missile then that difficult choice has to be made…”
    The acts of Zawahiri and Bin Laden are NOT just crimes; they are acts of war. We are the good guys, they are the bad guys. We need to kill them before they kill you and me. Firing a missile at Zawahiri would not be a difficult choice to make for any soldier, sailor or marine I know of.
    Finally, you raise an interesting theological question: While Jesus may be saddened that the soul of a man such as Zawahiri is demonstrably unsaved, would He be sad at the death of a man who incessantly blasphemes his Holy Name while killing so many innocent people?

  8. “Jesus is condemning the hypocrites who miss the log in their own eye while criticizing the speck in their brother’s eye.”
    Precisely Dan…you sit in judgment of Zawahiri…right there alongside Jesus…and assume yours is the speck and Zawahiri’s is the log.
    My point is simply that no one short of God knows the pedigree of a sinner’s soul…assuming yours is the speck is a dangerous exercise in speculation, and not a bit of analysis you or I are qualified to make or ought to engage in.
    I am a veteran of the first gulf war, and thankfully was never put in a position where I had to kill anyone (I would have, had that become necessary, but I had no agenda to kill enemy soldiers)…I would have fired a missile at Zawahiri if ordered to do so, or if I’d been made aware of Zawahiri as a discretional target and had him in my sights…however…I didn’t know ANYONE…I’ll repeat that…ANYONE…who looked forward to killing the enemy…and I would be seriously concerned about anyone I served with who relished the idea of causing another man’s death…you join up…you train…you go to war…you do your job…you go home to your family…that’s it.
    Do unto others, love your enemy, turn the other cheek…any of that stuff ring a bell?
    Your last question says a lot:
    “Finally, you raise an interesting theological question: While Jesus may be saddened that the soul of a man such as Zawahiri is demonstrably unsaved, would He be sad at the death of a man who incessantly blasphemes his Holy Name while killing so many innocent people?”
    Dan, you need to get out your bible and give the new testament a good going through. When you’re finished, ask yourself whether Paul might have fit the description of the blasphemer you describe above. I would imagine that the surviving members of families that Paul and his crew hunted down, tortured, and killed might have hated him like you hate Zawahiri, yet Jesus loved him and gave Paul a mission you and I could only envy. So yes, I think Jesus loves Al Qaeda folks like he loves us, and wishes for all of us to love each other like he loves us. You can kill an enemy or a criminal but you don’t have to like it, and to relish or rejoice in that sort of outcome, in my humble opinion, is sinful.
    Take care,
    John

Comments are closed.