A Personal View  Of The 9-11 Memorial

The weekend of Memorial Day 2014 I visited the 9–11 Memorial, the fountains of running water that fall into the “foot prints” of the twin towers of the former World Trade Center. The cascading waters in the gaping emptiness shine and gurgle in the sunlight bringing to remembrance the lives taken by the terrorism of that awful day. 2606 people, most of them Americans as well as visitors from numerous world nations, had their lives turned to ashes when they went to work. They planned to go home to their families that day, eat dinner, help with homework, kiss their spouses, go to work again on the morrow, pay their bills, save for college for their kids, and live long, peaceful lives. They were victims in the war declared by radical Islamists. They were Jews and Christians, Muslims and Hindus, blind, black, white, brown, and Asian. They were men and women, young and old.  Islamic radicals, to achieve their despicable ends killed even their own Muslim people among their victims. Terrorists are brutish monsters with devilish desires of destruction. Human life has no value to them, they are without mercy and without heart.

The 911 Memorial declares that our nation, founded on the principles of the Bible, places great value on the lives of our people and those who dwell among us. Every life counts with us, and we are a land of unity in diversity, freedom, and peace, unless aroused by the attack of enemies who desire war. We hearken back to the portion of scripture engraved upon our Liberty Bell (Leviticus 25:10) “proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof.” Note the phrase “liberty…unto all the inhabitants.” Anyone who will live according to the rule of law, granting to others the same freedoms of peace and safety he/she desires for himself, can become an American citizen and seek the fulfillment of the American Dream in his/her life and family. Terrorists attacking them attack all of us. The 9 -11 Memorial says, at least to my thinking, we remember what you did to our people, we will keep that memory strong and let it inspire us to vigilant defense of this country and this people no matter what it takes.

I thank the God of the Bible that such a nation, and such a government exists, “For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil”(Romans 13:3), “For he (the government power) is the minister of God to thee for good” (Romans 13:4).