Remembering and Reminding

It's been a half a decade. 5 years of being constantly reminded every time I turn on the television of the pain that we all felt on that day. I've seen those towers go down on the tube and in my own head probably a trillion times over and over and over again and been reminded of the innocent lives that were lost. It's true, we will never forget. But there is such a thing as forgiveness, and it's the most powerful action in the world. More powerful than military force, more powerful than guns and bombs and rockets and ied's. Forgiveness has the power to heal both the victim and the assailant. As Woody Harrilson says in the movie Natural Born Killers, "only love can kill the demon". (bad example, but I just got done watching the movie)

The name of this website is Spirituality Demonstrated. To me, this means that every action is a demonstration of everyone's personal spirituality, what you believe in... the root ideology of every thought that you have. On that day, 19 hijackers defied they're root ideology in order to "defend" it. The Quran specifically says, if you kill ONE innocent person, you may as well have killed all of humanity. Their murderous ideology was drawn from a book that speaks of peace more than it speaks of war.

When we were hit that day, we vowed revenge against whomever attacked us. Our President is a "born again" Christian, and everyone in his cabinet is a devout Evangelical Christian. Almost every member of our Congress identifies themselves as Christians... and yet, they also defied the source from which they claim to have drawn their own spirituality.

The basic tenet of Christianity, what seperates it from Jewish teachings and the Old Testament is this: FORGIVENESS. If you are a Christian and you condone military force of any kind, here's a quick reminder of what it says in the book that you are suppose to live by: (from the sermon on the mount and The Book of Matthew)

1Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him,
2and he began to teach them saying:
3"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
7Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
8Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
9Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
10Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

21"You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder,[a] and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' 22But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother[b]will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca,[c]' is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell.

38"You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.'[g] 39But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

43"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor[h] and hate your enemy.' 44But I tell you: Love your enemies[i] and pray for those who persecute you, 45that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.


These sayings don't just apply to individuals, they apply to nations and every group of people around the world. It is individuals who make the decisions to go to war, to murder and to take revenge for cowardly acts. It is people who call themselves Christians and Muslims that attack each other pre-emptively. This constant need for "revenge" contradicts everything that all of us have been taught by the people that we look up to. Let's start demonstrating our own spirituality and start paying more attention to the sources from which we draw our own belief systems.