THE BIBLE STANDARD ON SEPTEMBER 11, 2001

‘Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness’, The Bible Standard, October 2001, p. 76.

‘Terrorism is not a new phenomenon.

The bomb-throwers and the assassins have been a feature of society for generations.

But there has been a rapid increase in political terrorism since the ending of the Second World War in 1945.

As the geopolitical structure began to be redefined following that war, peoples and cultures were displaced, sowing the seeds of strife.

‘The Cold War which began soon after the war’s end provoked fierce conflicts based on partisan ideologies.

Added to this was the revival of ancient struggles for independence. The breeding ground for terror was fertile and it began to bring forth bad fruit in the 1970s. Violent attacks by terrorists in democratic countries were frequent: France, Germany, Spain, Algeria, Britain, Italy these countries some years ago adapted to the sense of unease engendered by the circumstances, and enacted counter-terrorism laws, with varying degrees of success. But still the parcel bombs, the car bombs, the shootings, continued.

‘Though engaged abroad in various military and covert ventures, the United States has been relatively immune from terrorist attack within its borders, though there have been occasional aggressive incidents and many more plots which have been thwarted. Now the homeland has been hit. The images of two of the world’s tallest buildings folding down on themselves was so dramatic as to be scarcely credible. We live with the assumption that the man-made constructions around us like the natural world are permanent and intended to remain forever. This assumption collapsed into the rubble of steel and concrete.

‘There is today, in the United States, a palpable sense of national hurt and national loss. The national flags which adorn the buildings and houses in each community give voice to the complex feelings which the assault has evoked. Many other democratic nations, many of whom lost significant numbers of their own citizens, now feel more vulnerable. The outpouring of support for the United States from the international community has been touching.’

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