Terrorism in America

The events of September 11, 2001 were the act of enemies of the United States, determined to spread terror and cripple our country with fear. They have somewhat succeeded. We have altered our lifestyles to make air travel safer. The stock market has plummeted as investors fear what will happen next in our economy. Retail sales have hit a new low, dropping to the lowest levels in years. And now the anthrax scare has incited new fears that has people throughout the country trembling when they see unidentified powder. Yesterday an aircraft was grounded as they investigated an unknown substance that turned out to be confetti. Despite our best efforts, we are a frightened people. Who are the terrorists? Why are they terrorizing us? What can we do about it?

These seem like fair question, but I don't think the answers are obvious. We look to some Arab-types who are on a vendetta for reasons we don't fully understand. And certainly these are the obvious choices. But terrorism in America started a long time before September 11.

What, then, is the largest source of terror in America today? It would be difficult to quantify, but I believe the terror we are experiencing today is a product of other forces at work in our lives. The first, most apparent culprit is the media. Think about it. Even before the horrific events in September, they lived for terror. Listen to the commercials. "Are the restaurants you're eating at safe? News at 11." "How safe are our airlines? News at 6." "The truth about Gary Condit. See our special exposé at 10." Their primary focus was to find that which we might fear, and display it for us.

The news media thrives on fear. When terrorists attacked country on that fateful day, there was a sense of horror, but behind it there was almost the atmosphere of a feeding frenzy. This was "news". These were "real stories". Every network froze and focused solely on the terror. Not content with the actual events unfolding in front of the cameras, they reported hearsay. "Another airliner is missing. Authorities suspect it is headed for Washington D.C." There was no such missing airliner. "There are reports of a vehicle loaded with explosives heading for Manhattan." No such vehicle existed. Multiple reports of nonexistent terrorist activity flooded the media that day. And the American people sat enthralled, hardly capable of distinguishing fact from fiction. They were running out buying gas masks and ammunition, prepared to defend themselves against an imaginary assault. The same has occurred in the past few days with the reports of anthrax cases. With rising fears due to the media frenzy over the eight (to date) cases, people are coercing their doctors into treating them for a disease they don't have. Irrational fears abound with each report. This morning's news leader was "What is the government doing to protect our water supply?"

Never mind the truth. Never mind the astounding reality that of the reported 50,000 people who worked in the World Trade Center, almost 90% are untouched. Don't even notice that of the four aircraft used in the attack, not one had even half its capacity on board. We don't hear that the Pentagon was hit in a section recently reinforced and sparsely populated, decreasing dramatically the potential loss of life. And not once has anyone mentioned the incredibly small number of people infected with anthrax in comparison to the total country. The simple fact is I have a better chance of getting in an accident on the way to buy the gas mask (which won't actually help me) than I have of getting infected with anthrax, either intentionally or not. Yet the American public is nearly paralyzed with fear over these events, all because the media has fed us the horror. Who is the true terrorist?

The news media is not alone in this. For a long time our government has operated under the politics of fear. Laws are passed because we are afraid. Money is spent because we are afraid. Priorities are set and policies devised because we are afraid. If we are insufficiently afraid, they will feed that fear. In an election year, for instance, the emphasis is not on how one candidate is more qualified than another. Instead, the focus is on how terrible it would be if this candidate or that were to get elected. The media has worked hand in hand with the politicians to maintain control based on fear.

The true thief of peace, however, is not the media, not the politicians, not even the terrorists themselves. The true thief is the American people themselves. They have removed their bedrock of protection and left themselves completely without defenses. They didn't lose their protection -- they rejected it. The true thief has been our wholesale removal of God. Under the auspices of "separation of Church and State", we have tossed God out on His ear. He is not allowed in schools, not allowed in the public arena, and limited in private conversation. Even in these trying times, a group is suing a school for displaying a banner that said, "God Bless America." A commander in a police department was fired, not because of wrong doing, but because he asked his church what would be the right thing to do. The fact that they told him to do what his superiors told him is irrelevant. He asked "God", and it was not acceptable. The Boy Scouts of America, hardly a Christian organization and certainly not a governmental organization, is castigated for keeping God in their club. Those with strong religious views are considered "lunatic fringe". Those who are convinced, for instance, that abortion is murder are labeled "anti-abortion" (a term fed by the media) instead of "pro-life". John Ashcroft, an avowed Christian, was barely confirmed as Attorney General because he was an avowed Christian. Add to that the latest polls that say that, while America is overwhelmingly not atheist (96% believe in "God"), they are underwhelmingly religious. Only 5% claim that their religious views have any affect on their lives. Very clearly, God is not welcome in America.

Given this atmosphere, enter a terrorist attack. The attack is fed to us through our televisions and radios. The bad news is pumped out day and night. Each new innuendo, true or not, is fed to the waiting American public. The politicians act to ease our fears by discarding all that they were doing and focusing solely on what we fear. And America is frozen, like a deer in the headlights. Why? Because we have no place stronger than ourselves to stand, and we have lost our confidence. Rightly so. We are not reliable. But when our weakness is exposed, we have nowhere to turn. Even Christians, spoon-fed on the "Touched by an Angel" God who "loves everybody" and "only wants you to be happy" are disabled with fear. Where is this God? How could He let this happen?

There are still some remaining firm. Some you don't find in America. They are missionaries who live in countries already hostile to Christianity, but they're not frozen with terror because they know God. Their counterparts in this country are going about their business, aware of the dangers but not terrorized because "If God is for us, who can be against us?" They're not glib. God has not promised us a rose garden. They may have even lost friends or family in the disasters. These people are not immune from danger. But their Rock is solid, their Foundation sure. They are not choked by the cares of the world. They may be knocked down, but not knocked out because they serve a different God. This God is sovereign. He cannot lose. He cannot fail. He may allow tragedy in their lives, but He cannot fail to cause all things to work together for good.

America is under attack. The attack is highlighted by terrorists who have set out to paralyze us with fear, but the attack is fed and encouraged by a media that thrives in fear, politicians that rule with fear, and a populace that has no place to stand because they have rejected the only Solid Ground they had. Who are the true terrorists? What can be done about it? Perhaps now the answers become obvious.