Today, three bombs exploded in Amman, the capital of Jordan. These bombs have killed at least 57 people (according to Wikipedia, at least 67 according to CNN). This follows numerous other attacks against civilian targets throughout the Middle East, in Asia, in Europe, and in the United States.

I want to address this from two points of view: the secular point of view of a democratic (small-D democratic, meaning one who supports a government of the people, as opposed to a big-D Democratic, meaning one who supports to the Democratic party) American and as a Christian.

As a democratic American, I can tell you that your cowardly attacks do not make me want to have my country surrender. Like my forefathers who have fought for the "self-evident" truths that "all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness", my generation will too fight to defend these rights and protect them from cowards like you who seek to strip them from us. We've defended these rights a number of times throughout our history: 1776, 1812, 1860, 1917, and 1941 just to name a few.

As a Christian, I don't believe that there is a heaven waiting for you after you "martyr" yourself and kill innocent people. This is contrary to the God who taught us to "love our neighbors as ourselves" (Matthew 22) and "if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you" (Matthew 6). As Peter preached on the Day of Pentecost: "Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."

As I prayed for the victims of Katrina and the victims of the tornado in Kentucky and Indiana, I pray that Christians will emulate the example of the Good Samaritan and reach out to those suffering because of this cowardly act of terrorism.

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