Innocent Christians

I wonder if Pastor Terry Jones even thought about the consequences of his words before he opened his mouth?

I am not talking about the unsurprising hysterical reaction form the Muslim world. We know better than to expect a different response. I am not even talking about the potential danger that he caused for the peace keeping or peace seeking troops stationed in the regions like Afghanistan and Pakistan.

No, I am talking about people I know and communicate with often. I have many new friends on the internet and some of them happen to be these innocent, unprotected Christians, who live in Pakistan. It is a completely different situation when you 'know someone' there. They tell me of the hysterical responses to just about anything that the West says or does. These are real situations that can quickly turn to violence and threaten the lives of thousands of Christians who live there. My friends live with an unhealthy awareness of the mood of the Muslim majority and any activity or 'reprisals' that may occur. They have become in effect the punching bag of the Muslims fanatics who operate above the law and outside of the law. They live in areas where the graffiti on the walls is 'Al Qaida Forever' or 'Taliban Forever'.

These friends of mine are peace loving people and have even formed an organisation called the Muslim Christian Cooperation Forum that promotes peace and inter faith harmony. Unfortunately, there is no way to reason with fanatic mobs and the group is forced to cower in the face of fanatic Muslim mobs that are instigated by fanatic clerics with alternative agendas.

When Pastor made his statement - my friends in Pakistan held a meeting and condemned his proposed act of burning the Koran. I would like Pastor Jones to know that the extremist response to his actions was a threat to burn all the Christian neighbourhoods in Pakistan. How can it be that this threat did that not make the news?

My friends were helped by their liberal Muslim friends to take shelter outside of their homes to avoid any confrontations with angry mobs. Christian leaders left remote churches and sought the safety in the major cities. The police and government forces do not have a great reputation for being able to protect anyone.

The situation is a powder keg. As recent history shows - it only requires the irresponsible action of a simple pastor to spark protests. What if the 'spark' is greater and triggers riots and mob action against the innocent Christians, stuck in their Christian neighbourhoods. Will the Christians in the West be ready to step in and save them? Like the Israeli's who 'rescued' Jews from multiple Muslim countries. Do the Christians in the West have a plan?

As my friend says - 'Thank God that the issue resolved itself peacefully'. But what about next time?

The Jewish New Year - 5771

For the five thousandth, seven hundred and seventy first time - the Jewish New Year has arrived! Yes, we count our years from the beginning of creation - hence the number 5771. Don't worry about it - most Jews adhere to the Gregorian calendar. Jesus beat us on that one!

And yes, its another Jewish holiday although it's slightly misleading to call it a holiday as most Jews don't rush off to the beaches and mountain resorts - unless they're Israelis :). These holidays are the high holidays and no, cannabis is not legal in Synagogues unfortunately. Jews would probably be a little more popular on the planet if that were the case.

They are called high holidays as they involve a period of time during which Jews are supposed to examine themselves, achieve some level of spiritual spring-clean and prepare for the coming year. Here is my very simple understanding of the high holidays - and for anyone who wants to know, the appropriate greetings:

Rosh Hashana (direct translation = head the year)

Greeting - Chag Sameach (direct translation = holiday happy)

(CH - pronounced by flapping you epiglottis while exhaling. For those familiar with Afrikaans - its the same sound as when you say 'gat'.

Aseret Yemei Teshuvah (direct translation = ten days of repentance)

Greeting - Gmar Hatimah Tovah (direct translation = may you be sealed (signed) for a good year). You are wishing the person success in being forgiven for their 'sins' and that God will grant them another year of life by adding their names in the book of life.

Yom Kippur (direct translation = day of atonement)

Greeting - Tzom Kal (direct translation = fast easy) Wishing them a day of fasting that is not too difficult.

Hope that clarifies things a bit! Just remember that with almost everything Jewish, the more you investigate, the more complicated everything becomes.

Good Luck - (Hebrew translation = Behaltslacha)