Aftermath of the Boston Bombing

I've been keeping current on the investigation into the Boston marathon bombings. My heart has always gone out to the families that were impacted and especially those that lost loved ones. I cannot even begin to imagine what that day was like and then the aftermath of it all. It's hard to think or suggest that it fit into God's plan somehow as we all know God is all knowing and knew that it would happen even before it actually did. People will use it as an excuse to push God away saying things like, "If He is truly a loving God then why? Why would he allow to this happen?" I suppose the answer that things happen and people die just isn't good enough although it is the way our world has always worked. Some people die young and some die old, some die tragically while others die of natural causes. Some are murdered, some commit suicide and some are executed. The fact is we live and we die. At least us Christians can find solace in knowing that our lives will go on after we are done here.

So I have read most of the stories about the bombings and of course the Tsarnaev brothers. I have read the comments that follow the stories and I become saddened by many. Since the Tsarnaev brothers were Muslim of course a lot of people took to blaming religion and there are actually still a good number of people that do. I've been reading comments that religion needs to be banned, made illegal, people stating that if it weren't for religion everybody would get along and live in peace and harmony. If it weren't for religion we would have NO problems. People think that us Christians are actually the haters. That we are too intolerant in our beliefs and that we refuse to keep an open mind about anything. That we refuse to accept change. Oh, if you all could know how many times I wanted to reply to all those comments but we all know that they would just answer in turn with their own reply and so it would begin. A battle that nobody would win.

One of the things that truly saddens me is the amount of pure hatred for the bombers' family. I do not believe that those two boys were sent on a mission from God. I admit that I don't know much about Muslims. I know very little about their faith or what it means to them. So in fairness I cannot sit here and say that there was no way they could have believed that what they were doing was for God. Maybe they were mislead in their study of their faith. We all know that it states clearly in the Bible that thou shalt not kill. Everything I have studied up to this point supports a firm belief system based on LOVE and FORGIVENESS. I am a Christian that not only believes that God exists but I know in my own heart that He does. I believe we are never to kill or even harm another person. In fact we are supposed to help as many people as we can in any way that we can. We are suppose to forgive the people who harm us in any way. We are supposed to love the sinner and hate only the sin. As Jesus was being crucified He said to God, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." So I have no doubt that God did not send them to do what they did but I also cannot understand the level of pure hatred for the bombers' family. The mother was criticized for not wanting to believe first of all that her boys were responsible and then also for being in denial that it happened at all. I've tried to put myself in her position and I can't do it. I cannot imagine what it would be like to find out that one of my boys had done this incredibly horrible thing and then also that one of them died because of committing the act. She has not been allowed to mourn the loss of both of her children. Shouldn't she at least be allowed that? I myself do not believe that I am entitled to punish or judge anybody and yet it is religion that is being considered the source of hatred when you have all the nonbelievers who don't want Tamerlan's body buried on American soil yet they also don't want to allow the family to claim the body. He was shot multiple times and suffered blunt force trauma (he was punished) but not to their satisfaction. Many people commented that they actually wanted to see his body dragged through the streets and then set on fire for all to watch. No mercy. Unforgiving. Not Christian. It took weeks for a mortuary to agree to take Tamerlan's body and once he did he needed police on constant guard. He suffered criticism for taking it. The article stated that the director received about a dozen calls from people wanting to donate to Tamerlan's burial but he directed them to give instead to the victims through the One Fund Boston. At that time he could not find a cemetery that would allow him to be buried. Tamerlan's body has finally been laid to rest in an unmarked grave in a Muslim cemetery in Virgina. However even they are now coming under fire. They are worried that they need police on guard to prevent defacement. What kind of world do we live in when the dead are not allowed to be buried? Yet anyone with faith are the haters. I understand that a lot of pain and suffering happened that day as a result of the actions of those two boys. I understand that people lost a lot. It seems like to me though that people think that it will make everything better to respond with even more anger and hatred and the few people that feel the same as I do get called unpatriotic and get told that we need to leave this country.No, I won't leave the country but how about I pray. I will pray for less anger, less hatred and more healing. I know that forgiving can be hard and that giving up one's anger can also be very difficult but anger, hatred and violence are the true cause of all that's bad in the world. Not religion. Not Christians. Not God. The world needs God. :) 

Link to article about mortuary that took Tamerlan's body
Link to article about burial of Tamerlan's body