TheoCon

Here is another piece from CT of Lebanese Christians speaking out against Israel and the U.S.

After the water turns to blood at Qana, how long?
by Riad Kassis | posted 08/02/2006 09:00 a.m.

I beg you not to respond by saying that circumstances are not right for a cease-fire or that it is not politically appropriate to do so. There is and will never be an acceptable excuse for the killing of civilians. The excuse that the U.S. is waiting for a “sustainable solution” without calling for an immediate cease fire is nonsense. It is only a green light for Israel to continue its atrocities in Lebanon. For stopping a war, for holding a fight, for checking the destruction of homes and livelihoods, for peace and negotiation, the time is always appropriate.

Sunday morning, I woke up to the news that an Israeli air strike hit a residential building used as a shelter in the southern Lebanese town of Qana, killing and wounding more than 65 people, including 30 infants and young children. According to tradition, Qana is the village where Jesus Christ performed his first miracle by turning water into wine (John 2).

”Riad Kassis is executive director and chaplain at the J.L. Schneller School in West Bekaa, Lebanon. He is also lecturer in Old Testament Studies at the Near East School of Theology in Beirut and formerly at the Arab Baptist Theological Seminary, Beirut Lebanon.”

Mr. Kassis along with Mr. Martin Accad are Lebanese Christians that were and is connected with the Arab Baptist Theological Seminary. I understand their pain and I feel for the children and Christians in Lebanon, I really do. My problem with Kassis and Accad is their veiled accusatory tone of putting Christianity on trial of which they are a part of. Why do they think that unless we side with them then Christianity is uncaring and blood thirsty? Kassis intimated that unless we side with him, he might lose his faith as an evangelical? First of all, even if all the Christians in the world are wrong about Israel and we encourage them to slaughter civilians; that still have nothing to do with his faith in God. His faith should be in God and not in Man. Second, Accad accuses us Christians of bias toward Israel and uncaring for the plight of the Lebanese people (whom he calls his people, although he claims to have Semitic blood). The question can be reversed, why are Accad and Kassis so blind and bias in their hatred of Israel and the U.S.?

Why are they not able to see things our way? If the Israelis are so blood thirsty, why to they drop leaflets warning the civilians to leave before dropping bombs? Why does Israel strategically bomb specific buildings? It would be a lot cheaper and more effective frankly, to just carpet bomb the entire city. Carpet bombing would be more effective in killing Hezbollah terrorists, while indiscriminately killing civilians. Indiscriminate bombing is the tactic of Accad’s beloved Hezbollah fighters, but it is not the tactics of a benevolent government trying to defend itself. I wonder why Mr. Kassis and Mr. Accad are unable to understand such simple facts. What right do they have to ask non-Lebanese Christians to stand on their side and defend the indefensible?

Second, war is hell as the saying goes. No one wants war, not only do the bad people die, the innocent civilians also gets killed. That is the nature or war which both Kassis and Accad know well, and that is the reason war should be avoided at all cost. Unfortunately, Accad’s beloved Hezbollah fighters don’t see it that way. The Hezbollah have a single fixated hatred for Israel and their only goal is the extermination of the Jewish state. Hezbollah do not care how many Lebanese or Israelis must die to reach this end. This is the reason they hide behind women and children, use innocent civilians as shields to fire rockets at Israel, knowing full well that the counter strike from Israel would kill these innocent civilians.

Every innocent life that is lost in Lebanon in this war is on the bloody hands of the Hezbollah and the Allah that they claim to serve, not Israel. What Kassis and Accad is advocating is for Israel to die. It is just for Hezbollah to use them as shields. Israel is only allowed to strike back if and only if they can kill only the terrorists involved. Israel is not god. They don’t have this kind of power to kill only the terrorists while they are hiding behind women and children. However, Kassis and Accad do not care about justice or Israeli lives. According to their rule of engagement many, many, more Israelis will have to die to save one Lebanese. Do you see the irony? When Kassis and Accad sees that there is a disproportionate death on the Lebanese side they scream and cry with indignation. However, their solution is for disproportionate deaths on the Israeli side and that is supposed to be justice? No, Mr. Kassis and Mr. Accad, you are not noble nor just. If you were, you would have taken your families and flee to northern Lebanon and seek out bomb shelters, just as the Israelis have to do.

Furthermore, where were you and your people during the 17 years of civil war in Lebanon? Why were there no screams and cries of IMMEDIATE cease fire? Why weren’t there burning of Hezbollah flags in the streets? Why were you and the Lebanese people so blood thirsty? Why weren’t you screaming back then “Go for peace!” “Go for reconciliation!” “Go for love!” Go for a cease-fire!”?

Now I hear of fellow Christians who enjoy seeing the turning of water into blood in the name of end-time prophecy. Their call should rather be to turn water into wine of gladness, peace, and life. Are we looking for the presence of Christ in Lebanon and Israel or for the presence of U.S. smart bombs?

This is the kind of ignorance of Christianity that I would expect from a Muslim but not a fellow Christian. The majority of Christians do not hold to this dispensational (Tim LaHaye) type of apocalyptic theology. Why attack Christianity, of which you are a part of, like so many other Muslims? Why not just make a logical and cogent argument using the evidence and the fact on the ground? Explain to the rest of the world how it is just for Hezbollah to use human shields and Israel must suffer more casualties in order for the Lebanese people to allow themselves to be used as shield.

The U.S.’s support for Israel has nothing to do with Christianity nor does it have to do with bias for Israel. The evidence to any logical and ethical mind would conclude the Israeli response to Hezbollah aggression is the only course of action possible.