I never met any of the four victims, but...
... this quote comes to mind.
John 15:13... Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
I think it applies to the three dead, and, also to the one wounded, and also to all their unharmed co-workers.
Those people weren't working in a pleasant place. The entire country of Yemen is not a pleasant place. Many of the people, however, are probably OK, with just enough crazed killers among them to make the whole area extremely dangerous for any and all nonMuslims.
Did the people personally "like" or "love" the Yemenis? I suspect they did. Even if my suspicion is incorrect, they did, however, apparently like the idea of attempting to aid some of God's other children.
Did they lead imperfect lives? Most likely. Can a lack of perfection be used as a justification for outright rejection of their religion? Not rationally. If one uses that as a standard, the only religion that should be followed would be one where you find perfect people, or at least where Jesus still walks the earth and provides face to face counsel. Since that's not occuring, except to an exceptional few individuals, the best the rest of the world can do is read and try to learn (ACCURATELY!!) what his teachings were, and then live them.
Can the individual's lack of perfection be used as a justification to reject the individual, and not follow his/her example? Sure, if the missionary has greater behavioral problems than the host community. These people, however, did not get rejected by their host community. They were rejected by one of the local crazed killers. They woke up every morning knowing that they might not see the sunset. They did, indeed lay down their lives for their friends. This happened at the airport when they left their homes here in the States. Only when they get on the plane to return home at the end of their mission time do they pick their lives back up again.
Those three laid it down, and then, while they were busy with something they considered larger and more important than their own lives, their lives were stolen.
That's right. I said stolen. By someone who thought he'd use their lives to increase the value of his own afterlife. No religion that teaches that kind of theft, for that kind of reward, is valid.
That brings to mind another quote:
Luke 6:43... . For a good tree bringeth not corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
Good teachings lead to good behavior, and therefore, to good conditions for all concerned. This nation was founded on Judeo-Christian principles. We, Americans have invented the majority of the best technology the world has seen. By and large, we have good conditions for all concerned. As Dnesh D'zouza (sp. ?) observed, "In America even the poor are fat. "
What fruit do we observe in Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, and Atheistic countries? With a few local exceptions, pretty much universally we see poverty, bloodshed, oppression, people who'd rather be dead than continue their existence on this earth. And they invent nothing. Bad teachings lead to bad behavior, and therefore to bad conditions for all concerned. Dnesh D'zouza's from India. He worked in the Reagan White House. He chooses to continue living in these United States. He's seen both sides. I don't know what religion he practices, but, by our fruits, he knows us. So have many others, from many lands. They may or may not want Christianity for themselves, but they do observe that living is better when there are Christians around.
Before you jump in with the "whatabouts", Tim McVeigh was no Christian. Clinic-bombers are not Christians. Once again, "by their fruits shall ye know them"... . rm
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