A fundamental every Christian must follow whenever discussing political or social items is the complete forbiddance of demonizing those who hold different ideological concepts. One of the great failings of political discourse in recent times has been the instantaneous rejection of anything coming from the other side for no reason save it coming from the other side. Further, this automatic dismissal has mutated into venomous hatred of those on the other side, a characterization of politicians as Beelzebub incarnate based solely on where they stand when it comes to the issues. Both left and right are equally guilty of this; both left and right whine like children caught with their hand in the cookie jar about how “they” started it whenever called out for behaving in such a fashion.
For a Christian, such behavior is not an option. Thinking and speaking in this way actively denies the omnipresent redemptive power of Christ in the life of any individual who approaches Him with an open heart. When allowed to grow, the new life that comes only through faith in Jesus works its way through the whole of a person until it permeates every aspect of their existence. This includes how they view public policy. While there is no groupthink mindset, and those who accuse Christians of being brainless robots unquestioningly following the dictums of any given church leader are pathetic in their inaccuracy and condescending biased tone, the raw truth of the Gospel lays out certain paths all believers must follow if they are being faithful to their Lord. The words of Paul in Philippians 3:15-16 (“All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained”) apply to all matters when viewed by one who has the Spirit, not solely matters of the Spirit.
With this as a framework, an examination of President-elect Obama’s stated intent to close Guantanamo Bay and either transfer its inmates to the States for civilian trial or release them demonstrates an alarming lack of both Biblically-based understanding of man’s fallen nature and something everyone who’s ever ventured outside a gated community knows: there are no rules in a street fight. While wrapping oneself in the “and justice for all” banner strikes a pose as being the great humanitarian and demonstrator of American superiority, in fact it is a sign of both failing to, or refusing to, accept that the words of Paul in Romans 12:21 (“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good”) in no fashion imply that evil, especially evil which threatens harm to yourself and others, must be met with passive appeasement in order to fulfill Scripture. As Jesus told His disciples immediately before His arrest, trial and crucifixion: “But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one (Lk. 22:36).”)
The people being held at Guantanamo are terrorists. They don’t play nice. They don’t play by the rules. They are sworn via their perversion of religion to the destruction of each of us and our way of life. What part of that is not being understood? How void of street smarts must someone be to not grasp these things? Does anyone believe now that Obama will soon be in office all is well and his mere presence will cause al-Qaeda to call it a day? C’mon. Osama Bin Laden said in 1999 that a plot to assassinate then-President Clinton was a “good idea,” which given that he was behind it was quite the understatement. How then does Obama, who was identified by his father as a Muslim although he is in fact a dedicated if occasionally off-target Christian, expect to be viewed given that anyone born Muslim who decides to reject Islam in favor of another religion is labeled an infidel?
This decision makes no sense. Furthermore, it is dangerous. The threat to America and its citizens is real and tangible. It can be effectively met solely by unyielding resistance, which brutally put means killing those who are sworn to kill you before they have the opportunity to do so. This is not a matter where other options are available. There are no other options. Certainly those being held at Guantanamo deserve their day in court, and if they are being held for what they neither committed nor intended to commit they should be set free. However, this should not be done at the expense of taking unnecessary risks for the sake of not “looking bad” to the world.
