Biblical Synthesis
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Countering Terrorism
One of the most important ongoing issues in not just American politics, but all around the
world, is the issue of terrorism. Terrorism is defined by the FBI as either international terrorism, which is, “Violent, criminal acts committed by individuals and/or groups who are inspired by, or associated with, designated foreign terrorist organizations or nations”, or domestic terrorism, which are also heinous, criminal actions that seek to further agendas, whether in the realm of politics, race, or religion (FBI.gov). All countries and cities are vulnerable to acts of terrorism, whether that be a very pressing issue in America today, an active shooter situation, something as large-scale as the attack on the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001, or other acts by formal terrorist groups such as ISIS or al-Qa’ida. The United States Department of Defense, National Security Council, Bureau of Counterterrorism, and Department of Homeland Security work to protect the country from threats, foreign or domestic.
Problem Definition
Terrorism violates the theme of Biblical justice, which allows all people to be treated respectfully, and none better than another. Though some acts are not planned against a certain people group, many acts of terrorism are aimed at a certain demographic simply because of principles they hold, which is where terrorism becomes an injustice. OSU.edu author Cara Reed (2020) cites a cause of 9/11 being American troops housed in Saudi Arabia, which Osama Bin Laden believed, “violated the sacred spaces around Mecca and Medina”, which caused injustice against the American people just because they were Americans. According to the Department of
Homeland Security (2022), there are numerous acts and programs set in place to defend against acts of terrorism, such as the Ammonium Nitrate Security Program, which controls moving of ammonium nitrate since it is a highly explosive substance that could be easily turned into a
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terrorist weapon because of its explosive properties. The Homeland Security Appropriations Act
institutes a higher amount of security for facilities that contain chemicals that can be used in a terroristic fashion. Because of the extensive amounts of regulations, in place this problem would
not classify as a de jure injustice, but a de facto problem. The State will not be able to fix the problem of terrorism by simply implementing a change in law. The State implementing a law would not stop the injustice of terrorism from happening, as an individual harboring enough hate for a certain people group would not be stopped by American legislation, causing a de facto problem, rather strategies to equally protect all people of this country are put together by intelligence organizations to ensure the principle of Biblical justice is carried out by protecting all individuals.
Sin-Crime Distinction
Terrorism is a crime in all senses of the term, as it violates the inalienable rights that are the most fundamental and important rights of Americans, endowed by God. It violates life by killing innocent people, liberty by violating simple human freedoms such as association with an ethnic or religious group, and lastly violates property as property has been either reduced to rubble or seized through acts of terrorism, such as the Oklahoma City bombing of 1995 which killed 168 people and destroyed over 300 structures (FBI.gov). Terrorism, in a Biblical sense, is a sin simply because of the hatred and disregard for God’s creation, making it not just a crime against humanity, but a crime against God. Because of God-given inalienable rights being violated by terrorism, the State, which has been established by God to carry out the protection of the rights He gave people, must get involved to do its duty of protecting the American people. Due to the criminal nature of terrorism, it is the State’s duty to find and punish those involved in acts of terrorism against America, as God set up government partly to render justice, to not allow
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the weak to be exploited. Though the State needs to punish those who have committed acts of terrorism, preventing the crime by the agencies such as Department of Homeland Security and Federal Emergency Management Agency having strategies to detect and neutralize threats to the country is a better course of action. The agencies of the State ought to be proactive in recognizing and subduing threats to the country, allowing the inalienable rights of the people to be preserved. Church/State
Interpersonal conflict, defined by Marsha Ferrick (2019), is “conflict that involves two or
more people”, while intrapersonal conflict is “conflict we experience within ourselves.” The interpersonal portion of this problem involves terrorists vs. whomever they target or harm, though those under attack do not have much way of fighting back sometimes, depending on the weapons used. The main interpersonal conflict is terrorists vs. the military groups deployed to fight against them, also operating under the principle of resisting tyranny, a Biblical principle which makes sure that Christians are not trampled over by oppressive groups or governments. Any intrapersonal conflict may go on within the terrorist that is not one-hundred percent sure with what he is doing. Most of the time though, terrorists are fully committed to their ideology that what they are doing is correct. Spiritual conflicts are present in how God abhors the terrible sin people commit in the act of terrorism. God helps combat this by giving Christians and those in the government the ability and power to resist tyranny. The government and military of the United States must be utilized in resisting this type of tyranny, as God would have it. The systemic aspect of terrorism comes in as any place can experience a type of terrorism. Terrorism
is not something that will only happen to specific individuals or a certain ethnic group. It can happen to anybody at any time. The legal part of the problem is that errorists are also to be
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punished by law of the government of wherever they are terrorizing. Structurally, the problem reveals itself through racism or bias against certain people or religious groups a lot of the time, as
terrorists will attack certain religious or ethnic groups just because they are a certain religion or ethnicity. Covenant/Federalism
Noncentralization is important to not allow one group to have all the collective power of the country. God did not create government to rule over the people with an iron fist, but to establish justice and preserve order. Concerning countering terrorism, noncentralization allows for state and local governments to help prepare for heinous terrorist attacks, and to help make decisions that will be best for whoever is under the terrorist attack (govinfo.gov). Due to terrorism being such a drastic issue, and though it is important the government be noncentralized,
it is much easier for the federal government to take control of the fight against terrorism. The federal government has groups like the FBI that are trained to protect and secure the United States against numerous threats. According to FBI.gov (2016), they have Joint Terrorism Task Forces that defend the country from terrorism, both in this country and overseas. They are comprised of individuals specializing in numerous different things, such as crisis response and intelligence. God has appointed officials in the local, state, and federal levels of government to ensure a noncentralized government, but the federal government is equipped the best to combat terrorism. Resisting Tyranny
The government is not overreaching or placing restrictions on individuals that impact terrorism. Terrorism is a problem that results in murder and serious injury of the victims. The government strictly is fighting against it and it does not involve proposing bans of anything or
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taking away freedom of the citizens of America. God uses government to keep order and justice in the country, and the government is combatting terrorism to keep order and protect the lives of the country. The US Department of State continues to press for increased law enforcement and “judicial capabilities” to give them more ability to counter terrorism and improve the readiness of those fighting against terrorism. The government does not violate rights of the people in any sense, but rather seek to do their God-given duty of resisting tyranny against the nation by preparing and fighting against terrorism. Conclusion
God has placed government to secure the safety, justice, and order of the people, and
while terrorism oversteps those bounds, violates life, liberty, and property, and is a crime against
humanity and God, God has equipped the government with abilities to fight against it. With
consistent work and preparation, the United States will continue to succeed in its war against
terrorism.
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References
Counterterrorism Laws & Regulations
. Counterterrorism Laws & Regulations | Homeland Security. (2018, August 18). Retrieved April 5, 2023, from https://www.dhs.gov/counterterrorism-laws-regulations
Combating terrorism: Enhancing partnerships through a national preparedness strategy. (2002, March 28). Retrieved April 11, 2023, from https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-02-549T/html/GAOREPORT
S-GAO-02-549T.htm
FBI. (2016, May 3).
Terrorism
. FBI. Retrieved April 5, 2023, from https://www.fbi.gov/investigate/terrorism
FBI. (2016, June 13).
Joint terrorism task forces
. FBI. Retrieved April 13, 2023, from https://www.fbi.gov/investigate/terrorism/joint-terrorism-task-forces
Reed, C. (2020, August 14).
What caused 9/11 - and the consequences that linger
. The Ohio State University. Retrieved April 5, 2023, from https://www.osu.edu/impact/research-and-
innovation/hahn-september-11
Ferrick, M. (2019, April 1).
Interpersonal vs intrapersonal conflict: Marsha Ferrick phd BCC
. Marsha Ferrick Coaching. Retrieved April 9, 2023, from https://marshaferrickcoaching.com/interpersonal-intrapersonal-conflict/
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