In times of war information is gold. It can be the difference between victory and defeat.
For any decision to be made in a time of conflict, knowing the truth about the enemies plans, the weather, the topography of the war zone, the morale of the enemy’s troops, their armaments, their defence budget, their allays, their…. etc. Such is the value of reliable information, a.k.a. intelligence. Communications within military outposts is often encrypted, and to make things doubly difficult for the opposing side, a good deal of misinformation is “allowed” to slip into the enemy’s war office.
Today we are at war, whether it is an officially declared war or not.
But who are the combatants?
There may be a lot in the press about the war in the Middle East which is forcing countries to take sides, either with the predominant American/Israeli alliance or with Iran. This conflict is dividing not only the nations of the world, but also all those who have an opinion on the subject, and to the degree that neighbour is against neighbour is the degree that neighbours are at war with each other.
Did the war begin in the Middle East when the first missile flew overhead and landed in the enemy’s territory? That may have marked the official day of hostilities (war) but there has been a hostility between Israel and all of her neighbours since the time that Abraham’s wife and mistress were at hostilities 4,000 years ago. The animosity between these two women, Sarah and Hagar, and their offspring, Isaac and Ishmael, has never been resolved. It is commonly referred to as the “ancient hatred” and this hatred has only intensified as the years have progressed.
How does this conflict on the other side of the world affect you and me?
We are already seeing tensions rise due to the rising price of fuel. There will be a spill-over effect when groceries (and anything else that relies on transport or machinery) begin to escalate in price as shortages hit the supermarket shelves. When people are forced to compete for a limited supply of commodities, hostilities come home. Remember the toilet paper wars in the isles of supermarkets during the COVID lockdown saga? The Arab-Jew war has suddenly overflowed to every household in Australia and everywhere else in the civilised world.
Who is to blame?
Whenever there is a victim there is a perpetrator of the offence. This is where things get messy, we are all drawn into the judgement hall of justice, and we all have a verdict of who the guilty party is, based upon the information (intelligence) fed to us by the media. The ‘messy’ part of this is that we all have a predisposition towards what we believe to be what is fair and just, based upon our own prejudices that have been compounded by propaganda emanating from the conflict and the various vested interests. There is always dirty money involved.
How is peace possible?
Peace begins when we resolve not to be drawn into the conflict, but rather to be a peace-maker. A peacemaker must find another source of truth other than what the warmongers are feeding the news-hungry populace, as propaganda is designed to inflame hostilities towards the opposing side. Propaganda is a mind-control tool that will cause people to think in a certain predictable way favourable to their cause. The definition of a victim can now be broadened to include victims of propaganda!
Where can we find the truth in a world flooded with propaganda, lies, and disinformation?
A famous politician well acquainted with public opinion once asked Jesus the question, “What is truth?” The question is recorded in John 18:38 of the Bible. Little did Pilate (the politician) realise that Truth was standing in front of him. John 14:6
The Christian faith has as a foundational tenement that the way to God is through forgiveness. The Christian is to forgive their enemies if they want to have any hope for salvation. Both Jew and Islam have as a foundational tenement in their doctrine, that their enemy is to be annihilated. Therein lies the problem.
As we approach Easter, this season coincides with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus from the dead, just over 2,000 years ago. Jesus called out “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” as he was being lead away to be crucified. Luke 23:34.
Can there be any other solution to the Middle East crisis that is steeped in an ancient hatred that began millennia ago and is creating conflict in our supermarkets here today? He gave his life so that we can live a better life – His life.
Praying that you can enjoy a most peaceful and loving Easter time that you could ever imagine.
Blessed be the peacemakers.
Jon. Holden
Festoon Publishing.
