Terrorism's Impact on Religious Affiliation: Christianity

By: Sarah Mason 

I wanted to highlight the fact that there isn't really a definite answer on how terrorism impacts religious affiliations. Everyone handles trauma differently and I wanted to enhance that idea through poetry. so much emotion can be portrayed through simple poetry and my references are all from the Bible which I think is very important because it shows the impact religion has on the lives of just about anyone, regardless of their affiliations. All of the lines that are in italics are common phrases that originated from the Bible. 

The Test

Today, God has looked into the eyes of 2,996 people and welcomed them to a new life.

Today, the hearts of millions have been ripped from their cages and only He can make us whole again.

Our Savior, the Lord of Lords, God Almighty.

Today, He has made the burning flames of the Twin Towers His ultimate altar.

Today, God has proven his place as the administrator, and we are the tested.

Judgment Day has come,

Are you ready?

Protection

Take solace only in God's light, it touches every corner of faith and burns brighter than the pain here.

God has touched the lives of many and now, His grip is tight and present.

He has shown His face in the river of tears, not as the assailant, but as the protector.

He will lead us to salvation, as He has time and time again.

"The Lord is Faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one."

All things wicked may walk this earth but never forget,

God walks here too.

Alone

I must have been wrong.

It cannot be true.

Innocent blood was spilled today not by a monster,

But by one of us.

How could He allow this?

How could He watch as lockdown was announced, and fear struck the voice out of those children?

Everyone is a sinner, there is no good nor bad.

There is only the free and the caged.

Beware all who you trust, you never know who might be

A wolf in sheep's clothing.

A Worldly Cry

There is a word for someone who has lost a spouse: widow.

There is a word for someone who has lost a parent: orphan.

There is no word for a parent who has to say goodbye to their child forever.

Thousands of children die a year in school shootings and there is no word to define the loss.

There is no word to define the pain.

Do we blame God for his act of abandonment?

Or do we blame ourselves for becoming the very thing we fear when the lights go out?

Maybe there is no such thing as heroes and villains or monsters and slayers.

I do not suffer fools gladly; I now know the truth:

There is no God.

Uncertain

Did He allow this pain or is He here to repair and replenish us?

This is a tragedy of biblical proportions and I am still not sure where to find His presence.

Is He all around us or has he left long ago? Have I been naïve to believe that He has always been here?

Or have I simply been a devout Christian who believes in His will?

How can I have a faith in something that has allowed such deep pain to nest and fester?

If I cast Him out, will this suffering ever leave me?

If I abandon my faith, will it set me free or will it be

the kiss of death?

The Hidden Paths

I haven't been able to take a deep breath since it happened.

I hate myself for being filled with life when my girl will never breathe again.

Medication and therapy just teach me how to suffer silently but I was told there could be a more permanent solution.

God has been waiting for me to turn to Him and receive His guidance.

I can feel myself falling deeper into my own despair, but would I be able to cling to the ledge of faith?

I've never been that man, the one to rely on a doctrine or a religion to improve my life but I think my descent has almost reached its end.

I'm not ready to hit the ground, but can I trust Him to carry me higher?

I don't have much time; I must now look within myself and find the answer I've been searching for.

The clock has been ticking for a while now and I see that it is almost

The eleventh hour.

He Has Risen

I felt His presence this morning.

I felt it in the gleaming sun.

I felt it in the love and care that filled the room meant for mourning.

I felt it in the tight embraces and the kindness and even now, I feel Him.

Even now, as I fight the good fight, His hand is imprinted into my being, guiding me forward with a protective strength.

I chose to fill my heart, not with the thoughts of revenge and anger, but with the prayers of the Lord because I know that there is no fight I cannot win with Him by my side.

He is not only with us through the good, but also the bad. He is not here to prevent the pain but rather to relieve it.

I've felt it every day since my wife has been taken from this world

And this is how I know that

He has risen.

The Lord's Will

I used to be so lonely after the attack.

All of my words were taken from me, but it didn't matter, I had no one to share my thoughts with anyway.

It hurt to live. Why was I spared? Did I deserve to be?

There is nothing more desolate than a soul wrecked by trauma, but He accepted me anyway.

He accepted me, a nobody gripped by the hands of PTSD and torn down by the weight of my own self-destructive thoughts.

He repaired me. I will never be whole again, but He put together the pieces of me that were still there, and He expected nothing in return.

I may not have made as big of an imprint on this world as the next guy, but He has shown me never to question my worth and presence.

The space that I take up is meaningful and what I do is a reflection of Him.

In all things awful and dark,

Let there be light.

Enlighten Me

Tell me, surrounded by the ash and bones of the ones that we love; where is your God now?

Tell me, did any of them deserve to be deserted? Did any of them deserve to wake up to the call that will change their lives forever?

Don't try to tell me that this earth has been tested because the lives of those lost were innocent and pure.

He is the Shepherd that led the lambs to the slaughter and for that, he deserves my faith?

For that, He deserves my prayer? My allegiance?

Tell me I'm wrong for not letting God into my heart, tell me that the words I'm speaking are evil; unjust.

Tell me that I'm becoming as bitter as the water He turned to wine.

I'll believe you. It only makes sense, for there is

No rest for the wicked.