Have we learned our lesson yet?

“Haven’t we learned our Lesson?”

by Terry Dashner…

I like reading columnist Cal Thomas. He makes a lot of sense, especially in regards to the West trying to democratize the Muslim world. He, as well as I, thinks this might be an idea short of reality (all right an idea that’s impossible).

Let me explain. What if Muslims don’t want Western Democracy but are devoted to spreading Islamic law world wide, as they have propagated since the day they left the Arabian Desert to conquer the West in the seventh century?

Before you delete this article, give me a chance to argue my point. I concede that I may be biased to current events because of my reading of history, but there’s no getting around the facts of history, even if it’s revised to fit the political correctness of the day. History still teaches the danger in not learning from history.

When the 911 Commission was roasting Dr. Condoleeza Rice, an admired American Patriot, she reminded the Commission and the viewing audience of America’s short fall in not assessing very well the intentions of others. She reminded us that we failed to properly assess German intentions until two years after the sinking of the Lusitania in 1915. Remember it was not until 1917, two full years after the sinking and the wholesale slaughter of thousands of Europeans by the Germans that we entered the War to end all Wars. We repeated this failure to properly assess intentions when the Nazi regime violated the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, which ended WWI. Democratic countries continued to ignore Hitler, hoping he’d just go away, until 1939 when he invaded Poland.

I believe Dr. Rice was on to something. I believe she wanted us to know that predicting an event like 911 is impossible, but also I believe that there was a hidden message in her history lesson.

This hidden message was brought to light the other day while reading the archives of Cal Thomas. His article was dated November 11, 2003, but it read like today’s newspaper. In November of 2003, President Bush was addressing the National Endowment for Democracy. In his speech, President Bush asked the rhetorical question, “Are the people of the Middle East somehow beyond the reach of liberty?” Cal Thomas, in regards to this statement wrote, “It depends on the meaning of liberty.

What if the Islamic nations of the region define liberty differently from us? Suppose they see our liberty as something corrupting to faith and morals and our culture as something they do not wish to import…?” When I read this I thought, “Haven’t we learned our lesson?” Haven’t we learned from history that we oftentimes fail to assess the real intentions of other countries, especially the Middle East and nations of Islam?

History certainly has taught us, more than once, that not every country wants Democracy, and that not every religion is advanced by a peaceful means.

So here we are in 2004 still thinking that Islam is a peaceful and benign religion and that Middle Eastern nations, which have existed since the beginning as a rule other than Democracy, are going to bow down and accept our Western ideas with joy and love in their hearts. This is what we want to believe, I know. I would certainly like for everyone to love my Nation and its Constitutional Law as I do, but it “ain’t” going to happen. The only way the nations of the world are going to love their fellowman and live in peace is by having a change of heart, not a change of government.

The change of heart every nation needs (even America) can be achieved only through the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ. I’m not talking about imposing another religion on someone. I’m talking about introducing Jesus, the peacemaker, to the people of a nation. One day all the nations of this world will become the nations of the Lord Jesus Christ. Until that time, I’ll tell the story of Jesus and the real lesson of history—unless a man repents, he will never know the joy of true and lasting peace.

Keep the faith. The Prince of Peace is coming again, soon! (Sources cited are available)