Murdered Hostages Prove Scientologists Wrong

I used to think that people were basically good. This also happens to be a core belief of the "Church" of Scientology. I was never a member, though I did have some cursory interaction with them. There are plenty of people who think that people are basically good. This viewpoint is now incomprehensible to me.

It's primarily because I see my own sinful tendencies, my own not-goodness. As I look at the cross and see that Jesus didn't just die for the big bad things in the life, but the little things to - the white lies and unclean private thoughts - I realize that any wrongdoing is a BIG deal to God.

And then there are the recent hostage killing in Iraq. There have been so many the incidents blur together in my brain. But now I need to say that these murders are just one more proof that humans are not good. We are, as Pastor Harrell has said, more deeply flawed than we could ever imagine. The cross shows us that we are also more deeply loved than we could ever dare to hope. But let me focus on the first in this entry.

An entry about Eugene Armstrong can be found is this interesting blog. Warning: The top of the page is okay, but if you scroll down there are graphic pictures.

On CH Refugee, Brian had this to say:
Great Father in Heaven, see this and call them to account. Remember mercy, and grant them repentence if they're willing to accept it. But do not let this innocent blood be unavenged.

And my prayer back:
I agree with Brian in prayer, Father. Call them to account, or grant them repentence if they will receive it. Avenge the innocents who have been murdered. Amen and amen.

Prayers like this wouldn't be needed if humanity was basically "good." Maybe we haven't mudered someone, but haven't we all messed up in many smaller ways every day. Doesn't the same cross save both people like this, and people like us who's worse sin is losing our temper or breaking the speed limit?

And then the second hostage, Jack Hensley, was killed just 24 hours later.

From the same blog as above: http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/046829.php. Images of this, both graphic and non-graphic, can be found here.

No news yet (early AM hours of Thursday) on the third hostage, Britian Kenneth Bigley, except that the terrorists made him beg for his life. Updates forthcoming as I find the news.