Celebrating Terror?

This is the 24th anniversary of the dreadful day in American history where some 3000 people perished at the hands of people who sold out to religious ideology and committed a heinous act of terror.  It was, plain and simple, pure evil.  We remember those who lost their lives that day, the families and friends who were affected, and we cannot forget that on that day, evil was on display in a unbelievable way.   1st Timothy chapter 4 (ESV) reminds us of the presence of evil:
1 Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons,
2 through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared...

Following the events of September 11, 2001, the United States took the fight to the enemy.  It invaded the nation of Afghanistan, which was known to give sanctuary to terrorism, and went on a years-long search to ultimately defeat the mastermind of the terror group Al-Qaeda, Osama bin-Laden.  The phrase, "war on terror," was used extensively during the years that followed 9-11.

And, we are still at war with terror today.  There are forces that are aligned with evil who are intent on wreaking havoc and creating and furthering chaos.  

Yet, many Americans, especially of younger generations, approve of the advance of terror in our world today.  In late August, the New York Post published a story about the results of a survey that was conducted, stating, "An alarming new survey found that 60% of Generation Z in the US favor Hamas – the internationally designated terrorist group – over Israel in the ongoing war in Gaza."  It added, "The results mark a clear generational shift, with 18- to 24-year-olds the only age group to show love for the vicious terror group, a Harvard-Harris poll released this week found."

The Post article stated, "It showed a clear trend, with support for Hamas declining — and support for Israel growing with age...," and noted, "Across all age groups, a total of 74% of people surveyed favored Israel, while 26% of Americans backed Hamas."  That's still a-quarter of Americans who support a radical terrorist group.

We must understand the ideologies at play here.  A Summit Ministries article on its website, written by its President Jeff Myers, stated this:

The October 7 attack was not, as Hamas’s narrative frames it, an act of self-defense in the name of resistance. It was not, as Hamas’s Western apologists would have us believe, an unfortunate overreach in a cross-border skirmish. It is about everything, everywhere—a pitched battle between worldviews involving issues of God, justice, force, genocide, oppression, corruption, religion, and the nature of truth itself. It is not just geopolitical. It is theopolitical. It was never just about Israel’s right to self-determination and the plight of Palestinians. It is about diminishing the influence of the Judeo-Christian worldview, the free market system, and representative government. It is a battle over the future of Western civilization. Among Americans, there is a generational divide over support of Israel. Older generations support Israel. Younger generations oppose Israel.

We have to see global conditions and conflict through spiritual eyes.  There are those that are intent on doing harm, who devalue human life and even believe that the best way to silence their opposition is to wield physical weaponry.   We can be intent in praying against the forces of evil and pray that the Holy Spirit would have His way.