The World Trade Center and Pentagon Collapsed due to terrorist attack

[AACHOO]

Billy Graham

President and Mrs. Bush, I want to say a personal word on behalf of many people. Thank you, Mr. President, for calling this Day of Prayer and Remembrance. We needed it at this time.
We come together today to affirm our conviction that God cares for us, whatever our ethnic, religious or political background may be.
The Bible says that He is "the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles."
No matter how hard we try words simply cannot express the horror, the shock, and the revulsion we all feel over what took place in this nation on Tuesday morning. September 11 will go down in our history as a day to remember.
Today we say to those who masterminded this cruel plot, and to those who carried it out, that the spirit of this nation will not be defeated by their twisted and diabolical schemes. Some day those responsible will be brought to justice, as President Bush and our Congress have so forcefully stated.
But today we especially come together in this service to confess our need of God. We've always needed God from the very beginning of this nation but today we need Him especially. We're facing a new kind of enemy. We're involved in a new kind of warfare and we need the help of the Spirit of God The Bible's words are our hope: "God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea" (Psalm 46:1,2, NIV).
But how do we understand something like this? Why does God allow evil like this to take place? Perhaps that is what you are asking now. You may even be angry at God. I want to assure you that God understands those feelings that you may have.
We've seen so much on our television, and hear on our radio, stories that bring tears to our eyes and make us all feel a sense of anger. But God can be trusted, even when life seems at its darkest.
But what are some of the lessons we can learn?
First, we are reminded of the mystery and reality of evil.
I have been asked on hundreds of times in my life why God allows tragedy and suffering. I have to confess that I really do not know the answer totally, even to my own satisfaction. I have to accept, by faith, that God is sovereign, and He is a God of love and mercy and compassion in the midst of suffering. The Bible says God is not the author of evil. It speaks of evil as a "mystery." In 2 Thessalonians 2:7 it talks about the mystery of iniquity. The Old Testament prophet Jeremiah said, "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" He asked that question, "Who can understand it?" And that is one reason we each need God in our lives. The lesson of this event is not only about the mystery of iniquity and evil, but secondly, it is a lesson about our need for each other. What an example New York and Washington have been to the world these past few days! None of us will ever forget the pictures of our courageous firefighters and police, many of whom have lost friends and colleagues, or the hundreds of people attending or standing patiently in line to donate blood. A tragedy like this could have torn this country apart, but instead it has united us and we have become a family. So those perpetrators who took this on to tear us apart, it has worked the other way. It has backlashed, it has backfired. We are more united than ever before. I think this was exemplified in a very moving way when the members of our Congress stood shoulder to shoulder the other day and sang, "God Bless America."
Finally, difficult as it may be for us to see right now - this event can give a message of hope -- hope for the present, and hope for the future.
Yes, there is hope. There is hope for the present because I believe the stage has already been set for a new spirit in our nation.
One of the things we desperately need is a spiritual renewal in this country. We need a spiritual revival in America. And God has told us in His Word, time after time, that we are to repent of our sins and we're to turn to Him and He will bless us in a new way.
There is also hope for the future because of God's promises. As a Christian, I have hope not just for this life, but for heaven and the life to come. And many of those people who died this past week are in heaven right now and they wouldn't want to come back. It's so glorious and so wonderful. And that's the hope for all of us who put our faith in God. I pray that you will have this hope in your heart.
This event reminds us of the brevity and the uncertainty of life. We never know when we too will be called into eternity. I doubt if even one of those people who got on those planes, or walked into the World Trade Center or the Pentagon last Tuesday morning thought it would be the last day of their lives. It didn't occur to them. And that's why each of us needs to face our own spiritual need and commit ourselves to God and His will now.
Here in this majestic National Cathedral we see all around us the symbols of the Cross. For the Christian, I'm speaking for the Christian now, the Cross tells us that God understands our sin and our suffering, for He took them upon Himself in the person of Jesus Christ our sins and our suffering. And from the Cross, God declares, "I love you. I know the heartaches and the sorrows and the pains that you feel. But I love you."
The story does not end with the Cross, for Easter points us beyond the tragedy of the Cross to the empty tomb that tells us that there is hope for eternal life, for Christ has conquered evil and death, and hell. Yes, there is hope.
I've become an old man now and I've preached all over the world and the older I get the more I cling to that hope that I started with many years ago and proclaimed it in many languages in many parts of the world.
Several years ago at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, Ambassador Andrew Young (who had just gone through the tragic death of his wife), closed his talk with a quote from the old hymn "How Firm a Foundation ... ."
We all watched in horror as planes crashed into the steel and glass of the World Trade Center. Those majestic towers, built on solid foundations, were examples of the prosperity and creativity of America.
When damaged, those building eventually plummeted to the ground, imploding in upon themselves. Yet, underneath the debris, is a foundation that was not destroyed. Therein lies the truth of that old hymn, "How Firm a Foundation ... ." Yes, our nation has been attacked, buildings destroyed, and lives lost.
But now we have a choice: whether to implode and disintegrate emotionally and spiritually as a people and a nation - or, whether we choose to become stronger through all of this struggle - to rebuild on a solid foundation. And I believe we are in the process of starting to rebuild on that foundation. That foundation is our trust in God. That's what this service is all about and in that faith we have the strength to endure something as difficult and horrendous as what we have experienced this week.
This has been a terrible week with many tears but it has also been a week of great faith. Churches all across the country have called prayer meetings and today is a day that they are celebrating not only in this country but in many parts of the world.
And in the words of that familiar hymn,
"Fear not, I am with thee; O be not dismayed,
For I am thy God, and will give thee aid;
I'll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
Upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand."
My prayer today is that we will feel the loving arms of God wrapped around us, and will know in our hearts that He will never forsake us as we trust in Him.
We also know that God is going to give wisdom and courage and strength to the President and those around him. And this is going to be a day that we will remember as a day of victory.
May God bless you all.




Wow.

Billy Grahams sermon.I pulled over and cried.From where I sat on the side of the road I could see others doing the same.

Saw the interview with the man who made it out alive.F.D.N.Y companies racing up the stairs knowing they would die.Body parts falling from the sky.Burning screaming people clawing at the sky while falling to their deaths.Strangers calling his wife saying "He's out.He's alive.He's walking home."

[juntel]

Among all the american preachers that i've known, Billy Graham always had a special place in my book.
I'm glad to have seen him there, giving us his wisdom.

And I'm incredibly pleased and moved to have seen an Imam invited among all the others.
This simple fact should send an unmistakable message to those who would support any terrorists: no blanket of hatred, and even through differences of religion and ideology, we can work together.
That Imam at the cathedral with all the others, including your President, that is one of the proof that america wasn't defeated, can't be defeated by these terrorists. They ultimately want to show that islam and the west can't be together, but they failed.
They fail to completely put the wedge between our worlds.

America can stand proud.

With that, this thread doesn't need my feeble words, and I will retire from it.


(and Sister, sorry if I took your post too personal... quoting me made me think it was directed to me. As for your question about what I would do in your President's shoes, I can honestly say that I have no idea about the details of what should be done: no president is a super genius knowing everything, and they have a tremendous team around him counseling him in these very tough matters. So maybe my answer really is: I would listen to this team that I had built around me, including those from the CIA, FBI, etc... And my responsability would lie in the final choices, and especially also to let the people know that things are being taken under control. And I think your President has done that well so far.)

[Sister Golden Hair]

No problem Juntel, and thank you.

[Finmandos12]

Afganistan said that they would attack any nation that helped us. That was a big mistake!

[ladyisme]

I guess that it just goes to show that "The guilty dog barks first".

[samwise of the shire]

It's a chain reaction, we get a few allies to help us in kicking the Talaban and so they decide to retaliate and boom everyone joins in the meelee so World War III begins and then we're gonna be stuck wondering where our enemies went.
Sam

[ryan]

I love aachoos reasoning. 'If a group of men, one from every nationality, hijacks a plane and rams something important, lets not allow anyone to board a commercial airline flight anymore, especially random groups of men, because they might hijack it.'

But yeah. If we kill everyone, no one will die anymore. Just because one corrupt american robs a bank in England, would you want people fleeing the bank, calling the police, and shooting at you the second you walk into a bank? Hmm..

Im sorry, but the racism and such of certain people ive encountered on the internet the past few days makes me sick.

[Gagool the Old]

I've just come up with an awesome Conspiracy Theory about the New York Kamikazes.....

Osama bin Laden says he didn't do it, he swore allegiance to the Taliban leader and the leader forbids him from doing anything like this. I believe him; the man's not afraid to die, so why would he lie if he really did attack New York?

If he didn't do it, then who did? Ask yourself, who benefits if America bombs Afghanistan heavily? Two parties come to mind:

1) The Anti-Taliban Alliance of Burhannuddin Rabbani, Abd. Rashid Dostum, the late Ahmad Shah Mas'ood, and Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. They're losing. The Taliban control 90% of the country, and recently the Alliance have lost Mas'ood, their best commander, nicknamed "the Lion of Panjsher". He died last week.

2) The Russians, who are not doing very well against the Chechens. The Russian economy probably cannot sustain the Chechen war for much longer. The Chechens get supplies and reinforcements via Afghanistan, and many commanders are either Afghan war veterans, or are trained in Afghanistan.

If America bombs Afghanistan, the Alliance may be able to take the offensive against the Taliban, and supplies and reinforcements for the Chechen Resistance will be disrupted.

What if...... the Russians got together with the Alliance? The Alliance gives them volunteers for the suicide mission, Russia gives them material support...... and the beauty of the plan is, the trail of clues leads all the way to Afghanistan, and Osama bin Laden and the Taliban gets the blame.

Then America bombs Afghanistan, and everyone in the Conspiracy is happy.

[anduin]

I'll get a jump on Greg (gdl96) and tell you that you might want to share your theory with those at Strangelove.

[gdl96]

No!!! Go post at strangelove!!! Dear god please won't you post at strangelove!!!

[Renille]

Well, as of tommorrow, it's been a week, and still I'm in total shock. Last Tuesday seems like something from a horror/sci-fi movie. I woke up normally, went to school, and after 1st period, my PE teacher told us that the World Trade Center and the Pentagon had been crashed into by planes.It meant little to me until I saw the tv set up outside the locker rooms. It began to sink in then, and it was awful. All day, my teachers let us watch the news instead of doing assignments. I went home...I was SO scared. All the week long, I've been stunned. Even though I live in WI, I really feel part of tragedy, as I'm sure every American and friend of America feels.

I hope this doesn't come to war, which it very well might. By the way, Bush just said he wants Bin Laden dead or alive. If I was Laden, I would admit that I was in charge right away and let the USA government take care of me, rather than the US army!



God bless America!

[Lief Erikson]

Right now the Taliban says that they'll punish Usama Bin Laden if the U.S. can prove that he's guilty. Personally, I can easily understand that point of view, even if it does make things much more difficult. I can understand it because we'd do the same thing. If the Taliban arrested an American citizen for terrorism, we'd certainly want to have our say in the matter first. Deal with him/her in our own court of law. The difficulty is giving evidence. There is a lot leading in that direction, but much of what we have and know about Bin Laden is gleened from intelligence operations in the area. We can't give the information without telling where it came from, and we can't tell where it came from if it came from spies working for us in Afghanistan.

I think that to win this war there are two absolutely important things that we're going to need. The first is patience. Patience to stick this thing out, and patience to not be overeager for an early victory. There are many terrorist organizations that need to be dealt with and none of them will be easy. We should sit down for a long tussel, not trying to get everything done at once. If that does happen, this attempt will fail.

The second is understanding. Instead of striking out blindly or angrily, we have to remain cool and collected, and we have to look from everyone's point of view. The Arabs in Palestine who were pleased, for example. They have lived all their lives, from day 1 with tragedy. Instead of wondering what type of ice cream to eat or what sort of computer game to play, they have to go through every day wondering if it'll be their last. They've lived with terrorism all their lives. Bombs destroying hotels and murdering innocent civilians are much more common place. Plus there is the fight they've had with Israel. They've been forced out of their homes where they were settled peacefully. They've been hunted and fought, using small and antique weapons against Israelies with American supplied automatic rifles, machine guns, tanks and airplanes. Many have been hardened to tragedy, having to live through it day after day.

Although this is not every Arab, this is most of the ones who were pleased by the airstrike. The majority of them were indeed horrified by what happened, they simply weren't the most visible Arabs.

And then there is also understanding of the American Arabs. Personally, I think that that would be the easiest understanding to have. Racism is illogical, flat out. I really hope that hate crimes don't escalate because of what has happened, and I think that the American Arabs or Palestinians need a great deal of prayer to.

One more thing I wanted to mention, simply for discussion. I really don't think that God would make this a judgement. In the Bible, every time that he decides to judge a nation for its crimes, he warns them multiple times to change their ways. Then he sends a prophet, stating what punishment he is going to bring, why, and when.

Although he might change this method, he knows people's hearts and he won't simply condemn innocent people to death. On the contrary, I think that he actually protected us, keeping it a much lighter tragedy than it could have been. Not to underscore the people who died, and I'm certain that this is no comfort at all to those whose families have lost people, but when you look at the evidence, it's incredible that there weren't thousands more losses than there were.

There were thousands of people within those two towers when the first plane hit. Some were killed in the blast, but overall almost everyone was able to get away. Which is amazing considering that there was only one staircase, and there were thousands of people who wanted to get down it. On the average day, there are usually between 50,000 and 70,000 people visiting the towers, enormous numbers of tourists as well. Most arrive at work later on in the day as well, so the disaster could have been far worse simply from that. And then there's the fact that many, many New Yorkers came to the site to watch. When the tower imploded upon itself, almost all of them survived as well. Then there's the fact that the tower did implode upon itself. When I was watching the TV, I was fully expecting an even worse disaster, the momentum causing the tower to crash to the side or something. If it had fallen sideways, it would have demolished one or two other skyscrapers, thousands more people would have been killed and the structural strength of the other skyscrapers nearby weakened, causing a probable dominoe effect.

There could easily have been 120,000 casualties, and currently there are only six or seven thousand people missing in the rubble. Although that is a terrible number, it could have been so, so much worse.

What has happened was intended to demoralize America, to shake it to the core. If we had had a different president, a different leadership then I think that might have happened. Or at least we wouldn't be so strong as we are now. But our country is instead united in a way that it hasn't been in years and years. We have the right man in office with wise and knowledgable men are working for him. He has the countries of the world siding with him, and what was a terrible tragedy could possibly be changed. Now there is a better chance of changing than any other, a chance to irradicate terrorism all over the world. Although it is impossible to ever completely destroy terrorism (anyone who has a bomb strapped to his back can cause damage, that is impossible to stop) eliminating the major organizations will make us live safer, our children live safer, and our children's children live safer. Now is the time, if we can only stick it out.

[webwizard333]

Well, I got to put my two cents (ok, its more like five dolars but whos counting?) on this whole matter. Many people are debating our response, some who oppose war and such are often quoting the Bible with "Love your enemies." I wholehartedly supoport this theory, but it is often misunderstood. I shall use an example from the Bible. In Genesis we eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, then comes the pivitol point, because He loves us, God, punished us. This may seem confusing, but think of God as a parent. The parent's instructions are say . . . . be back by 10. Say the kid comes back at 11. Should the parent not do anything and then the will kid will sink into worse habits. So, I believe that he should be captured alive and not made a martyr of, and then be tried in a court of law, we most certainly don't want to sink to their level. As for his actual punishment, we should not kill him, but I can think of far worse punishments we could enact. Maybe solitary confinement for life.

[easterlinge]

Something odd: one of the dead supposed suicide hijackers, a pilot with Saudi Airlines, turned up alive in Saudi Arabia. The guy approached the American Embassy demanding to know why he's being labelled a dead terrorist.

Another guy, an Air Tunisia pilot turned up in Tunisia, wondering about the same thing. The media kept saying he crashed a plane deliberately into the WTC. The poor guy's confused, but very much alive, having done no such thing.

And it turns out yet another of the suspects has been dead for two years.

CNN is saying it's possible the ID's the FBI found in the luggages were either forged or stolen.

So we still don't know who really did it.

[Finmandos12]

I have to change my originial statement. Lief, maybe this is actually a warning for America, showing what could happen to us if we don't go back to God. Far more people could have been killed, and what would have happened if the plane that crashed in PA hit the White House?

[Comic Book Guy]

Doe anybody else want to contribute to this discussion? I think that this could go into the Archive.

[galadriel88]

I think this should go in the archives but before you put it there I'd like to contribute something else. Just wondering what everbody's thoughts are on this whole FBI investigation of how it sould have been prevented. Personally I think we'e spending to much time on what could have been and not focusing that attention on what can be done now.

[BeardofPants]

Yes, but how are you supposed to learn from your mistakes, if you don't investigate what exactly happened to cause that horrific incident? It's not just enough to beef up security, you gotta find out where all your weaknesses are, so you can prevent another atrocity like this one.

[jerseydevil]

I didn't know this thread existed. I'd like to respond - but I don't have time right now and I haven't read it all. I would suggest that it stay up until a week after September 11, 2002. People can then share their feelings one year after the barbaric attack. Just a thought.

[galadriel88]

Well it's not so much that that I have beef with as that, it's like we're trying to place the blame or something. Cause we're sitting here saying, "This government worker gave this memo to this FBI person saying that an attack was possible, and it was ignored, blah blah blah..." OK folks, we know that maybe somebody didn't pay as much attention as they should have, but does playing the blame-game help kill bin Laden? I don't think so. And the natural reaction to something like 9/11 is to be more alert for any signs of attack in the future, so it's not like we're not doing anything to learn from our mistakes.