This past Tuesday a Muslim immigrant to the U. S., Sayfullo Saipov, drove a rented truck down a busy bicycle path in downtown Manhattan, New York City. This senseless evil act killed eight people and injured at least a dozen more. All of this was done in the name of religion.
This 29-year-old is from Uzbekistan, a country in Central Asia. He has been living in the United States since 2010. A note found in the truck indicated that this act of terror was done in the name of Isis. It was reported that the suspect was yelling “Allahu Akbar”, an Islamic religious phrase meaning “God is greater”.
Once again, our peace has been interrupted by the vile unrest of a soul that is not at peace with himself nor his god. Unsuspecting human beings have been murdered in cold blood by an individual who is cowardly, has a false foundation of religion, is motivated by a distorted ideology, and has no concept of the value of human life.
What this demented terrorist did is to him an act of worship. But the worship of whom? To the God of the Bible? Certainly not. To the God of peace? Obviously not so. To the loving God of Christianity? Definitely not. But rather to a false god! When you have an ideology based on a false premise, the end result will be disaster for yourself, your soul, and those whom you inflict with the actions of your wrong ideological tenets.
Is this twisted terrorist remorseful for what he did? Of course not. He’s actually proud of what he did. He is proud because he thinks he acted in accordance with the will of his god, and within the parameters of the teachings of his religious instruction.
We are told in the Gospel of John in the Bible, “you shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free”. Also “if the Son (Jesus) shall make you free, you shall be free indeed” (John 8:32, 36). Christianity is not a religion that binds you to false ideology; but rather it gives you real freedom to discover the true God of the Bible, to receive His love, grace, mercy, forgiveness, and abundant victory.
The God of Christianity will help you enjoy and appreciate life — not destroyed it!