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Eye on the World: assassination attempt in Syria
The Prime Minister of Syria, Wael al-Halqi, survived a bombing in a wealthy neighborhood of Damascus on Monday morning, although his bodyguard was killed in the blast and several others were injured. The attack suggests that the regime headed by Bashar al-Assad is becoming increasingly vulnerable, as the “safe zone” for regime members appears to be shrinking. Fighting between Syrian forces and rebels has continued around Damascus for months, although neither side has gained the upper hand. More than 70,000 people have been killed since the beginning of the conflict in March 2011.
This Sentinel editorial, “Join the march of Mind,” shows us how we can begin to pray about even an apparently intractable situation like the civil war in Syria. It’s important to remember that peace and harmony aren’t fragile and susceptible to being disrupted by conflict; in fact, it’s the other way around. God, divine Mind, has a solution that blesses everyone, and His power ends war and dissolves anything that’s unlike Him.
“Stop the hate; start the love” takes this line of reasoning further, arguing that hatred or division of any kind is no part of God’s plan for humanity. In fact, we can insist that conditions we see — including wars and suffering — conform to the spiritual facts we know to be true, since God’s power inevitably brings an end to conflict and confusion.
You might also enjoy reading “Where stability is,” an article published in the Sentinel in 1979 discussing how we can pray for the Middle East. The author notes, “Spirit's infinitely stable, peaceful kingdom is the only true one. Graphic television coverage of violence and counterforce ... should stir us to affirm truths of being that will help bring calm and healing to the storm and that will support negotiations aimed at settlement.” That much is true with regard to Syria, Iran, Israel, and any other country. Corruption, instability, and conflict aren’t parts of God’s creation, and they’ll fade into the background as peace and healing come to the fore.