Article November 4, 2002 Issue

To help stop acts of terrorism

Maybe the first step toward a saner world is believing in the power of our prayers to help prevent terrorist acts from taking place.

By Nate Talbot

AS THIS ISSUE GOES TO PRESS, the terrorist bombing in Bali and serial sniper shootings in Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia have been dominating the news. Sentinel contributor Nate Talbot has been praying about what has taken place. Public concern about the terrorism of random violence has prompted him to share ideas on how he prays about violence.

I've heard people talk about terrorism as if it were such a complex web of evil that there's no truly effective way to get at it and stop it. But there is a way that any of us can help stop evil acts from taking place, and I'll offer some ideas toward that goal. First, though, it might help to consider a news report I heard recently that described one theory of how the 9/11 attacks began.

It wasn't that complicated, the theory says. A few leaders in the AlQaeda organization were purportedly talking about a passenger jet that had gone down in the ocean a few years ago. There was speculation about it being a suicide crash. The thought occurred to someone that a suicide plane could fly into a building instead of the ocean. Thus 9/11 was born. Pretty simple. At least if you believe that report.