But first, a disclaimer but should not be necessary but may well be even so: I think these guys did a terrible, abominable, horrible thing. I have little sympathy for them or their moronic, testosterone fueled world view. Their way of looking at the world is revolting to me. Having said that...
Were they "Godless"? Well, they committed suicide quite deliberately in order to please God. And their last words word likely something like "God is great!". The whole motivation appears to based on their interpretation of their duty as Muslims engages in holy war. How is this Godless? I can only only think of a couple of explanations for this assertion: "Incorrect religion = Godless" OR "Bad deeds = Godless". I am not sure which one of these is more obviously wrong or offensive. But I can admit that if you are so sure of your own religion that you are willing to call people of other faiths "Godless", then I think you are full of shit. And I don't apologize for that. You are full of shit. By the way, feel free to call me Godless; because I am.
But if your position is that because the deed itself caused great misery and seems to be evil and twisted that therefore the agents of it were Godless, I still don't get you. Were the pilots who dropped nukes on Japan in 1945 Godless? Were the numerous slave owners in the American Deep South Godless? Were the Crusaders Godless? Was the Great Inquisitor Godless? Were the witch burners in Colonial Mass Godless? The Aztecs who sacrificed people Godless? I would submit that asserting "Bad deeds = Godless" presumes that God loving people never do bad things and/or that only atheists are capable of evil (which again seems to suggest that most religions are atheism in disguise?). I find this offensive. I and I am not sure I should even need to explain why it's offensive.
What about "cowards"? I find this one even harder to comprehend. They killed themselves for their cause, no? This is not the same as someone not wanting to face the music for their crimes as thus killing themselves. Their crime was completely intertwined with killing themselves. And the evidence does not suggest that they were ashamed of their "crimes"; rather, they expected great rewards in heaven from God himself for their courageous deed. Let me ask this, which of these are cowards are which are courageous heroes?
- Kamikaze pilots
- An American Pilot who during the battle of Midway plunged his crippled plane down the smoke stack of a Jap ship
- The American soldier who stood his ground spraying the enemy with machine gun fire while his compatriots fled knowing we would certainly be killed (and was)
- Pakistani Muslims who attacked Mumbai knowing they would be killed
- The Japanese Soldiers who charged American positions in Iwo Jima hopelessly outgunned and out manned (sure to die and did)
- Egyptian soldiers who followed orders and were drowned in the Red Sea chasing the Jews.
- Abortion doctor shot in hia kitchen in front of his children via high powered rifles.
- The Christian who pulled the trigger killing the abortion doctor.
- The Communist troops in Vietnam who held their positions (and died) knowing full well that the Americans would eventually blow them up with bombs from the air.
- SS troops who fought ferociously and died in a hopeless battle against the Russians in 1945.
Why?
I am not sure any of these people were cowards. They had convictions and followed through on them at possibly great cost to themselves. Perhaps one could argue that "cowardice" relates to the ignobility of the cause? That would be a new definition I think. Put another way, I just don't get how anyone gets "coward" out of the 9/11 terrorists. Are the people asserting this so insecure that they cannot admit that the enemy is brave too?
So, why is it offensive? Because I think it presumes something like this: If someone does something I really don't like, they must not have the correct (read my) religion and they are cowards (even though by any other measure they are not). Well, OK, congratulations on your Godhood.
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