Maybe the Reason makes all the difference

     As a nation some of our most patriotic actions began as radical acts of terrorism.  If England was the government, then our Boston Tea Party was a radical act of terrorism.  It was one of the acts that began the momentum for the revolution which became our war for independence.  So now looking back we celebrate that event.
     There is a great record of history within the Christian faith that suggests that even the Church has radical actions. Martin Luther posting his complaints on the church door was a radical act of protest.  Minority groups acting in opposition to the governing powers always carries a risk. It is not always helpful. It is very often violent.  It is very often deadly.   From my years I remember the radical group of   anti-Vietnam war protesters. I remember the burning of cities as part of the struggle for civil rights for Blacks.  I remember Waco, Oklahoma bombing, Atlanta Olympics, and others.  People on both sides were hurt. Police powers were used to control the actions. Civilians were wounded or killed.  Even when Dr. King took charge of the civil rights fight and it became "non-violent" the response of the powers in control was vicious and violent. Blacks were killed and wounded.
     Radical groups come together in a shared vision of their reality.  They share the conviction that things are not as they should be; that they are being mistreated and abused; that they must do something to bring about change.  They must make others aware of the injustice and bring about change.  It seems very consistent that radical groups share something of the Old Testament prophets message that God will bring punishment and suffering on to the people He loves that they will change.  Repent. Turn around. See the situation more clearly and make adjustments.
     The Radical group of the Westboro Baptist Church believes that their cruel and insensitive protesting at funerals will make the rest of us aware that God is punishing nice kind normal people because we have permitted and accepted homosexuals.  Their radical actions grow out of their understanding of the Bible.
     The 9-11 attacks were done by the radical group because they believe that American arrogance, American companies, American military, American cultural influence of music and movies is destroying their culture, their economies, and their countries.  They have a different vision of life and they believe that the "American Way" is a threat to them and so they act to "wake up" Americans so that Americans may change.
      As I write this we do not have any idea as to why the two young Boston residents left those bombs at the end of the Marathon.  If we can find out the reasons that motivated them, we may be forced to look at what happened differently.  Because history has a way of changing how things are looked at.
Most of the actions of radical groups are considered criminal when they happen.  They break the rules and they offend our sense of community and society. But like the Boston Tea party as time looks back that is now considered a wonderful thing.   The Civil Rights movement has made great strides because those radical acts made all of us look at the way we lived out our Declaration of Independence.
     One of the things that seems different in this bombing of the Marathon is that no cause has been  connected to it. When other terrorist groups pull off an attack they usually claim it and explain the reason for it.  Whatever the reason these young men had, it is hard for us now to imagine that there is anything that can be found to justify this bombing, but it would help us all feel better if there were at least some cause for them.  A cause would, at least, give some reason, and we would much rather have some reason than to believe that we live in an irrational world.