September 11 of 2001: The Aftermath - Essay Example

September 11 America’s faith in god and its spirituality was shaken, challenged and shattered on Sept.11, 2001 leaving many in search of solace in religion. The aftermath has left many bewildered and doubting if what they found amidst the horror is gods work or not. It has taken a long time for the country to come to terms with the disaster and there are still some who are experiencing a crisis of faith. The norm that is more accepted now is spirituality which is an antidote to religion. It is the ones who have firsthand experience who can relate to the close encounters with god and afterlife. Even time has still not been able to completely heal and answer the question why? This question why has been keeping saints, philosophers and theologians alike perplexed for ages now. The question is that why does god allow evil? Especially for people who have lost near and dear ones, the wounds are yet raw and they are left at the cross roads of faith. But when you look at it logically and theoretically it is common human emotion that makes us turn to god when something goes wrong. Take for example when there is some very exicting incident taking place does one ever hear of god being mentioned so often. Or for that matter there are thousands of lives being lost everyday in the world due to various reasons. How come it is all taken in each ones stride? As we can see it is only when an incident of this enormity happens that we look to god and the flow of emotions all at one time moves us to question our faith. Now when you look at it dispassionately it does make more sense, but this of course cannot be expected from someone who has been involved in the incident itself. People at ground zero can say for a fact that there were no atheists at the moment of disaster, suddenly everyone around were spiritual even in those tortured circumstances. It is all very well to come out of it and then start questioning god and faith, but when you ask the man in the situation, to him there is no one else but god at that moment. I for one looked at the whole incident with awe and shock but throughout I could only be amazed at god who’s power seemed awesome in comparison to this great manmade disaster. If you are wondering why a loving god cannot stop such tragedies from happening be it manmade or natural the answer is simple if you are familiar with the bible. You will be aware that blessings fall on the just and unjust alike and we cannot begin to understand his ways which transcends human understanding. Of course as mentioned it is all very well to preach from afar as I have always wondered if I would have been as brave like some of the rescuers who had risked their own lives to save many. All I could do was praise god that he had sent so many angels in the form of these men who were willing to sacrifice their lives to save others. Faith and Doubt at Ground Zero The frontline documentary that caught the attention of millions did an excellent job of getting hold of exclusive clips which had nor been aired by anyone. The whole documentary was in the third person’s point of view yet the detailed video clippings provided a whole new look at the event as it happened. The various arguments and view points that were addressed were an eye opener and kept the audience glued in the hope of finding an answer to their faith. As one takes a closer look of the frontline documentary we see the doomed planes flight into the building, the slow motion effect where time seemed to stand still while everything else feel apart. This is where everyone’s faith is at stake as the bystanders watch helplessly. The whole point of view seems to focus on if there is a god why did he let it happen? The entire narration brought out the question of how could God be a part of this evil, which of course had no answers? The irony was the fact that the terrorists themselves did it in the name of God. These basic questions seemed to take precedence especially by the ones who felt betrayed by religion. Emotions of sadness and grief are evoked watching graphic footage of the uncalled for violence that sacrificed innocent lives. You are left with an empty feeling of living in a cruel world where you are surrounded by death and pain. Everyone be it a believer or a layman felt at the cross roads of faith and the cruelty around them numbed everyone watching. It was as though God had abandoned mankind for that short while. This two hour special on Faith and Doubt at Ground Zero addresses these questions with the background of faith. Above all it is the subject matter that made this documentary standout. Without dwelling on the tragedy it highlighted the aftermath with people talking about faith in god, amidst total destruction of lives which is what made it a compelling documentary. The amazing fact that the program managed to bring out is that even the so called atheists were stumped having put their trust on mankind. The many voices that sounded the grief and pain with a common language of shattered belief were profoundly shocked by the surrounding brutality. Most of the people interviewed were people who counted their blessings thanking god for their lives until the Sept 11th attack on their faith. Towards the end the documentary turns to the evil that can be inspired in the name of religion. I could tell that there was no greater evil around than the religious passion which drives men to be brutal. One drawback in all the effectiveness of the documentary was the fact that it failed to draw a parallel to other atrocities like the massacres of Bosnia, Somalia killings etc. instead concentrating on the American suffering solely. The final conclusion leaves faith and doubt open with no questions answered. Instead it evokes a soul searching highlighted by the attack on the Twin Towers. A Survivors Story A survivor’s story tells us the tale of the vice president at Euro brokers Brian Clark who was one of the lucky ones to have escaped from the crash of the towers. In his interview in the Nova program “Why the Towers Fell” he relates in vivid detail his experience of how his instincts combined with luck saved his life along with another man whose life he managed to save. The whole episode to Brian Clark seems unreal when thinking back especially to someone who lived a normal life where everything goes like clockwork and nothing could go wrong. He remained in shock for quite sometime as he describes even the anger was missing it was just deep sorrow that dominated his emotional state. It was not until much later that the flow of emotions took over and he realized the evil that is out there with no restraint. But he believed that vengeance belonged to god and he was no one to initiate it. Though he knew that many who had lost their loved ones were questioning faith and religion, trying to find the answers that would ease their pain. It was not only the ones who had lost but even the onlookers were left with deep doubts after witnessing the horror at Ground Zero. It seemed that the whole world especially America was questioning the role of God and the violence found in religion itself. This drama of belief and religion began to unfold when the first plane struck the North Tower and the people watched in bewildered silence the awesome destruction that had them questioning god. To Brian Clark God knew best and he was in control all the time. To some God seemed blank and all else that was happening around them took precedence and control over faith and religion. I have delved deeply on this tragedy where god fearing and good people lost their lives and loved ones and wondered what does role does religion have to play in all this. That is when I realized, god has not promised us life for ever but yes he has promised us an abundant life with his grace. He wanted us to live a life that is meaningful which does not mean that everything in life has to have a meaning. He has always said that there would be troubles in our lives but he would carry us through them. Hard situations will always arise but that does not mean god has abandoned us but to me it is his way of life where I can get closer to him. The more he tests my faith the more strongly I feel when I am out of it. I know it is easy to preach when you are not in the fire yourself but there can be many other situations in life which add up to a 9/11, where your faith is in the crossfire. It is at these times that we unconsciously get closer to god. When I am sailing through life I need to talk to god just once in a day but when in trouble you seem to constantly be in conversation with him! The reality of God does penetrate our human minds time and again and we expect him to be the hero in all adverse situations in life. I have found my faith growing stronger after the incident and it has made me proud that I worship a God who teaches love and my religion is what keeps that flame alight. Works Cited Eric Deggans. Review: Frontline-Faith and Doubt At Ground Zero. 3rd Sept. 2002. 9/11 documentary asks troubling questions about religion. 14th May.2008. St.Petersburg Times. http://www.sptimes.com/2002/09/03/911/911_documentary_asks_.shtml Alissa Griffith. The Post. 13th Feb, 2008. Maybe its just me: Faith in God is needed to stay on solid ground. 14th May. 2008. http://www.thepost.ohiou.edu/Articles/Opinion/2008/02/13/22856/ Rev.Douglas Paterson. At THE CROSSROADS OF FAITH. 11th Sept. 2005. Page 5. 14th May, 2008. www.fumc-a2.org/cf/files/sermon050911.doc Shawna Richer. The man who went down instead of up. 9th Sept. 2001. The Globe and Mail. 13th May, 2008. http://www.ctv.ca/special/sept11/hubs/archives/richer.html Helen Whitney. Transcript. 2002. Faith and doubt at Ground Zero. 13th May, 2008. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/faith/etc/script.html   Read More