Middle East

Since I haven't weighed in on any of the latest political junk, I decided it was time to pontificate.

Middle East uprisings:
While I know many people in Egypt are happy that Mubarek is gone,I have noted that some news reports still show that the army is pursuing Christians to imprison,kill, or harrass them. There is still repression in Egypt, even with the earthly strongman bound.

Even if Gadhafi gets his come-uppance (and I really hope he does), Libya's history will still come back to haunt its people. Why? Because years of repression and evil do not go away in a day. The longer a nation lives steeped in hatred and other problems, the longer it takes to bring freedom.

Russia is a case in point. Technically they became a "free" nation when Mr. Gorbachev and Mr Yeltsin changed everything. But centuries of repressive government have remained unchanged in many areas. And Mr. Putin's KGB background didn't help matters. Their brand of "democracy" is significantly skewed from our own. Mr Medvedev inherited quite a lot of "stuff" that he was not likely to change.

It will be like that in the Middle East, no matter how these uprisings shake out in the end. The MB's and other jihadists of the region will not let go of their power easily- and therein lies the problem. When chaos rules, evil steps in. The rule of law that we enjoy in America is not what they are used to- and it could flip quickly back to severe and unyielding Sharia.

I once had an argument with a lady who said she wished that we would have laws like the Middle East- so that drunks and child molesters would have their hands cut off or beheaded for their crimes. I asked her what if her own son were arrested and had his hands cut off, would she be so legalistic then? Our legal system may let some bad guys go, but it is set up from a perspective of mercy -- something few other nations have a grasp of.

My heart yearns for the best in the Middle East. It is the birthplace of civilization as we know it. But it took the life of Christ to switch off the inherent barbaric practices for the generations behind Him. Without His Presence and influence today, the Middle East will not have true hope for the future.