The Dangers of Moral Compromise to defeat an Enemy.

One of the great tools of Satan is warfare.

Ever since Satan introduced the concept of murder to Cain for Cain to get gain, mankind has plummeted into further excesses of cruelty and wickedness to get gain in terms of power, lust and fame. From Cain’s fairly simple lusts of greed and jealousy to commit murder, we descend to the depravity of Lamech, who bragged to his wives that he had slain a young man to his spiritual wounding and his hurt; if Cain was to be avenged seven-fold for being slain, Lamech was to be avenged seventy and seven-fold. (See Genesis 4)

In the passage of time, the aggression of wicked men was to be countered by the means of defence. The potential victims of aggressors were allowed to defend their wives, children and property. In many cases God used his power to protect the defenders, but not always. It is hard for short-sighted man to understand all the ways of God, but in the eternal sphere, the balance of justice will always be measured. The aggressor will be punished and the victim recompensed. Further I am certain that the wider impact of crimes on society will also be dealt with by an all knowing God.

Pacifism is a noble concept, not to defend oneself against a murderous foe takes courage. But the cost can be tremendously high. If Hitler was allowed to continue his program of genocide against the Jew without opposition, do you believe there would have been any survivors of the Haulocast? I think not, there would have been not one Jew left on the planet.

What about the poor Muslims in the former Czechoslovakia? By the time military opposition took place against the Serbs, hundreds of thousands had been raped and murdered. We see the same appalling results in the Middle East. Just look at Syria where millions are displaced and murdered. Sometimes society must oppose tyrants, for if left unchecked, tyrants will be quite happy to continue their murderous programs of genocide.

Conventional warfare is a thing of the past.

Terrorism and propaganda are the new tools of warfare.

Consider the aftermath of 9-11. How many people were killed in reprisal attacks from the West? How many of those victims had anything to do with the attack on the Twin Towers? It was just the greed of the military/industrial complex of the United States, in my opinion. If weapons are made, they have to be used somehow, somewhere, sometime. How many “civilized” countries make weapons?

So the world is faced with the threat of suicide bombers. How do you counter such? Israel is deeply unpopular and its supporters are regarded as fascist bullies. They are now classified as an Apartheid regime. Yet how else can such a state survive against hostile millions? The declared intention of Israel’s enemies is to destroy their state as the land was stolen. Their policies and programs should be studied closely, it is a country where survival is paramount and it is the key focus of Israel. The view of Israel is that they will no longer be victims of genocide. Their enemies are quite prepared to die for their cause. The difficulty of facing such a resolute foe is daunting.

To catch a crook, you must think like a crook. This has extended to “to catch a crook you must be a crook”. When I was a teenager the movie “Serpico” starring Al Pacino was released. It deals with a cop who has to pretend to be part of the Mafia and eventually sees many of his fellow officers corrupted. When he blows the whistle, he faces persecution and great hostility. No different today when we see the treatment whistleblowers face, particularly in America.

To catch a terrorist, you must be a terrorist. The compromise of values, is that not the ultimate triumph of the terrorist? It must also be remembered that yesterday’s terrorist is today's freedom fighter.

The problem the human has is that exposure to any values over a prolonged period of time makes that person sympathetic and even takes on those values. Remember Patty Hearst, the millionaire's daughter? She was kidnapped at 19 years of age, tortured, threatened with death and raped. She was indoctrinated and became part of the United Federated Forces of the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA). She took part in various armed robberies, apparently under her own free will. This all happened in the early 1970’s. Upon her capture very little was made of her rape and she was convicted and sent to prison. To cut a long story short she was eventually pardoned by Bill Clinton in about 2001.

The kind of brainwashing she suffered is defined as the “Stockholm Syndrome”, where the victim develops emotional bonds with their oppressor. In my mind, this is a real and valid emotional development, there are those who dispute the “Stockholm Syndrome” but I agree with this analysis.

There are many good movies who show this development quite well, the sympathy the spy develops with the enemy, or the undercover cop/soldier develops with the enemy by being compelled to commit crimes to prove their unity with the criminal group.

The ultimate question is “Just how far are you prepared to go?”. What will you do to kill a terrorist? What will you do to catch a cunning crook?

The movie “Munich” made by Steven Spielberg addresses some of the moral dilemmas facing the Mossad agents who “revenge” assassinate the Black September terrorists who murdered Israeli Olympic athletes. There is a great deal of criticism of the movie by pro-Israeli factions. The details are unimportant to me, a movie is always an interpretation, not a documentary, even a so-called documentary is always the interpretation of certain events by the movie director.
Extreme ideology seeks to remove the moral blanket from its followers. Appalling acts where innocent people are killed are celebrated by the indoctrinated followers. How many times did we see ISIS, teaching children to execute prisoners?
To the opponents of such groups, they must learn to think and act like their enemies, thus in many ways become their enemies.

Is this not a victory for the terrorist/criminal? Does Satan not take pleasure in the corruption of man, of both sides descending to the same level, committing the same acts of violence? Who can really claim moral victory, or are such considerations a mere luxury when one’s very survival is threatened?

I cannot really answer such questions easily; all I can do is point out the dilemma. It is a stage for individuals to walk but even if such crimes are not balanced/paid for in this mortal life, eternity must (and will) balance the scales of the deeds of mankind.