The mayhem, death, and panic in Brussels this morning was in apparent retaliation for the arrest of one of the cowards responsible for the attacks on Paris. Retaliation is the language and tactics of soldiers--albeit soldiers without honor. (Soldiers with honor battle other soldiers and do not purposely target civilians.)
The difference between soldiers and advocates is becoming absolutely essential to understand--if civilization is to survive.
Oh I am not saying that we are in imminent danger of the extinction of the human race. The question is whether we can live as civilized people.
Coercion and violence are not the tactics of civilized people.
History has seen forces professing Christianity which have used coercion and violence as a tactic to advance their position. Bloody Mary, Puritans (executing Quakers), and the Holy Roman Empire are some of the more important examples.
Atheism has used coercion and violence to advance the natural political philosophy flowing out of its worldview--communism in the USSR and China.
Christianity has ultimately rejected coercion and violence as a tactic--flowing from understanding that true Christianity can never be advanced by coercion and violence.
Communism has stumbled but it remains at the ready to use violence and coercion to advance its agenda.
But there is no doubt that the number one threat to civilized life today is radical Islam.
Radical Islam says that the true faith is advanced by jihad.
Those who believe this doctrine are not advocates of religion. They advance a political-military philosophy of dominance by violence as needed.
Civilization is incompatible with jihad. We must adjust our tactics. These are not advocates of a religion of peace. They are soldiers and must be met with the response of a free and civilized people determined to defend the freedom of all.
