9/11 Reflection
This week marks the 11th anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center towers and the deaths of almost 2,800 innocent victims. Although exact data regarding the religious beliefs of the victims is hard to come by, many reports confirm that the tragedy was felt across most faiths. According to records from the Medical Examiner’s Office, approximately 400 victims were thought to be Jewish. Several dozen Muslims were also counted among the dead including six women and at least one unborn child.
Terrorism and senseless tragedy affected all of us on September 11, 2001 and we continue to reel from the effects of such violence. Just yesterday we learned of the death of Christopher Stevens, who was serving as the U.S. ambassador to Libya. According to one report, “an armed Islamist mob stormed the American Consulate in Benghazi, blaming America for an amateurish film, promoted online by Koran-burning Florida pastor Terry Jones that insults the Prophet Mohammad.”
In the face of ongoing terrorism and violence, often in the name of religion, one can feel helpless and hopeless. What can any of us to do promote a more peaceful world in our own corner of the planet?
At Lynchburg College on September 11, 2012, I did find reason to hope. After a meeting of most of the staff of Student Development which encompasses all the major non-academic departments on campus, we gathered in a circle for silent remembrance and prayer. The sense of solidarity and community we experienced there reminded us that our sorrows are shared even as we continue to seek healing and reconciliation for ourselves and others. Coming out of the Dining Hall later that day, students were collecting signatures on a make-shift American Flag poster to send to soldiers thanking them for their service to our country. And finally, on a beautifully sunny almost fall day, eerily similar to that in 2001; we hosted our annual Spiritual Explorations Fair.
The sidewalks of the dell were lined with tables, displays, and representatives from 28 area congregations and ten campus fellowship groups. Evangelical non-denominational Christians mingled with main line Protestants. Catholics joked with Mormon missionaries. Members of the Unitarian and Orthodox churches exchanged stories. Students from the Jewish Hillel and the Buddhist Sangha groups picnicked together on the lawn. The local Muslim community was represented by a member of the Greater Lynchburg Islamic Association, and peaceful Quakers helped round out the religious mix. Students strolled by the tables, often enjoying freebie handouts including Frisbees, flash drives, music CDs and of course plenty of chocolates and other candies!
How did Lynchburg College observe the 11th anniversary of 9/11? By showing that we can all get along after all. We are wounded still and grieving still, but we refuse to let death and despair have the final word. Religious liberty and diversity are to be honored and celebrated on our campus. Unity does not require uniformity at Lynchburg College and we renew our commitment to ensuring that people of all faiths or no faith at all are welcome here. In the face of global calamity, our efforts may seem small and insignificant but we choose to light our candle of hope rather than to curse the darkness.
Peace, Anne