This is not about politics or ideology, not about endorsement of any political argument or group or leader. It is about an instance of the horrible violation of our common humanity, of the divine life in each of us.

While I was going back and forth about what to write in my next post, the Hamas terrorists invaded Israel, slaughtering civilians and kidnapping scores of men, women and children.  In an earlier post, I criticized the Trump administration for responding to foreigners attempting to migrate to this land of “freedom and opportunity” by separating the migrants’ children from their parents and sending the children to undisclosed locations.  What Hamas did was much worse than that.  They planned their attack to be made on the holy Jewish Sabbath, and made their principal, though far from only, target a peaceful public dance party.

Anyone who knows in detail and still condones what Hamas did, must have an extremely shallow and calloused knowledge of the history of the Jewish people and the land of Palestine.  Or perhaps they value politics or self-image more than they do the Truth that Jesus told Pilate that He embodied and the Life (not just biological) that is the central concern of every major religion, including Islam, evidenced especially by mystics and poets like Rumi, Mirabai, Lao Tzu, and the apostle John, author of the fourth Gospel, his three New Testament letters, and, most direly notable at this time, the apocalyptic Revelation.

Shortly after Hamas’ attacks, I received an e-mail from an Israeli photography venue, PHOTO IS:RAEL, which began:

“On October 7th, we woke up to a black Sabbath.

“On that Saturday, Aviv, two years old, was kidnapped by Hamas and has been held captive ever since. Besides Aviv, nearly 200 more babies, children, women, men, elderly and disabled people were kidnapped.

“Help us raise awareness and global support for the release of these hostages, by joining a photographic initiative.

“On October 7th, 2023 nearly 200 innocent civilians were abducted from Israel into the Gaza Strip by Hamas. Ranging in age from 3 months to 85 years old, these people were kidnapped in the midst of a vicious attack against Israel during which thousands of children, elderly, women, and men were slaughtered, raped, and wounded. Until this moment, their whereabouts are still unknown.” I am honoring PHOTO IS:RAEL’s request with this post and with this photograph provided by the venue of two-year-old Aviv, kidnapped from her home, her whereabouts now unknown.

This is a crime against all of us, and against Jehovah, against Jesus, against Brahma, against Buddha, against the Tao, against Allah — against the human and divine heart.