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| President Barack Obama is briefed on the Paris terrorist attacks by Lisa Monaco, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, in the Oval Office, Nov. 13, 2015. National Security Advisor Susan E. Rice, Chief of Staff Denis McDonough and Press Secretary Josh Earnest attend. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza) |
This conflict has deep, deep roots and a very wide canopy of branches. The Abrahamic religions, including the one I participate in, are brothers that have been trapped in fratricidal wars for hundreds of years. Their wives, children, and neighbors are not-entirely-innocent casualties. No one knows how to end it.
Many of my Christian peers think there's nothing to do but prepare for the End Times described in the Book of Revelation. They see all majority Muslim nations as enemies, who should be weakened as much as possible through economic sanctions and military action. That's one reason they hate President Obama, who tried to improve relations with Muslim countries early in his presidency. They see the nation of Israel as the only ally the US must never forsake, because Israel has God's favor and will prevail in the end.
Many Islamic jihad groups, e.g. ISIS, likewise "talk very specifically about how their actions and strategies are directed specifically to bringing about the end of the world." Their beliefs about the End of Days are based on prophecies in the Tanakh and Quran correspond to those of fundamentalist Christians and Jews, except of course they believe Muslims will go to Heaven.
This ideology is pervasive in my culture and heavily represented in our federal government.
I don't think End Times ideology should drive international relations, but I recognize its power. Given that so many people of all three Abrahamic faiths believe in End Times ideology and therefore prefer to hasten wars rather than make peace, I doubt anyone, even the President of the United States, can overcome it.
