This Cowboy don't get it

The President of Iran has said many peculiar and scary things recently. The World "Community" is wrangling behind closed doors, as well as publicly through the media, about Iran's nuclear programs. As a Bush supporter, and a supporter of the war in Iraq and the GWOT, I won't even waste my miniscule bandwidth on whether their nuclear ambitions truly ARE peaceful or actually nefarious as many would have us believe now...I leave that to the experts in such matters.

I want to take a Christian time out here and look at the Iran "crisis" in a purely practical sense.

A novice in Christianity is aware, via the Old Testament, of the countless tribulations of the Jews; God's chosen people. We know of their persecution throughout ancient history. We know of Moses, of the Pharoah, of the splitting of the Red Sea (even if only from the movie).

We know of the Holocaust; of millions of Jews being killed in death camps at the hands of Hitler. We know of the suicide bombings and killing of civilians in crowded markets and on buses; people just minding their own business trying to live their lives.

We know less of the flip side of these stories of course; of any horrors that may have been begotten on ancient egyptians at the hands of the Jews. We know little of the merciless butchery and slaughter the Jews may have brought upon the German people. We hear the Palestinians have suffered horribly at the hands of the Jews, but I am confused by just what "suffering" means in this context.

Is it the physical presence of Jews in Palestine territory? Is it torture and abuse of innocent citizens at the hands of the Jews? Is it just because they are JEWS? Is it really Palestine territory? What is it exactly with the Jews and the Palestinians that goes across ALL of our problems today with the Muslim world? And this is not meant to suggest the Palestinians aren't living under terrible circumstances...but blowing themselves and each other up to make a point is, well, rather counter productive in my naive opinion.

Osama and his merry band attribute the war with the West to our support of the Jews. Iran, Syria, and the rest of the regions that are increasing their hostile positions toward us; is this ALSO attributed to our relationship with the Jews? Though no historian, I see little benefit to blaming a regional conflict for all the hostilities we face on this earth. And, as a Christian, I am saddened that the birthplace of my savior would be in the crosshairs of nuclear missiles to make a minor point. Yes, you heard me...minor point.

The Iranian President is beginning to suggest that these are the end times; the final battle between the Muslims and the Jews (and ostensibly the rest of the non-believers). Now, while I have read (or given it my best shot) the Torah Scrolls, the Bible, AND the Koran and am aware that each of these has much coverage of an apocalyptic event, I am not sure I get how a few nukes from Iran that will create the mushroom cloud that WAS Isreal is going to facilitate this foretold event.

I don't anticipate America or other Western Civilizations tucking tail and running over such an event. If we did, I doubt we would commit mass suicide and wipe the earth clean of ourselves when we got back home. In fact, I would suggest the response would be more horrible than I want to imagine...but I suspect there will still be Muslims, Jews, and Christians standing when the cloud settles. And where will that leave things exactly? The Iranian President's end times perhaps, along with many millions of others. And to what end? To make a point? Whatever word you use to refer to God, I don't think this is what he has in mind.

Nope...this Cowboy just don't get it.