Sept. 11 Remembrances, Tentena & Violence in the Moluccas
- Churches Remember September 11
- Moluccas Islands Plagued with Religious Violence
- Christians in Tentena Face Danger
- American Hero Receives Medal for September 11 Bravery
- Post 9/11 Sermons and Prayers Invited by National Project
>> Churches Remember September 11
Churches across the nation dedicated their worship last weekend to remember the events of September 11 and pray for the nation and the world. Services were held as part of President Bush's "National Days of Prayer and Remembrance." The observance ran Friday through Sunday in order to recognize the worship patterns of the nation's three major faiths. Friday is the holy day for Muslims, while Jews observe the Sabbath primarily on Saturday, and Christians historically worship on Sunday.
According to FOX News and Associated Press, a nine-day series of devotions concluding on September 11 was provided to congregations by the U.S. Roman Catholic bishops. The Southern Baptist Convention, the nation's largest protestant denomination, encouraged churches to observe "United Sunday" with patriotic hymns and sermons, as well as recognition of emergency workers or others associated with the tragedy.
In a spirit of unity and respect, some churches held joint worship events with neighboring congregations of a different faith. In San Diego, members of Atonement Lutheran Church and the Abu-Bakr Mosque observed each others' services and followed the events with dialogs aimed at strengthening mutual respect and understanding.
>> Moluccas Islands Plagued with Religious Violence
One man died Sunday as a result of burns received when his van was torched by an angry mob. According to the BBC, rioting broke out when it was reported that three Muslim women had been killed in Sapura. The vehicle was reportedly carrying Christians in a largely Muslim section of the regional capital, Ambon.
This is the latest in a string of religiously-motivated violence that has resulted in the deaths of more than 5,000 people since January of 1999.
>> Christians in Tentena Face Danger
The local police chief of Poso, Indonesia was expected on Monday to send a large contingent to the city of Tentena to arrest Rev. Rinaldy Damanik. The outspoken paster has been charged with illegal possession of weapons in the car he drove when he was stopped recently by a large crowd and the police. Two previous warrants for his arrest have been rejected by the pastor who is the secretary general to the Synod of the GKST church (Christian Church of Central Sulawesi). He has categorically denied having carried any weapon in his car.
Technically, the weapons were "confiscated" by the police without his knowledge. According to Pastor Damanik, he was taken away from his car supposedly for his protection as the car was being surrounded by angry Muslim crowds who were shouting for him to be killed. Local law mandates that any person accused of carrying contraband should be present at the time such "evidence" is obtained by the police. Sources allege the weapons were put in the car by unknown people when Damanik and his assistants were not there.
The GKST church has clarified Pastor Damanik's position to the police chief of Poso, but the protest letter apparently went unheeded. The church suspects the arrest of Damanik to be a plot to silence the vocal pastor. In response, the local Christian community was planning to form a barricade around the church. It was feared that many lives would be lost if the police insisted on taking Damanik by force.
Rumors abound that the security forces there to "protect" the Christians will be withdrawn from Tentena to give way to the Laskar Jihad troops (the so-called "unidentified people") who will be working together with the mobile brigade to attack the town, in the same way that the nearby villages of Sepe and Silanca were finally destroyed. Communication lines will be cut off so that the operation will not be known to the outside world.
>> American Hero Receives Medal for September 11 Bravery
From ASSIST News Service -- US Army LTC Kenny Cox has been awarded the Soldier's Medal, the Pentagon's highest non-combat honor for acts of heroism on September 11.
At about 9:40 a.m. on September 11, 2001, Cox was jolted by the roar and violent shaking caused by an explosion. Acting swiftly, he raced to the area of damage to a vantage point near individuals trapped in offices. He and another individual joined hands and caught several individuals jumping from the upper floors. Other individuals, however, remained trapped. Cox orchestrated the movement of a large trash container to an area below the windows. He placed a ladder on his shoulders and, braced by other rescuers, held the ladder close enough to the window that the remaining persons were able to escape. Cox entered the burning building with a team of rescuers three more times, seeking access to other survivors. Finally, near the point of impact thick smoke and intense heat forced them to stop.
"My husband is a selfless person when it comes to taking care of people," said Candie L. (Colbert) Cox of Mansfield, Louisiana about her husband and the events that occurred at the Pentagon that day. "Some refer to him as a hero. . . but that's my Ken."
Commenting on the events of September 11, Cox said, "America is made of great people and in all of these troubled times we must look for the good. Americans have united together, neighbors began to want to know each other, we seek God, we are learning to respect and love one another again."
In awarding Col. Cox the Soldier's Medal, his team was cited for "acts of heroism." The citation concludes: "LTC Kenny Cox distinguished himself by performing acts of heroism on 11 September 2001 by conducting rescue operations after the terrorist attack on the Pentagon. LTC Cox displayed total disregard for his own safety by instinctively going to the impact area to offer assistance. He immediately assessed the severity of the situation and went into action, taking steps to rescue personnel trapped in the burning building. Informed of additional trapped personnel, LTC Cox reentered the burning building on three separate occasions seeking survivors. LTC Cox's selfless acts of heroism reflect great credit upon him and the US Army."
>> Post 9/11 Sermons and Prayers Invited by National Project
Religious leaders of all faiths are invited to submit sermons, prayers and orders of worship dealing with faith after 9/11 to: The National Sermon Project, Suite 5400, 535 Pierce St. Albany, CA 94706. Worship services around the first anniversary of the attacks will offer a testimony of historic proportions worthy of study and sharing according to Dr. David James Randolph, Director of the Project. Dr. Randolph teaches Communications at the Center for the Arts, Religion and Education at the Graduate Theological Union in the San Francisco Bay Area in California.
Prayers, poems, hymns and visual art as well as formal homilies and the services in which they occur are welcome. Statements and rituals from interfaith gatherings which take place in public spaces are also invited. While the focus is on the United States, submissions from members of the international community are welcome. Permission to reproduce the material is to be included with the submission.
Dr. David James Randolph is an ordained United Methodist Minister who has long been involved in Interfaith dialogue. He was a pastor in New York for 25 years and has also taught at Drew University and Princeton Theological Seminary. He is a co-founder of the Academy of Homiletics and author of several books including ON THE WAY AFTER 9/11: NEW WORSHIP AND ART, which explores the ways in which spirituality and art address the current crisis and describes the background of the project. For more information go to www.drdavidjrandolph.com.
Originally published September 10, 2002.
