Shani Louk's Body Found Today ...

I have said many times, on here, that I do not think we should take sides with Israel and Palestine, but should instead help mediate to get those hostages back, alive if we can - but instead, we chose to throw gasoline on the fire.

I think this way because I think both "nations" have been terrible to each other - over their faith and their inability to coexist and share the holy land - both before, during an after October 7th.  

And yet, when I hear that Shani's body was just found - and that she was previously paraded around nearly naked on a truck of cheering Hamas, on video (her leg tattoos in the video revealing her identity) - I am sickened. 

And yet, I have also seen those 2019 videos of Israeli soldiers stopping, kidnapping, and torturing Palestinians, too -  long before October 7th. 

And yet, you know what my first thought is?

Not that the casualties or victims are either Muslim or Jewish.

It's that the true victims and casualties aren't soldiers - in fact,  not only are they often innocent civilians, but usually also women.  

In fact, historically, one of the first thing war parties seem to do is go after the women, raping and murdering them  - trying to justify what cannot be justified -  in the name King and Country, or Allah or Jehovah or God or Jesus.

Then I think why did they pick Shani out of everyone, to kill and parade around like that, when she was an advocate for peace between the two sides?

Simply because she wasn't fast enough running away?  

Or was it because she was scantily clad and had tattoos and thus, they thought she deserved it?  

And if you think we Christians are above such action, think again.

We've done it, too, over the centuries, in conquest, demanding our faith be the one true faith  - to pagans, Catholics vs. Protestants, Native-Americans, Muslims, Jewish people.

All in the name of whatever God, who is actually the same God by different names in all 3 faiths, who tells us to be merciful -  and yet that instruction is completely ignored in favor of conquest of this region or that region in their God's name.

And we Christians aren't above it even now - look at what many Trump supporters want to do now, with calls to literally execute people like Stormy Daniels, Judge Marchan, even comedian Jimmy Kimmel!

And recent Christian nationalists demand their own version of Christianity be in control of government,  and twist/flip back on anyone disagreeing with them that just their version of Christianity  should be in control into "Christian persecution."

You want to see what real religious persecution actually looks like,  my fellow Americans?

Take a look at 23-year-old Shani's half-naked, lifeless  body being paraded in the back of a truck by Hamas because she was Jewish.

Take a look at those videos from 2019 of Palestinians being tortured on the street by Israeli soldiers, just because they were Muslim.

Take a look at Ireland, just a few years ago, terrorizing each other over Catholicism and Protestantism.

Then take a look back further, at our own country - who built it, and why we instituted separation of church and state in the first place: They were Pilgrims, Calvinists, Catholics, Quakers, and Shakers -  all Christians themselves - but fleeing Anglican Christian Europe, because Anglican-Protestant governments imprisoned or even killed anyone who didn't follow just their version of Christianity.

Then take a look at how those same formerly religiously persecuted people turned right around and did the exact same things that were done to them, to the Native Americans.

Forcibly Christianized them/converted them, imprisoned them,  forcibly removed them off ancestral lands, took their children away, and killed them -  just because they didn't worship the same God or in the same way.

Take a look at even before that at the Crusades, Catholic "knights" marching all over Europe and the Mediterranean, claiming lands in the name of King, Country and Christ or suffer death.

Take a look at the Spanish inquisition, or later Spain up until 1974 under  Catholic fascist dictator, Francisco Franco.

In fact, religious zealotism and need for conquest is responsible for the majority of conflict in our world's history - and yet we never learn and continue to take sides.

And though I feel for soldiers having to put themselves in harm's way, just following orders,  they still DO make a choice to sign up for military, in this day and age - so my compassion is even greater for innocent people who had nothing to do with it.

We need to evolve, and it starts with a conscious attempt to stop the "tribal" mentality.

By this, I mean, if you have ever said this sentence: "My ____ would never do that/behave like that" - then not only are you blinding yourself to our history and some current bad apples that exist in every group, but you are contributing to keeping us from evolving as a society into better human beings, yourself.

Bias may be human and natural, but that doesn't make it truth or fact - and it may be one of those "human nature" things it's high time we rise above.

Because whether you fill in those blanks with "children, family, work, college, or company" - and especially if you fill in those blanks with "race, faith, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic status" - then realize that in your arrogant tribalism mentality, YOU are keeping us from evolving into better human beings, as well as blinding yourself to history and extremist factions that exist in your own group.

Whatever the case, if we won't do what we can to put these fires out, can we at least stop fueling them, especially based on faith - please?