Explaining Syria to My Pacifist Children

My children have been raised on the stories of Les Mis, Hairspray, Newsies and Rent.  They don't always have to be musicals.  We watch Alkeela and the Bee, Freedom Writers and, because they love them so much, we throw in the occasional documentary as well.  Even my youngest children have been watching edited versions of movies that portray the struggle of the marginalized of our society since they were way too little.

During our summer vacation, we spent 50$ just so my children could stand here:

Later that day, we drove to Birmingham and went to the 16th Street Church. We talked about the children who were killed and others jailed during the civil rights marches.  



 And we stopped and chatted with three homeless men who live at the Birmingham Civil Rights park, "A Place of Revolution and Reconciliation" and we talked about the irony of the entire situation and how disappointed MLK would be to see three African American homeless gentlemen living on the very spot where others died so they could have a better chance at justice.

So, basically,  my kids are always pumped up and ready for a righteous fight.  A fight for justice.  A fight to stand for the oppressed and abused.  It is a pretty hyper-sensitive way to live actually, especially when there is no fight to fight on a daily basis.  I feel sorry for their teachers because my kids will defend the Church and the poor beyond their own pride, reputation and social standing.  I hear that class discussions are tricky.  We laugh at ourselves a lot.

But now my children may have a chance.  We are on the brink of another war.  Perhaps a bad war. And they have questions.  

Last night we began by googling the history of this most recent conflict.  It began in 2011 when some school children were kidnapped and tortured by Syrian government forces after they wrote some anti-government opinions on a wall.

The citizens saw the injustice and went to the street asking for justice and democracy.  During the peaceful protest, Syrian government forces shot their weapons into the crowd and killed 4 people.  At the funerals of these victims, the government shot into the crowds again, killing another one.

What began as a peaceful protest had now turned into a full fledged civil war and it has been going on for two years now.  The Syrian people against the Syrian government.  It is violent.  So many have been killed.  So many have fled.  It is really terrible.

And now we hear that the Syrian government used weapons against its own citizens.  Chemical Weapons that are so horrible they are internationally against the law.  People suffered under the torture of these weapons.

Can you feel it?  That gut wrenching awareness of the horror going on in Syria?  Hell yes! Bomb Them! Bomb them to God!  How can we let such horror go unpunished? 

My kids felt it too.  They had lots of questions but two main topics arose:

1.  Why shouldn't we go to war against such evil people?  
and 
2. If war is not an option, do we do nothing?

1. Why not war?  Although my brother and I disagree on so many things, including this, he gave them the most perfect answer...I quote

" If we hit Syria, dominoes start to fall. What does Iran and Hezbollah do? What does Russia do? Will there be a follow-on ground invasion to secure those chemical weapons, otherwise who gains control of those - al Qaeda?

What happens when Egypt then explodes along with Gaza and and the Golan heights, then Israel is forced to respond. Now you have a regional war. With Russian backing one side and us backing the other. It's a world war 3 scenario again."

That is why we don't bomb them. It doesn't solve the problems of evil in Syria, it just spreads the evil to the rest of the world causing senseless death and destruction.

2. Do we do nothing? No. We don't do nothing. We pray. Don't mistake my intent or giggle. I am not saying that we quietly hope or we think positive thoughts. We don't update our statuses or tweet our desire for peace.  We don't use our wish as we blow out candles. This is not superstitious nonsense.

WE PRAY

We commit to days of fasting. We blow the dust off of our rosary, call our friends and start meeting at church in the wee hours of the morning and the late hours of the night. We call down the intercessions of our holy Saints, of Saint Michael the Archangel and of God The Almighty Creator of the World and the Heavens above it. Don't screw with me on this. I am not joking. If Christianity is the faith you have signed up for, than we must believe that Jesus told Peter and every disciple who would follow to put down his sword, his gun, his bomb and his righteous vengeful spirit.

Now is the time. Join in Prayer.