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IRAQ: Tipping Points, Dominoes, and Train Wrecks
By Bishop Bill Atwood
https://americananglican.org/
June 17, 2014
Actions, decisions, and especially conflicts have consequences. Some are subtle. Some are dramatic. One of the most longstanding points of tension in human history is the conflict between Sarah and Hagar over their sons: Ismael and Isaac. Ismael was the son of Abraham (with Hagar). Isaac was the child of Promise, born to Sarah and Abraham. From Ishmael comes the line that is currently identified as Muslim. From Isaac, the Jewish and Christian line proceeds. With Hagar and Ishmael being banished by Sarah, there was bad blood, which still exists today among many.
The clicking sound that history is currently recording is the sound of consequencesdominos falling and hitting the next one that hits the next one in turn. While the details are of course different in each nation, the heart of the problem is the same and it is as old as the Book of Judges. When people turn from the Lord their circumstances go to pot. Eventually, when circumstances get bad enough, people cry out to the Lord. We are still in the part where things are getting worse.
Another longstanding conflict is the one following the death of Muhammad. There was a great divide over who would succeed him. For those who have come to be known as Shiites (or Shia), their succession plan was for leadership to stay with family of Muhammad after his death in 632.
The other group, called Sunnis, wanted the community to choose leaders.< ![CDATA[
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