Why an Iranian Nuke Is So Significant

By CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER, writing in Time Magazine says:

Like many physicists who worked on the Manhattan Project, Richard Feynman could not get the Bomb out of his mind after the war. "I would see people building a bridge," he wrote. "And I thought, they're crazy, they just don't understand, they don't understand. Why are they making new things? It's so useless."

Feynman was convinced man had finally invented something that he could not control and that would ultimately destroy him. For six decades we have suppressed that thought and built enough history to believe Feynman's pessimism was unwarranted. After all, soon afterward, the most aggressive world power, Stalin's Soviet Union, acquired the Bomb, yet never used it.

Seven more countries have acquired it since and never used it either. Even North Korea, which huffs and puffs and threatens every once in a while, dares not use it. Even Kim Jong Il is not suicidal.

But that's the point. We're now at the dawn of an era in which an extreme and fanatical religious ideology, undeterred by the usual calculations of prudence and self-preservation, is wielding state power and will soon be wielding nuclear power.

We have difficulty understanding the mentality of Iran's newest rulers. Then again, we don't understand the mentality of the men who flew into the World Trade Center or the mobs in Damascus and Tehran who chant "Death to America"--and Denmark(!)--and embrace the glory and romance of martyrdom.

This atavistic love of blood and death and, indeed, self-immolation in the name of God may not be new--medieval Europe had an abundance of millennial Christian sects--but until now it has never had the means to carry out its apocalyptic ends.

That is why Iran's arriving at the threshold of nuclear weaponry is such a signal historical moment. It is not just that its President says crazy things about the Holocaust. It is that he is a fervent believer in the imminent reappearance of the 12th Imam, Shi'ism's version of the Messiah.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been reported as saying in official meetings that the end of history is only two or three years away. He reportedly told an associate that on the podium of the General Assembly last September, he felt a halo around him and for "those 27 or 28 minutes, the leaders of the world did not blink ... as if a hand was holding them there and it opened their eyes to receive" his message. He believes that the Islamic revolution's raison d'être is to prepare the way for the messianic redemption, which in his eschatology is preceded by worldwide upheaval and chaos. How better to light the fuse for eternal bliss than with a nuclear flame?

Depending on your own beliefs, Ahmadinejad is either mystical or deranged.

In either case, he is exceedingly dangerous. And Iran is just the first.

With infinitely accelerated exchanges of information helping develop whole new generations of scientists, extremist countries led by similarly extreme men will be in a position to acquire nuclear weaponry. If nothing is done, we face not proliferation but hyperproliferation. Not just one but many radical states will get weapons of mass extinction, and then so will the fanatical and suicidal terrorists who are their brothers and clients.

That will present the world with two futures. The first is Feynman's vision of human destruction on a scale never seen. The second, perhaps after one or two cities are lost with millions killed in a single day, is a radical abolition of liberal democracy as the species tries to maintain itself by reverting to strict authoritarianism--a self-imposed expulsion from the Eden of post-Enlightenment freedom.

Can there be a third future? That will depend on whether we succeed in holding proliferation at bay. Iran is the test case. It is the most dangerous political entity on the planet, and yet the world response has been catastrophically slow and reluctant. Years of knowingly useless negotiations, followed by hesitant international resolutions, have brought us to only the most tentative of steps--referral to a Security Council that lacks unity and resolve. Iran knows this and therefore defiantly and openly resumes its headlong march to nuclear status. If we fail to prevent an Iranian regime run by apocalyptic fanatics from going nuclear, we will have reached a point of no return. It is not just that Iran might be the source of a great conflagration but that we will have demonstrated to the world that for those similarly inclined there is no serious impediment.

Our planet is 4,500,000,000 years old, and we've had nukes for exactly 61.

No one knows the precise prospects for human extinction, but Feynman was a mathematical genius who knew how to calculate odds. If he were to watch us today about to let loose the agents of extinction, he'd call a halt to all bridge building.

Time, April 3, p. 68

The Jesus Creed

"...the Lord our God, the Lord is one.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart,
with all your soul,with all your mind, and with all your strength."
The second is this: "Love your neighbour as yourself."
There is no commandment greater than these.

Gloria in Excelsis

Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth. Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father, we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory. Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world: have mercy on us; you are seated at the right hand of the Father: receive our prayer. For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen.

The Nicene Creed

We believe in one God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, True God of True God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father by whom all things were made; who for us men, and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary, and was made man, and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried, and the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father. And he shall come again with glory to judge both the quick and the dead, whose kingdom shall have no end.

And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life, who proceedeth from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets. And we believe one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins. And we look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

On the United States new found interest in Indonesia...

I began writing my thoughts and opinions tonight about Americas new found interest in Indonesia. I am very sceptical that the great collonialist cowboy now wants to extend a hand of help to Indonesia. I am sceptical for 3 reasons:

1. America knows that there is Oil & Gas in this country
2. America knows that they need military support in this region with the current China situation
3. America knows that they need the support of Indonesian Muslims to win the "war on terror".
   

I feel that America only has America's interests in mind here. Ofcourse many great things will happen for Indonesia once America comes along side. Condoleeza Rice promised that America would invest heavily in the Indonesian education system. That alone is the number one reason to partner with the US. Indonesia needs to increase its standard of education. The number one fault of this country is the number one cause of suffering for it's citizens - Many Indonesians are not educated past primary school because they can not afford it.

This lack of education is the reason behind corruption here. This lack of education is a key contributing factor to terrorism here.

I stopped writing my thoughts and opinions because it weighed heavily on the negative side. While I still hold these thoughts and opinions, I so strongly want to see the standard of living for Indonesians increase, that I will refrain from snarling at the hand that can make that happen... for now.

A comment from Rev

I took this comment of the rev from Signposts...

Jesus washed his disciples feet. Do you know what that means in a time of open sandals? Of walking great distance over dirt roads? In a time without urinals? This was a job that even a slave was allowed to resist if he was a Roman citizen because it was the lowest of lows, and unworthy of any citizen of Rome. And said, “I do this to show you that I as your Lord serve you, so you should serve each other” Does this charectorize the leadership in the Pentecostal church in Australia, or specifically xxxxxxx?

How does driving around in luxury cars, flying first class, owning multiple expensive homes, and basically my way or the highway leadership mentality reflect Jesus? And if it does not reflect Jesus, why are they leaders? Worldly leaders do these things, but the church is supposed to be different, the first should be last, the greatest should be the servant of all.

the rev

Jakarta - Day 9

Last time I went back to Perth from Jakarta I ended up with various ailments for 4 weeks. First I had a problem with my knees which the doctor thinks is to do with the food that I eat. So in an attempt to make the problem go away or prevent it from getting worse I hardly ate anything for 2 weeks. When my knees got better I came down with a flu and had no appetite for another week. In the fourth week some wierd virus caused a rash over my whole body and I had swelling in my feet and hands. Once again, I had no appetite. During this time I lost about 5 kg's or more and it was noticeable.

So my goal while I am here is to put on 5 kg's. It is not hard to do. First off, my company pays for all of my food. I get a $100 per day cash advance. Combined with the fact that food is extremely cheap here - I eat! If I want to eat an average priced meal (something that the average Indonesian would eat) I would pay around Rp18000 (about $2.10 Australian). I could even get cheaper food if I didn't mind diahorea. But for me, most of my meals cost about Rp80,000. The meals are restaurant quality and besides being exceptionally tasty and filling, the surroundings are really nice. The cafes and restaurants here are really up market. I have never seen restaurants in Perth with this quality service, decor, and food. It costs equivelant of $12 Australian, but if purchased in Australia would cost about $30+.

The most popular coffee shop here is Star Bucks. It is quite pricey also. Rp25,000 for a grande flat white that tastes like crap. I really don't like Star Bucks. If it weren't for the ambience, Star Bucks would have nothing going for it. Mind you, I have not tried one of their Ice drinks - I here they are pretty good. I usually get my coffee from Coffee Bros in Kemang.

I am learning alot of Indonesian now from listening to songs. The music sticks in my head and I repeat the lyrics all day. Then I learn what the lyrics are saying. I wrote in a previous post about the impact that music has on me. Some of the first Indonesian that I learnt was this -

satu, dua, tiga, empat, lima, enam, tujuh, delapan. (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8)
siapa rajin ke sekolah (who is keen to go to school)
cari ilmu sampai dapat (to look for knowledge until he gets)
Sungguh senang (really happy)
Amat senang (very happy)
Bangun pagi-pagi sungguh senang. (I get up every morning really happy)

Bangun tidur ku terus mandi. (Having got up I take a bath straight away)
Tidak lupa menggosok gigi (I dont forget to brush my teeth)
habis mandi ku tolong ibu (after taking a bath I help my mother)
Membersihkan tempat tidur ku. (to make my bed)

Hey, as I type this I just spoke with Melody. Shes my really cool friend who is in Sydney now and attending CCC Oxford falls. She's a great gal with alot of spark. She calls me and Gayle her Family hehehe. Shes off to Germany for one month in June. Just thought Id mention that.

Hmm thats about it. Talk with yall some more later.

Jakarta - Day 7

Today I went to Bogor with my friends. It is a beautiful city about one hour outside of Jakarta. Although it is only one hour away from Jakarta, it has a very different vibe. Bogor is well known for its outdoor cafes and restaurants, along with it's factory outlets and street vendors.

Bogor is also known as the rainy city. It apparently rains almost every day of the year in Bogor. Although it is only 45 km outside of Jakarta, Jakarta will not usually receive the same rain as Bogor. It seems that a permanent rain cloud hangs over that city. The air in Bogor is much easier to breathe and because it is slightly higher above sea level than Jakarta, the temperature is slightly cooler with slightly less humidity.

I had a really good night. Let me try and capture the mood in writing. I was with my friends from the office (teman-teman saya dari yang kantor). We started off by eating in an outdoor cafe for lunch. After we went to some factory outlets where they sell every brand conceivable from Hugo Boss to Nike.

We then went to a beautiful park which is similiar to our very own Kings Park in Perth. We had a coffee and cake at the outdoor cafe overlooking the park. There was live Indonesian band which was quite talented. They were playing a sort of music that was a cross between spanish flamenco guitar and traditional Indonesian.

Next we travelled to a very nice restaurant with a traditional Indonesian theme. All of the employees wore traditional batik and the Indonesian cap. The restaurant had a live Indonesian band singing everything from Alicia Keys, Lauren Hill, to more Indonesian music. They were also very talented. South-east Asians have beautiful voices. This restaurant overlooked Bogor city (Kota Bogor) with a view of the mountains in the backdrop. It was about 730 pm. The sun had already well and truley set. The restaurant was packed with nice Indonesian fragrences (mainly coming from the clove cigarettes that every one was smoking), the air was not to cool, not to warm, and just the right humidity. Then all of a sudden the Muslim call for prayer starts from the towers of the mosques. Bogor does not have tall buildings (no higher than 10 stories). The mosque towers can be seen from whereever you are in Bogor. Like I mentiones last time, mosques are everywhere. So from this restaurant we could here the Muslim call for prayer come over the loud speakers. It lasts for about 10 minutes. The muslim call for prayer is sung in Arabic. So from every direction, for 5 minutes, there were different voices singing in Arabic. It is very surreal.

I was at Coffee Bros this morning and I sat and had a coffee with the manager and here husband. We chatted for almost one hour while I waited to be picked up. They have invited me to come and see them every night in the cafe so they can help me enhance my Indonesian. This is a comment that they made to me: "You are very nice and not the typical Aussie. Aren't most Australians racists?" Wow! I knew that there was a stigma on Australians, but I didn't know we were "racists". So my reply was this: "Yes I have experienced racism even to myself while growing up in Australia, but we can not be generalised like that. It is like saying 'Aren't all Indonesians terrorists?'. I do not personally know one person who holds racist views in Australia. But I do know many people who are misinformed. The media paints pictures of Aussies getting blown up in your country, and since there are not many Aussies who have been here or personally know an Indonesian... the stereotype becomes 'Indonesians are terrorists!'".

They than made this observation "It is not as much a racism issue as it is a religious issue. Australians are Christians and we are muslims and the people think that the religions will not mix". This is where the God talk comes in. My reply: "No. Please don't say that Australia (or America) is a christian nation. We are a secular nation. Many Australians don't believe in God. A Christian is someone who loves God and loves people regardless of their race or religion. We are commanded to love.

Anyone who takes another life or fights another human on the basis of religion DOES NOT KNOW GOD." Our chat went for one hour and at the end I had two new friends. Traditional Indonesian Muslims. And we both received a better understanding of eachother personally and culturally. We are all people who seek peace, relationship, and security - Regardless of religion, race, or social status.

Here is a photo.

Jakarta update

Okay. It's day 5. I know that I said I will post something everyday but I have really been busy. My work load is heavy. And after work I go out. And when I get home it is late and Im tired and I need to sleep. Well tonight your in luck. I just had a coffee. It is 1130pm and I am ready to blog.

Heres a quick break down of the week so far.
Monday
After work, I went to dinner with some friends in an outdoor food court in Kemang. I had Indonesian food and we chatted for about 2 hours. After we went to a very posh cafe in Kemang that served Gelato. I had gelato and crepes. We stayed there for another 2 hours chatting. Here is a pic.



Tuesday
Work was really hectic. I am learning web part development for Sharepoint portal using the C# language. My study of this is supposed to end today but I still have so much more to learn. I think I will concentrate on this until Friday.

After work I went out alone by Taksi to Pasa Raya. It is a HUGE mall. I looked up and down and all around. Everything that you can imagine and it was cheap (in comparison). I had dinner there at Chatter-box cafe. The waitresses were really friendly. They love to chat and practise their English. I also got hit on by a gay guy (I think he was gay). But it was cool. I spoke with him for about 30 minutes. I then had coffee at Star Bucks then went back to hte hotel to sleep.

Wednesday
Work once again was busy. I really love my team here. They are all great. There work ethic is inspiring and their team work is good. They really care about the team. They work as a team. They deliver as a team. It's truly a blessing for me to be here working with them.
I turned down an offer to go out with friends so that I could have dinner with my Gayles mom. Gayles mom ended up being stuck in the office until really late so it left me all alone. What was a guy to do? Go shopping of course. I went to a really large shopping mall called Plaza Semanggi. Again, the usual thing - shop, eat, starbucks. Oh, I bought a pair of Versace jeans for Rp180,000 (AUD26.50). I also bought a Christian Indonesian CD. It will help me with my bahasa development.

When I got home i just had a vegetable juice in the hotel lobby and chatted with security for a while in Bahasa.

Tonight
After work I went to the most AWESOME Indian restaurant I have EVER been to. I was with Gayles mom. It was so freakin' awesome. The food was so freakin' good. It was on the 18th floor of a very highclass hotel hear next to the Da Vinci building (a very stylish apartment building that rents for US10,000 per month). It was the right time to eat here. There is a Punjab food festival. Their were dancers and food. I ate so much. then I went to Plaza Indonesia to buy bottled water.

One thing that you learn very quickly here is that you can not drink the tap water. It is the opposite problem to Australia. There is an abundance of water but it is undrinkable. The pollution is so thick and heavy here. On my fist visit I had diahorea after swallowing some tap water while brushing my teeth.

I met up with a friend and his fiancee at 10pm at the Coffee Bros cafe. We chatted for 1.5 hours and now Im hear blogging.

If ever you have an opportunity to visit this city please do. It is the most amazing place. The people are great. I am looking forward to the day I move hear with my wife. One thing that I never want to do is show disrespect to the Indonesian people. Many of them have it very tough here. There is a severe class hierarchy here.

Oh another cool thing... I was in Sudireman tonight (the central business district). It is high rise buildings every where. It is really bustling (the whole of jakarta is bustling all day and night, but Sudireman really bustles at peak hour). In the midst of this you can see the tower of the Mosques protruding from the ground. Then you hear over the loud speakers the call for prayer. It penetrates the whole city.

Muslims pray five times a day and the call for prayer is given over the loud speakers of the mosques. In Jakarta there is almost one mosque per 1.5km square.

The five prayer times are:
Fajr (pre-dawn): This prayer starts off the day with the remembrance of God; it is performed before sunrise.
Dhuhr (noon): After the day's work has begun, one breaks shortly after noon to again remember God and seek His guidance.
'Asr (afternoon): In the late afternoon, people are usually busy wrapping up the day's work, getting kids home from school, etc. It is an important time to take a few minutes to remember God and the greater meaning of our lives.
Maghrib (sunset): Just after the sun goes down, Muslims remember God again as the day begins to come to a close.
'Isha (evening): Before retiring for the night, Muslims again take time to remember God's presence, guidance, mercy, and forgiveness.

This is the Muslim call to prayer (given in Arabic):
1 Allah u Akbar, Allah u Akbar -- Allah is Great, Allah is Great
2-Ash-hadu al-la Ilaha ill Allah - Ash-hadu al-la Ilaha ill Allah -- I bear witness that there is no divinty but Allah
3 Ash-hadu anna Muhammadan Rasulullaah-- I bear witness that Muhammad is Allah's Messenger
Ash-hadu anna Muhammadan Rasulullaah. -- I bear witness that Muhammad is Allah's Messenger
4 Hayya la-s-saleah - Hayya la-s-saleah -- Hasten to the prayer, Hasten to the prayer
5 Hayya la-l-faleah - Hayya la-l-faleah -- Hasten to real success, Hasten to real success,
6 Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar -- Allah is Great, Allah is Great
7 La Ilaha ill Allah -- There is no divinity but Allah

Another translation reads:
God is great. (x4)
I bear witness that there none worthy of worship except God. (x2)
I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of God. (x2)
Come to prayer. (x2)
Come to felicity. (x2)
[Fajr only] Prayer is better than sleep. (x2)
[Iqama only] Our prayers are now ready. Our prayers are now ready. (x2)
God is great. (x2)
There is none worthy of worship except God.

Anyway, It is very interesting / exciting to be here in the midst of this. Humid tropical climate. Busy city. City of contrasts. Religious presence. Materialistic. Everything. I will write more on the weekend.

God bless you all. Jesus is Lord.

Jakarta - Day 1

I'll just post a brief overview of each day here in Jakarta.

Today I got up at 630am and unpacked. I went for breakfast and then waited for my fiances parents to pick me up. We went to Catholic mass (see previous post). After that we went for lunch. After lunch I went with Loy to a couples / singles for Christ meeting (previous post). After that I went to Pondok Inda Mall and window shopped. I had dinner at a Korean restaurant and then went window shopping again. I left the mall at about 10pm and just got back to my hotel room.

Temperature is about 30c today (everyday for that matter) with a 100% humidity. This climate is really good for my skin. I usually suffer from dermitis and sometimes get shortbreath in Perth. In spite of the pollution here, my breathing is really good, and my skin heals quickly.

It was a good day. But now I'm tired and am going to bed. It is going to be a busy week.

Dari Jakarta - selamat malam. Saya harus tidur sekarang.

Catholic Mass in Jakarta

I am currently in Jakarta Indonesia on business. I went to Catholic mass today. I grew up in a Catholic church but left church when I was 14. When I was 19 I was born again and became a "non-demoninational Christian" and I looked down on my old Catholic religion (not entirely bad - go to an Australian catholic church for mass and tell me if you'd want to stick around).

Today I had one of the most beautiful and impacting experiences in my church life. I went to a Fillipino catholic church in Jakarta with my fiances parents. The atmosphere was vibrant. The congregation was warm and accepting. The priest was passionate. The children of the church (about 50 of them) bought gifts of flowers to the Lord. The offering was not taken - it was offered. There wasn't an offering encouragement message - (just "now its time to give our gifts to the Lord"). A special offering was taken to support landslide victims in Central Java. The responsorial psalms had much greater meaning to me now. We all recited the Nicene Creed. We all held hands and prayed the Lords Prayer. We petitioned our God for our families and every other conceivable thing that God could be petioned for. After each prayer of petition the congregation repeated "Lord hear our prayer". We prayed for the world wide community of Fillipinos living abroad. After the mass all of the children (about 50 of them) came to the front and the priest blessed each one of them. All of the children were gathered around Father Noel trying to grab his hands while he layed his hands on each head and said a short prayer.

After church we went to lunch and then went to a couples / singles for Christ meeting where my father-in-law to be let the worship and ministered to the congregation of Fillipino / Indonesian / Indian roman catholics who had just been baptised with water and baptised in the Holy Spirit. There was dancing, singing, prayer - lots of prayer. Each prayer was followed by the traditional recital of "Lord hear our prayer". We held hands togethor again to recite the Lords Prayer. This meeting went for almost 3 hours. This was absolutely awesome. It makes me almost want to become a Roman Catholic again (I know that my mom and my fiances parents would absolutely love me for it).

When I accepted Christ as saviour when I was 19 years old I realised that I had never learnt a thing while attending catholic mass in Australia. I didn't know what Christs death meant really. I didn't know much at all (I guess it would help if I listened, but I was young). Today I met Catholics who knew exactly what Jesus death meant. They knew what a community of believers should be like. Unfortunately, in the afternoon meeting there was prayer to Mary (which really is the reason I could never return to Catholicism). Overall, I found that love for God can flow through tradition.

in Jakarta

I will be in Jakarta for the next 2 weeks. I will do some posts from there.

Emergent... what?

This from Gibbs-Bolger’s decription of what makes up emerging churches today:

1. Identifying with Jesus.
2. Transforming secular space.
3. Living as community.
4. Welcoming the stranger.
5. Serving with generosity.
6. Participating as producers.
7. Creating as created beings.
8. Leading as a body.
9. Merging ancient and contemporary spiritualities.