Local pastors address the Paris terrorist attacks

Two men paint a mural reads: "Pray for Paris" in tribute to the victims of the Paris attacks, in Paris, Saturday Nov. 14, 2015. French President Francois Hollande vowed to attack Islamic State without mercy as the jihadist group admitted responsibility Saturday for orchestrating the deadliest attacks inflicted on France since World War II. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Two men paint a mural reads: "Pray for Paris" in tribute to the victims of the Paris attacks, in Paris, Saturday Nov. 14, 2015. French President Francois Hollande vowed to attack Islamic State without mercy as the jihadist group admitted responsibility Saturday for orchestrating the deadliest attacks inflicted on France since World War II. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

The terrorist attacks in Paris have been called an act of war by French President Francois Hollande.

President Obama described them as "an attack on all of humanity and the universal values that we share."

British Prime Minister David Cameron said, "We must never allow the values that we hold dear, of democracy, of freedom of speech to be damaged by these terrorists."

But it's not just world leaders who are dealing with the attacks, who must try to make sense of them while also trying to help others come to grips with the deaths. Local religious leaders must address the topic in their own churches and synagogues, trying to explain why God would allow such tragedies and how faith may help lead to understanding and offer comfort.

photo People light candles in the shape of a heart, on the Old-Port in Marseille, southern France, Saturday, Nov. 14, 2015, after the Paris attacks on Friday. French President Francois Hollande vowed to attack the Islamic State group without mercy as the jihadist group admitted responsibility Saturday for orchestrating the deadliest attacks inflicted on France since World War II. (AP Photo/Claude Paris)

"My first reaction was that of anger," says Gary Ames, senior pastor at Hickory Valley Christian Church on Shallowford Road. "All the emotions of 9/11 and the July 16 shooting here in Chattanooga came flooding back. This was a blatant act of war on innocent people and we want to cry out for justice.

"I was bewildered at the misguided devotion to a religion that is far from what we believe," he says. "Then I felt a sense of confidence in the truth of God's word. Matthew 24:6 - Jesus said there will be wars and rumors of war; 2 Timothy 3:1-5 describes the mindset of people in the last days. Some listed in that passage are abusive, unholy, without love, without self control and brutal.

"But in the midst of all these, Jesus reminds us in John 16:33, 'In this world you will have trouble, but take heart, I have overcome the world.'"

On Sunday, Ken Duggan, pastor of Dallas Bay Baptist Church in Hixson, will speak to his congregation about the Parisian attacks.

"Tragedy and violence are not always reserved for those who are bad people or enemies of God. Sometimes God directs our paths through some dark and terrible places," he says. "The Bible is full of stories of storms that his followers were made to pass through.

"The marvelous thing is that those who were forced to endure these storms were never alone. In fact, God is often more knowable in the crucible of our trials. He has promised never to leave us nor forsake us and that promise is never so dear as it is in the darkness of the valley of the shadow of death," Duggan says. "I believe God was present with the innocent who suffered last week in Paris and will be with those who remain."

Unitarian Universalist Church Minister Cathy Harrington says the Unitarian Universalist Association's president, the Rev. Peter Morales, wrote a letter to the church's pastors after the attacks. "The horrific terrorist attacks in France fill all good people with the deepest sadness," he said. "May we all rededicate ourselves to waging peace based on compassion and respect. Hatred must not triumph."

"I support President Morales' message with the firm conviction that we will never make the world safer by combating violence with violence," Harrington says. "If structural and systemic violence can be escalated, which is what we have witnessed in Paris last Friday, then the escalation of compassion, love, and respect is also possible."

Harrington also expressed "deep disappointment" in Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam's decision to ask federal officials to stop sending Syrian refugees to Tennessee. At least one of the eight attackers in France is believed to have crossed into Europe through Greece claiming to be a Syrian refugee.

"I am deeply disappointed that the governor of Tennessee refuses to accept Syrian refugees into our state," Harrington says. "We are far better people than our governor assumes. I urge all Tennesseans to let Gov. Haslam know that the good people of Tennessee refuse to participate in closing our doors and our hearts to Syrian refuges. Let the escalation of love begin."

Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal and Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley also have said they will not accept Syrian refugees in their states.

Josh Woodrow, pastor of Bridge City Community Church on West 40th Street, also says he hopes that the U.S. and its citizens won't succumb to fear when it comes to refugees.

"I pray that we will not give into the hysteria of terror but open our 'borderly' arms with love toward the countless number of victims and refugees seeking asylum from the terror they have faced for much longer than a single, terribly bloody night," he says.

The key word to keeping peace is "solidarity," Woodrow says. He has been discussing the terrorist attacks with his 6-year-old daughter, who immediately began praying for the people of France. His daughter told him, "We should pray for the people in France, something bad happened, and I like Paris."

Woodrow explained the word "solidarity" to his little girl and told her that everyone should "stand together" and support Parisians. He notes that the French people have gone back to their daily routines "with greater vigor as a display of confidence and a disparaging of fear. Why? To prove they will not be defeated by terror or the ones who perpetrate it."

"Our birthright is an experience of violence and ultimately death," he says. "Our church, and my daughter, believe that there is redemption from evil, brokenness and death because of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

"A vast ocean separated humanity from the grace of God because of the first terrorists, Adam and Eve, who brought calamity upon the world for all generations. Instead of divine ignorance, God chose solidarity by sending Jesus to exchange his life for that of a terrorist named Barabbas. As a result, we could stand as one with God again. My challenge to myself, my daughter, and our church was to pursue solidarity and peace in the face of violence."

Contact Karen Nazor Hill at khill@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6396.

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