In September a man placed bombs at several locations in New Jersey and Manhattan. After collecting fingerprints, police used the cell phone alert system to get word out about the main suspect. A tip came in, and the suspect was captured after a shootout. A few police were injured, and the man was ultimately captured.

Following this situation, police in other major American cities began making a plea for more involvement from its citizens in reporting suspicious activity.

A major part of maintaining the freedoms enjoyed in Western nations is these freedoms not being abused. With increasing numbers of individuals committing terrorist acts, freedom as we know it is questioned. The value of freedom begins to be measured against the value of security.

Many Western nations have had decades of relative internal peace. Immigration and the spread of ideas counter to Western freedoms raises the question: How valuable is freedom when an individual can cause so much harm working alone?

The apostle Paul foretold that the last days would be “brutal” (2 Timothy 3:3). Will that brutality cost us our freedom? (Source: The Wall Street Journal.)