Oslo, the Island of Utoya: and Living in a Big World

A bombing in Oslo, Norway, and shootings at a Norwegian youth camp on the island of Utoya, are terrible events. The last I read, folks in Norway were still looking for bodies. And trying to figure out why it took so long for law enforcement to show up.

Here's a sample of today's news:

"WCC general secretary shocked by unleashing of violence in his homeland"
Vatican Radio, via News.va (July 23, 2011)

" 'Norway has today experienced an unprecedented and horrible level of violence against innocent people,' said Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, a Norwegian Lutheran pastor and General Secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC)...."

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"Pope: May All Norwegians Reject Hatred"
Associated Press, via FoxNews.com (July 23, 2011)

"Pope Benedict XVI said Saturday he is praying for the victims of Norway's terror attacks and urging Norwegians to unite in a resolve to reject hatred...."

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"Norway survivors recount island horror"
Henry Chu, Los Angeles Times (July 23, 2011)

"Young people describe being methodically stalked by a gunman as they hid inside bathrooms, scrambled through woods or dove into the frigid lake. Police face questions about the time they took to respond...."

There's no shortage of opinions: informed and otherwise. Here's my take on three facets of what happened:

• "The Threat of People Who Aren't Just Like Us?"
  (July 23, 2011)
• "Chauvinism Knows No Borders"
  (July 23, 2011)
• "Oslo, Dead Bodies, Love, Hate, and Getting a Grip"
  (July 23, 2011)

Finally, and this is just a suggestion: lots of folks in Norway are hurting. Prayer couldn't hurt.