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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | Christ, War, and Patriotism | Is 9:6 | proffitt_79 | 107364 | ||
Thank you for your reply. I too do not presume to be all knowing. In fact, at the risk of sounding ignorant, I don't think I've ever heard of Maccabees. I must say that I disagree with your statement that "Jesus is talking about a different peace". You point out that "Though He lived under Roman occupation, Jesus did not involved Himself in any power struggle (John 18:36). And He was very aware of the disciples and their environment (John 12:8 and John 17:9, 15)." You are right - Jesus did not involve himself in any power struggle, and he was aware of the Roman occupation. In fact, these were the very "enemies" that Jesus said the people were to love. (Matt 5:44) In His statement in John 14:27 "my peace I give you, not the peace of this world" Jesus is talking about peace of mind. NLT says "I am leaving you with a gift - peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give isn't like the peace the world gives." This is a comforting statement given to the disciples before Jesus ascention not directed at moral standards or any prohibition or justification for war and should not be used as such. I believe Jesus didn't say much about war specifically because if we, as Christians, are truly to assume the worldview of Jesus, we will not have much need to ask the question, what makes a just war? The gospel of Christ asks "that we feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, chothe the naked, welcome the homeless, visit the prisoner, and perform works of mercy. War does all the opposite." - Dorothy Day We are not in Iraq "liberating" the Iraqi people. We are setting up a regime in Iraq, the second largest oil producing nation in the world, that will ultimately serve us, the largest oil consuming nation in the world. Cliche as it is, that is what is happening. This is not liberation, this is imperialism. And yet patriotism calls us to support this imperialistic endeavor while condemning those who question the motives of our nation's leaders. Many of my fellow Christians reference the Word of God in justifying their patriotism while condemning dissent. Somewhere, our ideas of national identity and patriotism have become sifted in with our Christian allegiance to Jesus Christ and His gospel. (The BIG question is "why?") But citizenship in God's kingdom is superior to the Christian's earthly national citizenship. Acts 5:29: "But Peter and the apostles replied, 'We must obey God rather than human authority'." It is true that "All authority has been placed in power by God." (Rom. 13), but do not forget that Jesus himself tells us to "...give to Cesar what is Cesar's. But everything that is God's must be given to God" (Mark 12). That includes our allegiance. I realize that this subject can go around and around, so I ask a new question: If our commitments to Christ do indeed ultimately trump the authority of the nation, then by what criteria would Christians know when the claims of the nation have intruded on the integrity of the Gospel? |
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2 | Christ, War, and Patriotism | Is 9:6 | JCrichton | 107378 | ||
Hi, proffitt 79! You do post some interesting points. First, when I say that Christ's peace is a different peace I mean what He said. God is concerned with our spiritual as well as our corporal life. But God's ways are different from ours. Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:23-24 and 15:18-20 that God is concerned with our spiritual well being. We cannot please God with material things! So seeking an earthly peace would be like the man that constructed his house on the sand. You yourself have pointed out how "the path to hell is paved with good intentions." Is America an angelic force upon the world, seeking to aide the weak and needy? Is it an evil empire that goes about the globe sucking everything dry? The truth lies in the middle. Sadly, so does our national Christianity. Should we as Christians protest America's unjustice? Yes! But, also as Christians, we must protest all the nations in the world when they commit their evils upon their own people or when they murder babies and cenior citizens and call it holy war! But perhaps that's not even in our job description: Jesus said: It is by your love for one another, that everyone will recognize you as my disciples. (John 13:35) This love is shadowed by Matthew's 5:43-47). It is not our responsibility to police the world but to bring our Lord's message, to convict the world through example, and to pray for humanity. God Bless! |
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3 | Christ, War, and Patriotism | Is 9:6 | proffitt_79 | 107409 | ||
Thank you for your opinion. I do appreciate your participation in this discussion, as it is probably the most taboo subject to discuss openly with strangers. Check it out - we've been restricted! I've been reminded by several users that this is not a political forum or an op/ed page. Both inside and outside the church, this subject is ignored for being either too political or too religious. Try discussing this subject on a political forum and people will shut you out just as quickly, saying 'this is not a religious forum.' Outside of believers, quoting scripture and talking about the life of Christ has no audience. I aimed this discussion at Christians because I am seeking a true Christian perspective. I do not come without my own perspective but I do admit that I could be wrong. |
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