Here is a question that has plagued me for some time. Let's talk about Christians who go to war, first. Why do you go to war when the Bible says to "turn the other cheek, do good to those who spitefully use you and persecute you". It even says, "if a man ask you to go one mile carrying something for him, do two, and heap coals of fire on your enemies and pray for them." Another thing it says is to love your neighbor as yourself. How can you be obeying all of this when you participate in war? One of the 10 commandments is to not kill. Also the 11th commandment that you love one another. Killing is not loving!
Now on the other side, this is for non-resistant Christians. In Bible times even though all the above verses are spoken, still God endorsed war. In fact, He actually asked the Israelites to go to war and to kill certain peoples. He purposely gave them victory different times. Why? If it's not right to kill, if you are to love your neighbor as yourself, then why did He have his people kill others? Where would America be today if no one had fought for our freedom? Would their be freedom? If everyone would just sit back like the nonresistand Mennonites, wouldn't we all just be killed or taken captive and made into servants? Why don't you stand up for what's right with the law? Why don't you fight abortion, why don't you fight the gay rights, why don't you fight for anything? Is it actually God's will for His people to sit back and just pray for the right things to come to pass without any action on your part?
I'm just confused about war right now. I wish someone had some opinions or could in some way educate me more. I don't like when I am neutral on an issue such as this. And neutral is what I am, because I don't know what to believe. All my life I've been taught the nonresistant Mennonite stance on war. Yet, I have questioned it for years, and it's just building up. I need answers. I am not one of those who is willing to just do/believe certain things without knowing why and without having to be totally convinced. I want to know why I do the things I do. I want to know why I believe what I believe. The Bible says to always have an answer for every man. How can you do that when you don't even know what you believe or if you are neutral? That's my point, you can't. Somebody help me out!!!!
Now that I got that puked out of me, I can think about something else for the moment. Oh, by the way, this was a scary subject for me to let others read so I trust that the people who have my blog will be wise enough to not talk about my ramblings to other people. The reason that I only give my blog to certain people is because I only trust certain people with what I write in this thing, so please don't defeat that purpose by broadcasting my ramblings to anyone else. Oh, what an uproar this one would cause if it were to be read by the wrong person! Oy, please no! You who are reading this and are not Mennonites might not understand what I mean, but just trust me when I say Mennonites tend to be judgmental on their own people. Anyone with strange ideas is not exactly looked up to and my question about war would certainly be a cause for their alarm! That's why it's not easy for me to ask people questions. They usually ask others and soon EVERYONE knows that Dawn was doubting ______ and she must be unstable, etc., etc., etc.!!!!!! I only ask questions of people I fully trust.
Oh, that's right, I was going to talk about something else now. Sorry! Well, this week looks pretty full. Wednesday on my day off, I plan to spend most of it in Lebanon County. In the morning I want to visit Darlene Eberly. I have not been to her place at all this year yet. She is an hour's drive away but I guess that's not a good excuse, considering how close we were as friends at one time. So I will visit her for the morning. Then I will go over to my Aunt Karen and probably shop or swim in their pool. Last I will stop in at Doris and I was planning to stay for the evening but then I had this thought that that is my only evening that I don't have something planned and this is my week to mow. So I guess I will have to come home and mow instead of visit.
Then this weekend I will be at Wolfrock, my boss's vacation house. My grandparents and cousins and Dad's two other brothers will be there. Oh, I'm taking Sharon F because otherwise I'd get bored.
Last night I was at a hot dog roast and before we ate we went hiking. It was a peaceful evening. I gave a friend the computer she ordered through Dad and she was excited to finally have her own. Her brother didn't really like when she used his and he moved out recently so she was without one for sure then!
Well, I think that's going to have to be the end of this post because it's time to eat breakfast and go to work!
These are my 2 cents....
ReplyDeleteAs Christians, we are called to protect those who are weaker and the inocent, to defend the Truth and give out the Good News. Only a portion of the population is able to defend those in need, and of course you can only defend them if you can "tie down the strongman". We cannot defend against "the strongman" with words, with politeness, with a great attitude, because "the strongman" uses weapons (like Hitler and Sadam Hussein did). Using the example of history, what great result was accomplished by those living in Germany and conquered areas that did not get involved, that looked to the other side? Millions of Jewish and other minorities were slaughtered, assasinated, not marely killed....and the plot was to get rid of them all. Would you live at peace with God, knowing you saw "people who hungered, who were sick, who were improsoned and you did nothing about it".....? Jesus will say to you "I don't know you..." "But Lord, I taught Sunday School, worked for the MCC, supported missionaries, etc"........Ask yourself... are you doing as the Good Samaritan?
The forces of evil are at work, today more than ever because there's not much time left before Jesus raptures the Church... Not everyone is built to render their life for others to live or be free, but that's what soldiers do, Christian and non-Christian. It's very easy just to take that part ofd the Word of God who appeases our struggle instead of studying the WHOLE counsel of God and act accordingly.