Quote:
Originally Posted by BrotherEastman
All war is sin? So when Jesus comes back with literally thousands of his saints on a horse He would be sinning?
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So, war is righteous and holy because Jesus will do it???
Please understand, categorical logic has to be employed. Jesus is also God, therefore, He wages war righteously and to vanquish evil. All too often our wars are connected to a just cause, but clouded with ulterior motives. Consider the Northwoods Documents from the Kennedy era. These documents describe the methods to employed should the then Kennedy Administration wish to gain public support to go to war with Cuba. In these documents American special forces, or CIA trained and paid mercenaries, were to essentially conduct terror operations against civilians and military targets of the United States while pretending to be Cuban. The goal was to create enough public outcry and anger that the public would overwhelmingly support a military invasion of Cuba. Kennedy was absolutely against using such tactics. Even today we have documents in the Pentagon that outline the procedures for conducting these false flag operations in many different scenarios throughout the world to further and protect US interests. Now... governments often lie to their population to gain support for war efforts. The average German soldier in the beginning of WWII believed they were defending their families, culture, and nation from "imperialist" efforts to take them over. Your average German soldier knew nothing about the brewing holocaust. Imagine with me... two soldiers... both "Christian"... meeting on the battlefield to kill one another... and to some degree... both have been misinformed or under informed.
Also, consider the use of the Atom bomb in Japan. How many men, women, and children who were not even in the military were blown to dust??? Did that "please" God? Also, the carpet bombing of Germany and Italy wherewith we leveled entire cities, killing all civilians who refused to leave their homes, churches, and businesses... did it "please" God?
Let's say
War is a condition of our fallen state. Oppression is sin. And the end result that brings war to end oppression is therefore intrinsically connected. Oppression is not God's will... nor is war. It is a necessary evil of our fallen state. It only exists as a sinful byproduct of our sinful condition, therefore it is sin.
One can learn a lot through studying early Pentecostals and how licensing was used for conscientious objector status during the world wars. Also, a thorough study of Quaker peace testimony can shed some light on this reasoning.
Now, don't get me wrong. I know that war is necessary and often much good can be brought forth after said wars in the way of liberation. However, I see it as a necessary evil in our fallen world. It's not normal. It was never God's intention.
I don't believe Christians should abstain from service. However, I think it is wise and spiritual to do so. We do better to be praying the end of war and for those involved in war on both sides. We can serve humanity by focusing on humanitarian aid for refugees, justice for prisoners, and services for veterans. There are also non-combatant roles that we can serve in.
I don't believe a Christian should be a coward. In fact, I was in the Army for 6 years with 2 years IRR. I served as a 19K M1 Tank Crewman (primarily as loader, driver, and mounted M240 machine gunner) and as a 91B10 Combat Medical Specialist. I was assigned to the 2/107th Cavalry and served as a Cav. Scout Medic. Served as an element with Air Cav. with plenty of experience jumping out of UH-60's... and in several capacities that I'm not at liberty to discuss at the present time. War is a strange spirit. It brings out the best and worst of us. It is sinful. I can't see Jesus mowing down a crowd of Vietnamese regulars... most of which are serving because if they don't... their government will toast their villages and kill their families.
Hybrid Mode
