RIVERSIDE REFLECTIONS: war and peace
The past two years have been quite intersting for people in my genreation. We are at war. Never before has my generation had to process all that war involves. Sure, we remember Desert Storm, but we were young enough that we were not asking too many critical questions. We don't remember Vietnam. But now I am confronted by the tough issues that go along with war. Especially as a Christian. How does a Christian respond to war?
I guess I brought this up because it has been brought up multiple times in the past year. During Advent, one of our devotions dealt with peace. We typically pray during Advent, "Peace on earth, good will to humanity." But we are at war. How do we pray for peace while endorsing a war? I had an ethics class where this was debated ad naseum. And just the other night I was listening to the radio as I was trying to sleep, but this night I could not sleep.
Alan Combs was discussing the killing of Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi. The reports were coming out that there had been an attack and Zarqawi had survived. The Iraqi police were putting him on a stretcher to seek care when American Special Forces came in and executed him. I have been too busy to try and confirm this report, but it is exactly this type of thing that really makes me struggle with this whole issue of war.
Classic just war theorists argue that there are just wars. They must be precipitated justly, conducted justly, and concluded justly. Do an internet seach for just war theory and check it out. The standards established are pretty universally accepted. However, by the established criterea, there has never been a just war, and there is not likely to be one anytime soon. One of the big problems I have is with the killing of non-combatants. Name one war where non-combatants (civilians) were not killed in large numbers. Most just war theorists look to WWII as the benchmark for just wars. But how do they reconcile Hiroshima and Nagasaki? How many thousands or millions of women and children were killed mercilessly with just two bombs? This is just?
How many reports must we listen to about soldiers killing unarmed women and desimating villages before we as a church decry such killing! And yet it is largly Christians who lead and support the war. GW Bush...a good Christian. Did anyone hear the esteemed James Dobson's comments recently..."this is certainly a moral action." Who is he kidding! War is moral? Killing is moral?
The church, who endlessly fights for the right of baby's to live, unashamedly supports wars that kill just as many baby's and women and civilians. When will the madness stop?
Well, I must stop before I ramble on. But every generation must wrestle with these issues and decide what is a propper response. I do know that Christ responded, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do."
Father, forgive us for we know not what we do.
I guess I brought this up because it has been brought up multiple times in the past year. During Advent, one of our devotions dealt with peace. We typically pray during Advent, "Peace on earth, good will to humanity." But we are at war. How do we pray for peace while endorsing a war? I had an ethics class where this was debated ad naseum. And just the other night I was listening to the radio as I was trying to sleep, but this night I could not sleep.
Alan Combs was discussing the killing of Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi. The reports were coming out that there had been an attack and Zarqawi had survived. The Iraqi police were putting him on a stretcher to seek care when American Special Forces came in and executed him. I have been too busy to try and confirm this report, but it is exactly this type of thing that really makes me struggle with this whole issue of war.
Classic just war theorists argue that there are just wars. They must be precipitated justly, conducted justly, and concluded justly. Do an internet seach for just war theory and check it out. The standards established are pretty universally accepted. However, by the established criterea, there has never been a just war, and there is not likely to be one anytime soon. One of the big problems I have is with the killing of non-combatants. Name one war where non-combatants (civilians) were not killed in large numbers. Most just war theorists look to WWII as the benchmark for just wars. But how do they reconcile Hiroshima and Nagasaki? How many thousands or millions of women and children were killed mercilessly with just two bombs? This is just?
How many reports must we listen to about soldiers killing unarmed women and desimating villages before we as a church decry such killing! And yet it is largly Christians who lead and support the war. GW Bush...a good Christian. Did anyone hear the esteemed James Dobson's comments recently..."this is certainly a moral action." Who is he kidding! War is moral? Killing is moral?
The church, who endlessly fights for the right of baby's to live, unashamedly supports wars that kill just as many baby's and women and civilians. When will the madness stop?
Well, I must stop before I ramble on. But every generation must wrestle with these issues and decide what is a propper response. I do know that Christ responded, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do."
Father, forgive us for we know not what we do.
posted by EF + at 10:49 AM
4 Comments:
Again, I turn to what Hauerwas said, "Christians are not committed to nonviolence because we believe nonviolence is an effective strategy to free the world of war. Rather, we are nonviolent because we know we live in a wolrd at war yet believe that the forgiveness wrought on the cross of Christ makes it possible for us to live nonviolently in a world at war."
It is hard to seek peace when a man named Hitler was killing millions of Jews and when we were being killed on our on land during Pearl Harbor. Whether the bombs we dropped in Japan were just or not, if we did turn the other cheek millions and millions more of our own and others would have ended up killed. The people that were fightning us had not committeed their lives to Jesus. And think of the somewhat peace that seemed to be embraced after the bombs we dropped hit and the war was over. As people of Christ I think are job is to be as close to Christlike as possible. But we can't. We can try. It's can of like shooting for the moon and landing among the stars. So therefore I don't think their was anything else our country could have done. So I believe the decision to drop the bombs was justified because in many ways it helped the greater good. No it wasn't the best way to serve Peace. But I don't think there was another way to solve it. It was the best way. But other than WW2 I don't see many other just wars. Especially not the War in Iraq.
I too struggle with war. I do remember Vietnam. When all this happened in Iraq, it brought back memories of Vietnam. I was immediately concerned about whether or not there would be a draft. The mother thing you know. We had a young man in church who was in ROTC. He said he was sure it would be over before he graduated and he would not need to go overseas. Well, he is just about ready now to finish his tour in Iraq.
A Pandora's box was opened when Adam and Eve took the apple. We live in a fallen world. There will always be "wars and rumors of wars" until Christ returns. All we can do is each live as peacefully as possible knowing that some time we will be involved one way or another. God allowed wars/country take overs in the Old Testament as punishment/a way to draw his people close to him for repentance/a way to show unbelievers who He was and His power. Keep your eyes on Him and follow His leading. All you can control is you. Know He is there with you and that He has the ultimate control. Nothing happens but what He allows.
Also know you and Antonina remain in my prayers as the job search continues and you wait for medical results. Yes these 2 weeks have dumped alot on the two of you. God loves you both and so do I. He has a plan for your life. I do know some times we want to question His time table. It is certainly not ours. Have a great weekend.
When it comes to wars I've become a pacifist and I've pretty much settled there. The question for me now is how do I respond to war. Do I just sit back and say I'm a pacifist or will I work for peace in nonviolent ways that may cost me as much as the soldier? Pacifists can so easily take the easy way out if they are not careful.
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