Path: utzoo!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!wuarchive!psuvax1!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: RJB@slacvm.slac.stanford.edu (Rich Belcinski) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: Christianity and war Message-ID: Date: 6 Mar 91 04:40:27 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: Stanford Linear Accelerator Center Lines: 63 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu In article , gt1104c@prism.gatech.edu (SILVERT,STANLEY DAVID JR) says: > >I look at these passages in the OT as the result of cultural bias on >the part of the editors. After all, if you are recording the history >of your people and you find that your people have been responsible for >the slaughter of men, women, children and animals you need a way to >vindicate your people. An easy way is to say that it was God's will Most of the OT is not about "cultural vindication of the Isrealites." It is, rather, about how God moulds a "stiff-necked" people to be obe- dient to Him. In fact, your argument above is hard to support, since lots of the OT is spent "lambasting" the Irealites for their unrighteous- ness. Look more carefully at the passages involved. >that you kill in this instance. However, I believe that no God who >LOVES EVERYONE would tell one group of people to kill another. Maybe This is what *you* believe. Don't people who love their children discipline them from time to time? You are also looking at God's acts from the point of view that "loss of life" isn't discipline but "cruelty." God is eternal. Human spirit is eternal. This life is just a brief "stop-over" on the way to the eternal. What then is life to an eternal God? Note well that I'm NOT arguing for a "licence to kill." I am saying that God is JUST, beyond our own earthly definition(s) of justice. >it made sense that God would hire executioners back when people tended >to think of God as just the great judge and jury in the sky, but in >light of the teachings of Jesus this simple-minded view is very >questionable. What's so "simple-minded" about justice? Jesus himself preached that there would be an end-time, and God would judge the world. Look at Matthew 11:20-24. Jesus warns of judgement. Go and read a bit before accusing others of being "simple-minded." Since you seem to be so fond of Matthew... (7:7) "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?" >We have had this debate about the meaning of this commandment before. >I feel that we also need to take a close look at Matthew 5:21-26 where >Jesus talks about this issue of killing and verses 43-48 where he No. Jesus talks about "murder," not "killing." >talks about love for your enemies. Jesus did not even want us to be >angry much less kill. Also, it seems to me that if we truly love our >enemies the last thing we want to do is blow their heads off. Jesus talks about loving your neighbor as yourself. How do you love yourself? Are there pieces you don't like and would gladly get rid of? Jesus is not talking about being "enamoured" by everything about your enemy. He *is* talking about not *hating* your enemy. If you believe that that your enemy is about to commit great atrocities, you are *not* to love the atrocities because you love your enemy. If you take your enemy's life here, it would not be murder. It is clear that we are not to take pleasure in killing. God never commanded his people to kill indiscriminately. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Richard J. Belcinski | Any opinion expressed above is not | Bitnet: RJB@SLACVM.BITNET | necessarily that of SLAC or the US DOE. | ----------------------------------------------------------------------