Japan: Pearl Harbour, thousands dead!

The Old Testament makes the Iraq war look like a walk in the park.

I’m here, I’m here!!! I’m in Redding and, I am embarrassed to say, my folks only have *in a faint whisper: “dial up internet”* which is not conducive to doing much of anything! More soon!

Andria -

Islam isn’t a cult, it’s a religion. It comes from the same roots as ancient Judiaism and thusly from the same roots as Christianity. Is it the same? No, of course not. Our Lord said, He was “the way the truth and the life” and that “no one comes to the Father except through (Him)”. There are many reasons why militant Islamist wish to destroy Americans. Some of them are their own prejudices and some of them are actual legitimate complaints against America and it’s policies abroad.

Adriana, you call America the “land of Milk and Honey” but that was a term for Israel, not the United States. The one true God does not claim citizenship to an Earthly kingdom. He doesn’t care more for us here in the states than he does any other people in any other country in the world. The belief that the USA is somehow set apart and blessed by God is a fallacy. I’m sorry, it’s just not the case. Our savior Jesus Christ preached in the Sermon on the Mount: “Blessed are the Peace Makers”.

I have never claimed we do not have an enemy, but the enemy of Christians is the Devil… not other people.

Hope you enjoy the blog. Welcome and I encourage you to continue to post/comment here.

SDG,
Matty

“The bible says, “Thou shall not kill”, period. Do you think that killing someone who attacks your friend, family member or a stranger is exempt from this?”

Matt, I think protecting the people for whom I am responsible is HOW the commandment against killing is to be kept. There is no “period” at the end of that imperative that precludes the use of reason in regard to what the rest of scripture tells us about who may kill and under what circumstances.

“If a foreign country sent troops to the US to invade, would killing them be your choice as an American or as a Christian? How would that be in confilct?”

If somebody is shooting at my neighbors, I am forced to protect them as both an American and a Christian.

However, I can see several points of confilict:

1) I am in my fifties. I am responsible to fight because I have a vested interest in this country. My children are off the table. America may not feed them into its fighting machine. They are the ones who need protection. I am the one responsible to protect them. My 18 year old deserves a life. I must ensure she has one.

2) If an “enemy combatant” does not represent an active threat to anyone, I will not kill him. This is Christian but it is no longer American.

3) I will question American authority at every point if I am forced to put my life on the line. No country ever tries to invade us. Why would they be doing so now? Let DC fight with whomever they have aggravated. Why should I allow Washington to sucker me into killing people it has provoked for no good reason?

I could go on and on, but I will spare you!
Peace,
Mikke

Welcome to the discussion and thanks for your comment. For the purposes of this response, I am assuming you call yourself a Christian. If this is not the case, you can disregard my questions if you wish. However, even if you do not call yourself a Christian, how do you think a Christian might respond?

The bible says, “Thou shall not kill”, period. Do you think that killing someone who attacks your friend, family member or a stranger is exempt from this?

If a foreign country sent troops to the US to invade, would killing them be your choice as an American or as a Christian? How would that be in confilct?

I’m not trying to assert an opinion, I am truly interested in your thinking on this.

SDG,
Matty

No country on this planet has sent troops across our beaches to kill people in our neighborhoods. If they did, I would pick up a weapon and fight back.

I refuse to participate the warmongering “Christianity” exemplified by the Evangelical confusion of “patriotism” with godliness.

What we have witnessed in America amounts to nothing less than a massive rejection of Christ by the church.

I know. It’s an impossible situation. Nations have the duty to protect their citizens. Christians are commanded not to kill. This is where it gets so hard. I believe Christians should not be in the armed forces. I believe putting yourself in the position where you are forced to kill another human being is wrong, as a Christian. So, yeah. I depend on “unbelievers” to defend the country I live in. It doesn’t make sense. On some level, it seems unfair; it seems an untenable position. I have close friends and relatives who serve in the military. And, odd as it may seem, I am proud of them. But, I would never encourage my son to join up. In fact, I would try to discourage him from doing so. Matthew 6:24 says, “You cannot serve two masters.” Jesus was referring, in this instance, to serving God vs. the quest for material possessions, but the truth is more far-reaching than that. In this case, you cannot serve the Kingdom of God and the “Kingdom” of the United States of America.

I know that this is going to rub many people the wrong way, particularly those who align themselves with the more conservative end of the political/Christian spectrum. I am not an American first. I am a Christian first. My allegiance is to Christ, not “the flag”, or the Constitution, or any other symbol of man’s government.

I love my country, don’t get me wrong. I don’t agree with people who say “America is the greatest nation on earth.” I think, as a human being, that some form of democracy is better than the alternative. But I don’t believe that God has ordained democracy as His choice of government on earth.

As I said previously, this kind of thinking is difficult for those of us who were raised to believe that being a Christian and being an American were synonymous, that love of country and love of God go hand in hand.

Andi, thanks again for your comments and your willingness to work through these hard questions with me!

SDG,
Matt

Your point on America vs “Christian” America is true. I do have a question though… You stated that America as a nation has the right, duty and privilege to defend itself but that Christians are told “Do not kill” and that we should use prayer as our weapon (btw i totally agree that prayer needs to be used as a weapon!). I’m left wondering… if you believe America has the duty to defend itself but that Christians shouldn’t be in the armed forces…. who should be defending our country? How can you believe it’s their duty to defend and at the same time step back from the line and push some “unbeliever” forward to take your place in duty? I feel like I’m rambling again but hopefully you get the idea of what I’m trying to ask.