Fiona

If the use of the sword by the true Christians can be justified on any grounds, it would seem that Peter was justified in defending the Son of God who was soon to be crucified by a mob. Christ is the Christian's perfect pattern. As He lived, we are to live. It would be unthinkable that Christ and His chosen twelve should have joined the Roman army and followed the Raman eagle. Nor can we think that the people of God can live the Christian life when engaged in taking human life.

Believe me, I do not "sit on my ass talking about sacrifice and never sacrificing anything," as you claim. I have family whom I do not and will not support through bloodshed. I cannot imagine killing Iraqi girls and boys, Palestinian children, for a paycheck. That ham and cheesburger would spell blood to me and my conscience would not permit me to do so. The ketchup would represent the blood I shed.

As for your counsel to me to "keep paying taxes" – that I will do because Jesus said to vive to Ceasar that which is Ceasars. You are welcome to be my neighbor…I have no desire to kill you or your family; hopefully you have no desire to kill me and or my family. We would be peaceful neighbors who – loves your neighbor as you love yourself.

If you have benefited from ill-gotten material or gained any other form of substance through bloodshed, it is not too late to repent and ask Him to forgive you. He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteouness.

Peace be unto you and your family.

Soldiers know that war is anit-Christian. Napoleon, the greates soldier of modern times, recognized this distinctin between the kingdom of Christ and the kingdoms devoted to war. While meditating upon his misfortunes, when confined to the island of St. Helen, he said: "Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and myself founded empires. But upon what did we rest the creation of our genius?–Upon FORCE. Jesus Christ alone founded His empire upon LOVE: and at this hour millions of men would die for Him." {The Bible and Men of Learning," by Matthews, p.342.

He, unlike modern day murderers, understood the relation of the kingdom of Christ to earlthy kingdsom which throught eh abmitions of men had drifted far from the principles of their Author. Christ taught peace; they teach war. His teaching stand in marked contrast tot he spirit of militarism of our time.

"From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that that war in your members?" James 4:1
Lust is from Satan: we lust the oil from other nations; we lust for cheap labor; etc to support our families and thirst for control of others' conscience.

"But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish…The fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace." James 3:14-18

I would like to humbly put it to you, and other readers, that Christ, the Prince of Peace, is our example. Did He bear arms and kill His fellow men?–Never!

"Even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us (all of us and therefore we do not need murderers in uniform to secure our liberty, freedom, and/or prosperity), leaving us an example, that ye should follow His steps: who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth: who when He was reviled, reviled not again; when He suffered, He threatened not; but committed Himself to Him that judgeth righteously." 1 Peter 2:21-23.

Thanks, and by the way, He died for ALL weather we acknowledge Him or not. That includes, Jews, Hindus, Muslims, Budhists etc. In a nutshell – mankind. I look forward to your response.

God has called us to peace and the weapons of our warfare are not carnal (1 Cor. 7:15; 2 Cor. 10:4. The gospel permits us to use no weapons but the "sword of the Spirit."

Our kingdom is not of thiw world. Said Christ to Pilate, "If My kingdom were of this world, then would My servants fight" John 18:36. This is most indisputable evidence that Christians have nothing to do with carnal instruments(guns, bio/chem warfare, bombs, nuclear, etc) of war.

We are commanded to love even our enemies. "But I say unto you, "says the Saviour, "LOve your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you." Matt. 5:44. Do we fulfill this command when we blow the brains out of women, children, families with our weapons of mass destruction, or server their limbs, or rape them? "If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is not of His." Rom 8:9.

Our work is the same as our Master's, who once said, "The Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to SAVE (emphasis mine) them." Luke 9:56. If God's Spirit sends us to save men, does not some other manner of spirit send us to DESTROY them? It would be nice to examine ourselves to know what manner of spirit we are of.

"Resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on the right cheek, turn to him the other also." Matt. 5:39. That is, we had better turn the other cheek than to smite them back again. Could this scripture be obeyed on the battlefied? Christ said to Peter, as he struck the high priest's servant, "Put up (away) again thy sword." Matt 26:52. If the Saviour (our Creator) commanded the apostle to "put up" the sword, certainly His followers have NO right to take it.

Then let those who are of the world (murderers) fight, but as for us, let us pray.

Fiona

People who cannot tolerate challenge, reason, etc are the ones who resort to violence. They resort to violence to gain what they would not otherwise gain through reason, dialogue, trade, etc.

If what they do is right, why then to they have trauma, sleepless nights, inability to fit in crowds, nightmares, tendency to violence, inability to stand the sounds of little children, etc?

It is appalling to have human beings caged in basements like wild animals because they cannot function in normal life; medicated day in and day out – a mere a existence and not life.

I am saddened and quite appalled at your choice of language. When you say you don't know that you could restrain from "curbstomping my face" it goes to show the level of violence that is raging in you. Violence is never the answer when all we have been engaging in is a dialogue. Is this how you are trained/raised? Is it possible to have a dialogue without violence?

It seems to me that some people resort to violence to gain what they cannot otherwise receive through reason.

It would behoove us to go back to the beginning and review our history. We came from foreign lands and found the native Americans here. What did we do? Killed them, marginalised them, oppressed them, figured that their mode of worship was not good enough, etc. Violence and shedding of blood coupled with slavery and other inhumane deeds were perpetrated. This land is saturated with bloodshed and many have their hands stained with the blood of our fellow man. Even if it is inherited wealth, if it was gained unlawfully it is is still not right.

Proud Marine Wife, your husband or any other soldier for that matter cannot buy, defend my conscience. It is God given. It is my inalienable right from the Sovereign God of the Universe. Please forgive me if I sound hurtful/hateful…it is not my intent to disrespect or hurt anyone. Truth has never been popular and it always divides. We can agree to disagree in principle without having to resort to violence and unladylike language.

Let me share with you that my uncle serves as a surgeon (saving life) in the military; I have a nephew in the French military (spiritual counsellor); and two other members are flight engineers; None of these members bare arms. It is better known as conscientious objectors. Their loyalty is to God for the preservation of life which they consider sacred. None of them have killed anyone in their tenure in the military. I wish you could hear their testimony each time they have come close to death. Each time enemy combatants have put their weapons down for seeming strange reasons when they faced the. They have attributed it to the protection of angels. Their superiors have not fired them either and they are proud citizens.

So, what makes others so ready to kill/murder? You can answer that question the best way your conscience allows. Our pride, selfishness, arrogance, and covetousness will be our doom. God favored this country immensely and He poured out His heart in America. But we took this for granted and used it to oppress others. We shall reap what we have sown. God is never mocked. We claim to be a Christian nation but behave contrary to Christian principles and values.

I am a sinner, saved by grace through Christ. That is where my strength lies – Not in military power; not in economic stability; and yes, you are stronger than me. I would not dare compare myself to you. I couldn't take your husband's place because I cannot bare arms. I have no intention to kill anyone to support a family. i could not do that to people I love. I am sorry my conscience would torment me for the rest of my life and no medication from the VA would suffice.

Forgive me.

Fiona.

God said we should love our enemies and pray for those that despitefully use us. That does not leave room for ANY excuse to kill/murder others. Jesus was on earth, physically, for 33.5 years and He never killed or murdered anyone. And He is our example….so, how can you do it?

If you have done it in ignorance, there is still hope to repent and turn your life around. He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness. That means even the unrighteous act of killing others. However, if you remain stubborn, you will face the consequences.

By the way, you volunteer to kill, no one has compelled you to kill. The government is not our conscience, we must choose to obey God rather than man when it comes to matters of conscience. Unless one has sold their conscience to the enemy of souls, then I rest my case.

Brian.

A loving God, as I know Him, does not allow men and women, for whom He has purchased with His precious blood to be treated as beasts; to be trained to be murderers/killers of women, babies, and men; to earn a living to support their families or themselves with blood money.

1. If it were ordained by God that men and women are to go to war and kill each other, is it any wonder that He leaves them to suffer from PTSD and the frills that come with it? That is hardly a divine purpose or will. War is something that we choose and relish for what we gain from it….human carnage and lust for blood.

2. Is anyone in here familiar with the scripture that says, that if God does not keep the city/house the watchman stays up for nothing? It is God who protects and shields. No human being is capable of providing it.

3. How can we go and kill Iraqi women and children and come back to our own and sit around like everything is fine? I have been counseling a vet for 3+ years and he cannot get over the screams of children he blew up in a village – an abandoned village without grown men except for women, the elderly, and children residing there with a couple of domestic animals.

4. How is it that there are those who will not bare arms because of conscience? It means that there are those whose consciences are so seared with evil that they have no qualms to kill/murder; they are not cowards either.

5. Killing because another has killed only makes identical murderers and that is why this world is so full of sorrow and evil. I wonder what we shall say on the judgement day. Or perhaps it will be, "Lord, I killed XYZ for our freedom and liberty". I can almost hear Him respond, I purchased everyone's freedom and liberty and there is no command from Me to you to go and kill others to save anyone.

We can list our laundry of excuses, but it will not hold water in the final audit which is very soon. We will not plead honeymoons, material gain, and weapons proliferation on that day.

He says, "Thou shalt not kill" period. He does not say thou shalt not kill but do so in self-defense; or to liberate; or for conquest. We can always cook up reasons to justify the desires of our evil inclinations.

He was guarding a Missionary Camp. Hmmmm do you suppose your husband is stronger than the angels of God who can smite the enemy with one blow – and I am talking one angel, not even a host of them. Read your scriptures carefully, I am not trying to be fascitious.

I repeat, i cannot imagine how anyone can kill another human being to support their family and bravely say it's OK. It is BLOOD money, and it has never been OK. Maybe we ought to have a chat with the disciple who betrayed Christ for money – blood money.

It would behoove us as Americans to repent and ask God for forgiveness for the evils we have committed against humanity. That goes for the Brits as well…monarchy my foot! I love my life(it is sacred) and the lives of my fellow human beings (I don't want anyone taking their lives).

War does not occur in a vacuum. It is orchestrated by men. Men make weapons of war,not war making weapons. We make them with intentions to use them. Enough already, time to scurry off to seek the lost.

Adieu.

You can disagree with me but I agree with not a military wife.. and I am one.

And Fiona – This whole world is a war between good and evil you should know that.. There has been war since the beginning and it will end in a battle.. You can hate the war all you want.. but never for a minute look down on those soldiers.. God is with them every step of their journey.