War
The following quotes were gathered in Blood Against Blood, a book written by prominent Pentecostal leader Arthur Booth-Clibborn and published in 1916:
"War is hell."
General Sherman
"I cannot fight, for the spirit of war is slain within me."
George Fox, when offered a captaincy
"God is forgotten in war; every principle of Christianity is trampled upon."
Sydney Smith
"Our religion teaches us that it is better to be killed than to kill."
Tertullian
"Shall Christians assist the Prince of Hell, who was a murderer from the beginning, by telling the world of the benefit or need of war?"
John Wesley
To Booth-Clibborn's quotes, I would like to add one more. This one comes from Anthony Swofford's book Jarhead:
Already, I recognized the incompatibility of religion and the military. The opposite of this assertion seems true when one considers the high number of fiercely religious military people, but they are missing something. They're forgetting the mission of the military: to extinguish the lives and the livelihood of other humans. What do they think all of those bombs are for?
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4 comments:
No comment....I don't necessarily agree to how you have interpreted the Bible (about war) or these quotes BUT I am not intellectual enough to argue and we both have a right to our own opinions. I am not soliciting war or enjoying the one going on right now. I wasn't glad when it started and I will ecstatic when it ends, however, I don't think all war was wrong, evil and out of God's plan. Sorry, we have to agree to disagree!!!
Love you, bro!!!
No comment?
I have a lot of interest in the topic. How does a pacifist explain war in the OT (many times with God's intructions and assistance) and war at the end of the age when the King comes with a sword (very military-like) and the destruction of all His enemies?
Curt, I'm still working through what I believe, and I'm not sure I'm a thoroughgoing pacifist. I definitely believe that just war theory is bankrupt for a lot of reasons I won't go into here.
As to OT war, Israel was the Kingdom of God at that time, so they could claim to fight for God. No modern nation state can make that claim. If you want to justify modern warfare by relying on OT warfare, then we should slash defense spending and put the worship team on the front lines. When I read the NT I see that Jesus died in our place, but he also died to show us the way we're supposed to live: serving, giving, loving as opposed to conquering, looting and killing.
When the Day comes for our King to execute judgment on His enemies I will follow Him into battle. Then there will be no danger of self-serving motives disguised as justice.
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