This is what the UMC book of discipline in the social principals says about war and peace. In other words this is what our church says about it!
War and Peace
We believe war is incompatible with the teachings and example of Christ. We therefore reject war as an instrument of national foreign policy, to be employed only as a last resort in the prevention of such evils as genocide, brutal suppression of human rights, and unprovoked international aggression. We insist that the first moral duty of all nations is to resolve by peaceful means every dispute that arises between or among them; that human values must outweigh military claims as governments determine their priorities; that the militarization of society must be challenged and stopped; that the manufacture, sale, and deployment of armaments must be reduced and controlled; and that the production, possession, or use of nuclear weapons be condemned. Consequently, we endorse general and complete disarmament under strict and effective international control.
From The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church - 2004. Copyright 2004 by The United Methodist Publishing House.
So question. . . what about this??
matthew 24
3As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. "Tell us," they said, "when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?"
4Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you. 5For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ,[a]' and will deceive many. 6You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8All these are the beginning of birth pains.
9"Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.
Matthew 10
34"Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35For I have come to turn
" 'a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
a daughter-in-law against her motherinlaw—
36a man's enemies will be the members of his own household.'[e]
37"Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; 38and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
Mark 9:50
50"Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other."
Luke 12:51
51Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division.
Matthew 5:9
9Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God.
Here are some verses that confuse me. . . how can Jesus say. . . "i have not come to bring peace to the earth. . . " and then also say. . . "be at peace with each other."??
1 comment:
my school's gospel choir opened the second half of their show by marching down the aisles to kanye west's 'jesus walks' decked in army fatigue. the director mentioned that as a grad. of west point, he swore he'd never wear fatigue again, but when students suggested it, was happy to comply. the display caused quite a discomfort in my psyche, which i later relayed to an atheist friend who has studied religions widely. in her 'sometimes you are so ignorant, kristina' frankness, she told me that my reaction was out of context because while cammo used to represent U.S. imperialism, dominance, and war in general, it was adopted as an urban symbol, and once something is taken out of context and used to symbolize something different, it loses its original meaning when applied in the new context.
i thanked her for enlightening me, and said that i still felt uncomfortable because, after all, jesus christ was a pacifist. to which she replied: Jesus may have been a pacifist. Christ was/is not. She explained that Jesus, the person, arguably proposed non-violent solutions as opposed to violent ones. Christ, the messiah who will one day judge the living and the dead, proposed great destruction that could be argued to be violent (in the widest use of the word; violence as a necessary destructive force). I, of course, mentioned that most Christians see Jesus and Christ as one being, perfect man and perfect God, and our conversation meandered in other directions.
One more not-so-connected thought: Jim Winkler, general secretary of the general board of church and society of the united methodist church, said something that struck me...i can't find the exact quote but it was something like: I believe Jesus was a pacifist, and I pray that someday I will be strong enough in my faith to bear that title as well.
Now, war? I could talk about this one for days. but i should probably get to writing a paper sometime tonight...
Yay for general incoherence!!
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