Here we go....again??

Boy oh boy am I asking for trouble. The funny thing is I have yet to find too much, just a few sideways glances, and that can be dealt with, trust me I have my own glance…

For some time now I have tip toed around this issue of war. OK, so tip toeing is probably not applicable but I have certainly brought it up and out on this post. I would love to think of war as simply a format for getting ones way but there is so much more to it than that. Egoism is the chief fuel for this fire, spoken fact, completely reputable, there is no discussion, it is tried and true.

I am probably going to get a tad offensive this time around, so first of all forgive me. Second, be aware that I just don’t care anymore. And third, did I mention I don’t care?

For many centuries mankind has been carrying around his opinion. Women like to shop and then show their girlfriends what they bought. Guys like to walk around with their opinions in a bag and force them into the face of anyone and everyone regardless. Strange things happen though, other guys don’t agree with a particular opinion and guess what, we have ourselves a little fisticuffs. Of course this usually involves men with the combined IQ of a squash, so little is actually lost other than another fragile little ego.

What irks me more than anything is how a man will work to elevate himself in a given society, win over a majority of people in its’ populous and then proceed to drag out the old bag of opinions to show all of his friends. Meanwhile, imagine that somewhere there is someone who doesn’t agree with one of those fancy opinions in the bag. And guess what?! It happens again, two (or more) dimwits are at each other’s throats arguing about who is right.

The crazy thing is that this exact situation takes place in daycares all over the world on a daily basis. Every time little timmy wants a block that little jimmy has you know someone is gonna get the block and someone is gonna cry. The poor little thing.

War has always, and WILL always be about greed or ego or both. One way or another some birdbrain just has to have something that some other birdbrain has. Sooner or later it comes down to who can yell the loudest, or who has the best toy, or who has the hottest girlfriend or even who has the most; of whatever.

I have been arguing most of my points from a biblical perspective. For some time now I have sought the expertise of many an author, writer and pastor for help with specific scriptures that support what I now believe without a doubt. In an interesting twist I have also discovered that a fair argument can now be made from an economic angle, a social angle, a diplomatic perspective and of course an intellectual view. Mind you however that those who typically support war are void of intellect. If they had two cents to share it would probably be their last two.

War is not an answer. War cannot ever be an answer. It is financially crippling. It ruins the minds and mental states of hundreds of thousands of soldiers. It takes fathers, mothers, sons and daughters away forever. It has a reverberating effect on any medical system. It causes irreversible damage to those who witness it. NO ONE WINS. Please repeat that with me. NO ONE WINS.

I have given so much thought to this subject and find myself at odds. On one hand there are those who oppose democracy and will fight to the death in their opposition. For those people out there something must be done, a plan must be implemented to stop these individuals. Much has been said about how to fight the war on terror and much will continue to come out in the months ahead as we approach this election. Stopping the real terrorists is certainly an issue that requires much thought.

If peace is really the goal and we know there are a select group of peoples out there willing to stop at nothing to oppose that peace, we need to do what we can to stem that tide. However, killing them just doesn’t work for me and if that angers about 50 million people then oh well.

I would rather be “…blessed as a peacemaker” and “…persecuted for His name” than “…take an eye for an eye”. Pulling lines from scripture is all I have right now. There are just a few people in my sphere of friends and relatives that seem to get this. To suggest the impact is huge would be to insult the word huge. I am well aware of the peace marches of the 60’s and 70’s. I have read about the beatniks who opposed war and were branded as “liberals” in the worst possible light.

The difference here is most of the peace freaks that are related to this movement are commonly tree hugging greenies, and commonly have no relationship with Jesus. Their spirituality is founded in feeling good and not harming anyone anywhere at anytime, they are pacifists. I am not a pacifist, I am a Christ follower. I am attempting to live a life based on the red letter words of Jesus when He was upon this earth. Christ came to serve, not to be served. He came to teach us how to live a life worthy of praising our creator. He came to teach us how to pray. And He came to save us from the wicked ways that we were lost in prior to His arrival.

As Jesus said, “In a word, what I'm saying is, grow up. You're kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you." Matthew 5:48 – The Message

Grow up??!! I thought I already did that. Turns out I still have some growing up to do. Here we go again.
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My life is not mine, and yet it is mine to live for Him. Peace to you all.

D