Saturday, October 31, 2009

Are you lost?

Let’s pose a question that has always been at the forefront of my discussions; why are you for war? I have heard many people tell me that they feel war is necessary and for that I have laughed but recently I have come to the conclusion that they are still looking for something here in this world.

There are many answers to that question and I will attempt to pose a few and then give retort to them. So backing up, one answer is that war is necessary. I have to ask the question however, of why is it necessary? But I know the premise of the initial statement of necessity. It is born out of fear and irrational thought but it is at least a common trait. Some people seem to be wired in such a way that when they see evil, they feel it must be vanquished immediately. When evil has a chance to spread it becomes a cancer that is fatal and for some people, the only way to deal with that type of disease is to cut it wholly. If it leaves a scar then so be it, but eradicate the cancer and all will be well again.

The sad fact is that in real life, cancer is something that even if you cut off your leg to erase one cancer, another one may surface in your arm or your head. Evil, like cancer, is something that exists in this world and all the fighting to date has yet to yield a result other than death. And guess what, evil still exists in this world. Hold that thought…

Imagine that prior to going to work each day you had to go to war with your neighbor because it was a necessity. Each day your neighbor would put up a new fence at the end of your driveway and he would barricade himself behind it and wait for you to try and escape. Rather than be late for work you would not wait around long and would drive your armored car through his barricade and move on with your day. Does this sound too inane to be real? Good, we have an argument against necessity.

For war to be a necessity, it has to be something you can’t get around. You have to be left with no other choice than to fight; that is necessity. Currently our country is engaged in two fronts, in two countries and we are not doing well in either. We do not have to be in either place but we have indeed chosen to be there. Let me repeat that…it is not necessary for us to be there. In fact, in the history of the world there is no war where an opponent was forced to fight, making war a necessity.

Another common belief for why someone is for war is the idea of fighting for peace. The oxymoron involved there is beyond comprehension but I have to offer something lest you think I’ve gone soft. Committing acts of violence in the name of peace is like trying to get your iron intake by putting nails in your peanut butter and jelly sandwich. It’s like throwing your baby in the garbage because he stinks. It’s like buying a sub-machine gun to use at a clay shoot. None if it makes sense and leads me to the conclusion that too many people are not convinced that they are not of this world.

War is perpetuated by people who have more ego than sense, more desire for power than decency. This is not my passive speak anymore, this is my in your face speak and I mean to make waves, not just stir the cesspool. It has been said before that you should never argue with a stupid person for fear that those looking on will not be able to tell the difference between the two of you. The same can be said of those who start wars. People who argue for war are in fact arguing against stupidity, but their arguments are so bold and they are moved by such “patriotism” that when people look on they fail to see the stupidity, and instead embrace grandeur.

There are three main points that I would like to make here.

First is, war never produces a winner, only losers, only death and only great loss.

Second is, when anyone masks the sin of murder with the lie of ridding the world of evil, he himself is evil. Your very intentions are to kill other people because YOU think it is right. God Himself said that “vengeance alone is mine”.

Third is, when man fails to recognize his calling to be in the world but not of the world, he loses sight of eternity and instead focuses on the one thing he thinks he has control over; this place.

Mankind continues to seek the pleasures and spoils of this world and continues to serve the wrong master. War is all about greed and ego and it will never be about righteousness and living out your faith. We have a unique opportunity as followers of Christ to serve this world, in light of eternity, as we have been called by the one who has saved us.

Maintaining that focus might bring persecution, but for His sake I pray that we stand ready for that kind of fight. There is no escaping conflict in this world; it’s your response to it that points to where you call home.

_______________________________________________________
My life is not mine, and yet it is mine to live for Him. Peace to you all.

D

No comments: