Gideon With His Soldiers
This post is a response to an online atheist blogger named Melissa. She posted a video about American Christians supporting the war in Iraq and how since Iraqi’s aren’t Christian, going over and killing them will rob them of any chance of salvation.
The video can be found here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VL1JbDU91Yk
Her blog can be found here:
I just want to point out that my situation is not identical to what Melissa is asking. She is asking American Christians who support the war in Iraq why they support it, because going over and killing them will not bring Iraqis to salvation. My country is not in the Iraq war, and I would point out that my country is far less religious than the United States. Also, it is prudent to point out that I am not an Evangelical like the majority of the 80% that she appeals to.
At the end of the video, Melissa asks how we justify war, especially with people who aren’t saved. This is the most general form of her question and I will respond to this form. I’m also going to assume that she is referring to offensive war, such as the Iraq war since I assume she can understand why a defensive war is justified.
In my opinion, war is undesirable but necessary on occasion. Is this the opinion of Christ, who Melissa appeals to? I would say yes. Melissa refers to Christ as a pacifist. I would say that he was gentle but prudent. As a Jew, he followed the Old Testament and would have read Ecclesiastes where it says: “A time of war, and a time of peace.”
In the life of Christ, we see that he had a chance to condemn military practice and did not. In Luke 7, when he healed the Centurion’s servant, the centurion mentioned that he had many soldiers under him and that they would obey him. The verse reads: “For I also am a man subject to authority, having under me soldiers: and I say to one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doth it.” The next verse is telling as it reads: “Which Jesus hearing, marvelled: and turning about to the multitude that followed him, he said: Amen I say to you, I have not found so great faith, not even in Israel.” After announcing that he had soldiers under his command, Christ points him out as an example of faith. He doesn’t tell him to quit the army. One could also look at Luke 14:31-32 where he uses war as an analogy but doesn’t condemn it.
Looking at these examples, we can see that Christ was not completely against war. Regardless, Melissa’s question was more specific. She wanted to know if war was justified if it involved the invading of a non-Christian nation and resulted in the killing of non-Christian people.
I will answer this in my next post…
Please note: I reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive or off-topic.