To everything there is a season? {Part 2}

So I have been struggling for several weeks now to post part two of my pacifism series. Just as a reminder, I consider myself anti war, anti capital punishment and anti abortion. My positions are somewhat emotional, and you can read more about how I wound up here in part one.

The last couple of months I have read one essay, several different Bible verses, studied some Hebrew terminology and listened to approximately ten sermons (some more relevant than others.) My mind has been ablaze with all of it and more. Just recently I discovered the question that plagues me the most: Is the world better off because of this? Is the world better off because of the war in Iraq? Is the world better off with one less baby born into a bad situation? Is the world better off with one less criminal? This is a tough question. I am not even sure it is the right question, but I continue to ask it. For example, if we were to go back in time and pretend that we had the power to make significant decisions, could we make a bigger/better impact on the world by addressing the violence in Darfur (instead of invading Iraq?) Or maybe we could have started an initiative to bring clean water to the world. I know many are already doing this, but can you imagine spending the same on these efforts as we have spent on the Iraq war?

With that, here are some of the things I have been studying:

C.S. Lewis’ Why I am Not a Pacifist.

While I am a rather large Lewis fan, I was extremely disappointed with this essay. Lewis approaches the topic from a very debate oriented perspective and I was hoping for something more personal. Even worse, several of his arguments simply fell flat for me. He started by pointing out the support of ‘Just War’ by a large number of previous scholars, philosophers and theologians. While interesting, it was not convincing. I simply do not believe you can find truth by polling the masses. In addition he pointed out that Jesus never condemned war. This was another shallow argument; we could find a great deal of trouble by embracing anything Jesus never publicly condemned. The true challenge is loving the way Jesus commanded. Lewis did include two or three Bible verses, but I can not remember them off the top of my head. I will try to include them in future discussions.

Harag vs Ratasach

These are two Hebrew words roughly translated as ‘Kill’. Ratasach can be translated as murder based on usage. While not directly related, this got me contemplating the meaning of:

Matthew 5:17-19 (ESV)
17 Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.
19 Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Here are a few links I read through while contemplating Harag vs Ratasach:
http://iidb.infidels.org/vbb/archive/index.php/t-100870.html
http://www.milwaukeechurchofchrist.com/default.aspx?pageid=2397
http://www.baptistboard.com/archive/index.php/t-17030.html

You can also look up specific scripture using Crosswalk or Blue Letter Bible to see where each word is used, and get a feel for the context.

Looking into this terminology was interesting but has not fully fermented in my mind yet. I could see were I could make a clear distinction between killing and murdering if I ignored the new testament. That said, Jesus consistently called us to a higher standard. Some dismiss parts of Jesus' sermons as hyperbole but I think his actions reflect his teachings. I think part three of this discussion will be more focused on scripture and trying to piece together my thoughts on a plethora of verses.

The Cross and the Sword sermon series

This was a series done by Pastor Greg Boyd at Woodland Hills church in St. Paul Minnesota. This series of sermons was incredible and I highly recommend listening to all of them if you have the time. You can download them from:
http://www.whchurch.org/content/page_726.htm

4-18-2004 – Taking America Back for God?
4-25-2004 – The Difference Between the Two Kingdoms
5-2-2004 – Abortion: A Kingdom of God Approach
5-9-2004 – Is the Church the Guardian of Social Morality?
5-23-2004 – Be Thou My Vision
5-30-2004 – In But Not of the World

I think Greg expressed a multitude of points in these sermons that I have been unable to articulate myself. He starts by talking about the fusion of our faith and our patriotism (or politics.) He then begins to talk about the differences between power over and power under. The last sermon is a question & answer sermon where he responds to the most frequent questions he received during the sermon series.

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As I mentioned earlier I am going to try to have a more scripture focused entry for part three of this series. Sorry it took so long to follow up - too much to think about!

Absence

After a year without money I became greedy.
After a year without water I became thirsty.
Years without a father hurt me.
Years without a savior broke me.
Solitude longs for companions.
Sloth hungers for inspiration.
Absence magnifies need?