WWJD?

[Leonard]

CS: Unlike the real Mr. Lewis, you seem to have a habit of simply ignoring hard questions when they are put to you. So come on, can you see a moral difference between WILLINGLY laying down your OWN life, for a higher purpose, and the MURDERS of 3,000 who DID NOT voluntarily lay down their lives?

Thus far I haven't seen you answer either, the question whether you believe we are fighting evil people in Iraq. I'll keep checking on that.

Are you just too afraid to face the consequences your own philosophy imposes? Would you rather run and hide from the hard questions?

I'm sure it is very comforting to have your mind hermetically sealed against the polluting influences of truth, but do be bold, old chap!

[CSLewis]

Those are very good answers. I enjoy your comments Leonard but I am not trying to personally attack you or anyone simply asking a question.

I believe we are fighting not necesarily evil people ( a few are evil) but I think many are just ignorant. We can never expect to change people or nations by just changing the government. We must see an internal change in the nation. One that I believe is taking place in Iraq. I believe we should be in Iraq but it is hard for me to justify. As far as Jesus not being a hippie, he did hang out with the downcast and wore sandals and had long hair (why is He depicted with long hair) Anyway I am not really a pacifist just trying to spark an interesting question , it still is hard for me to justify killing someone despite the reason, I don't know if I could pull the trigger and possibly send someone who never had the oppurtunity to experience Christ.

[RGR]

As far as Jesus not being a hippie, he did hang out with the downcast and wore sandals and had long hair

The Bible in no place states that Jesus had long hair! Also, sandals were the custom of the time. Jesus never sat around and smoked pot while attending love ins! Get your facts straight.

[Leonard]

Those are very good answers. I enjoy your comments Leonard but I am not trying to personally attack you or anyone simply asking a question.

I believe we are fighting not necesarily evil people ( a few are evil) but I think many are just ignorant.

There we have it. The people we are fighting are deliberately murdering civilians EVERY SINGLE DAY. They routinely engage in rapine and torture, yet as is so typical of the American left, you can't even say they are evil. ("A few are evil" doesn't count, because, for crying out loud, you can go into Disneyland and find a "few evil" people!)

This is the left, because they are sold out to the Marxist concept of the materialist dialectic. If the material is all that exists, then the problem is NOT 'moral evil', but rather something we can correct in the material world by greater prosperity, more education, or free ice cream sundaes every other Tuesday....some materialist answer.

The left has NO answer of the reality of moral evil.

Now even though you--CS--appear to be a sincere Christian, you also appear to function in the world from an atheist's perspective. Your approach to each question is NOT biblical, but materialist. It is staggering how poorly our churches function in the realm of genuine discipleship. We think if we can get somebody to 'accept Jesus' and read the Bible, all our work is over. It is NOT! People must be educated into a Christian worldview; that is what discipleship means.

[nebula]

it still is hard for me to justify killing someone despite the reason, I don't know if I could pull the trigger and possibly send someone who never had the oppurtunity to experience Christ.

Hey, I pray I never have to kill the guilty in order to defend the innocent. No one wants to kill anyone.

But consider - how many people are the terrorists sending to Hell? How many are dying without Jesus by the hands of the terrorists?

[CSLewis]

Those are very good answers. I enjoy your comments Leonard but I am not trying to personally attack you or anyone simply asking a question.

I believe we are fighting not necesarily evil people ( a few are evil) but I think many are just ignorant.

There we have it. The people we are fighting are deliberately murdering civilians EVERY SINGLE DAY. They routinely engage in rapine and torture, yet as is so typical of the American left, you can't even say they are evil. ("A few are evil" doesn't count, because, for crying out loud, you can go into Disneyland and find a "few evil" people!)

This is the left, because they are sold out to the Marxist concept of the materialist dialectic. If the material is all that exists, then the problem is NOT 'moral evil', but rather something we can correct in the material world by greater prosperity, more education, or free ice cream sundaes every other Tuesday....some materialist answer.

The left has NO answer of the reality of moral evil.

Now even though you--CS--appear to be a sincere Christian, you also appear to function in the world from an atheist's perspective. Your approach to each question is NOT biblical, but materialist. It is staggering how poorly our churches function in the realm of genuine discipleship. We think if we can get somebody to 'accept Jesus' and read the Bible, all our work is over. It is NOT! People must be educated into a Christian worldview; that is what discipleship means.

Please as christians we always must keep in mind that our fight is not with flesh and blood. I don't know how you Leonard think that the concept of loving your enemies is a Marxist concept. IT IS FAR FROM THAT!!!! Marx would be ready to have a purge by now!!!

By ignorance I don't mean that these people can't read and write many of them can't but that is not what I mean. The people over there are not internally self governed enough to handle freedom. That stems from a lack of faith in God but also in Ignorance.

Like some of the youth in our country who join gangs. Yes Leonard there is a choice involved but many lack the logic and reasoning skills to make a good choice, so they go with there emotions. They follow the teachings of there fathers, there teachers and religious leaders who teach them not to think for themselves.

With so many factions in that part of the world it would be almost impossible for a democracy to take place. A republic however would probably be a better bet. I think that local government should play a larger role than a centralized Government. But the people aren't ready. That is why America is over there now rebuilding schools and mosques and helping to get there government to stabilize and to try and educate centuries of brainwashing, and try to get the people to think on there own.

The soldiers shouldn't do this alone so it is important that we also support the new government in Iraq and not tell our Congress to send troops home. That would be a very selfish thing to do. As americans we have been blessed with so much that not to share that blessing with other countries, but just to fight wars blow up the bad guys and leave will never leave to a free country over there.

[Leonard]

I favor neither democracy nor a republic. The only form of government instituted among men by God in the Bible is a monarchy!

I favor a theocracy.

[CSLewis]

King Leonard ??

[secondeve]

Leonard:

A theocracy solves nothing. If you wanted to install a Christian theocracy in any western nation, you'd have to forcibly convert a substantial portion of the population, or rather, force them to follow Christian laws. Given that most people of different beliefs wouldn't take kindly to this, you'd either have to compromise and be no true theocracy, exile or kill the dissenters, or lay down the law by force. As your leadership would come from God almighty in your eyes, you would perhaps see no problem with killing dissenting Muslims, Hindus or athiests, or using scare tactics. Until or unless everyone belives in the Bible implicitly and in the same manner as everyone else, a theocracy will either fall, evolve or turn to despotism- just like it has everywhere else in the world whenever it's been instituted.

[apothanein kerdos]

When I kill someone I repent and God forgives me regardless of whether or not anyone else in the world forgives me. The Roman Empire killed many innocent people yet Jesus never asked for the disciples to kill them back. You see Jesus cared more about people than ideas. He cared more about saving others than seeking justice. An eye for an eye was replaced. We are to be like Christ to lay down our lives for others even if they are our enemies even if they are terrorists. See even when Nero threatened to destroy christianity and mothers watched as there babies were lit on fire the early christians prayed and sang hymns and never fought back, how can terrorism work if we are not terrified? How can hatred persist if we love them in return. The Roman Empire came to Christ in part by the tremendous efforts of Christians who refused to conform to the world and hurt others.

Let us use Hitler as a counter weigt to your arguement. If left unchecked, he would have killed all the Jews he could find. He would have conquered the entire earth. He would not have cared if you loved him or Not.

Jesus said His kingdom was not of this Earth. He went on to say If It were He would fight. Jesus will fight when he returns. His first advent was not political, but He did not forbid His followers from fighting for what was right.

War is the result of a fallen world. I think we often forget that we live in a fallen world where people are evil. All of us are evil. The reason is we have an inherent want to rebel against God and be autonomous...this constitutes evilness. The only difference is some of us are kept in check through self-control and the Holy Spirit, and others are not. In this world, war is sometimes needed to stop evil from spreading and killing off more people than it needs to.