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Impeach George Bush
Serving God in Iraq
When God calls you to duty, you should do it, right? How do you know when God calls?
Source: Robbie Lindauer, 2005-06-11
Candidate: Big Government
Being sent to war as a chaplain is always a difficult job. One remembers Jesus' admonition to Peter "He who lives by the sword dies by the sword." And Paul's admonition to the Church "We wage war not against flesh and blood, but against the powers and principalities of the air."
That's not to say that all Ministers are pacificists, only that those who teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ should and can be. There's no reason to fight in wars for the profit of the fallen governments of men. No justification can serve to provide a basis for assisting them in their murderous and selfish attempts at self-aggrandizement and power-mongering. But there is the other side of the story. It's worth listening to.
The other side of the story says that the Arabs had an opportunity to repent and serve Jesus years ago but refused and instead formed Islam as a kind of evil opposing force to the Good which is Christendom. It says that the Arabs started this war, and that they are bloodthirsty killers looking to take any opportunity to kill our children. It says that they don't matter, because having forsaken God, God sees them as enemies of His Chosen People, US. So serving in the army is a God-given duty.
Now lets get beyond 1st grade complicated for a second.
Which army? If I was born in Iraq, a Christian, should I then serve in the Iraqi military because there is an evil nation attacking us? An argument could be made for it - we're to obey our worldly authorities (well, someone told us that was what we're supposed to do, right?). Actually what the bible says is that all earthly authority comes from God, it doesn't say that we are necessarily supposed to obey all earthly authorities. In Job, the Devil was given authority to destroy Job's life, but this didn't mean that Job was supposed to obey the Devil. If it did, we'd have loyalty issues. WHICH earthly authority are we supposed to obey? Rather, to understand as a spiritual principle that God has all power in His Hands and that if someone has Power it is because God is temporarily allowing them to have it, is the first step to realizing that God really is God and really is in control despite the semblance of fallenness that earthly powers have.
Secondly, it's not the case that ALL Arabs came up with Islam. Mohammed, a man who conquered Mecca by violating a treaty with Medina, decided that it would be useful to have a religion to back his newly formed empire. He, naturally, was the prophet of this religion. It's not a new story, it's rather like the Pharoahs - the leader was god or His/Her suitable earthly representative, so you have both a poltical and religious duty to DO WHAT HE SAYS. Nevermind any details about whether it was true or not, or even if it was, whether that would mean you should obey them. Since then the Arab people have been subject to despot after despot who continue in many ways a farcical allegiance to Islam, in much the same way that western politicans fain Christianity, while pursuing their own earthly gain. Should we Christians be punishing the poor victims of this farce?
Note that Jesus didn't decide to set up an earthly Kingdom. Instead, he told everyone that His Kingdom was not of this world, but in Heaven, and that it was organized backwards from this worldly system. In Jesus' kingdom, those who exalt themselves are low, and the meek rule, the poor are honored, the strong debased, the wise ridiculed and those who become fools for the sake of the kingdom are made secure by God himself. The greatest in God's Kingdom, He says, is the servant of all. Paul was shown the third heaven because he made himself a fool, by the world's standards, for the sake of the Kingdom. He defied the wordly government and in doing so non-violently he conquered Rome with his words. And Paul was just the servent - Jesus was THE MAN.
It's a good thing Paul conquered Rome too, even though he was a citizen. Rome was an evil state - it killed Hebrews, for instance, by the thousands and dumped their rotting corpses at a place called Golgatha or "the place of the skull" so named because of the immense number of dead put there. The fact is that the Jews, not the Americans, are the real Chosen People of God by birthright. And if anyone wants to boast in their flesh as to their inheretence, only the Jews have that right. If instead one wishes to claim Abraham's inheretence in the spirit, you have to recognize Paul's admonition to honor the Jews, because the Gentiles are grafted on to the vine.
In any case, all this is to say that Jesus and Paul weren't exactly what we'd describe as model citizens. They were political trouble-makers and both died deaths befitting their trouble-making. Some peoples of the world regard these facts of their deaths as a triumph over their ideology, but they're mistaken. Jesus' death made his resurrection and consequently his Church the most powerful force in human history, bar none.
The Arabs who supposedly came up with Islam, didn't, and the Arab-Roman and Arab-European wars that have raged since the first century AD don't portend well for any genuine understanding between the two cultures. Why would any Arab be prepared to have faith when they're being bombed by the ones proclaiming that faith. It has been thus and so for 2100 years, AT LEAST. At first the romans proclaimed their pagan gods, then Jesus, but though the rhetoric changed, the behaviour remained steady - kill first, let God sort it out. How can that be regarded as a witness to the Arabs? We are admonished by God "Love your enemy and bless those that curse you." Shouldn't we simply be praying for the Arabs?
And yet our Minister in Iraq said that God called him for the troops. He was there to pray for and bring the protection of angelic forces to his battalion. His commander was "saved" he rode in front, he was saved, he rode in back, and half the guys in between were saved. 100% survived, hallelujah.
Would God have let those men die if he hand't gone? Who knows? How do we tell? On the other hand, if he hadn't gone, we KNOW that he wouldn't have provided aid and comfort to killers and war-mongerers. So our minister was there for the American Troops because they're the ones that mattered to God - not the Arabs.
But don't Arabs matter to God? If someone reads the story, one can recognize that the Arab's descent from Abraham is as bona fide as the Jews. They are cousins, God's Children. They matter to God. In fact, God says that eventually he'll save some of them, JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE.
In particular He mentions Egypt and Syria:
Isaiah:
19:18 At that time five cities in the land of Egypt will speak the language of Canaan and swear allegiance to the Lord who leads armies. One will be called the City of the Sun. At that time there will be an altar for the Lord in the middle of the land of Egypt, as well as a sacred pillardedicated to the Lord at its border. It will become a visual reminder in the land of Egypt of the Lord who leads armies. When they cry out to the Lord because of oppressors, he will send them a deliverer and defender who will rescue them. The Lord will reveal himself to the Egyptians, and they will acknowledge the Lord’s authority at that time. They will present sacrifices and offerings; they will make vows to the Lord and fulfill them. The Lord will strike Egypt, striking and then healing them. They will turn to the Lord and he will listen to their prayers and heal them. At that time there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. The Assyrians will visit Egypt, and the Egyptians will visit Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship together. At that time Israel will be the third member of the group, along with Egypt and Assyria, and will be a recipient of blessing46 in the earth. The Lord who leads armies will pronounce a blessing over the earth, saying, “Blessed be my people, Egypt, and the work of my hands, Assyria, and my special possession, Israel!”
His news for Babylon, Iraq, is not as good. BUT nevertheless he says that some will be saved, and indeed some have been and will be. And why not, for God says, it is not his desire that any should perish but that all should come to be repentance.
Now we know from History that God uses nations to punish other nations. The Jews were punished for their idolatry by Babylon. But we also know that this doesn't necessarily mean that God was siding with Babylon more than momentarily - for
Babylon was an idolatrous nation that the Lord could not abide and has sworn to destroy. What should we conclude about Iraq? Maybe God did use the US to destroy an evil despot (and yes, Saddam was an evil despot put in place by British and American agents and held in power through the 70's and 80's by american military assistance agains the Iranians and Kurds - yes, the US sold the gas to Iraq that they used against the Kurds and Iranians - the reason we KNEW they had WMD's there is that we'd sold them to them years ago and expected that they'd stockpiled some. They had, but they'd used it in the first Gulf War.) But maybe, just maybe, God is using this war to save the people of Iraq for himself - those that will hear and repent. And what is our job as Christians, to pray for and love the people of Iraq. And this doesn't mean dropping bombs on them.
The Lord says don't gloat over your enemy's demise lest God turn his wrath upon you. It's time to turn this fiasco of a war into something positive for God by truly loving the Iraqi people.
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User Originated Comments:
From: lolaone
2007-04-17 00:00:00
i'll just say that for a guy to name jesus as
his favorite philosopher, and from that point on,
never say, or do anything remotely resembling
christian teachings seems a little hypocritical.
however, he is not alone in his hypocrisy. i mean
, have a look at the repug party in general!
From: Robbie
2005-06-22 23:08:26
the socialists would probably kill him. jesus
was, strictly speaking, a royalist - he believed
in one true government - god's. every other
government system is fallen. the conquest of rome
by christianity was the destruction of an evil
system of government set up by evil men. rome
couldn't support itself when its citizenry became
christians because it could not longer stomach
attainging wealth by imperialistic foreign
wars.
as soon as one asks the question
"is it right to kill for money" imperialism stops
working.
From: Serving Man in Iraq
2005-06-22 10:59:11
dude jesus called satan the prince of the earth
for a reason. the bible is not about conquering
and forcing the unbelivers about who is the true
god. the world is ruled by selfish men and that
following the ways of men will only make you a
slave to satan. rome fell when it was a christian
nation not by paul. it fell because of economic
depression in the homeland and foriegn
contracting. religions are used to exploit people
to do or to ignore evil things that happen to the
world. stop listening to preachers,politicians,
and military men. start to listen to the words of
jesus blessed are the peace makers. if jesus was
here he would be killed again for his socialist
liberalism.
From: Bible J
2005-06-22 10:57:16
dude jesus called satan the prince of the earth
for a reason. the bible is not about conquering
and forcing the unbelivers about who is the true
god. the world is ruled by selfish men and that
following the ways of men will only make you a
slave to satan. rome fell when it was a christian
nation not by paul. it fell because of economic
depression in the homeland and foriegn
contracting. religions are used to exploit people
to do or to ignore evil things that happen to the
world. stop listening to preachers,politicians,
and military men. start to listen to the words of
jesus blessed are the peace makers. if jesus was
here he would be killed again for his socialist
liberalism.
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