Speratus
"Yes. Christian soldiers are commanded to obey those who are in authority over them. Rom. 13:5-7; Titus 3:1; 1 Peter 2:13, 14. To attack an enemy who has chosen to embed himself among civilians is not murder. It is the enemy who murders the civilians."
I agree with most of what you said but I think that the same obligation that I have toward my family if an enemy embedded himself amongst my family memebers, I have the same obligation to another persons family. I am looking at this from the perspective that the enemy surrounds himself with the innocent and my bullets unintentionally but probably will hit and maybe kill the innocent. It is not their fault that these cowards (the enemy being pursued) came amongst them.
Please be mindfull that I only responded to the scenarios presented to me. You further went on to describe the christian duty to obey God over man in an instant where the orders are not right. This is a good point and one which I pray about too.
I do not feel comfortable discussing politics or the politics of war especially with what is happening worldwide. I do feel however that the attitudes of Christians towards murder and destruction needs to be examined.
I do not feel at liberty to discuss an actual conflict that the US has undertaken, as it is my opinion that this issue is way too sensitive to discuss with most Americans. Example, I have friends and family who are American citizens and when we speak about the war in Iraq they are way to aggressive <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/argue.gif" alt="" /> in defense of it even unnecesarily so as the majority of Jamaicans were in support of it. But have questions, questions that will not be answered but are asked to inspire thought <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/bingo.gif" alt="" /> but achieve only aggression.
We understand the ravages of war and know the effects of the human loss. Jamaicans and persons from other Caribbean countries died in the bombing of the World Trade Center and my cousin worked on both towers with an IT company working with a large Bank located on the two towers. He was thrown to the ground upon the first impact and by the Grace of God managed to exit the building he was in and he walked home to New Jersey. We all agree that people like Osama Bin Laden and Saddam need to be brought to justice, as well as any terrorist locally or internationally. But the discussion was not instigated to discuss "a War" but to discuss the coldness or apathy that Christians have toward the effects of war in any form. I know Christians who rejoiced upon the bombing of Bagdad and were and are confortable with the death toll of the innocent. This I question. I question it because I know that it is not Godly to feel joy at the death of someone. I admit that I do not understand nor do I care to understand the concept of war, though I believe that one has the right to defend ones family etc. I do not question the obedience to a lawfull instruction by a soldier or a Christian soldier.
Pilgrim asked questions that I would have anticipated would have been asked by someone before assuming that I was talking about "a war", and I hope I answered the questions and made my intentions clearer.
I pray for the safe return of the coalition soldiers including the US soldiers also. I also pray that innocent lives are spared and that the seeds of hate fall on unfertile soil.
