religion and politics - peace

By Todd Stadler · Friday, September 28, 2001 11:51pm

It's fairly easy to say that God loves us all and gave us his son for the forgiveness of our sins. What's much harder is figuring out how my beliefs translate into political action. Is a military response moral? Or is peace the only proper thing to pray for?

It is for reasons like this I am glad to not be a politician right now.

Because I have a hard time reading the Bible in such a way as to justify war or anything that looks like it. Don't hate or kill. When struck, turn the other cheek. Love your enemies. Doesn't exactly sound hawkish.

But of course, these commands appear to be given at a personal level. How are they to be applied at a national level? Should countries also turn the other cheek?

It seems to me that they should. And yet, I'm more than aware that this attitude is, in a word, foolish. After all, countries that don't defend themselves get taken over or destroyed. But it's just not clear to me that God is particularly interested in preserving countries. I'd say it's fairly clear his mission is saving people from their sins.

And I'm well aware that, from a human perspective, someone had to die in a war for me to live in a country where I am free to participate in my religion of choice. But this does not justify war, any more than forgiveness for a sin justifies sinning further. The peace and freedom I currently enjoy were not won at the death of many men, but only one man, Jesus, and that was a gift from God. Everything is a gift from God.

As such, if you want peace, don't wage war, but rather pray that God would grant us peace.