awake & linking: the Amishhttp://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/04/us/04amish.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Is it me, or is that the Gospel? We hear about the Palestinian Authority giving the widows of suicide bombers financial compensation. What message would it send to Palestinians and the world if the nation of Israel did, too? I was reading last night about a Catholic priest in Germany during WWII who began to say that Christians should convert to Judaism as a show of solidarity with the outcasts. He did that very thing and was put on a train to Auschwitz.
It just has me wondering about the degree to which we’ve begun to accept violence as a justified option because we live in a fallen world. How seriously do I really take the Sermon on the Mount and the Beatitudes? Those couple of examples tell me that the answer for me personally is "not seriously enough."
4 comments:
i don't think it's just you.
I think this IS the gospel. Man, I hadn't even heard or read about this story til I saw this post ... and maybe that stems from just growing tired of gloomy media that beats me down. Now, if this stuff makes it into circulation, I'm in!
Another note, for the first time ever I'm growing to understand pacifism as an actual stance to take. It still doesn't "make sense" ... but I think that's part of the gospel - the "foolishness of God" - 1 Cor. 1:25.
This is so hard!
Part of me hates pacifism, but maybe it's just because of all the war movies that I love. Or maybe I am weak-minded.
Then part of me sees the pain that people inflict on each other and I truly hate it.
The possibility that the Gospel is something so absurd that almost no one can correctly respond to it with out first having some revelation or God encounter, is ok with me. But it just makes it so hard! I think a lot of other stuff about God is somewhat logical. At least the idea of God makes sense to the majority of people on this planet. But when it comes to, "love your neighbor as yourself," or "the meek shall inherit the earth," or "turn the other cheek." This stuff just doesn't make sense to a normal, self-preserving human being. It is like Jesus asks us to throw off our very nature–the very thing that makes us human–and take on some other nature that operates on principles that are beyond me.
Sometimes I think I confuse myself.
brian,
nice post. I appreciate your thoughts on this subject. The reaction of the community around the tragic school shooting, seems to me to be so much different than what we've seen elsewhere.
I have never even thought of Israel perhaps giving money to families of suicide bombers...but I think your example is not so different from that of the Amish community and I appreciated it.
shaun,
I wanted to mention this after we briefly talked earlier tonight (nice to officially meet you!). The pacifism I have come to understand is a Christological pacifism... if that makes sense. Yes, it's "foolishness" to the world, but if I look at the actions and words of Christ, I have a hard time accepting the violence many in the Church find normal.
Richard,
Andy spoke last week quoting Augustine who said God will give us the strength to do what needs to be done (essentially). I found that slightly relevant for the seemingly difficult idea of non-violence (different from non-resistance).
Have a good night guys. This is a tough topic, one which I'm still wrestling with.
I finally had a chance to post some more thoughts on the issue of pacifism, which if you're interested can be found at:
http://www.tableandfire.com/webx?14@772.7sJAaNuWlDn.3@.3c47504e/76
I'm always interested in discussion if you all would like to join that conversation.
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