Christians in the military

[Reverend Rick]

Jesus is the law for His followers, He is the Lord, dude.

blessings.

Jesus followed the law. We follow Jesus. It is really not all that hard.

You want us to be like Jesus and be non-violent but then not follow the law unlike Jesus. I thought you disliked Paul. Not following the law is a Pauline thing not a Jesus thing.

 

[Meshak]

Jesus followed the law.

You dont know about Jesus' teachings. Jesus is the Law for His followers. He makes the Law for His followers.

blessings.

 

[Reverend Rick]

You dont know about Jesus' teachings. Jesus is the Law for His followers. He makes the Law for His followers.

blessings.

I don't know about Jesus teachings really? Let's not make this personal otherwise I would say you sound like a Paul follower not a Jesus follower.

Jesus followed the old testament law to the letter. Paul is the one who said we are under a new covenant not Jesus. John and James took issue with Paul as well.

If you truly follow Jesus you would do what Jesus did right?

Now, if you want to stay on topic, how does this apply to Christians in the military?

Are you saying it is impossible to serve your country and God as well?

Even if you could condem someone for joining, what about the draft? You completely ignore this point.

What should a Christian who is drafted do?

If every Christian followed Jesus to the letter, why would we need to have grace?

 

[MysticSang'ha]

I don't know about Jesus teachings really? Let's not make this personal otherwise I would say you sound like a Paul follower not a Jesus follower.

Jesus followed the old testament law to the letter. Paul is the one who said we are under a new covenant not Jesus. John and James took issue with Paul as well.

If you truly follow Jesus you would do what Jesus did right?

Now, if you want to stay on topic, how does this apply to Christians in the military?

Are you saying it is impossible to serve your country and God as well?

Even if you could condem someone for joining, what about the draft? You completely ignore this point.

What should a Christian who is drafted do?

If every Christian followed Jesus to the letter, why would we need to have grace?

If I understood Meshak correctly, it would be expected to be thrown into prison for "True Christians" if called to be in the draft than to serve in the military.

The argument would then be that the fate of your eternal soul is more important than a mere human lifetime.

 

[Reverend Rick]

So following the OP's logic a Christian could not be a police officer either right?

 

[Reverend Rick]

You dont know about Jesus' teachings. Jesus is the Law for His followers. He makes the Law for His followers.

blessings.

So his Daddy was wrong? Oh wait, they are the one and the same, how do you square that? God came down to earth in human form to contradict himself?

 

[MysticSang'ha]

So following the OP's logic a Christian could not be a police officer either right?

Guess not. Nor learn martial arts either.

There's no such thing as self-defense if violence is at all used. And doesn't matter if somebody waltzed into your home and starting stabbing your children in front of you. For the love of Christ, don't do anything violent to that person!

 

[sojourner]

... although always as an outsider. When I read the Gospels, the Jesus I see depicted is one who promotes an extreme point of view, and one who expects his ideas to be on the fringe.

I think it would be fair to say that Jesus rejected being part of the establishment. I think it's also fair to say that a nation's army is an expression of the establishment.

I could kinda see it as in keeping with Jesus' teachings (if we ignore Matthew 6, that is) to be part of some group of rebels fighting for a cause, but I can't see the Jesus of the Gospels thinking that it's a good idea to align yourself with some human government and to be part of one of the more extreme tools that the establishment has to enforce its will.

Not necessarily, because Jesus was a recognized Rabbi (and probably part of the Pharisaical sect). Jesus didn't stand outside the establishment. he advocated, not usurpation from without, but revolution from within. That presupposes political involvement, since, as you say, the military is pro-establishment, and seeks to maintain the status quo -- not upset it.

And we have to remember that Jesus also said to give the government what belongs to the government. In many cases, that includes conscription.

 

[sojourner]

he was accused falsely of such charges. They brought false witnesses against him.

He had no plans to engage the political system nor did he ever attempt to.

And why did they feel they had to falsely accuse him? Because he became politically-involved and was seen as upsetting the societal norm.

 

[Meshak]

So his Daddy was wrong? Oh wait, they are the one and the same, how do you square that? God came down to earth in human form to contradict himself?

God is Jesus' Father and His Father gave authority to His Son to be His followers' Lord, friend.

I am speaking from Jesus' point of view, not trinitarians' point of view.

blessings.

 

[sojourner]

Jesus is the judge. true Christians won't judge anyone who perish or not.

To my recollection, Jesus never condemned soldiers.

 

[sojourner]

Jesus is the law for His followers, He is the Lord, dude.

blessings.

Jesus is love, not law.

 

[Meshak]

So following the OP's logic a Christian could not be a police officer either right?

If he has to kill the criminals, it is aginst Jesus' law.

 

[sojourner]

If I understood Meshak correctly, it would be expected to be thrown into prison for "True Christians" if called to be in the draft than to serve in the military.

The argument would then be that the fate of your eternal soul is more important than a mere human lifetime.

Jesus was far more concerned about the plight of humanity in the here and now than he was about the disposition of individual souls.

 

[Meshak]

If I understood Meshak correctly, it would be expected to be thrown into prison for "True Christians" if called to be in the draft than to serve in the military.

I understand you can ask them to be non-killing position.

The argument would then be that the fate of your eternal soul is more important than a mere human lifetime.

Exactly. You got it.

bless you, dear.

 

[sojourner]

If he has to kill the criminals, it is aginst Jesus' law.

Jesus also expects us to act in the best interests of society (which includes killing criminals, if the circumstances dictate such action).

 

[Meshak]

Jesus also expects us to act in the best interests of society (which includes killing criminals, if the circumstances dictate such action).

It seems very clear that you dont like Jesus' teachings.

You dont seem to know much of Jesus' teachings or deliberately ignoring His commands and teachings.

I dont have anything worthy to read in your posts, so you will be ignored.

good day.

 

[sojourner]

I understand you can ask them to be non-killing position.

You're looking at this way too individualistically. Jesus would have viewed it far more communally. Even if you're in a "non-killing position," you're still part of the "war machine." Your job is to support and aid the ones doing the killing. In fact, even if you're not in the military, you really are, because your tax dollars support the killing. The military is part of the government, and the government is of the people. In other words, me and you. Sin is systemic, not individual. We cannot, by following laws, disassociate ourselves from sin. When we do, we simply become implicit in it.

 

[sojourner]

It seems very clear that you dont like Jesus' teachings.

You dont seem to know much of Jesus' teachings or deliberately ignoring His commands and teachings.

I dont have anything worthy to read in your posts, so you will be ignored.

good day.

What seems clear to you is that I don't like Jesus' teachings as you interpret them.
I don't seem to know much of Jesus' teachings from your perspective.
Whether you see anything worthy in my posts is up to you, as is your dismissal of them. But, happily, a forum is a public platform, so others will read and respond, even if you do not.

 

[averageJOE]

Everyone,

The title of this thread is about "Christians in the military".

This is not about the military itself. Christians have no right to interfere with political matters. that is another reason for Christians should not get involve with the military.

Jesus says that His followers are not of this world. His followers have no business butting into the political issues. The military is political matter.

So then why the refusal to answer this:

I'm talking about the actions of god, not jesus (unless you believe Jesus was god himself). Do you recognize that god used the services of a military to do his killings?

He did not force them to kill Him.

But god certainly forced others to kill for him. Like a military.