Mama said, "Never mix religion and politics." Here in the safety of our Blog, we should go ahead and mix it up. So here goes nothin.........
What is a Christian response if you are attacked by rockets fired at random by people who have sworn an oath to your destruction, or how would you respond to attacks from the sky by people with total air supremacy? I think my instinct would be to shake my fists and say, "I'm going to get you for this." This type of response only results in feeding the cycle of violence. Clearly a negative response.
How then to find peace? The wife of one of the kidnapped Israeli soldiers has seen enough bloodshed. Karnit Goldwasser, a newlywed, said there has been enough violence.
"We want the killing to be stopped, both in Israel and in Lebanon."
Did anyone on either side of the Lebanese border listen?
The Buddha tells us " Better than a thousand hollow words is one word that brings peace" and "It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles." I fear the thousands shouting hollow words get all the press. The one word that brings peace does not sell newspapers.
What is the Christian response to violence? When Jesus was betrayed, one of his followers cut off the ear of the servant of the high priest (our typical response). Jesus healed the servant of the high priest, but the story points out that even Jesus' closest followers carried swords, knew how to use them, and did so in reflex response. Jesus is not seen condemning the reflex, he instead performs a miracle. This act is an equivalent to the "word that brings peace."
I don't have the answer to conflict here or in the middle east. Perhaps we should just keep picking up the broken pieces and trying to put them back together again. The only ones we see doing these acts are the rescue workers trying to save the wounded.
Let us give thanks to the workers of the various rescue teams, the Red Crescent, and the Red Cross, who go into harms way with the sole intention of performing healing miracles. These are the Saints of God. "God help me to be one too."
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