SHOULD CHRISTIANS FIGHT ?

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 20 January 1916, Page 3

SHOULD CHRISTIANS FIGHT ?

TO THE EDITOR

SIR,—In your issue of the 6th., MiGeorge Johnson has a letter on " Should Christians Fight?" Judging from this letter and one or two others I have seen I think your correspondent may be credited more with sincerity than good judgment. He quotes largely from the Bible in support of his contention that no Christian should fight, but his quotations often are altogether irrevalant, and his deductions are* made without careful consideration of Scripture — partial quotation of Scripture or in fact of any author is, most misleading. For instance, he says : " The other kingdoms .ar.e the. kingdoms "of' this world, they belong to Satan." This is a sweeping statement which he cannot substantiate. Paul says—•" Let every soul be subject to the higher powers s ... the powers that be are ordained of God." Would God tell us to be subject to the powers if they were of Satan? Again, he says: " What should Christians do when these, nations call upon them to help? Should they not answer that they belong to the Kingdom of Christ whose commands are 'Thou shalt not kill,' and ' Love your enemies.' This | explanation will satisfy all those who love the truth."

Well, sir, that explanation does not satisfy me. The law of our country says also " Thou shalt not kill," and it hangs the man who breaks that law. George Johnson says by sending soldiers to fight Germany it is sending them to commit murder. Well, if that is so, the same God who first gave tbe command " Thou shalt not kill," commanded Saul to smite the Amalakites and utterly destroy them all.

David said: " Blessed be the Lord my strength which teacheth my hands to war and my fingers to fight." The women of Israel sang : " Saul hath slain his thousands and David his tens of thousands." Was David committing, murder then ? When he delivered Israel from the terror of Goliath and cut off his head, was he acting as the servant of

Satan?

God says : " But life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand fol' hand, foot for foot."—Dewt. 19, 12. " Whoso sheddeth man's blood by man shall his. blood be shed." —Gen. 9, 6.

I think your correspondent has yet to learn the difference between righteousness and grace. - It is a righteous law " Life for life," and God himself cannot forgive a murderer except a life is forfeited, therefore His own Son had to forfeit His life in order that God could righteously forgive the guilty.

The Bible says one of the ways God visits judgment on nations is war.

Germany and Austrian without provocation prepared great armies to kill and plunder France and Russia. Belgium desired to live at peace and be neutral. England promised to not enter the war ( if Germany would not invade Belgium, but to this modest request Germany gave a flat refusal, Germany and Austria have killed millions of men, outraged thousands of women, killed old men and old women, mutilated little children, and plundered and pillaged the homes of people who had no more to do with the war that feeorge Johnson.

The God I believe in says the blood of the Germans, who shed the blood of these innocent people, must be shed by man. May not God to-day use His people to slay the wicked as he did in the days of Saul and David ?

When David sinned an,d tq coyer- his sin he sent Uriah to the war and ordered his General Joab to put Uriah in the hottest pait of the battle and Uriah fell, God sent the Prophet TSfathan to him to say " Wherefore hast thqu despised the com mandment of the Lord to do evil in His sight? Thou hast killed Uriah the Hettite with the sword."

In battle David actually did kill Goliath, but Gqd did not then accuse him of murder. In the case of U;riah David did not persqi;ally kill Uriah, but God accused him, qf murder.

Is your correspondent so dense, Mr Editor, that he cannot see the difference ?

There are always two parties- to a quarrel, and one of them must be wrong, but one may be right-

We all know there ar.e unrighteous wars, but to say it is ahva^s. wiong- xv fight is absurd. —Jain, etc., S. L. P. RIMMER.

Auckland, 14th Jan., 1916

[The above letter is both, souslh{e and1 conclusive that, G.hrls.t.ians may safely f>^ht for H.om,e, King, and Country, so, that no. further correspQnd,ei\ce v\p,c\i^ the subject need to, appear. \^ jhfcse columns.—Ed. Eoho.)