I'm going to break down Haize's post a little to try to describe the view I've been talking about. I'll fully admit that I haven't completely wrapped my head around the entire issue yet. In the past, I've been in the "let's just bomb them and get it over with camp." Recently though, I've been thinking more about the fact that everyone on this planet is made in the image of God and if they don't know Jesus, they're going to hell when they die. Actually seeing a little tiny baby that I helped create inside the womb opened me up more to how every life is a miracle, not just the straight, conservative Republican Christian lives. This has led me to reexamining what I think of a lot of things that most conservative Christians just accept at face value. With that said, I'm open to being told I'm wrong. I'm still in this process.
Purple Haize wrote:It is the US, not the Baptist Church, that is fighting IS.
Yes. It's the US fighting ISIS, not the Church. Agree completely on that. With that said, just because it's the US doing it doesn't mean that I, personally, should be thrilled that human lives are going to lost (on both sides).
Purple Haize wrote:War is a nasty thing, something that a lot of people don't realize.
War is horrible. That's why I don't get excited about the idea of it happening.
Purple Haize wrote:If we were to unleash Arc Light on Mosul civilians will get killed. Just like I'm every other conflict in history. I'm sorry this will happen, but again it's not Christianity that is killing them.
I know it's not Christianity killing the civilians. That's not my point at all. What I'm trying to say is that, as a Christian, I don't see how we can get excited or enjoy the idea of raining down hot metal or napalm judgment. I acknowledge that war is going to happen and that some things are inevitable. At some point, eliminating a threat to protect safety has to happen. My struggle has been in how lightly we take the fact that people die. I don't know if we've been desensitized to it because it's going on halfway around the world or what the issue is, but I don't like how many in the Church are so quick to drop bombs and sort the rest out later.