As we begin with what looks like the march towards yet another war, it's probably good to be reminded that our prayers for "victory" come with an unspoken prayer as well:
You're right. More like ramping up our state of perpetual war.boboguitar said:
Are we marching towards another war? What gives you that idea? Trump is just continuing what obama/bush did.
Has he? I'm legitimately asking. Any sources?RetiredAg said:You're right. More like ramping up our state of perpetual war.boboguitar said:
Are we marching towards another war? What gives you that idea? Trump is just continuing what obama/bush did.
Yes, I was vehemently opposed to Obama's murderous policies as well. And yes, it does appear that Trump's bombings have killed innocents/children. Those are just two incidents found from a quick search.Quote:
On the bright side, I haven't heard of any of the bombs trump has dropped has killed children. That was a pretty regular occurrence with obamas drone policy.
Syria did claim that but I can't find any proof of it.RetiredAg said:Yes, I was vehemently opposed to Obama's murderous policies as well. And yes, it does appear that Trump's bombings have killed innocents/children. Those are just two incidents found from a quick search.Quote:
On the bright side, I haven't heard of any of the bombs trump has dropped has killed children. That was a pretty regular occurrence with obamas drone policy.
***edit - probably shouldn't have put the hyperlinks right next to each other. It appears to just be one link, but there are two.
The world is not entirely a nice place. HTHboboguitar said:
Are we marching towards another war? What gives you that idea? Trump is just continuing what obama/bush did.
Agree with your post. The world is not a nice place, lots of sin. I posted about Hacksaw Ridge movie about pacifist, who interesting was saved by his fellow soldiers who killed to protect him.TexAgs91 said:The world is not entirely a nice place. HTHboboguitar said:
Are we marching towards another war? What gives you that idea? Trump is just continuing what obama/bush did.
Quote:
Orthodox Christianity is not concerned fundamentally with morality as an end in itself. The vocation of humanity is for deification, participation in the eternal life of the Holy Trinity. Human beings are to become by grace all that God is by nature...
In this light, it is not hard to see why warfare, and any taking of human life, is fraught with spiritual peril. Death comes into the world as the result of sin. Christ has come to conquer death, to raise humanity to the eternal life for which humanity was created. To kill a human being is to do the work of death, to involve oneself in a paradigmatic act of spiritual brokenness and of estrangement from God and neighbor. Granted, some instances of killing may be tragically necessary, such as the actions of a soldier in defending his or her nation from invasion by a conquering power. Killing in such circumstances may be understood in light of the Orthodox category of "involuntary sin", which includes actions that damage the soul despite the fact that they are done without malice and out of necessity. The church knows that killing does not have to be murder for it to be spiritually damaging.
Repentance is understood therapeutically in Orthodoxy. The focus is not on paying a legal penalty for one's sins, but instead on finding healing by reorienting one's life towards God. The soldier who has killed in war needs repentance not because of breaking a law, but because taking life presents many profound challenges to spiritual health. It is obviously difficult to grow in holiness while killing people, regardless of the circumstances.
The prayers for peace before the Our Father in the Divine Liturgy provide a stark contrast to the practices and attitudes associated with physical violence. At this point in the service, the church prays that "the whole day may be perfect, holy, peaceful, and sinless" and that "we may complete the remaining time of our life in peace and repentance". A day during which one has killed others who bear the image of God is hardly perfect, holy, peaceful and sinless. Those engaged in or preparing for war will find it hard to complete the course of their lives in peace and repentance. Though particular instances of warfare may be necessary, and even legally and morally justified by certain standards, they fall well short of the vision of a holy life described in these prayers.
...
The canons of the church are applied pastorally to repair the damage done by sinful actions. Soldiers, police officers and others may at times have no choice but to use violence to defend the innocent from abuse. Their roles and responsibilities preclude them from a straightforward manifestation of Christ's nonresistant love for the enemy. They serve to protect the innocent from harm, and risk their own spiritual brokenness for the sake of others. Despite their "involuntary sin", it is still possible for them to advance toward theosis by using force in as limited and just a manner as possible, while doing what is possible to guard themselves against the damaging effects of the passions that are often aroused in situations of violence.