I think it’s not generally recognized that the reason Christian nations are involved in a lot of wars has a lot to do with the structure of the Bible.
In the New Testament, Jesus lays out a program that reaches out to all peoples of the earth, as potentially God’s children. This immediately obsoletes the Hebrew tendency to feel as a chosen people they had first dibs on any land near their current holdings.
It obsoletes the superiority of the Jewish people, levels the playing field.
Then Paul spends his career spreading this program. This is part 2 of the NT.
Part 3 of the NT is missing. This would be a history of a Christian nation, which would employ Christian values in foreign relations. It would use war as a last resort, for self-defense. And it would treat defeated enemies graciously. No gratuitous slaughter, or holocausts.
Because part 3 is missing, Christian get their nation to nation relationships from the Old Testament by default, which is as violent a document as you can find anywhere on Planet earth.
I would add that under Douglas MacArthur, second world war, you can find a man who employed Christian principles in administering the occupation of Japan, and he did an extraordinary job.
Had some political hack had the job, the Japanese occupation might have turned into something difficult. Maybe not as bad as Iraq, but not good. He insisted on his soldiers treating the Japanese and their women respectfully. Many Japanese feared the American Invasion because they knew what their own soldiers would have done had they conquered America.
It is recorded in Japanese newspapers of the day, that the Japanese were humbled by the high road the Americans had taken every bit as much as the military defeat itself…
The actions of MacArthur were the actions of one enlightened man.
The U.S. is therefore schizophrenic, with some Christian values expressed imperfectly inwardly, and OT Hebrew militarism expressed outwardly.
MacArthur kept the Emperor of Japan safe, and wisely employed his help to stabilize the Japanese nation, unlike in Iraq today where American soldiers are taught to disparage all of Iraq religion and culture.
Vast difference in wisdom and outcomes…
4 comments:
it is important to consider the zionist influences on geopolitics and the entire social structure. i would say the descriptive word "christian" is very loose today as it can be applied to a very wide spectrum of biblical ideologies. in any case, the bible is complete and is not missing what you allege:
Whole Armor of God
HI D,
Please understand what I mean by completeness. There is sufficient teaching in the New Testament to prevent the errors nations make. It just takes intelligence and care to implement, as I claim MacArther did.
Unfortunately, most people need things spelled out more explicitly. For example, in the Old Testament, although it should be obvious that stealing and killing are wrong, the 10 commandments were spelled out anyway. Even then people often don't obey them, but at least they can't have the excuse that they didn't know about this.
The New Testament provides guidelines that if followed, would eliminate most wars. But examples of a Christian nation are lacking because one didn't exist yet.
Even today, the default guidelines for handling other cultures are almost entirely military (that's why we have an 800 billion defense budget). A nation following Christian principals in foreign relations would never have such a budget monstrosity, or need one. We are instead using Joshua and Judges as our foreign policy model, not anything Jesus said.
And this is the way it is because foreign relations between peoples only exists by example in the Old Testament, and that's not a Christian document, even though it is 'bolted' on the New Testament.
In my family growing up, if someone had something ugly and judgmental to say, it was sometimes couched in Old Testament phraseology. The Old Testament is a rather hostility filled document, even though it does have some good parts.
The Bible can't be added to, so in that sense it's complete. That said, watch the language when someone wants to do something cruel or stupid, or wants revenge. 'An eye for an eye', etc.
The United States is a schizophrenic culture, somewhat Christian on the inside, OT Hebrew militarism towards others on the outside.
Regards,
Mark
Mark: Thought provoking subject. U took a good cut at it.
A nation's personality functions as what we would define on the individual (human) level, as insane.
Nations are narcissistic, suspicious, paranoid, and violent. As u said, schizophrenic.
Not much hope for mankind, as I see it. U.S. current reach for 'empire', just hastens a confrontation with the rest of the world?
Hi Bill,
Yes, I agree. The U.S. had the most favorable birth of any nation in history, and it's going down the tubes. That says a lot about Mankind, none of it good.
Mark
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