Jerry Falwell Calling the Iraq War 'Just', Reveals him to Be Morally Bankrupt, Any Thoughts?
GOD SANCTIONED GOVERNMENT AUTHORITIES TO ENFORCE LAWS
We are now watching as the government in the USA has begun major changes in our national affairs in order to prevent future terrorist attacks after the invasion of the terrorists on September 11, 2001. Increased security measures in all levels of our nation's operations have been instigated. The USA has gone on the offensive to root out terrorists nationally and abroad. President Bush has declared war on terrorism. He has launched a world wide coalition, as other nations are joining in this war. We are all facing changes in our lives. The whole world is experiencing war, or is under the threat of war, with ominous weapons looming over all the people of the globe. The evil of war is discussed daily in the news with reports of possible attacks from nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons, as well as conventional armaments. The Bible is not silent about this subject, as it warns us it will increase more and more as the time for Christ's second coming approaches.
Matthew 24:6-8:
6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
Some Christians are having difficulty with the actions of our government in the area of war as the heart of Christianity is to love our enemies, not destroy them. How do we reconcile this as Christians? We must understand that the Bible deals with the role of government differently than that of an individual Christian. Throughout the Bible, the main role of governments was to protect its people from threatening invaders and to maintain law and order within its borders. This was done by maintaining a military force. Those who would argue against our country's military position, must also ask what our nation would be like without policemen and prisons.
God set boundaries on mankind by establishing ruling authorities that would make and enforce the laws He gave. The purpose for this was because He knew unregenerate society, without any restraints, would seek to destroy good men. God's desire is that all men would come to Him and live by His laws. However, when Adam and Eve disobeyed God and broke His law, sin entered into the world and was passed down to all of mankind through Adam's seed. God, in His love for mankind, made a way for men to come back to Him, through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus. Because Jesus lived free of sin and obeyed the law of God perfectly, He became the sin offering and died upon a cross, thus paying the price for all men's sin. He then rose from the dead the third day showing that He indeed was the son of God. Now those who accept what Jesus did and repent of their sins can find their way through faith to be reconciled to God. This sacrifice covers and cleanses men even from the worst of sins including murder. Now, through Christ, even murderers can be forgiven and restored to a relationship with God so they can live forever with Him; however, they must repent and give their lives wholly to Christ.
Where we find most of our problems with the military action of our government versus loving our enemies is that God's law of justice for the taking of a life demands that life be taken; yet, God's spiritual law of mercy and forgiveness grants that a murderer can be forgiven and restored. How can we reconcile this? We must understand that God instituted civil authorities to maintain order in the earth. God uses them to restrain evil and they should be obeyed for this purpose.
An analogy would be like a family that had a son at home and who was given love, freedom and many privileges. However, one day the son committed an evil crime and was sent to jail. The rules he lived under at home while he was obedient must now be changed to the rules of the jail because of the son's sin. The same is true with God. His will is to bless the earth and all those who obey and live in harmony; but for those who disobey, He had to set up separate rules so that the ones who are evil do not destroy the good. War is like that, as God uses civil authorities to maintain order in the earth. In the New Testament we see that even Jesus surrendered to the governing authorities because He was submitted to God.
John 19:11: 'Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above...'
Romans 13:1-5 (RSV):
1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.
2 Therefore he who resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.
3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of him who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval,
4 For he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain; he is the servant of God to execute his wrath on the wrongdoer.
5 Therefore one must be subject, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience.
From these verses we see that governments can elect to bear the sword (go to war) to deal with evil men. Although the act of war is a harsh form of punishment upon evil invaders, the alternative is far worse -- the destruction of innocent people by wicked aggressors.
No soldier who is a Christian desires to kill another; however, the Lord Himself, did not chastise a Centurion soldier in the Bible in the matter of his occupation. On the contrary, the Lord commended this man for his understanding of authority and his great faith when he called upon the Lord to heal his servant. Our military men need our prayers and the protection of the Lord as they go to battle. This should be the work of the church -- prayer for our men's protection and prayer for our president and heads of state. Our critical words will not change things, but prayer will. We must pray that the war would end quickly so we can return to peace, and especially prayer for our enemies, that they might be saved. We can pray that good will come out of what Satan means for evil.
Matthew 8:5-10:
5 And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him,
6 And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.
7 And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him.
8 The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.
9 For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.
10 When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.
1 Timothy 2:1-6:
1 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;
2 For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.
3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.
He appears to have mental problems.
Are we ever going to stop listening to these false preachers? Are we going to wake up someday? Are we not sick and tired of these scumbags hypocrisy yet? When are we going to stop making wealthy these bottom-feeders? These people, (and I'm using the term loosely). have the morals of snakes. But, again, as I have said over and over again, it's not them who are to be blamed, IS US who keep elevating these aberrations of human beings to levels they don't deserve. We haven't learn from the Jim Baker, Jim Swaggart, Benny Hin, Ted Haggard's of the world, and as long as we don't put a stop to this insanity, they will keep engorging their pockets with our hard earned money and using the name of GOD to cover up their immoral and criminal actions.
So? Is this a surprise?
Iraqi war is a military and economic necessity to U.S. It started with a ruse that 'Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction'. That was disproved
So the war is not just.
Amerca will have a servile friend in Iraq.
No marks for Saddam but
Saddam`s hanging was unofficially telecast all over the world. How just was that?
You have a right to your (opinion?) no matter how confused you are. So do I. I think you are the one that is bankrupt, morally and in common sense.
'Christians' seem to be the most elated with this war. Makes you wonder about their beliefs, doesn't it?
No. I still believe that the war is a just war. The country was sponsoring anti-Israeli terrorist with the oil with food program.
Also, Iraq under Saddam still claimed Kuwait are an Iraqi province.
This is the same guy who stood against Civil Rights in this country. He was already Bankrupt.
Yeah, your therapy isn't working. Tell them you need to up your meds.
Well since Jerry knows there has to be a major war going on in the Mideast in order for the messiah to return I can see why he thinks the Iraq war is a 'Just' one.
I think we should recruit all of Mr. Falwell's family members or members of his congregation that are of fighting age.. Including his daughters(if he has any) and put them on the front lines.. Maybe his thoughts about the war would change then,but I doubt it.. He's a zealot.
Sadly, anything Falwell is for the rest of us should be against. Never has there been a more self-righteous moron on the face of this planet. We'd all be better off if he'd shut up and head to Muslim held lands to share his opinions with them.
Of course, good tv could be a deathmatch between him and Osama. Now that would be fun.
I'm going to take an extreme, more global stance here, since everyone else seems to have already covered all the specific issues:
Morally bankruptcy is one way of putting it. A more appropriate label for Mr. Falwell though might be: naive conforming ignorant sociopath.
How can he be deemed emotionally or intellectually informed by calling war “just”? Do you think he (or any other proponents of war) consider the real societal ramifications of televised images of violence or have any idea what they really are?
Intellectual ignorance and misguided emotionality makes it easy to conform with accepted dominant ideology regarding the “utility” of war. Killing, maiming, and the emotional terror involved in war is a means to a *positive* societal end right....only when it’s not defined as what it is and only those encompassed in this positive societal end are considered. Surely those not directly affected, so perhaps only those who merely sanction it, from far away intellectually and physically, are safe, who can’t *really* see the contradiction in the said purpose of it.
What underlies the justification of murder, be it in war or through an act of a serial killer is similar, but seemingly only the former may be guised using macro, moral ideals. An authoritative “important”, like Mr. Falwell says: war (i.e, murder) is “just”. Yet, the key element of a dangerous sociopath entails disrupting or harming the functioning of a group, society or violating the rights of others. So, what’s the real difference here? Unfortunately, power accompanied by misdirected fear, anger, and a lack of connectivity between intellectual means and behavioural ends will always mask the truth.
Answer:
He pissed me off about 25 years ago when AIDS was becoming a serious problem. He said that people who died from AIDS were being punished by God for their lifestyle.
I refused to waste my energy being angry at him, but every time I see his name, I think that he has no business having a church, he has no business preaching to anyone, and he has no business inflicting his ideas on anyone. I just hope that people who hear him are more intelligent than to listen to him.
To say that the war in Iraq is just is insane. Its a mess and there is no clear way out of it. And thats the sad part.
you mean jerry $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ je$u$ $$$$$$$$$$$$ falwell?
