Parakalein

I blogged a couple years ago about their not being any such thing as "Righteous or Just War".

It upset people whose sons and daughters have died in wars as some interpreted me to say that we should not have gone to war.  People wanted to fight me on their interpretation of my premise.

I did not mean that I do not honor the lives of men and women who have sacrificed their lives for peace in the world.  The very freedom we can sometimes take for granted was not free.  It has a price.  Sadly too often the price is dead soldiers.

What I want to say is that War never ends conflict.  As Bill Clinton noted well in a speech at the 2008 Democratic Convention, "The world is more impressed by the power of our presence (to act with kindness in the world) than they are by the presence of our power (to crush our enemies under our feet)".

Hating the enemy is the battle cry of all wars.  Even the war to end all wars did not end all wars. The battle cry of God is Love Your enemies.  The Battle of Armageddon is not a battle of military might but of the presence of the eternal and transforming love of God.  The word Armageddon is made up of two Hebrew words that mean Mountain and Valley.  This battle levels the playing field, has no place, or is ubiquitously here and there.  It is where all the forces of hatred are melt away in the presence of Love and Grace.

War is what we do because there is no trust to do otherwise.

Love is what you do when you know otherwise.

We can justify going to war.  We can celebrate defeating the enemy.  Justifying war does not make war just.

Jesus died to end all wars not to win a war!

"The strife is over, the battle is done" means war ends as love begins.

Wars are not winnable.  Someone always loses.

Love wins and ends all war!