The World at War

If anything has been present through the history of humankind, it is our nature to create wars between one another. Wars have been fought over land, resources, politics, and even people. Even the Bible records various wars that were fought throughout its existence.

One of the leading motivations that leads to war is that of racism. Germans during WWII, for example, listened to Hitler's preaching that Germans were superior to all other races in existence, and hence that they deserved more. This was one of many factors that contributed to the beginning of WWII. The Bible denies this concept in many different passages, claiming that all humans are equal under God. Leviticus 19:15 : You shall do no injustice in judgement; you shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor. In other words, judge people by their faith, not their livelihood or social status.

As to the basic notion of war itself, the church, or at least the United Methodist Church, opposes the notion highly. I'll highlight some various passages from the book on Social Principles of the United Methodist Church from 2005-2008 to prove how greatly the church opposes war.

"We deplore war and urge the peaceful settlement of all disputes among nations." This is a very simple, but very clear statement highlighting the church's stance.

"Some of us believe that war, and other acts of violence, are never acceptable to Christians. We also acknowledge that many Christians believe that, when peaceful alternatives have failed, the force of arms may regretfully be preferable to unchecked aggression, tyranny and genocide." Basically, these sentences say that the church is divided on the issue of a 'just war.' I am 99% certain that our class could debate this subject for weeks on end without a clear resolution on the issue. As it is, we accept both points of view. Let us be clear, though, that a 'just war' is still a war, and as such should be a last resort purely to restore order and prevent a more massive bloodshed.

"We reject national policies of enforced military service as incompatible with the gospel." Simply, the church opposes the draft. We believe that one should never be forced to fight, as their beliefs may contradict their actions in service. However, later in the passage, a statement tells us that the church also supports those who volunteer. "We also support and extend the Church's ministry to those persons who conscientiously choose to serve in the armed forces or to accept alternative service." Despite what we may personally believe, we will never deny the message to a fellow Christian.