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Originally Posted by Covenant Joel  You seem to suggest that all who take a pacifist position do so out of ignorance of the Bible or ignoring what it DIRECTLY teaches. I do not think that can be supported. |
Yes. It can.
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The few people that I know who have come to that position have only come to it after deep wrestling with the Scriptures, fighting against their own natural inclinations. They have not come to it easily. Certainly not in ignorance of the Bible's teaching. Perhaps their understanding of Scripture is lacking, perhaps not. And my own journey towards sympathy with a more pacifist understanding of Scripture has been difficult. And it is not finished, and I do not know where it will lead me.
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I'm not saying people haven't studied the Scriptures who come to that conclusion. I'm saying that those who come to that conclusion are, yet, IGNORANT of the Scriptures true teaching on the subject.
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You also seem to suggest that all who take a pacifist position do so purely because they have succombed to "laziness, apathy, and cowardice." I would humbly suggest that such a statement is false. Perhaps it is in some. I do not doubt it. But those that I know who are going towards a more pacifist position do so ONLY from a commitment to what they believe Jesus wants from them. Further, you seem to suggest that pacifists do not believe in doing anything when evil threatens them and theirs. That is not the case. They are opposed to taking violent measures. David Augsburger says in "Dissident Discipleship" something to the effect of that he is willing to die for his family but not kill for them. Again, I am not there yet, but I can understand why he is at that point. And I don't think it's because he is a coward. If someone did threaten his family, I am sure he would not just stand there and let them do whatever, but he would attempt everything outside of violence. Which may to you seem like nothing, but he believes he would be following the teachings of Jesus.
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A Jehovah's Witness believes he is following the teachings of Jesus. A Mormon believes he is following the teachings of Jesus. On a verse by verse study of the Scriptures there are men who far outstrip any of us here on the Puritanboard that hold to damnable heresies. Pacifism may not be damnable but it is, yet, a sub-Christian view of our resposiblities before God. Also, I still maintain that those who piously maintain something contrary to the Word are, in fact,
impious. It matters not in the least to me that they are sincere in this belief or that they would die for this aberrant belief. It is impious. Full stop.
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I know that many would probably be guilty of what you charge. But that is not always the case. There are some faithful, godly, manly, courageous men who yet would not use violence for any reason in accordance with their understanding of Scripture.
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What I would take out of the above statement is godly, manly, and courageous. You can keep faithful above as long as you don't try to state that they are being faithful to the Scriptures. They can be faithful to their aberrant views but they are not being faithful to Christ. My Confessional view does not permit me to sacrifice meaning for the sake of post-Modernism. As for the words godly, manly, and courageous, I don't allow that such man are any of those. They are fools.