Eventually we would hear about scriptures that contradict or balance the sixth commandment, scriptures that tell us when war and violence are appropriate. In order “for a war to be just, three things are necessary. First, the authority of the sovereign. . . . Secondly, a just cause. . . . Thirdly . . . a rightful intention,” wrote St. Thomas Aquinas in his thirteenth-century masterpiece Summa Theologica, establishing the basis on which Christians could rightfully go to war.
Self-defense, we might learn, is often considered justification for the use of violence, even deadly violence. “To those against whom war is made, permission is given [to fight], because they are wronged . . . Allah is most powerful for their aid,” the Qur’an instructs Muslims. Additionally, the Jewish Talmud has very simple and practical advice regarding self-defense: “If a man comes to kill you,” it tells us, “forestall it by killing him.”
Forgive the provacative teaser, but I wanted to get your attention 
I ran across this really interesting article some of you may like as well…
February 3, 2006 at 10:20 am
war has been around form the begining of time. it happens when population exceeds the cultivation of land in ones country. the world population is 6.5 billion, expecting to reach 8 billion by 2050. I have to go. email me at food_for_the_future@yahoo.com
February 3, 2006 at 11:04 am
haven’t read the article yet. but god isn’t a pacifist, and that’s why we are free to be nonviolent and called to be peaceful.
February 3, 2006 at 5:47 pm
Germerian,
I most likely agree with your point, but you’re gonna have to help me with the logic arguments there.
February 12, 2006 at 5:28 pm
Really enjoyed the article. I don’t think God’s a pacifist, either, but I got chewed out the last time we had this discussion. Even if you take most/all of the biblical stories as allegories, you’d think the God-who-created-everything could have inspired His writers to use less violent imagery. Not that I think we should go around killing people for fun, but there’s a reason God allowed exceptions to the rules. But that’s just my two cents.
April 13, 2006 at 1:15 pm
Thus writes Wendell Berry:
“The present administration has adoped a sort of official Christianity, and it obviously wishes to be regarded as Christian. But ‘Christian’ war has always been a problem, best solved by avoiding any attempt to reconcile policies of national or imperial militarism with anything Christ said or did. The Christian gospel is a summons to peace, calling for justice beyond anger, mercy beyond justice, forgiveness beyond mercy, love beyond forgiveness. It would require a most agile interpreter to justify hatred and war by means of the Gospels, in which we are bidden to love our enemies, bless those who curse us, do good to those who hate us, and pray for those who despise and persecute us.”
Is it not so?
October 22, 2006 at 1:31 am
If we choose to believe in a God then it is a choice we have made and thus we have created a God. A Buddhist would say, “A thousand monks, a thousand gods.”
So there are as many Gods, Goddesses, Devils or Angels as there are people who choose to create such things.
Alas, many use this as an excuse for their hate rather than their love or respect of anothers belief and we then seem to have most foolish conflicts indeed.