“We” have absolutely no control over or blame for these atrocities. Our only responsibility is to pray for God’s will to be done. And it will be. The powers that be do not care what we think about their plans. Sure, vote for the least violent candidates, the least dictatorial candidates. But our immediate job is to live our own lives in submission to God’s will, loving others and sharing the gospel until Jesus returns. If every single rational and compassionate person protested this war, they would still do it. They aren’t rational or compassionate. They are working out a plan. Pray for peace and prepare for war.
Part of the whole dilemma of choosing war or peace is that you can’t tell the best path except in hindsight. So it comes down to: strive adamantly for peace, keep a cool head, but accept the reality that you may not be able to completely avoid war forever. It may be thrust upon you, and then it becomes a stark matter of the opponent’s survival or yours.
Mr. kust has shown himself to be well-educated in military history, and he’s also a former Marine. I think he’s well aware of how perilously close we are to a serious world conflict, with all its horrors, and he wants to avoid that. Don’t you?
After WW2, Winston Churchill wrote a six-volume history of the war - which won the Pulitzer Prize - entitled, “The Second World War”. In volume one (“The Gathering Storm”) he explains the causes of the war. There were several, but one cause was that, as a result of the atrocities of WW1, the people of Europe were determined to never do that again. It was to be peace at ANY cost, no matter what. Hitler exploited that mindset. First he took back the Rhinelands that had been ceded to France after WW1, and most Europeans made excuses for him - they were German lands for years, German people still live there, sure it was wrong of Hitler to violate the terms of Versailles, but we’re not going to go to WAR over it! And Hitler kept on with that strategy - taking over Austria, invading Czechoslovakia, then finally Poland. Historians have debated: WHEN exactly should the rest of Europe have challenged him militarily ? In hindsight, France probably should have declared war at the invasion of Czechoslovakia, because they had a treaty regarding that. But it’s only in hindsight that a war decision becomes clear enough! Since war is truly hell, let’s keep our heads and avoid it until .....we can’t.
Palestinians in Gaza are suffering due to actions of their corrupt government, over which they have little or no control. Those of us who live in places where the government is not corrupt are indeed fortunate. If there are any such places.
“We” have absolutely no control over or blame for these atrocities. Our only responsibility is to pray for God’s will to be done. And it will be. The powers that be do not care what we think about their plans. Sure, vote for the least violent candidates, the least dictatorial candidates. But our immediate job is to live our own lives in submission to God’s will, loving others and sharing the gospel until Jesus returns. If every single rational and compassionate person protested this war, they would still do it. They aren’t rational or compassionate. They are working out a plan. Pray for peace and prepare for war.
Part of the whole dilemma of choosing war or peace is that you can’t tell the best path except in hindsight. So it comes down to: strive adamantly for peace, keep a cool head, but accept the reality that you may not be able to completely avoid war forever. It may be thrust upon you, and then it becomes a stark matter of the opponent’s survival or yours.
Mr. kust has shown himself to be well-educated in military history, and he’s also a former Marine. I think he’s well aware of how perilously close we are to a serious world conflict, with all its horrors, and he wants to avoid that. Don’t you?
After WW2, Winston Churchill wrote a six-volume history of the war - which won the Pulitzer Prize - entitled, “The Second World War”. In volume one (“The Gathering Storm”) he explains the causes of the war. There were several, but one cause was that, as a result of the atrocities of WW1, the people of Europe were determined to never do that again. It was to be peace at ANY cost, no matter what. Hitler exploited that mindset. First he took back the Rhinelands that had been ceded to France after WW1, and most Europeans made excuses for him - they were German lands for years, German people still live there, sure it was wrong of Hitler to violate the terms of Versailles, but we’re not going to go to WAR over it! And Hitler kept on with that strategy - taking over Austria, invading Czechoslovakia, then finally Poland. Historians have debated: WHEN exactly should the rest of Europe have challenged him militarily ? In hindsight, France probably should have declared war at the invasion of Czechoslovakia, because they had a treaty regarding that. But it’s only in hindsight that a war decision becomes clear enough! Since war is truly hell, let’s keep our heads and avoid it until .....we can’t.
Nothing stupider than moral equivalency. Would you be a pacifist against the Nazis? Not taking a stand is taking a stand.
Very well said - thank you !
Palestinians in Gaza are suffering due to actions of their corrupt government, over which they have little or no control. Those of us who live in places where the government is not corrupt are indeed fortunate. If there are any such places.
Thank you for writing and publishing this, Peter. I agree with you 100%.