Null

[sanderabeer]

Null

 

[Michie]

It’s a draft. Or catching draft dodgers. Here in the US we have the option to object a draft due to religious beliefs. Christianity both supports and rejects it. The Amish, for instance reject it. Other Christians have a long history of honorable military service. So there is really no yes or no to it. Depends on what branch of Christianity a person follows.

 

[Hoping2]

A fellow Christian member called support for conscription "disturbing" in another thread. I know countries vary widely on the topic, so I wanted raise the issue and approach it from a Christian perspective. Let's use iron to sharpen iron and see if we can help one another be better brothers and sisters in Christ.

Should a Christian support or oppose conscription? Why?

Christians are "not of this world", so its conscriptions are the world's problem.

 

[Michie]

Well we render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s. There is a long history of war/battles in the OT. There is nothing in Scripture one way or the other when it comes to drafts. I think it’s an individual’s choice how to grapple with it. Neither being right or wrong. This seems a more fitting topic for Christian Ethics imo.

 

[Ignatius the Kiwi]

The state may require of us many things and responsibilities, yet it should not require the lives of men to fight in wars to sustain itself. Especially if those men dissent and do not approve of the war in question. No one should be made to fight for something they do not believe.

 

[Maria Billingsley]

A fellow Christian member called support for conscription "disturbing" in another thread. I know countries vary widely on the topic, so I wanted raise the issue and approach it from a Christian perspective. Let's use iron to sharpen iron and see if we can help one another be better brothers and sisters in Christ.

Should a Christian support or oppose conscription? Why?

The draft has never been or ever will be a Christian value. Jesus Christ of Nazareth never comanded Christian soldiers for physical battle but He did command soldiers to spread His Gospel to the nations aka the harvest.
Blessings

 

[Ignatius the Kiwi]

The draft has never been or ever will be a Christian value. Jesus Christ of Nazareth never comanded Christian soldiers for physical battle but He did command soldiers to spread His Gospel to the nations aka the harvest.
Blessings

I would question this in terms of a general calling by God to be a soldier. It seems to me there have been numerous times in history in which the Church benefitted from the presence of Christian soldiers who were willing to use their martial might to combat the forces which might seek to destroy Christians. It is not obvious that Christians are not called to be soldiers or serve in a military force. Unless you mean only mean that there is nowhere in the Gospel where one is called to be a soldier in military service, which is true. Though Christ never tells the soldiers who do serve in the Roman army to abandon their position.

 

[Maria Billingsley]

I would question this in terms of a general calling by God to be a soldier. It seems to me there have been numerous times in history in which the Church benefitted from the presence of Christian soldiers who were willing to use their martial might to combat the forces which might seek to destroy Christians. It is not obvious that Christians are not called to be soldiers or serve in a military force. Unless you mean only mean that there is nowhere in the Gospel where one is called to be a soldier in military service, which is true. Though Christ never tells the soldiers who do serve in the Roman army to abandon their position.

Think about what you have said and compare it to the words of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. It is contradictory.

"The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

He did not say " kill the harvest".

He is Lord of the Harvest: He is the one who owns the harvest (the world and its people) and is ultimately responsible for its outcome. Show me where Jesus Christ of Nazareth instructed to kill them.

Be blessed

 

[Michie]

Ukraine war: Conscription squads send Ukrainian men into hiding

Public transport, cafes and supermarkets are now off limits to men trying to avoid being enlisted.

www.bbc.com

 

[Michie]

What we know about video of man walking his dog being forced into van to serve in Ukraine military

The Facebook page of a Ukrainian military recruitment center offered context after users responded angrily to the video.

www.snopes.com

 

[Ignatius the Kiwi]

Think about what you have said and compare it to the words of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. It is contradictory.

"The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

He did not say " kill the harvest".

He is Lord of the Harvest: He is the one who owns the harvest (the world and its people) and is ultimately responsible for its outcome. Show me where Jesus Christ of Nazareth instructed to kill them.

Be blessed

The flaw in your interpretation is that you're assuming pacifism on the basis that we could kill future Christians, even in the case of justifiable self defense. Yet the opposite case could be made that If the Christian community is subject to mass killing there would be no one to witness Christ in the future. This has happened historically and Christians were only able to witness to the wider world by defending themselves as a civilisation from enemies via the use of war. You are inherently privledging the lives of non Christians over Christians when you suggest we cannot kill, at all.

 

[timothyu]

Well we render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s.

Yes, meaning we leave the world to the worldly and the dead to bury the dead. We are of the Kingdom, not the world man has made in its own image. In follwing the 2 commandments we put God's will first, not man's and we serve each other, not seek division amongst self serving desires.

 

[timothyu]

It seems to me there have been numerous times in history in which the Church benefitted from the presence of Christian soldiers who were willing to use their martial might to combat the forces which might seek to destroy Christians.

Wrong kingdom

 

[Ignatius the Kiwi]

Wrong kingdom

What do you mean? I'm not speaking about the Kingdom of God. I am talking about the temporal Church which exists in our world and is subject to it.

 

[timothyu]

What do you mean? I'm not speaking about the Kingdom of God.

Jesus was ,and so should all Christians rather than focusing on the empires of man. Jesus said the church is built upon, and is truth from God alone, and not the opinions of man.

 

[Ignatius the Kiwi]

Jesus was ,and so should all Christians rather than focusing on the empires of man

What does this look like? Does it mean Christians live as ascetics and deny themselves earthly community?

 

[timothyu]

Does it mean Christians live as ascetics and deny themselves earthly community?

Of course not, but the earthly community simply served each other and everyone in need, not any governmental institution built according to traditional ways of man using God as it's figurehead. We are to serve the will of God, not use God to serve the will of fellow man.

 

[Ignatius the Kiwi]

Of course, not but the earthly community simply served each other and everyone in need, not a governmental institution.

Can you define government? Because wouldn't a government be merely an organizing mechanism of a large community? Are opposed to the organization of communities?

 

[RDKirk]

Speaking from the point of view of a Christian who spent a career in the military, my view is that the Church should resist conscription at the level of law. That is, if given the chance to vote as citizens, Christians should vote in opposition to conscription. Failing that, if given the opportunity to conscientiously object to conscription, Christian should object. Failing that, if given the opportunity to serve in a non-combatant role, Christians should serve in noncombatant roles. If none of those options is available, Christians should refuse to serve and accept the resulting punishment.

I might have a different opinion if we were anywhere near talking about something like World War II, but history has revealed even some moral issues with how nations were led into that war. A war that could have been avoided by righteous intentions beforehand is not a just war. Essentially, there is no such thing as "just war" in today's environment. All wars of the last 50 years have been ultimately unjust, and there is no "righteous" killing in any of them.

 

[timothyu]

Can you define government?

Any human governing body soon fails to follow the governance of God, as self interest soon returns even if only in concern over itself and its existence. God tells us time and time again that He will provide what is needed but man likes to add our own insurance defeating the purpose