tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10335778.post5769608427498535604..comments2023-10-26T09:51:07.401-06:00Comments on Stimulation: To End All WarsArnie Adkisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01846687068106003647noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10335778.post-91924720508530969252007-02-21T12:26:00.000-06:002007-02-21T12:26:00.000-06:00Another friend replied to me offline yesterday wit...Another friend replied to me offline yesterday with a great comment. He's from a Mennonite tradition, and here's two of his comments:<BR/><BR/>1. Those who uphold pacifism have to struggle not to lose the ability to be assertive or to work actively for justice. Starry-eyed idealism is a major problem.<BR/><BR/>2. Those who eschew pacifism have to struggle with a meek as a lamb Savior, who does not return violence for violence and thereby redeems the world. (yes, I know he turned over the money-changers temple --- see #1 above and observe he didn’t kill anyone).<BR/><BR/>I would agree with you Victor, and with my friend here.Arnie Adkisonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01846687068106003647noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10335778.post-87938814869620289592007-02-21T11:12:00.000-06:002007-02-21T11:12:00.000-06:00It strucked me that this story provides an actual ...It strucked me that this story provides an actual scenario where violence and brute force are overtaken & defeated by "turning the other cheek" (ie.Jesus' teachings). However, it was at a great price and "loss." In the Christian faith this ultimately only finds meaning in Christ's own sacrifice (i.e. Stephen's death) and the life/salvation it provides. It's more than just an existencial/social final gift. "To live is Christ and to dies is gain."Victorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11239376568564963414noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10335778.post-77607072134037600552007-02-20T17:44:00.000-06:002007-02-20T17:44:00.000-06:00Ernest Gordon wrote a terrific book on his experie...Ernest Gordon wrote a terrific book on his experiences as a Japanese POW, "Through the Valley of Kwai." Tells of the prisoners finding faith, God, and meaning in an environment that others (e.g., Simon Wiesenthal in "The Sunflower") felt deserted by God. <BR/><BR/>Gordon writes, "[On the voyage home after liberation] I was musing by the rail when I noticed John Leckie standing next to me. “Well,” he said, “it’s all over. I wouldn’t have missed it for anything. True, it was rough. But I learned an awful lot that I couldn’t have learned at university or anywhere else. For one, I’ve learned about the things of life that are real and for another, I’ve learned it’s great to be alive.”<BR/><BR/>It was easy for me to see how he could make such a remark. The experiences we had passed through deepened our understanding of life and of each other. We had looked into the heart of the Eternal and found Him to be wonderfully kind." <BR/><BR/>Wish I had that kind of faith.ctunahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06577271950321543921noreply@blogger.com