Wed, 09/19/2007 – 02:55
It is my firm belief, in light of my personal conscience and Christian faith, that all wars and violence are founded upon illegitimate grounds. In light of my ethical reasoning I have never, and will never willingly support violence or war.
As a Christian, a follower of the Prince of Peace, I have been brought up from a young age to understand that Peace and Love of Neighbor are key values in a religion that states the “other” should not only be respected, but actually viewed as Christ. Christ’s statement that “whatever you do for the least of my people you do for me” transends an abstract idea and actually transvalues the “other” into the place where Christians concretely experience God. Under this understanding the killing, the murder of any other individual becomes a killing of Christ. No matter what ideology, religious background, race, or creed the other person comes from they are, Sacramentally, Christ. As a follower of the Gospel message I am left no room for justifying violence for a higher good; if the values of Peace and Love are to be lived, they must be lived at every level.
Ethicly I have been able to find no justification for violence. I can not justify the killing of another person for the simple reason that I have not found a justification of willing something for another which I will not will for myself. If I don’t think it is just for another to kill me, if I desire to be loved by others, how could I justify treating my brothers and sisters any differently? The same love with which I desire to be treated I must show to others. No matter how violent or abusive my brothers and sisters may act, the only way to show that peace and love are higher values than violence is to live them myself. It would be simply hypocritical to support any form of violence, anything other than love, in the pursuit of Love itself.
I, therefore, oppose all war and violence and will never participate in, practice, or support any form of it. Regardless of the personal consequences to me for my stance, I will promote the values of Peace and Love.