| War & Politics |
| The Death Count The following death count totals include both military & civilian deaths as well as MIA/POW French and Indian War 12,040 Revolutionary War 49,000 War of 1812 28,830 Mexican-American War 38,271 American Civil War 618,000 Spanish-American War 23,289 World War I 10,353,813 World War II 72,389,700 Korean War 1,824,000 Vietnam War 2,003,692 The Persian Gulf War 22,569 CLICK TO LEARN ABOUT GULF WAR SYNDROME The War in Iraq *The "War in Iraq" not a real war as war has never been declared by Congress, so what is going on in Iraq is just a "military action" Iraqis: see above counter source www.justforeignpolicy.org US Military & Other Coalition Forces: 4459 source www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2003/iraq/forces/casualties Contractors: 1123 source /www.fair.org/index.php?page=3320 Journalists: 132 source www.cpj.org/Briefings/Iraq/Iraq_danger.html |
| The Beginning In the Beginning, when Elohim created all Earthly things, murder & war was not part of this Creation. Only after the Original Sin & Historic Fall (see "What We Believe") did murder & war enter into our world. Wars of The Old Testament The "War" of Abraham In Genesis 14, we see kings of many nations warring against each other. Because of these wars, Abraham's nephew & nephew's family were taken captive. Abraham fought against the captors of his nephew & his nephew's family. This is the only instance of a battle before the Nation of Israel was formed. The wars of Israel as led by Prophets When the Nation of Israel was under the direct leadership of Prophets, we see Elohim calling Israel to war. We cannot presume that we are the Historic Nation of Israel or that we are a people/country that is led by God/dess. The Nation of Israel under the direct leadership of Prophets was in the context of a specific time & place. The wars of the Kings of Israel as determined by the Kings There came a time in history when the Nation of Israel no longer wanted to be led by Prophets. Israel rebelliously demanded to be ruled by Kings so they could be like the others nations. Even though Israel was warned against this, eventually, with enough protesting, Israel was given what she wanted. Our parents will sometimes do the same thing: give us what we want if we whine longer enough. Sooner or later we learn our lesson. As the Nation of Israel was led by Kings, wars were also led by Kings. More & more we see politics, rather than Elohim, making the war decisions. War in The New Testament When Christ was incarnate on Earth, he was born as Yeshua (Jesus), a Jewish male in Israel. All Israel was longing for Messiah (Christ) to come. Rome occupied the land of Israel, yet never once do we hear Yeshua teaching that Israel should rise up and overthrow her occupants. Instead, Yeshua says: You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even tax collectors do that? Be whole, therefore, as your heavenly Father is whole. (Matthew 5:43-48) Again, Yeshua tells us: You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. (Matthew 5:38-42) We are taught in 2 Corinthians 10:3-6: For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. We do wage war, but it is a spiritual war. We are taught: No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs--he wants to please his commanding officer. (2nd Timothy 2:4) Our commanding officer is Christ. We strive to obey the call to stay out of "civilian" (worldly) affairs. Why? Because Earth is only our temporary home. We see this explained in Hebrews 11:8-10: By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. In the New Testament, the only other references to war are found in the Book of Revelation. This war is not ours. This battle belongs to Christ Yeshua. |
| War Profiteering Who's Making Money in Iraq? |
"Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands..."1 Thessalonians 4:11 |
| Well how do you do young Willie McBride? Do you mind if I sit here down by your graveside and rest for a while 'neath the warm summer sun? I've been walkin' all day and I'm nearly done. I see by your gravestone you were only nineteen when you joined the great fallen in 1916. I hope you died quick and I hope you died clean. Or Willie McBride was it slow and obscene? Did they beat the drum slowly did they play the fife lowly? Did they sound the death march as they lowered you down? Did the band play the last post and chorus? Did the pipes play the "Flowers of the Forest"? Did you leave here a wife or a sweetheart behind? In some faithful heart is your memory enshrined? Although you died back in 1916, in that faithful heart are you forever nineteen? Or are you a stranger without even a name enclosed & forever behind the glass frame in an old photograph torn, battered and stained, and faded to yellow in a brown leather frame? Did they beat the drum slowly did they play the fife lowly? Did they sound the death march as they lowered you down? Did the band play the last post and chorus? Did the pipes play the "Flowers of the Forest"? The sun, now it shines on the green fields of France. There's a warm summer breeze that makes the red poppys dance. And look how the sun shines from under the plows, there's no gas, no barbed wire, there's no guns firing now. But here in this graveyard it's still No Man's land. The countless white crosses stand mute in the sand, to man's blind indifference to his fellow man, to a whole generation that was butchered and damned. Did they beat the drum slowly did they play the fife lowly? Did they sound the death march as they lowered you down? Did the band play the last post and chorus? Did the pipes play the "Flowers of the Forest"? Now young William McBride I can’t help wonder why... Do those that lie here know why that they died? And did they believe when they answered the call, did they really believe that this war would end wars? Well the sorrow, the suffering, the glory, the pain, the killing and dying was all done in vain. For young Willie McBride it's all happened again, and again, and again, and again, and again. Song: Green Fields of France aka Willie McBride Author: Eric Bogle Copyright: Island Music/BMI Performed by: The Fureys |
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| We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. |
| The Illegal "War" in Iraq is nothing more than one Sovereign State (USA) attacking & invading another Sovereign State (Iraq) against the direct language of the Constitution of the United States Article I, section 8, is quite clear: only Congress has the authority to declare war. Unless the country is being invaded, if the congress does not declare war against another country, the president is constitutionally barred from waging it, no matter how much he desires to do so. This is, again, shown clearly in the following statements: “As the executive cannot decide the question of war on the affirmative side, neither ought it to do so on the negative side, by preventing the competent body from deliberating on the question.” - Thomas Jefferson “The executive has no right, in any case, to decide the question, whether there is or is not cause for declaring war.” - James Madison |
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