catapult magazine

As I’m reading the discussion about the threads dealing with the U.S.’s liberation of Iraq a few thoughts go through my mind.

1) It seems like some people are upset that the Iraqis are liberated and the U.S. was successful. By reading the threads here I questioned what the U.S. was doing in Iraq. Then when I saw images and quotes of Iraqis kissing Americans and thanking them for their freedom, I was surprised. I thought that the rest of the world hated the US.

2) Another argument was the US shouldn’t liberate Iraq because there are other worse dictators. It’s just about the oil. I happen to believe that what’s best for Iraq (freedom) is also best for the US. As for the other oppressed countries around the world. Give W some time. Apparently he’s the only one in the world right now willing to do anything and he can’t cure all the nations problems period, much less in one term of office.

Bear with me while I get to my point…

A main theme seems to be that the US is a bunch of insensitive fat jerks bullying and offending the rest of the world. The US has major problems and it should pull out the plank in their own eye before pointing out the speck in others.

It seems there are two biblical teachings in tension here:

1) Jesus stressed the importance of unity over and over. Jesus prayed that all believers would be one as he and the Father are one.

2) Jesus came to divide. He said that anyone who left his mother or father or friends for his sake would receive a hundredfold reward (I hope I got that right… I don’t have my Bible).

On a sidenote, I think the whole plank in the eye passage has been twisted and people in the church are so afraid of being accused of being a hypocrite that they are afraid to speak up against any evil around them, knowing that they are sinners themselves.

How does this tie in with the Iraq discussion? I don’t know, but it keeps coming back into my mind. The pro-UN crowd picks up on the biblical teachings of humility, submission to authorities and unity.

The pro-war crowd picks up on the passages of laying down your life for others, sacrifice, and doing the right thing no matter what the opposition.

It’s not a perfect analogy, because the US is not the body of Christ and the rest of the world is not Old Testament Egypt or Philistine.

Nevertheless the United States is led by a godly man, George W. Bush. And I believe just like the people in *cino, our president has a world view based in belief in God and the Bible and that is the foundation for how he lives his life.

Happy Easter and kudos to you if you’ve hung in this far. It’s obviously a complicated issue.

The reason I believe this is a central issue is that it has national and personal repercussions.

If I believe that everyone around me is just fine and that I’m a sinful hypocrite, I will never shine my light to them and they will never hear the gospel because I will be paralyzed with fear.

If I believe what Luke 4 and Isaiah 61 says that our mission is to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and set the captives free (again, paraphrase w/o Bible), then I will behave in a totally different manner.

thanks jason, sometimes there’s so many threads that it’s good to try and summarize, to pull them all together. i think perhaps you are misunderstanding some of the responses from the people who question the wisdom of the war. Personally I don’t think I know anyone who was hoping the Iraqis would win, or who is now disappointed that the US has won. I definitely don’t know anyone who is upset that they were liberated.

I think the issue was not whether Saddam was a brutal dictator or whether the people would be better off without him. The issue was what was the best way to do it. Two of the bigger concerns there, I think, were the possibility (and reality) of civilian casualty, and the international “pre-emptive” precedent that this sets (as i mentioned in another thread which didn’t get much response). the other thing was, it seemed that all other channels were not examined before taking the option for war.

and i agree, it’s great to see iraqi’s who are rejoicing in their new freedom and thanking US soldiers for liberating them…but it’s heartbreaking to see images of dead children, to hear interviews with bereaved parents, to hear of the hospitals filled up with wounded children. also, kind of a counterpoint to the celebrations were the demonstrations against US occupation of the country.

thanks for pointing out the distinction between the US and old testament Israel (i think it’s an important one that some people have blurred). i’m also glad that george is a christian, but that fact doesn’t make everything he does good.

again, the point is not that “everyone is okay” but that there are christian and there are non-christian ways to do things—sometimes the same things can be accomplished by different means. or to put it another (more clich?d) way, the end doesn’t always justify the means.