Jon – NONVIOLENT CHRISTIANS

Why I am Not an Atheist, Part 3

Atheists Change the Meaning of Faith.

By Jon Kauffman

Several atheists have tried to convince me that atheism is true. Most atheists are not evangelical atheists and most of my atheist friends do not try to convert me. I have been asked by several atheists why I am not an atheist. I am answering that question.

I am thankful for outspoken atheists. As a result, many Christians have gone to great lengths to explore the validity of the Christian faith. Biblical scholars have used textual criticism to demonstrate the Bible to be extremely reliable compared to early manuscripts of other manuscripts. Many apologists have developed the historical evidence available to demonstrate evidence for the resurrection of Jesus. Christian scientists have written many books demonstrating that science and the Christianity are compatible.

Definition of Faith

How do atheists define faith: Peter Singer says, “And what is faith? It is just believing in something for which you have neither rational arguments nor good evidence.”

How does the dictionary define faith: 2. a. 1: belief and trust in and loyalty to God. 2: Belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion. Meriam Webster.

Also: The assent of the mind to the truth of a proposition or statement for which there is not complete evidence; belief in general. The Century Dictionary.

How I define faith: I agree that faith is a belief and trust in and loyalty to God. Belief in God is based on the evidence. Faith comes when evidence ends and gives us confidence to reasonably believe what is logically based on that evidence. But faith is more. Whenever we believe something that is a logical extension to the evidence, we are practicing faith. Almost everything we believe is based faith

Example: A paleontologist may find a jaw bone and tell us many things about that animal. If we follow the evidence, more bones found later may prove some of his theories incorrect and change our view of that jaw bone. We can have faith that the conclusions reached by the paleontologist correspond to truth about that animal.

If we follow the evidence, we can have faith that Jesus rose from the dead. The evidence is strong enough that we can easily believe that beyond a reasonable doubt the resurrection occurred. Millions have believed. Based on the fact of the resurrection, we can by faith follow the teachings of Jesus in the way we live. Because we are human our knowledge of the truth about God is very limited.

Everyone has faith. Each of us has a worldview. Our worldview is what we think is really true about our world, ourselves and about God. That worldview is determined by our experiences, the culture in which we live, the evidence we see in theology, philosophy, and science. As our knowledge increases our world view may change.

We are very small human beings, on a tiny planet earth, on a small galaxy that is one of billions. From a scientific perspective we know almost nothing. From a spiritual perspective we know almost nothing. Almost everything we think we know is based on faith.

Atheists pretend the evidence does not exist.

Atheists pretend that the New Testament is not reliable. “How Badly Was the New Testament Corrupted?”, Dan Wallace at SDSU.

They pretend evidence of Israel in Egypt at the time of the Exodus does not exist.

They pretend evidence for reality beyond the material world does not exist.

They pretend scientists who disagree with them are liars.

They pretend evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus does not exist.

They claim that changes Christian’s experience are only psychological. They do not understand. We cannot understand until we have experienced it.

By blind faith atheists believe the blind watchmaker can create the universe and life and fill in the gaps.

When atheists begin looking for truth, they find God.

We know that atheists such as C. S. Lewis, Alistar McGrath, Jane Fonda, Lee Strobel, David Wood and Michael Guillen and many other atheists became Christian due to the evidence.

The historical evidence strongly suggests that Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus became Christian before their deaths.

Anthony Flew became a deist.

When we become Christian, the Holy Spirit speaks to us. Many people experience drastic changes in their lives and in their behaviors. As we develop a relationship with Jesus our personal experience provides more evidence.

Great archeological finds.

“For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Isaiah 55:12

In this world of unbelief, the mountains and hills are breaking forth into singing and giving us evidence. The boyhood home of Jesus has been found in Nazareth. The site of Sodom has been found. A great deal of evidence for Israel in Egypt dated from 1850 BC to 1450 BC has been found. More evidence demonstrating the reliability of the Bible as a historically accurate document is being found by archeologists every year.

The New Testament often refers to the Evidence.

Writers of the New Testament thought we can only believe if we have evidence. They often referred to the evidence.

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. ²The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. ³We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. ⁴We write this to make our^[a] joy complete. 1 John 1: 1-4.

Only by the evidence can we figure this out.

“There is evidence that God exists and that the Christian faith is true.” John Lennox

If we want to believe in Jesus and follow Jesus, we can see by the evidence that we can believe and follow Jesus.

If we do not want to believe and follow Jesus, we can easily come up with one more excuse explaining why we should not believe.

If we pretend evidence does not exist and do not include that evidence in forming our world view, how is it possible to have a faith or a world view that corresponds to reality?

There is evidence that Jesus rose from the dead. If we pretend that evidence does not exist, then we cannot even evaluate the validity of that evidence.

And why do atheists pretend the evidence does not exist?

German theologian Wolfhart Pannenberg suggested a reason to Ron Sider, ‘The evidence for Jesus’ resurrection is so strong that nobody would question it except for two things: first, it is a very unusual event; and second, if you believe it happened, you have to change the way you live.’”

If Jesus is not risen from the dead than our faith is useless.

⁸ “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim^: 9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. ¹¹ As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” Romans 10:6-11

Referenced in this post:

“Is Atheism Dead?” by Eric Metaxas.

“Believing is Seeing: A physicist Explains how Science Shattered his Atheism and Revealed the Necessity of Faith” by Michael Guillen, PhD.

“Against the Tide, Finding God in an Age of Science” John Lennox, Kevin Sorbo.

“The Universe Next Door, A Worldview Catalog” by James W. Sire.

“How Badly Was the New Testament Corrupted?”, Dan Wallace at SDSU.

Revised: 11/30/2022

Revised: 5/16/2023

Revised 56/24/2023

Why I am Not an Atheist, Part 2.

Atheism is Incompatible with Science.

By Jon Kauffman

Over the last 40 years several atheists have tried to convince me that I should be an atheist. Over the years I found several reasons that atheism does not make sense to me.

Several months ago, I read “Believing is Seeing, A Physicist Explains How Science Shattered His Atheism and Revealed the Necessity of Faith.” By Michael Guillen. Before he became a Christian, in his search for truth, Guillen compared science with atheism, Christianity and several other world views. Here is a chart he shared in his book to compare a few of his findings:

I can also think of other inconsistencies between science and atheism.

We can continue the line of questioning that Guillen used in his book.

Does the Universe have a beginning?

Science: Yes, Atheism: No, Christianity: Yes.

For science the universe starts with a big bang. For Christianity the universe starts with a creative act from God who is outside of time and space.

Since the discovery of the background radiation a majority of scientist have believed that the universe has a beginning. Before Einstein, a majority of scientists believed in an eternal universe.

Atheism is incompatible with a beginning to the universe because then there is insufficient time for life to be created by chance.

Albert Einstein fudged his numbers creating a “cosmological constant” to avoid a beginning. He later claimed it was his “biggest mistake.” Albert Einstein was not an atheist, however this demonstrates that all of us have great difficulty changing our world view even with the best of evidence.

Stephen Hawking tried to redefine “nothing” to mean “the law of gravity.”

“Because there is a law such as gravity, the universe can and will create itself from nothing,” he writes. “Spontaneous creation is the reason there is something rather than nothing, why the universe exists, why we exist.

“It is not necessary to invoke God to light the blue touch paper and set the universe going.” Stephen Hawking, The Grand Design, page 180

Laurance Kraus changed the meaning of “nothing” to mean the empty vacuum of space.

Kraus said, “Since something is physical, nothing must be physical”

When John Lennox asked Kraus what this statement meant, Kraus said, “I suggest to you that nothing is a colloquial term that means many different things to many people. If empty space is your definition…not only will something come from it, something is required to come from it. Science has just changed the definitions. I call it learning.” John Lennox/Kevin Sorbo, Against the Tide, Finding God in an Age of Science.

Miriam Webster dictionary defines Nothing:

Definition of nothing (Entry 3 of 4)

1a: something that does not exist

b: the absence of all magnitude or quantity.

c: NOTHINGNESS, NONEXISTENCE.

I think it was Laurance Kraus who changed the meaning of “nothing”, not science.

If we need to fudge the numbers, or the change the meaning of nothing to equal the law of gravity or if we need to change the meaning of nothing to be the empty vacuum of space, we have redefined nothing to be something other than what most scientists would define as nothing.

If an atheists must change the meaning of “nothing” to remain an atheist then science is incompatible with atheism.

If as science and Christianity suggest, the universe came from nothing physical, then the Hawking and Kraus quotes seem like gibberish to me.

Science currently cannot tell how the universe was created from nothing. Christianity says that the universe was created by a creator who is outside of time and space, is eternal, and has freedom of choice to create when he wants.

Near death experiences and deathbed experiences give us evidence that it is highly probable that something beyond the material world exists.

The historical evidence for the resurrection of Jesus suggests God is reaching out to man and Jesus is an exact representation of that God. A God who can create the universe out of nothing.

If atheists would like to convert me to atheism, they must convince me that nothing can become something.

I am not aware of any scientific evidence that support the theories that the law of gravity, or the empty quantum vacuum of space or multi-universes existed before the big bang.

Revised: 10/23/2022

Why I am Not an Atheist, Part 1

Atheists Fail to Defend Their Position

By Jon Kauffman

Atheism is Good for Christianity.

I think that the new atheists are a good thing for Christianity.

I have been trying to understand the atheist position for more than 40 years. I have asked questions of atheist friends on Facebook, commented on blogs and listened on Youtube. Sometimes I feel like we are talking past each other. Our world views and philosophy of science and life are quite different.

Discussing world view with atheists can expose weaknesses to my own arguments and perhaps help me dispose of illogical beliefs.

As I search for what is really true and examine the claims of atheists, I find my faith growing for several reasons. As I work through their arguments it becomes more obvious to me that the Christian world view has very good logical support. When we consider scientific evidence, philosophical evidence and theological evidence, I strongly believe it fits the evidence better than any other world view.

I have challenged several atheists to give me good reasons for why I should not be a Christian. To this point they have failed.

I think the debate between Christians and atheists is a very good thing. I want to know what is true. I am willing to consider arguments from everyone. I think this debate has helped many others strengthen their faith as well.

If atheists are making a case for their position, it gives others who do not believe a chance to be honest. I think it is wrong for those who believe to be forced to be taught an unwelcome atheist position. It is also a bad thing when an atheist is forced to pretend he is Christian when he is not.

Atheists Fail to Defend Their Position.

Atheists have failed to support their position in a way I find convincing.

I have asked numerous atheists about the resurrection of Jesus. A very common answer I receive is that no evidence exists for the resurrection. I know from my own research that very good evidence exists for the resurrection of Jesus. I have never received a good factually based argument from an atheist as to why I should not believe in the resurrection of Jesus.

I am looking for truth. Truth does not seem to be a high priority for many atheists. Jerry Coyne an atheist professor has used the illustration that if your grandmother is dying and is looking forward to seeing Jesus, we don’t need to hurt her feelings by telling her that she will not see Jesus. If I am dying, I want to know all the truth I can know. I want to know as much as possible about the afterlife. I do not want the doctor to tell me I am not dying if I am dying. Many parents of fatally ill children do not tell them they are dying. When I was a child if I had been dying, I would have wanted to know.

Some atheists avoid any information that does not conform to their world view. Many archeologists claim that the exodus occurred about 1250 BC. Then they say that because evidence does not exist in Egypt at 1250 BC then the Exodus did not occur. I don’t know why they claim the exodus happened in 1250 B.C. In my limited study of archeology I have found no good evidence for holding the view that the exodus occurred in 1250 B.C.

However, the Bible says that the exodus occurred about 1450 BC and we do find evidence for the exodus in Egypt at that time. I was discussing facts about the Exodus with an atheist, I brought up a piece of evidence. The atheist asked if that evidence came from a Christian. I said yes, he said he would not take the evidence seriously because it came from a Christian. Was this atheist serious about searching for truth?

I am willing to listen to truth even if it does not conform to my world view or if comes from someone that I disagree with in many other areas. Maybe I need to tweak my world view and I welcome a more truthful world view.

Atheism seems to require a materialist world view. I was discussing the scientific evidence for near death experiences and the evidence for a spiritual world with one atheist. She said they are all liars. Really? We also have scientific evidence from deathbed experiences to consider. Avoiding scientific evidence found by studying near death experiences and deathbed experiences seems to be another case of avoiding evidence that does not fit their world view.

We need a philosophy of science to determine how to incorporate science into our lives. We need a philosophical framework to hold a world view such as atheism or Christianity. I was trying to make that point with one atheist and she said she doesn’t need philosophy to know that God does not exist. Really?

Unfortunately, Stephen Hawking’s had many disparaging words about philosophy. It is unfortunate that such a brilliant scientist would have such a confused view about philosophy.

Science must be subservient to philosophy and philosophy must be subservient to theology. I plan to address this issue in a future post.

I have not heard convincing evidence from atheists that miracles do not occur.

Many atheists claim that science proves God is unnecessary. I have asked atheists for any proven scientific theories that bring Christianity into question. The response has always been silence. They seem to worship science but cannot use it to support their positions. Curious.

Far from disproving Christianity, I think the evidence that science provides strengthens the case for Christianity.

I wonder if some atheists are atheist because of the evidence or because they hate Christianity. I have read blogs where an atheist will search for mistakes made by Christians or search for Christians who do not live by the teaching of Jesus. They write blog post after blog post tearing down these Christians. This in no way demonstrates Christianity is false. It would be much like pointing out the evils of Stalin and the Communist Soviet Union and claiming all atheists are evil and that Stalin disproves atheism.

I have some atheist friends whose friendly company I greatly enjoy. Finding a few Christian bad apples doesn’t fly in disproving Christianity.

In future blog posts I plan to discuss many of the above issues more thoroughly.

Revised 8/16/2022

A Doctor And the Secret to dying well — steveknife

For almost 20 years, I’ve been working as a hospital doctor. While being a doctor isn’t nearly as glamorous as what you see on TV, it can still be intense. I care for people in the best and worst moments of their lives. Of all the different situations I’ve faced, the most memorable professional encounters […]
A Doctor And the Secret to dying well — steveknife

How to Survive the Coming Population Collapse

By Jon Kauffman

A population collapse is coming. With the collapse will come great poverty and damage to our environment. The elderly will have no one to care for them.

Because of the rapidly aging population, the United States is already having problems supporting social security. The program soon will not be available for anyone.

How do we survive?

The answer: we can survive by raising more children. It does not matter much if they are our own children, adopted children or foster children. When we are old, they will be there to help care for us. We can encourage our young people to grow large families.

Yes, sonsare a gift from the Lord; the fruit of the womb is a reward. ⁴Sons born during one’s youth are like arrows in a warrior’s hand.⁵How blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them. Psalms 127: 3-5 NET

The Coming Collapse

In 1979 as a junior in college, one of my classmates said, “Anyone who has more than one child is socially irresponsible.” I disagreed. For over a century, irresponsible governments and universities have been trying to reduce population, proposing such fear mongering ideas as mass starvation by the year 2000.

Problems that will be caused by the Population Collapse include war, economic collapse, shortage of workers, environmental damage and poverty.

Even now, many areas are unable to fill available job positions with qualified workers due to the shortage of workers. This problem will accelerate as the population collapses.

China, after decades of forced abortion and a 1 child policy is beginning to suffer some of early detrimental effects of the collapse. Suicide is very high among China’s elderly women. The Chinese culture requires a man to take care of his parents. His wife helps him. Families with only a daughter have no one to care for them in their older years. Millions of elderly widows in China have no income and no one to look out for them. These widows are starving, poor, sometimes homeless.

Population COLLAPSE is Coming – Elon Musk, Dr. Shanna Swan & Jordan Peterson

See a snip from the video below:

The Shocking Truth About the Global Depopulation Agenda By Joseph Mercola

One Billion Americans, The Case for Thinking Bigger, by Matthew Yglesias.

Yglesias, persuasively argues that we need more Americans. With more people come more ideas, more ambition, more creativity and a better life. With more people also comes the need for more resources. Yglesias addresses housing, food, transportation, protecting the environment, energy, education, welfare and climate change.

Great Optimism for the Future.

Amish women have an average of 5 children per woman. Catholic women often give birth to 12 or 15 children. In nearly all countries around the world, Christian women have more children than women of any other religion. A result of the population collapse, the world will become more Christian.

Robots are coming. Robots will make life easier. Even with a collapsing population, technology will continue to improve and make life easier. Perhaps easing some of the detrimental effects of population collapse.

With the bourgeoning population of poor, Christians will have ample opportunity to practice their faith.

In the parable about the separation of the sheep and the goats, Jesus says to those inheriting the Kingdom, For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me. Matthew 25: 35,36. NET’

Christians during the population collapse will have great opportunity to feed the hungry, cloth the naked, and give a glass of water to the thirsty.

Is Christianity Good for People?

By Jon Kauffman

Many atheists claim that Christianity is harmful to society. What does the scientific evidence reveal? Many scientific polls and studies have been performed demonstrating that without a doubt Christianity is very beneficial to people’s happiness, health and wealth. Stark assembles a few of these studies and polls to demonstrate the evidence for the benefits of Religion.

I recently finished reading “America’s Blessings: How Religion benefits Everyone, Including Atheists” by Rodney Stark.

Quote from the Introduction of “America’s Blessings:”

It is past time for a full accounting of the tangible human and social benefits of faith in American society and for the recognition that one of our nations’ primary advantages over many others lies in the greater strength of religion in American life. As will be seen, this accounting is surprisingly easy because mountains of little-reported research and reliable data exist on a wide range of important religious effects. For example, compared to less religious and irreligious Americans,

At all ages, religious people are much less likely to commit crimes.
Religious Americans are far more likely to contribute even to secular charities, to volunteer their time to socially beneficial programs, and to be active in civic affairs.
Religious Americans enjoy superior mental health-they are happier, less neurotic, and far less likely to commit suicide.
Religious Americans also enjoy superior physical health, having an average life expectancy more than seven years longer than that of the irreligious. A very substantial difference remains even after the effects of “clean living” are removed.
Religious people are more apt to marry and less likely to divorce, and they express higher degrees of satisfaction with their spouses. The also are more likely to have children.
Religious husbands are substantially less likely to abuse their wives or children.
Religious American couples enjoy their sex lives more and are far less likely to have extramarital affairs.
Religious students perform better on standardized achievement tests.
Religious Americans are far less likely to have dropped out of school, which is especially true for African Americans and Hispanics.
Religious Americans are more successful, obtaining better jobs and far less subject ot being on unemployment or welfare; this is true not only for whites but for African Americans.
Although often portrayed as ignorant philistines, religious Americans are more likely to consume and sustain “high culture.”
Religious people are far less likely to believe in occult and paranormal phenomena such as Bigfoot, UFOs, Atlantis, ghosts, haunted houses, and astrology.

Translated into comparisons with Western European nations, we enjoy far lower crime rates, much higher levels of charitable giving, better health, stronger marriages, and less suicide, to note only a few of our benefits from being an unusually religious nation. Quite aside from the social and personal benefits of religious effects, that add up to many hundreds of billions of dollars a year in financial benefits…

America’s Blessings is available on Amazon.

A few years ago, a debate between atheists and religious believers spilled out from the halls of academia and the pews of America’s churches and into the public spotlight. A crop of atheist manifestos led the charge, surmounting and holding the tops of the nonfiction bestseller lists. This offensive brought on an outpouring of religious rebuttals. As both sides exchanged spirited volleys, accusations were leveled; myths, stereotypes, and strawmen arguments were perpetuated; and bitter hostility filled the air. Today many of these misconceptions and myths linger on, along with the generally acrimonious spirit of the debate. In America’s Blessings, distinguished researcher Rodney Stark seeks to clear the air of this hostility and debunk many of the debate’s most widely perpetuated misconceptions by drawing from an expansive pool of sociological findings. Looking at the measurable effects of religious faith and practice on American society, Stark rises above the fray and focuses exclusively on facts. His findings may surprise many, atheists and believers alike. Starting with a historical overview, Stark traces America’s religious roots from the founding of the country up through the present day, showing that religiosity in America has never been consistent, static, or monolithic. Interestingly, he finds that religious practice is now more prevalent than ever in America, despite any claims to the contrary. From here, Stark devotes whole chapters to unpacking the latest research on how religion affects different facets of modern American life, including crime, family life, sexuality, mental and physical health, sophistication, charity, and overall prosperity. The cumulative effect is that when translated into comparisons with western European nations, the United States comes out on top again and again. Thanks in no small part to America’s rich religious culture, the nation has far lower crime rates, much higher levels of charitable giving, better health, stronger marriages, and less suicide, to note only a few of the benefits. In the final chapter, Stark assesses the financial impact of these religious realities. It turns out that belief benefits the American economy—and all 300 million citizens, believer and nonbeliever alike—by a conservative estimate of $2.6 trillion a year. Despite the atheist outcry against religion, the remarkable conclusion is clear: all Americans, from the most religious among us to our secular neighbors, really ought to count our blessings.

…AND THE RICH HE HAS SENT AWAY EMPTY…

53 He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty. Luke 1:53

Fat Beggars School of Prophets

(Disclaimer: The following post is an exercise in unamerican Bible study.)

I expect this post raises more question marks than periods. Not every conclusion here is firmly held by me, but the observations most definitely are.

We are all guilty of it.

We read the Bible, and our eyes breeze right by certain points which would challenge our biblical construct of reality. Some bits just don’t fit our sermons, and we conveniently don’t notice. Yet every now and then one or two of these bits stand up and demand attention, and they challenge our views calling for repentance.

One of the main passages that ever does that for me is Luke 1:53: Mary’s prayer, right near the start of the whole book, helps to frame everything that follows. This verse, especially the second portion of it, is so easily glossed over. Of course, it fits well with other summary observations…

View original post 1,604 more words

Does Palm Sunday Teach Pacifism?

By Jon Kauffman

¹²The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. ¹³They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting,

“Hosanna!”

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Blessed is the king of Israel!”

¹⁴Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written:

¹⁵“Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion;
see, your king is coming,
seated on a donkey’s colt.”^[f]

¹⁶At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him. John 12:1-16 NIV

Does the Palm Sunday story in John teach that Christians should not participate in the military of their country?

I believe it does.

When a King conquered an enemy through the Roman military or the Egyptian military or the Assyrian military he paraded through the streets on a white horse. Jesus’ riding on a donkey indicated that he was the King of peace.

What did the people who were laying coats and palm branches in front of Jesus think that Jesus would do? They thought Jesus would throw off the yoke of Roman government and free them to live under a Jewish King or Messiah.

Does Jesus use the government or the military to conquer for his Kingdom?

The people wanted a military leader but Jesus came as spiritual King.

Jesus made clear that his Kingdom superseded human government. Jesus does not need government intervention or help to conquer evil and install his Kingdom.

At the beginning of his earthly ministry, Jesus went to the desert to be tempted. Satan offered to give Jesus all the kingdoms of the world if Jesus would worship him.

⁸Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. ⁹“All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

¹⁰Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’” Matthew 4:8-10

Falling water and colorful rocks at Baring Creek.
*Copyright © 2022 by Leon Kauffman*

Paul said that the weapons we use are not the weapons of the world.

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. ⁴The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. ⁵We 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.

Paul tells what weapons the followers of Jesus use in Ephesians 6.

Even in Revelation 19 when Jesus conquers evil, he uses the sword of the word of his mouth and does not use physical weapons.

¹¹I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. ¹²His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. ¹³He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. ¹⁴The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. ¹⁵Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.”^[a] He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. ¹⁶On his robe and on his thigh, he has this name written:

king of kings and lord of lords.

Revelation 19:11-16 NIV

During the first three centuries of the church, three times Rome tried to wipe out the church similar to way Hitler tried to wipe out the Jews. Jesus said that nothing could stand against his church. The Christians of the first 3 centuries did not need government to support Christianity. Today we do not need government to support Christianity.

Jesus said: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14: 26,27 NIV

The war we are fighting is very dangerous.

When we serve Jesus we are fighting a real war, but that war is spiritual and more real than any physical battle.

The Armor of God, Ephesians 6:11-17

Jesus and the Roman Centurion, Matthew 8:5-13

Does Romans 13 Justify Christian Participation in Violence?

Some Violent Crimes are Legal

From World Radio: In 2005, the Terri Schiavo story riveted the world. New York Times bestselling author Lynn Vincent reinvestigates the case that changed the way we think about life, death, and what it means to be human.

The podcast was released on Thursday, 3/31/2022 on the 17th anniversary of Terri Schiavo’s death.

Podcast “Lawless: Not Every Violent Crime is Against the Law.“

Terri’s brother Bobby Schindler discusses the podcast:

PODCAST INVESTIGATING THE TERRI SCHIAVO CASE RELEASED ON 17TH ANNIVERSARY OF HER DEATH

Should Christians Fight in the Russia/Ukraine War?

By Jon Kauffman

⁹Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness. ¹⁰Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble. ¹¹But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them. 1 John 2:9-11

Percent of population claiming to be Christian:

Ukraine: A 2018 survey conducted by the Razumkov Centre found that 71.7% of the Ukrainian population declared themselves believers.

Russia: A 2020 poll conducted by the Levada Center found that 63% of Russians claimed to be Orthodox Christian.

United States: In a recent Religious landscape study, 70.6% Americans were found to be Christian. Only 3.6% claimed to be atheist. This is down from 4% in the 1940s.

Jesus said we are to love our brothers and sisters in Christ and be willing to die for them. Jesus said we are to love our enemies.

If 72% of Ukrainians are Christian and 63% of Russians are Christian is it possible for a Christian to join either military without killing and hating fellow Christians. Is Just War possible?

I do not understand the situation in Ukraine. I do not trust the propaganda from the US government or the US media or the Russian government. If what many are saying is true, then since 2008 NATO and the European Union have been expanding and encroaching on what Putin feels should be neutral territory between the West and Russia. Putin has been warning that this encroachment must stop.

The situation is similar to the Cuban crisis when the US demanded that the Soviet Union did not place missiles in Cuba.

Many commentators claim that the United States has been involved in supplying Ukraine with weapons and pushing the Ukrainians to continue fighting so that Russia becomes destabilized in order to make access to Russia natural resources easier.

Some say that the Military-Industrial-Congressional Complex want continual war in the area so that weapons makers can accumulate huge profits and the US can import cheap resources from Russia.

If the US is goading Ukraine to war to steal Russia’s resources, is it possible for a Christian to support the foreign policy position of the United States?

The Globalist’ Insidious Strategy for Russia and Ukraine

Jesus demonstrated love for enemy when he healed the Centurion’s servant. Jesus and the Roman Centurion

Does Just War Exist?

Greatest Heresy of All Time? Just War Doctrine?

What About Hitler?

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