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by Anonymous on April 22nd, 2005

Anonymous

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If the Bible says we should not kill, why are many Christians in the military and in a situation where they may have to kill others?

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  • by scymitar72 on July 31st, 2005

    scymitar72

    This is an EXAMPLE of one person's struggle with this very question.
    Many thousands of people must struggle with this question every day, I chose this example to shed some light on how one christian man came to terms with this dilemma in favor of fighting. This may not be the "right" answer for everyone, as we all have different paths to walk in God's will.

    Alvin Cullum York (1887-1964) tried to avoid the draft for WWI under the claim of being a "Conscientious Objector" (that's someone who claims war is against their religious beliefs and therefore cannot participate). At first he had trouble reconciling the commandment of Thou Shall Not Kill and going to war.

    He was allowed to go home and think about this dilemma. After serious soul searching, he decided to retract his objection. He attributed his decision to Matthew 22:21 "...Then sayeth he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things which are God's."

    He actually became a great hero, in fact, he became the most decorated American in WWI. He said he decided to fight so that he might SAVE LIVES.

    "York rose to the rank of Corporal and, during the final offensive in the Meuse-Argonne region, found himself facing the German machine gun nest with 35 machine guns at Chatel-Chehery. Armed with a Springfield rifle and a Colt .45 automatic pistol, he pushed out alone ahead of his depleted squad and began sniping at the Germans as they stuck their heads out of the nest to aim. He then killed six Germans who were sent to flush him out, then positioned himself at the end of the German trench and began shooting them as they stood in line in the trench, prompting their surrender. (Not mentioned in the citation is that a total of 25 Germans were killed before the remaining 132 gave up the fight.) The highest-decorated American of World War I, York returned home with, in addition to the Medal of Honor, a promotion to Sergeant, the French Croix de Guerre and a gift of 400 acres of good farmland from the grateful people of Tennessee."

    You can read more at:
    http://www.voicenet.com/%7Elpadilla/york.html

    "In 1941, on the eve of the United States' entry into the Second World War, York consented to having his diary adapted to film, personally selecting Gary Cooper to portray him as a condition for the filming. The film would be universally acclaimed as one of the best film biographies of all time, earning an Oscar for Best Actor for Cooper and an Oscar nomination for Best Picture. It was a straightforward adaptation of the diary with very little Hollywood embellishment; the only embellishment which York acknowledged was that the film showed his born-again Christianity as due to being struck by lightning on his way to a confrontation with a rival, whereas it was actually simply his meeting his future wife and falling in love."

    It's a great movie and I highly recommend it!

    Comments

    • Why did he decide it was OK? 'Serious soul searching' is a pretty vague statement.

      Anonymous

      by Anonymous on September 10th, 2005

    • Well researched. Good answer, in my very humble opinion.

      Jodie44

      by Jodie44 on September 10th, 2005

    • Sgt York was a great man. Good example

      wfbrad

      by wfbrad on November 26th, 2005

    • What is good in the eyes of man is not always good in the eyes of God.

      vew573

      by vew573 on October 13th, 2009

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