Pacifist Amish calling police to kill/capture gunman they forgave?

[kellie]

Hello kellie,

In Kosovo the Serbs decided to genocide, rape, torture and drive the Albanians out of their homes and their country. NATO forces responded with force, stoped the attrocities and protected the Albanians.

Are the attrocities committed by the Serbs what you, Christianity and/or the Amish, define as a “dispute”?

If the Amish pacifists were the ones being aniholated by the Serbs, would they have not called up NATO and informed them that their was a military colum of tanks, howitzers and armed troop carriers headed to their town to rape, torture and genocide them? What is the difference between one mass murderer in Pensilvania that the Amish Christian pacifist would kill to protect the innocent Amish and a whole bunch of mass murderers (the Serbs) in Kosovo, killing tens of thousands of people who are not the Amish? What makes one mass murder in rural America something bad that the Amish Christian pacifsits would use/allow violence to protect themselves, but a bunch of mass murderers killing tens of thousands of people on the other side of the world, only a “dispute” that the Amish would believe it to be evil to use force to protect?

This word “dispute” seems to be a big word. How do Christians and Amish really know that one attrocity is really an attrocity needing them to use violence as the answer and another attrocity is only a “dispute” where it would be evil for the Christians and Amish to use violence as the answer? I am with the Amish in their desire to use violence (police) to protect themselves. I cannot understand why the Amish are not with America in wanting the same kind of protection for the Albanians in Kosovo.

What do you think?

Ummmm, I really think my post was misunderstood Steven.

If a bunch of people were heading my way, to rape, torture and annihilate myself and my family, I would definitely call the police and hope the military would get involved too.

However, if a neighbour popped his head over the fence and started abusing me verbally because my dog had dug up his roses again, I would try and fix the dispute through discussion, and a new dog lead, and maybe offer to buy some new seedlings.

I wouldn’t march over to the neighbours house and start abusing him back, and ending up in a physical fight with him.

That isnt the way a pacifist settles a dispute.

 

[Katie1723]

I could be wrong, but I think “Steven” has an agenda here. Either that or he’s in the soapbox building business.
Kathy

 

[Steven_Merten]

Ummmm, I really think my post was misunderstood Steven.

If a bunch of people were heading my way, to rape, torture and annihilate myself and my family, I would definitely call the police and hope the military would get involved too.

However, if a neighbour popped his head over the fence and started abusing me verbally because my dog had dug up his roses again, I would try and fix the dispute through discussion, and a new dog lead, and maybe offer to buy some new seedlings.

I wouldn’t march over to the neighbours house and start abusing him back, and ending up in a physical fight with him.

That isnt the way a pacifist settles a dispute.

Hello Kellie,

I remember seeing some Iraqies protesting US troops in Iraq. US troops just stood there and took the hateful abusive things the Iraqie protesters were yelling. US troops did not retaliate in anyway. US troops would be glad to help an Iraqie plant some new flowers. Would the Amish consider US troops in Iraq pacifists?

What do you think?

 

[Steven_Merten]

I could be wrong, but I think “Steven” has an agenda here. Either that or he’s in the soapbox building business.
Kathy

Hello Kathy,

I remember seeing Pope John Paul II state, “Violence is never the answer”. Pope John Paul II had Swiss Guard snipers on the roof and armed Swiss Guards surronding him, ready and fully prepared to answer with violence to any physical threat to the Pope or Vatican City, when the Pope said this.

Can you see how confusing certian wording, like Pope John Paul II’s wording or the Amish wording “pacifist”, can be to young Christian pacifists, faithful to Jesus Christ, who are seeking to understand Jesus’ will on when to join the police, Swiss Guards or military to pick up a gun and kill someone for the protection of the innocent? Please visit Thank you veterans, troops and police officers.

Is it not good for Christians to discuss and thouroly define just what people mean by the terms “pacifist” “dispute” “Christian” “forgive” “peace” “violence is never the answer”?

 

[St_John]

Steven,
I agree, you seem to have some sort of agenda that no one has deciphered. Your distastful use of the Amish to make your point in favor of the war in Iraq is a farfetched analogy that no one here seems to get. Why not graciously give it up?

 

[Steven_Merten]

Steven,
I agree, you seem to have some sort of agenda that no one has deciphered. Your distastful use of the Amish to make your point in favor of the war in Iraq is a farfetched analogy that no one here seems to get. Why not graciously give it up?

Hello John,

It is discussing and understanding how Christian pacifists see killing to protect the innocent that I am interested in.

People call the police to protect themselves from murderers all the time. The only way that the Amish would find it distastful to discuss, study and possibly duplicate their Christian pacifist actions in our own secular world actions (war and police), is if the Amish actually did consider themselves hipocrites for calling the police.

Most in the poll and on this thread do not see the Christian pacifist Amish as hipocrites for utilizing violence for protection. I do not see the Amish as evil for calling the police (violence) to protect their children from being murdered. On the contrary, I believe that it would have been evil for the Amish not to call the police (violence) to protect their children from being murdered.

Do you not find it interesting, even enlightening, to discuss how the Christian pacifist Amish understand Jesus words to “offer no resistance to injury”, and still call the police (violence) to protect themselves? I do not think that the Christian Pacifist Amish disobeyed Jesus in calling the police (violence) to protect themselves. Do they? Do you?

NAB MAT 5:39
But what I say to you is: offer no resistance to injury. When a person strikes you on the right cheek, turn and offer him the other.

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[Steven_Merten]

I just want to say thanks to all the participants in this thread through their posts and polling. How pacifism and forgiveness is understood by the Christian world is of great importance as I see it.

Thank you.