Societal Breakdown

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With the recent unrest in the Middle East, I have often wondered how our Christian faith would play out given the gravest circumstances in our own society. For instance, if there was a complete monetary collapse and a disruption of the food supply for an extended period of time, would hunger and thirst compel us to steal? Or perhaps if you were prepared for such an event, would you be willing to use deadly force to defend yourself and your family from mobs and invaders? I live in the suburbs of a large city and often imagine desperate gangs of hungry looters and criminals going door to door in search of material goods. How many of my fellow citizens could I shoot (knowing their panic and desperation) in defense of my home and property? How would God see me in this situation? Would I be justified morally? I can’t just let them have everything, can I? (And hope they don’t decide to kill me or my wife and kids in the process) What would Jesus do faced with this horrible situation?

Anyway, just wondering.

Jed
 
This is a difficult question to be sure…
I don’t think any of us could say how we would react…

As to what would Jesus do?..He’d move if at all possible, taking as little with him as possible and relying on the kindness of others and the providence of His Father to provide for Him. The NT has several references in Acts where Paul was under threat and he left the area so obviously “retreating”, or “getting out of harms way”, is a perfectly legitimate option.
Can we do this? Maybe - maybe not…Jesus and Paul were single men and itinerant by nature and mission. Many of us have family obligations.

As to your point about how prepared one is or is not…
Those who “saw it coming” and stocked up will likely have already thought of this question and taken steps (physically and mentally) to prepare for the eventuality of attack and the use of force.
Those who did not see it coming and prepare…Could very likely find themselves among the desperate mobs looking for food for themselves and their children…

In all - what we need to do is place our faith in God and in Christ so that should we be put to the test, we can respond in Love and with courage so that we project Him to all. If this results in our deaths, we will be amply rewarded in heaven.

Pray God we and our families are spared sudh a test.

Peace
James
 
For years I have told my family, “When the crunch comes, head for the Church.”

There I expect to find like minded people who are more likely to work together to provide what can be be provided on an equal basis. But, out of fear, even that may not go as well as I would hope but I still think it would go better than if we tried to survive on our own. If at least one priest is still with us, we would have the Sacraments as well which is THE MOST IMPORTANT part.

I would also try to cooperate with my neighbors. Trying to heat 5 homes may be harder than having 5 families in one home to stay warm. Each of us has skills the others do not have yet need, so cooperating and sharing is much better than going it alone in time of great need.

While we do not really know how we would react, I do believe that we should tell ourselves NOW how we would prefer to act if tested in that way. Plans may not work out, but pre-planning is so much better than no plan at all.

I would prefer to tell myself that if tested, I must find the courage to LOVE as best I can, to control my fears as best I can, and to keep HOPE that in time things will get to a new normal we can deal with.

God does not promise us an easy life, but rather eternal salvation if we choose to remain faithful to Him in all circumstances and to LOVE others as best we can.

I hope I remember all this if we are to be tested.
 
GratefulFred said:
For years I have told my family, “When the crunch comes, head for the Church.”

There I expect to find like minded people who are more likely to work together to provide what can be be provided on an equal basis. But, out of fear, even that may not go as well as I would hope but I still think it would go better than if we tried to survive on our own. If at least one priest is still with us, we would have the Sacraments as well which is THE MOST IMPORTANT part.

I would also try to cooperate with my neighbors. Trying to heat 5 homes may be harder than having 5 families in one home to stay warm. Each of us has skills the others do not have yet need, so cooperating and sharing is much better than going it alone in time of great need.

While we do not really know how we would react, I do believe that we should tell ourselves NOW how we would prefer to act if tested in that way. Plans may not work out, but pre-planning is so much better than no plan at all.

I would prefer to tell myself that if tested, I must find the courage to LOVE as best I can, to control my fears as best I can, and to keep HOPE that in time things will get to a new normal we can deal with.

God does not promise us an easy life, but rather eternal salvation if we choose to remain faithful to Him in all circumstances and to LOVE others as best we can.

I hope I remember all this if we are to be tested.
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The strife in Egypt is tense, reverberating to the other Islamic states around which are likewise not that stable. And to Israel. And to the rest of the world, with the potential choke of the Suez Canal. I shudder with the possibilities. How fragile the Western way of life is with its dependence on oil …

I’m with you, Fred, on what you have brought up, most of all about what God promised us. If what we fear should happen, it would be the final test of our survival methods, not only to meet our material needs but also our spiritual needs. Each family would have to be prepared to part with all except necessities.And each person would have to be prepared for an individual reckoning as to where his soul would rest (or not rest) for eternity.

The current global instability can not be blamed on God as it stems from man’s choices and actions. Too many have forgotten or set aside for so long the Creator of all things.

Praying for His Divine Mercy.
,
 
During the Cold War, we were constantly reminded that nuclear destruction was only 20 minutes away. Detroit, where I lived, was number 5 on the target list. We were closer to God in the West during that time period. The Wall Street created monetary crisis was a far greater threat than current instability in the Middle East, especially in Egypt. Unike Saudi Arabia, Egypt’s contribution to the world’s oil supplies is small, but, it appears, any excuse to raise oil prices occurrs.

The people in the United States have and are rejecting a Leftist/Socialist approach to management by the current President. Good men and women are out there.

Peace,
Ed
 
Trust in God, Jesus and The Holy Spirit.

The next heartbeat is promised to no one – calamity or no calamity. Trust in Him and do His will.

I would probably head for the Sanctuary to be closer to Jesus and like-minded people (as indicated above) but be assured that unlike-minded people will probably target The Church – thus putting one’s self in harm’s way. As He wills. Be charitable and pray.

The reason for being on Earth is not to be of Earth but to join with Him in Heaven. If that means being hungry, robbed, killed – Praise the Lord.

Evil world events are a distraction, noise from The Liar to confuse the unwary. Radiate the Truth of The Catholic Church and if The Deceived are unmoved, move on – there may be others that are ready to accept Truth.
 
You know, as a single person, I believe I would have done whatever was neccessary to avoid confrontation and violence at all cost. I would try to hide, or run away whenever possible. That is what I feel my Christian faith would require of me in that situation. I would try to do the best I could to live by a higher moral standard. If I go hungry, thirsty, without shelter then so be it. I would trust God no matter what.

On the other hand, now that I have a wife and three children (two are toddlers) would it be my moral resonsiblity to defend my family with whatever means are neccessary if we were stuck and couldn’t run or hide. (Even if whatever food and water we had left was threatened, would I be morally obligated to defend that as well?)

Unlike Egypt, there is a firearm for every man, woman and child in the United States. It wouldn’t be a simple as rock throwing given a worst case senario type breakdown.

Can moral responsibility change given different situations?

Jed
 
The answer is found in several places. First of all, read what happened to Israel in the time of the Babylonian conquest. Read what happened during the Seleucid conquest. The short answer is that panic led to everyman for himself, widespread destruction, followed by renewal.

Often, however, God raises up champions for his people. Examples are King David, Moses, the Maccabees.

The same thing happened at the end of the Roman empire. Christians were pushed to their last refuges, and from there, held their ground against the pagans. When the pagans overplayed their strength, the Christians struck back and killed them. Sometimes, as in King Alfred the Great’s reign, the pagans adopted Christianity in order to make peace. How interesting that the descendents of the pagan Vikings were some of the staunchest Catholic holdouts during the English reformation.
 
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