Peace

[Ted]

JAB

Jesus tried to tell us that 2100 years ago and so far no one has listened. He referred to it as the Kingdom of God. Good grief the Chinese tried to tell us 6500 years ago.

It is a kingdom where God, justice and compassion are the norm. Here I am not referring to the Christian God but the One Absolute Reality. It is an egalitarian kingdom where everyone's normal needs are met. It is a kingdom where there is no poverty. It is a kingdom of humility and striving for the best for all of mankind.

Is it possible? Sure it is. We need to start with ourselves and we need to end poverty and violence. We need as individuals and nations to look to the plank in our own eye and reach out to others without judgment. We need to end or destroy greed.

If there is anything we learn from history it is that we learn nothing from history. We keep repeating the same mistakes over and over and over etc.

Shalom
Ted

With humans being the fallible creatures that they are, is it sustainable?

[Ted]

JAB

Why not? It is the way we are commanded to go. If the world is a much better and safer place to live fewer peace officers will be needed. They will be able to deal with the few who do not behave appropriately.

Can we any longer afford not to?

Shalom
Ted

Much like there is no such thing as full employment, I don't think there is such a thing as complete peace.

[Omni_Skittles]

Originally Posted by Ted

Omni

That is what I am saying. All of the world's great faiths began on two tenets; justice and compassion. It would take a lot of work and could not be done overnight.

All we have to do is look at the world today. There is not nearly enough justice and compassion. In my own country it is sadly lacking. We have folks living in poverty. We have thousands of children that go to school hungry every day. We have a serious drug problem especially in the downtown east side of Vancouver. We have the mentally ill living on the streets. What do we do about it? We attack the symptoms and not the causes.

How so? People without a decent chance at life either because of poor upbringing or upbringing in poverty cannot get a decent job that makes it worth their while so perhaps they turn to sitting around on a street corner. Then they get into drugs which costs money. To get that money they turn to illegal acts. These illegal acts cause all kinds of problems for society so we hire more police who either move them along or arrest them.

Where do they move along to? They are arrested to what end; jail for a few days? They are out on the streets again. Their cycle starts all over. If they have children the cycle carries on and on and on.

Of course there are some bad folks. Some are out to make money for drugs? Some are members or organized crime.

If we had a just and compassionate society most of that would end. Those who still choose to behave unacceptably could be easily dealt with.

Consider Al Quaeda. Why and how did they come into existence. I could hazard a guess. Why was Iraq invaded. Sadam? Who put Sadam in power? Why did they put him in power? Perhaps they thought it would be easier and more certain to gain access to the oil? Muslim law says attack but only if attacked first? I think you get the picture.

Who put the Taliban in power or Maros, or Noriega? Why were they put into power? The self serving interests of an imperial nation?

China has also pronounced that they will get the resources they need even if they have to resort to military might. Another imperial power?

Castro defeated a very corrupt dictator on the right. He has been hated by the US ever since. Then we had the Bay of Pigs fiasco. I guess dictators are OK as long as they are on the right and not the left. So much for the claims of democracy. It is pure BS.

Chevez of Venezuela has threatened to cut of its oil shipments to the US. Does that mean another invasion is immanent?

If we start by looking at the causes and dealing with them we will have started on the road to peace. This begins in the hearts of individuals and should then spread wider as the parable of the mustard seed tells us.

Shalom
Ted

Can the answer really be that easy? I'm assuming to sum this all up you're saying to deal with the causes. I understand that this can be done individually... but how do you suppose a government can if it has so many different agendas? I think peace can only be obtained through God.

So long as the heart of man is wicked, there will be no peace, the best we can hope for between now and Christs return is to act on pure motives to meet the needs of the innocent, and punish or correct the guilty.

Since the heart of man is bascily greedy and man has demonstrated that he cannot be peaceful, then there will be no complete and lasting peace.

It is therefore necessary to enforce common laws and go to war as necessary to protect the level of peace in a nation who has common law.

The only true peace on this earth is given by God through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.

That peace is not a freedom from war or persecution its a peace that says no matter what I am content in Him.

There will never be peace on this earth until after God destroys it and re-establishes his Kingdom on it.

[Omni_Skittles]

Originally Posted by Omni_Skittles

Can the answer really be that easy? I'm assuming to sum this all up you're saying to deal with the causes. I understand that this can be done individually... but how do you suppose a government can if it has so many different agendas? I think peace can only be obtained through God.

and yet for some reason through our perception and the use of God do we have wars... and no peace.

[Omni_Skittles]

Originally Posted by Jester

So long as the heart of man is wicked, there will be no peace, the best we can hope for between now and Christs return is to act on pure motives to meet the needs of the innocent, and punish or correct the guilty.

Since the heart of man is basically greedy and man has demonstrated that he cannot be peaceful, then there will be no complete and lasting peace.

It is therefore necessary to enforce common laws and go to war as necessary to protect the level of peace in a nation who has common law.

The only true peace on this earth is given by God through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.

That peace is not a freedom from war or persecution its a peace that says no matter what I am content in Him.

There will never be peace on this earth until after God destroys it and re-establishes his Kingdom on it.

Isn't there a different way to approach this?

You're right though because we are born with sin naturally peace and all perfection no longer will exist til Christ does return.

[Ted]

Omni

It will be difficult but it can be done. Can we afford not to?

Shalom
Ted

[Omni_Skittles]

Originally Posted by Ted

Omni

It will be difficult but it can be done. Can we afford not to?

Shalom
Ted

Everything looks so easy written out! It's just too bad it wouldn't work! Like communism! it works... on paper... but get imperfect humans to act it out and something always goes wrong!