Al, How does a "follower" rationalize pre-emptive violence and social inequality?
"Pre-emptive violence" might be justified if it is necessary to stop a known criminal from hurting anyone else. According to Jesus, "thou shalt not kill" also includes being angry with someone else, but it's not clear whether the commandment includes killing in self-defense or the defense of others. Being a student of martial arts, I asked a pastor about this, and he said that it's up to each and every single person to decide this, and only after a lot of prayer.
As for social inequality, well, the Bible has always made it clear that there will always be social inequality, especially when certain verses gives different commands to "masters" and "slaves." Ultimately, it's up to God to decide who gets to be rich and who gets to be poor, and who wins the lottery of life and who gets dealt a bad hand. That doesn't make social inequality OK, IMO, nor does it mean the poor are "predestined" to stay poor and likewise for the rich. But it does assign proper roles and responsibilities for each and every servant of God in all walks of life, from the POTUS to a guy in jail.
Ultimately, it's all about having faith in God for just about everything in life. Is "pre-emptive violence" really the only way, or is it a choice borne out of a lack of faith in God's judgement?
Tenchusatsu |
