Tag Archives: war

Do not envy the violent

The book of Proverbs cautions against envying the violent. But we live in a society that glorifies violence, that sees it as entertaining even. It is hard not to follow in their ways. It is easy to sit in judgment on cultures like that of the Romans, saying that they were barbaric in their gladiatorContinueContinue reading “Do not envy the violent”

Valley of the Shadow of Death

Valley of the Shadow of Death is a photograph by Roger Fenton, taken on April 23, 1855, during the Crimean War. It is one of the most well-known images of war. Fenton observed, “in coming to a ravine called the valley of death, the sight passed all imagination: round shot and shell lay like aContinueContinue reading “Valley of the Shadow of Death”

Why war fails as a solution for terrorism

Howard Zinn on terrorism: “If a bomb is deliberately dropped on a house or a vehicle on the grounds that a ‘suspected terrorist’ is inside . . . , the resulting deaths of women and children may not be intentional. But neither are they accidental. The proper description is “inevitable.” So if an action willContinueContinue reading “Why war fails as a solution for terrorism”

Thinking Critically About Military Service

I would like to draw your attention to a series of articles by Logan Mehl-Laituri, aimed at helping the Christian movement thinking more critically about faith and service in the days surrounding Veterans Day. Veterans Day is an official United States holiday (coinciding with Remembrance Day) that honours people who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces. LoganContinueContinue reading “Thinking Critically About Military Service”

The Four Drones of the Apocalypse

This is a personal creation called “The Four Drones of the Apocalypse”. Based on Revelation 6 it symbolises the terrors of war, famine and death; terrors which inevitably follow in the wake of conquerors bent on conquest (the first drone of the apocalypse). The lamb unveils the truth behind the fog of propaganda that conquerorsContinueContinue reading “The Four Drones of the Apocalypse”

Limits to war in the Old Testament

“When you march up to attack a city, make its people an offer of peace … This is how you are to treat all the cities that are at a distance from you and do not belong to the nations nearby. However, in the cities of the nations the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, doContinueContinue reading “Limits to war in the Old Testament”

The Co-Existence of Violence and Non-Violence in Hinduism

I have a huge amount of respect for Ghandi, and I imagine many of you reading this have too. But as I have come to understand Hinduism in more depth I have become increasingly aware that Ghandi was not, and is not, universally representative of Hindu ethics. There is an ethical spectrum in Hinduism that is notContinueContinue reading “The Co-Existence of Violence and Non-Violence in Hinduism”