BIBLE
DIGEST - Number 61 August
1996
PACIFISM - EATING THE PROFITS OF WAR
By Allon Maxwell
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A recent
newspaper statistic claimed that there are currently more than 40 wars in
progress around the world. In those wars it is not only soldiers who die.
Civilians die too. Women and innocent children die or suffer as much or more
than the professional warmakers. They suffer terribly, and die terribly, as
you read this. Other wars are
now "finished", but the destruction continues! It has been
claimed that the "residue" from some of those "finished"
wars includes more than 100 million live landmines still in place. Those
landmines continue to claim innocent civilian victims (including many
children). In our Western world we are regularly confronted by graphic
television documentaries which portray the suffering of those who have been
maimed by those legacies of wars which although concluded, refuse to go away. The
responsibility for those wartime and "peacetime" deaths and
maimings, lies not only with the governments who were involved. It must be
shared equally by the governments of countries who although not at war
themselves, permit their arms manufactures to sell the weapons directly or
indirectly, to the warmakers. It must be
shared equally by the managers of the "defence" industries of the
Western world who are willing to take a profit from all that death and
suffering and destruction. It must be
shared equally by those employees who are willing take their bread and butter
from working in those industries. It must also be
shared by those shareholders who provide the money which finances the arms
manufacturers ....... who divide the "spoils" of war amongst
themselves! And just for
good measure let us include in that assembly, those Christian Churches who
not only tolerate members who are involved in those "fringe" war
activities, but also encourage them to put their tithes and offerings, earned
from the suffering of the victims of war, in the collection plate! Of course it is
entirely possible that there are many sincere Christians who have not thought
through the implications of their sometimes remote involvement in the
wickedness of the wars of our world, (and the equally wicked aftermath). For these we
ask the following questions: *
Do you work in a defence industry? *
Do you work for an Arms
Manufacturer? *
Do you hold shares in a company
which manufactures Weapons of War? *
Or do you hold shares in a company
which although not itself a direct Arms Manufacturer, supplies the raw
materials, or re-invests some of YOUR money in ownership of companies in the
Defence Industry? (In today's
complicated and incestuously interlinked business world you can be made the
unwitting partner in many things which Jesus definitely would not approve.
The responsibility is yours to know EXACTLY what is being done with YOUR
money!) Think about
it!! ...... Pray about it! ...... And if you love Jesus ...... If you love
your neighbour as yourself ...... then as far as humanly possible, ...... and
as God opens your eyes when you pray for wisdom ...... consider whether you
should abdicate from all involvement which contributes your actions, or your
money, or your approval, towards the suffering of your neighbour in other
lands! And while you
are thinking about your response to this challenge, perhaps it would also be
good to prepare your personal "Judgement Day Speech" in advance
...... about how YOUR war involvement, direct or indirect, fits with those
uncomfortable words of Jesus: "I tell you the truth, whatever you did
for one of the LEAST of these brothers of mine, you did for me."
(Matthew 25:40 NIV) |