temporal1 wrote: ↑Thu Jan 05, 2023 5:05 pm
Referring to mike’s post about putin’s attempt at a ceasefire, there was NO reference to Christianity
I think there was. The Kremlin's website says this:
Given that a large number of citizens practicing Orthodoxy resides in the areas of hostilities, we call on the Ukrainian side to announce a cease-fire and give them an opportunity to attend services on Christmas Eve and the day of Christ’s birth.
So it's not surprising that the Ukranian Defense minister responded as he did: https://twitter
temporal1 wrote: ↑Thu Jan 05, 2023 5:05 pm
MD-MN used to be a place where prayers were respected.
I think we would all agree to pray for peace in Ukraine. I don't like prayer being used as a cover for excusing Putin's unilateral military invasion. MN used to be a place where unprovoked invasions that result in the mass destruction of civilian lives was considered a bad thing, and the countries that do so were considered immoral aggressors.
1) my response was exclusvely to mike’s post / no reference to Christianity in that post.
2) i can’t describe how low it comes across to accuse any member here of requesting prayers “as cover” for something evil.
i’ll try not to be overly offended.
3) i’ll repeat.
on this forum, there used to be discussions of “a third way” response to evil, i.e., response of returning mercy to aggression, etc., rather than the natural human response of fire for fire. i used Westboro Church as an example (from MD days).
these unusual, radical Christian responses intrigued me. i wanted to learn more. i don’t see it in this thread.
Josh wrote: ↑Thu Jan 05, 2023 4:10 pm
Eastern Orthodoxy has been identified for a very long time as rejecting Catholic calendar reforms. Whatever you want to call this split off is no longer part of “Eastern Orthodoxy”, much as Mennonites are no longer Roman Catholics, even though we split from them and still maintain a lot of their traditions.
temporal1 wrote: ↑Thu Jan 05, 2023 5:45 pm
3) i’ll repeat.
on this forum, there used to be discussions of “a third way” response to evil, i.e., response of returning mercy to aggression, etc., rather than the natural human response of fire for fire. i used Westboro Church as an example (from MD days).
these unusual, radical Christian responses intrigued me. i wanted to learn more. i don’t see it in this thread.
I agree, that's what we should be doing. But to respond to evil as Christians, we need to know that's what we are doing, that it is evil. Without making excuses for evildoers. Without promoting the talking points that evildoers provide to excuse their own actions.
I think a Christian response involves welcoming refugees, providing food and blankets, caring for victims. And refugees includes both Ukranian refugees and the hundreds of thousands of Russians who have fled their country because they do not support this war.
I think a Christian response also involves praying for the victims of war.
What else? How should we, as Christians in the KIngdom of God, respond to this war?
Josh wrote: ↑Thu Jan 05, 2023 5:17 pm
… in other words, aligning themselves with the West (just like they did on WWII when they aligned with the Axis powers against Soviet Russia).
Would you feel that way about World War II? Was it wrong for nations to align themselves with the Allies? Should we have been more charitable in our views of Hitler?
Ukraine allied with Hitler in WWII and fought back against Soviet Russia. Do you think that was right or wrong?
temporal1 wrote: ↑Thu Jan 05, 2023 5:45 pm
3) i’ll repeat.
on this forum, there used to be discussions of “a third way” response to evil, i.e., response of returning mercy to aggression, etc., rather than the natural human response of fire for fire. i used Westboro Church as an example (from MD days).
these unusual, radical Christian responses intrigued me. i wanted to learn more. i don’t see it in this thread.
I agree, that's what we should be doing. But to respond to evil as Christians, we need to know that's what we are doing, that it is evil. Without making excuses for evildoers. Without promoting the talking points that evildoers provide to excuse their own actions.
I think a Christian response involves welcoming refugees, providing food and blankets, caring for victims. And refugees includes both Ukranian refugees and the hundreds of thousands of Russians who have fled their country because they do not support this war.
I think a Christian response also involves praying for the victims of war.
when i pray for resolution, i’m not going as far as Jesus wants. i’m not even praying for peace, altho i would love it!
i dream of the end of military violence. Jesus asks for more. this leaves me ashamed.
i’m sad not to see a word of this in this thread.
Jesus never confused loving enemies with promoting evil. (politicians do that.)
Last edited by temporal1 on Thu Jan 05, 2023 6:21 pm, edited 3 times in total.
Bootstrap wrote: ↑Thu Jan 05, 2023 5:21 pm
I think we would all agree to pray for peace in Ukraine. I don't like prayer being used as a cover for excusing Putin's unilateral military invasion. MN used to be a place where unprovoked invasions that result in the mass destruction of civilian lives was considered a bad thing, and the countries that do so were considered immoral aggressors.
This conflict started after Christmas 2021, so this is the first Christmas season in this conflict.
Ukraine and Russia both have been observing Christmas in January for over 1,000 years.
Is there any reason to consider a ceasefire for a day and a half on Christmas a bad thing?
Bootstrap wrote: ↑Thu Jan 05, 2023 5:21 pm
I think we would all agree to pray for peace in Ukraine. I don't like prayer being used as a cover for excusing Putin's unilateral military invasion. MN used to be a place where unprovoked invasions that result in the mass destruction of civilian lives was considered a bad thing, and the countries that do so were considered immoral aggressors.
This conflict started after Christmas 2021, so this is the first Christmas season in this conflict.
Ukraine and Russia both have been observing Christmas in January for over 1,000 years.
Is there any reason to consider a ceasefire for a day and a half on Christmas a bad thing?
It is a cynical thing if Russia is just going to use the time to reload and then start firing missiles at schools and hospitals and other civilian targets on the day after Christmas.
0 x
A fool can throw out more questions than a wise man can answer. -RZehr
temporal1 wrote: ↑Thu Jan 05, 2023 5:45 pm
these unusual, radical Christian responses intrigued me. i wanted to learn more. i don’t see it in this thread.
I agree, that's what we should be doing. But to respond to evil as Christians, we need to know that's what we are doing, that it is evil. Without making excuses for evildoers. Without promoting the talking points that evildoers provide to excuse their own actions.
I think a Christian response involves welcoming refugees, providing food and blankets, caring for victims. And refugees includes both Ukranian refugees and the hundreds of thousands of Russians who have fled their country because they do not support this war.
I think a Christian response also involves praying for the victims of war.
What else? How should we, as Christians in the KIngdom of God, respond to this war?