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Praising Peace, Yet Glorifying WarAwake!—1985 | December 22
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Praising Peace, Yet Glorifying War
What Are the Consequences?
IT WAS December 1914. In Europe, World War I was raging. Troops faced one another in the trenches, with a no-man’s-land between them. But, then, on Christmas Day, December 25, something remarkable occurred.
The book The War in the Trenches shows a photograph of the opposing combatants in friendly association, with the caption: “British and German troops fraternize, Christmas, 1914.” The writer, Alan Lloyd, notes that the troops “actually met in No Man’s Land to exchange souvenirs.
“‘It was like the interval between rounds in a boxing match,’ reported a participant. . . . ‘Everyone was talking, laughing and souvenir hunting.’”
Why this recess from fighting? Because these British and German soldiers had been taught that Christ, the Prince of Peace, had been born on December 25. And had not angels sung at his birth, “Upon earth peace among men of goodwill”? (Luke 2:14) Surely, then, it made no sense for professed followers of Christ to kill one another at such a time!
Yet, peace at Christmas was not favored by all. “As a second Christmas settled on the Western Front,” Lloyd explained, there was “a further outbreak of fraternization in No Man’s Land, despite the orders against such behaviour. At least two officers who took part were court-martialled.”
The Position of the Churches
How did the churches feel about their members going off to war against fellow believers in other lands? Well, at Christmastime clergymen parroted the message of peace that the angels delivered at Christ’s birth, and they praised Jesus as the Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6) Yet, they did not object when their members killed persons of the very same religion in the opposing trenches, whether it was on Christmas or any other day of the year!
Church historian Roland H. Bainton reports on the situation when the United States entered World War I: “American churchmen of all faiths were never so united with each other and with the mind of the country. This was a holy war. Jesus was dressed in khaki and portrayed sighting down a gun barrel. The Germans were Huns. To kill them was to purge the earth of monsters.”—Christian Attitudes Toward War and Peace, pages 209, 210.
Yes, the churches paid lip service to peace. But at the same time pulpits became recruiting stations for the nation’s war effort. British Brigadier General Frank P. Crozier said of the situation during World War I: “The Christian Churches are the finest blood-lust creators which we have, and of them we made free use.”
That the position of the churches was indeed hypocritical was acknowledged by the late Protestant clergyman Harry Emerson Fosdick. He admitted: “Our Western history has been one war after another. We have bred men for war, trained men for war; we have glorified war; we have made warriors our heroes and even in our churches we have put the battle flags . . . With one corner of our mouth we have praised the Prince of Peace and with the other we have glorified war.”
The situation did not change during World War II. Please read the New York Times article reproduced on this page that appeared during the first month of that war. It reinforces what Friedrich Heer, a Roman Catholic professor of history at Vienna University, later acknowledged in his book God’s First Love:
“In the cold facts of German history, the Cross and the swastika came ever closer together, until the swastika proclaimed the message of victory from the towers of German cathedrals, swastika flags appeared round altars and Catholic and Protestant theologians, pastors, churchmen and statesmen welcomed the alliance with Hitler.”—Page 247.
The Consequences
One consequence of the churches’ wholehearted support of their nation’s wars is that Christianity is viewed by millions in non-Christian lands as a warmongering religion, and they want nothing to do with it. That there is substance to their view is evident not only in the churches’ support of past wars but even in their present attitudes toward war. The Christian Century reports:
“A 20-year survey of attitudes toward war reveals that Christians in the U.S., Canada and West Germany tend to look upon war more favorably than do non-Christians. . . . According to the study, within the Christian community of these countries those who regard themselves as strict followers of the Christian faith are more inclined to an attitude approving war than are those of a more liberal attitude.”—December 31, 1980, page 1289.
How do you suppose the position of the churches on the matter of war has even affected many within so-called Christian nations? Reo M. Christenson, a professor of political science, discussed this in The Christian Century. “That Christians on the one hand espouse the faith of the gentle Savior while on the other they warmly support religious or nationalistic wars,” he wrote, “has gone far toward damaging the faith and promoting the kind of cynicism about religion that has been pervasive among thinking people for centuries.”—May 25, 1983.
Such cynicism about religion at times is expressed in a piercingly effective way. For example, last year when a Marine would not go to Lebanon because he was a Muslim and would not kill another Muslim, columnist Mike Royko made some telling remarks. He wrote that the Marine “was trying to goof up the ancient rules and traditions of warfare,” since Christians have never “been squeamish about waging wars on other Christians.” He added: “If they had been, most of the liveliest wars in Europe would never have occurred.”
Pointing to facts of history, Royko continued: “Germany is loaded with Christians of all denominations. But every so often it feels the need to shoot its way into France, Poland and other Christian nations. France, in its Napoleonic heyday, didn’t hesitate to stomp all over other European Christians.
“If anything, faith sometimes helped get their blood pressure pumped up, although it’s doubtful that Christ intended his message to be used that way. . . . If everybody thought the way that Marine corporal does, World Wars I and II, which set the all-time records for Christians killing Christians, could never have occurred. . . .
“Actually,” Royko added mockingly, “there are benefits to waging war on people of the same faith. For one thing, if you’re taken prisoner and die, you have a good chance of receiving a Christian burial, which is always nicer than being tossed out with the leftovers. And on religious holidays, the prison guards might be warmed by the spirit of the day and give you one less kick.”
There is no question about the sarcasm of this commentary. But can you deny its truth? And do you not agree that the churches deserve such ridicule for their hypocritical pretense of representing the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ?
‘But we cannot live by Christ’s teachings in this modern world,’ the clergy may protest. Yet, considering such objection, Professor Christenson wrote in the earlier-mentioned article: “I do not believe it is amiss to apply what we know about Jesus’ teachings and example to war—especially to modern war.
“Can anyone seriously conceive of Jesus hurling hand grenades at his enemies, using a machine gun, manipulating a flamethrower, dropping nuclear bombs or launching an ICBM which would kill or cripple thousands of mothers and children? The question is so absurd that it scarcely merits an answer. If Jesus could not do this and be true to his character, then how can we do it and be true to him?”
When you honestly face up to such questions, you can see why the religion editor of The Toronto Star wrote on a recent Christmas Eve: “It is a mockery of Christmas not to see that the present, totally insane nuclear build-up by the United States and the Soviet Union is a blasphemy against Christ and humanity of the most heinous kind.”
At the same time, the problems facing this world are admittedly complex. Does this mean that true peace on earth will never be realized? Is fulfillment of the angelic announcement about ‘peace on earth’ really only a dream? Or is there a sure basis for believing that people of all races and nationalities can live together in peace, without ever again experiencing the horrors of war?
[Box on page 5]
THE NEW YORK TIMES
Monday, September 25, 1939.
German Soldiers Rallied by Churches
Protestant and Catholic Exhort to Reich Victory and Just Peace
Wireless to The New York Times
FRANKFORT-ON-THE-MAIN, Germany, Sept. 24—Periodicals of the German Protestant and Catholic Churches are now publishing many exhortive articles explaining the duties of soldiers fighting in the defense of their country and admonishing the German soldiers to fight in the spirit of Saint Michael for a German victory and a just peace.
The archangel is shown, brandishing a battlesword and piercing a dragon with a holy lance, on the front page of Catholic papers.
In the western and southern German Catholic dioceses, the clergy headed by the Archbishop and Bishops, are actively engaged in work for the welfare of refugees evacuated from the western frontier districts. Many cloisters have been transformed into hospitals and the monks and nuns are working under the direction of the Red Cross.
The Catholic Bishops of Germany have issued a pastoral letter stating:
“In this decisive hour we admonish our Catholic soldiers to do their duty in obedience to the Fuehrer and be ready to sacrifice their whole individuality.
“We appeal to the faithful to join in ardent prayers that the Divine Providence of God Almighty may lead this war to blessed success and peace for our fatherland and nations.”
Each Bishop in addition has issued a special message to his own diocese, including the Bishop of Rottenburg in Wuerttemberg, who was expelled from his diocese last year for refusing to vote in a national Socialist election.
Cardinal Archbishop Bertram, head of the German Episcopal Congregation, has similarily issued a patriotic message to his flock urging that all “be strong in your heart, all you who confide in God Almighty.”
[Picture on page 4]
Clergymen praise the Prince of Peace, yet bless war
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El Comercio, Quito, Ecuador
[Pictures on page 6]
“If Jesus could not do this and be true to his character, then how can we do it and be true to him?”
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U.S. Army photo
[Picture Credit Line on page 3]
From U.S. Army photos
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Peace on Earth—Only a Dream?Awake!—1985 | December 22
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Peace on Earth—Only a Dream?
AFTER surviving the horrors of World War II, people everywhere yearned for peace. “We have had our last chance,” General Douglas MacArthur declared. “If we do not now devise some greater and more equitable system Armageddon will be at our door.”
That same year the Charter for the United Nations was signed. “We the peoples of the United Nations,” the preamble of the Charter affirms, are “determined to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war . . . and to unite our strength to maintain international peace and security.”
The United Nations was thereafter hailed by political and religious leaders alike. In 1961 United States President John F. Kennedy called it “our last best hope in an age where the instruments of war have far outpaced the instruments of peace.” (Italics ours.) And in 1965 Pope Paul VI said: “The peoples of the earth turn to the United Nations as the last hope of concord and peace.”
Yet, there has been no peace! Rather, tens of millions have since died in conflicts around the world, and disillusionment in the UN has grown. Despite the UN’s recent declaration of 1986 as an International Year of Peace, people everywhere doubt that true peace can ever be realized.
Another Hope
But what of the angelic pronouncement at Christ’s birth about ‘peace on earth’? (Luke 2:14) “The kind of peace about which the angels sang,” wrote religion editor Tom Harpur, “was not a merely personal, ‘safe-in-the-arms-of-Jesus’ sort of inner calm. . . . It means the peace which comes when justice prevails, fear is put to rout, and war is no longer even thinkable.”
From a human standpoint, such true peace may not seem possible. Yet, regarding the One at whose birth the angels sang, the Bible promises: “In his days the righteous one will sprout, and the abundance of peace until the moon is no more. And he will have subjects from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.”—Psalm 72:7, 8.
Yes, what is foretold here is an earth-wide rule by God’s Son, Jesus Christ. It is promised to occur in fulfillment of the angel’s assurance to Mary regarding her child Jesus, “And he will rule as king . . . and there will be no end of his kingdom”!—Luke 1:32, 33.
‘But how can this be,’ you may ask, ‘when Christians do not hesitate to go to war and kill one another? What basis do we have for believing that such true peace is really possible?’
“Christians” Who Are Not Christians
First, it is vital to clarify what Christianity is and what it is not. Jesus himself said that a person is not a Christian simply because he says he is. In fact, he warned: “Be on the watch for the false prophets that come to you in sheep’s covering.” Jesus also said: “Many will say to me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not . . . perform many powerful works in your name?’ And yet then I will confess to them: I never knew you! Get away from me, you workers of lawlessness.”—Matthew 7:15, 21-23.
Jesus provided this rule: “By their fruits you will recognize them.” (Matthew 7:16) This is really such a simple rule, or truth. Steve Whysall, staff writer for The Vancouver Sun, pointed this out, explaining: “Often you will hear people talk about how this or that was done in the name of Christianity and what an awful thing it was to do. Well, yes, it was awful. . . . But who ever said they were Christians who did those awful things?
“Oh, you say, the established churches say so. Well, who ever said the established churches are Christian?
“So the pope blessed Mussolini, and there is evidence of other popes who have done dastardly deeds in the past. So who said they were Christians?
“You think because a man is the pope he must be a Christian? Just because a person says ‘I am a Christian’ does not mean he is one—just as a man who claims to be a mechanic may not be a mechanic. . . .
“It’s amazing how many people think the fighting in Northern Ireland is some kind of holy war. That’s a lie.
“No Christian can war against another Christian—it would be like a man fighting himself. True Christians are brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ. . . . They would never, never intentionally hurt one another.”
The Bible puts the matter very plainly, saying: “The children of God and the children of the Devil are evident by this fact: Everyone who does not carry on righteousness does not originate with God, neither does he who does not love his brother. For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should have love for one another; not like Cain, who originated with the wicked one and slaughtered his brother.”—1 John 3:10-12.
Clearly, the churches provide no basis for believing that they can bring earth-wide peace. What does their record show? It shows that their members were the principal combatants in the world’s two greatest wars; they slaughtered not only one another but innocent women and children as well.
Well, then, is there any basis for hope that lasting peace can be realized?
Making War Impossible
Jesus explained how his true followers could be recognized. They would be “peaceable,” he said. (Matthew 5:9) He also gave this means of identification: “By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love among yourselves.” In addition, Jesus said of his disciples: “They are no part of the world, just as I am no part of the world.”—John 13:35; 17:16.
In view of these teachings, do you believe that Christ’s early followers participated in the wars of the nations? Discussing this matter, Professor Reo M. Christenson wrote in The Christian Century: “The earliest Christians did not serve in the armed forces. Roland Bainton notes that ‘from the end of the New Testament period to the decade A.D. 170-180 there is no evidence whatever of Christians in the army’ . . . Only gradually did Christians abandon their opposition to military service.”
Thus, there was no such thing as a Christian going to war against a fellow Christian. No matter what a worldly ruler ordered, Christ’s followers would not become children of the Devil by slaughtering their spiritual brothers. They obeyed God as ruler rather than men! (Acts 5:29) So if the whole earth was inhabited only by true Christians, war would be impossible!
Happily, the Bible foretells that such a situation will actually occur. It says: “They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.” (Isaiah 2:4, King James Version) These words have been inscribed on a stone wall just across the street from the United Nations’ main building in New York City, but it is obvious that UN members have not fulfilled them. Yet, early Christians did!
The prominent church historian C. J. Cadoux explained: “The early Christians took Jesus at his word . . . They closely identified their religion with peace; they strongly condemned war for the bloodshed which it involved; they appropriated to themselves the Old Testament prophecy which foretold the transformation of the weapons of war into the implements of agriculture.”—Isaiah 2:4.
So peace on earth is not an unattainable dream. Since adherence to Christ’s teachings made war impossible among his early followers, basis was provided for believing that peace earth wide would eventually be achieved. Is there a similar basis today for believing that peace on earth is possible?
Basis for Hope Today
Well, the Encyclopedia Canadiana observes: “The work of Jehovah’s Witnesses is the revival and re-establishment of the primitive Christianity practised by Jesus and his disciples during the first and second centuries of our era. . . . All are brothers.”
Is this really true? When the nations became involved in World War II, did Jehovah’s Witnesses obey Christ’s teachings to “love one another” and to remain “peaceable”?—John 13:34; Matthew 5:9.
Yes, they did. The book The Nazi Persecution of the Churches 1933-45, by J. S. Conway, explains: “Basing their case on biblical commandment, [Jehovah’s Witnesses] refused to take up arms.” Contrasting their adherence to Christ’s instructions with the actions of others, the Roman Catholic St. Anthony Messenger observed: “Jehovah’s Witnesses stand outside the ‘establishment’ and accept no responsibility to bless whatever the secular government decides to do. Thousands of good people find such aloofness from political and economic interests closer to the spirit of the New Testament than the present sometimes cozy arrangements between Church and state.”
Jehovah’s Witnesses everywhere place their hope for peace, not in the United Nations or in any other human peace effort, but in the reign of the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ. What if everyone did that? Yes, imagine what would happen if everyone heeded Christ’s teachings to “love one another” and to remain “peaceable”!
True Peace on Earth—Soon!
‘Peace on earth’ are words often heard at Christmas, accompanied by the visual image of a babe in a manger. But is this a true picture of Christ’s position? Not at all! Christ is now more than a baby prince—he has been given rulership and authority in fulfillment of the ancient Bible prophecy: “The princely rule will come to be upon his shoulder. And his name will be called . . . Prince of Peace.”—Isaiah 9:6.
As God’s appointed Ruler of all the earth, Christ will bring peace to earth. But this will not occur in the way that many may expect. Please open your Bible to Revelation chapter 19 and read Re 19 verses 11 to 16. It is vital that we get the picture of Christ’s position here described—as a mighty ruler at the head of God’s angelic forces. Notice that the scripture says that Christ, who is “The Word of God,” will ‘strike the nations and shepherd them with a rod of iron,’ removing them to make way for God’s government of peace.
This, then, is how peace on earth will be realized. It will not come by means of the United Nations or any other human peace agency. But it will be realized by means of God’s Kingdom government. We are now living at the time when this Bible prophecy will be fulfilled: “In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be brought to ruin. And the kingdom itself . . . will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, and it itself will stand to times indefinite.”—Daniel 2:44.
In view of the foretold divine destruction of all these present governments, as well as the religions that support them, it is vital that we examine our own situation. If you agree that war does not make sense and that you would like to live on earth when peace is universal, contact Jehovah’s Witnesses. They will be pleased to help you to learn more about how peace on earth will soon be realized under the rule of God’s Kingdom.
Come, you people, behold the activities of Jehovah, how he has set astonishing events on the earth. He is making wars to cease to the extremity of the earth. The bow he breaks apart and does cut the spear in pieces; the wagons he burns in the fire.—Psalm 46:8, 9.
[Blurb on page 8]
“We should have love for one another; not like Cain, who . . . slaughtered his brother”
[Box on page 9]
From a Killer to a Man of Peace
A traveling overseer of Jehovah’s Witnesses in the southern United States was making house-to-house visitations along with an older German Witness. At one door a woman who identified herself as a member of one of Christendom’s churches said she wanted nothing to do with Jehovah’s Witnesses because they did not fight for their country. She had lost a son during World War II and felt that the Witnesses should also have helped in the war effort.
As they were leaving, the older German Witness asked if he could tell the woman something. ‘You know, I fought in that war,’ he said. ‘But I didn’t fight on the side of the United States. I fought on the side of Germany. And I was personally decorated by Adolf Hitler for single-handedly killing 35 American soldiers. Many of these were with my own hands, in hand-to-hand combat. Perhaps one of those men was your son. I don’t know. But you should have prayed for me to be one of Jehovah’s Witnesses back then because when I did that I was a member of your religion.’
That gave the woman an entirely different perspective. Really, how can persons be true Christians and kill fellow believers simply because they are of a different race or nationality?
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Who is fulfilling the Bible prophecy inscribed on this wall of the United Nation’s plaza?
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