All Christians must believe that drinking any alcohol is a sin because the Bible says so! All Christians must believe that the Earth was created in a literal six-day period because the Bible says so! All Christians must believe that shouldn’t get tattoos because the Bible says so! The problem is that many Christians do believe the opposite of these statements, but how? The reason for this is all on interpretation. There are many issues that Christians are split on because they are interpreting what God commands differently. This is no more evident on the issues of war, terrorism, homosexuality, and abortion.
War has plagued the Earth since the beginning of time. With war’s longevity, it is easy to see how there are different political opinions …show more content…
Pacifism is the belief that all violence is unjustifiable, and that there is a peaceful solution to every situation. Left-of-center Christians find reason for this belief in the Bible. For example, the Sermon on the Mount. Christ states, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth. But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also” (Matthew 5:38-39). They would say that Jesus is telling us that violence is never the answer even if someone has wronged you. Another Biblical reason for pacifism comes later in the Sermon of the Mount when Christ states, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:43-44). Pacifist would take this to mean that we shouldn’t act against our enemies, but should show so much love, that it overflows our enemies.
The right-of-center Christian has a very different view about war. These Christians believe in something called the Just War Theory. According to the article “Justice and Morality in Foreign Policy,” the Just War Theory was a set of criteria created by St. Augustine to determine whether a war was just or not. From the same article, the criteria for a just war …show more content…
This “War on Terror” caused the gap between left and right to grow. Many people on the left side of the political spectrum see terrorist in a different light than those on the right. Many people on the left believe that terrorist groups in the Middle East are fighting against a foreign threat that invaded their land. One possible reason for why they believe this is because of the underdog effect. The underdog effect states that people will view a team, organization, or nation more favorably just based on the power of the opposition. This means that many left-leaning Americans view the United States as the villain because of how powerful it is compared to Middle East nations. Another possible reason for their views on terrorism could come from how they view the human intent. They are more likely to believe that people are naturally good, and are turned evil by the circumstances around them, so instead of invading their countries and killing them, we should find ways to help them. People on the right side of the political spectrum have opposing views to those on the left. These people believe that most terrorist attacks being carried out are by Islamic terrorists. They would also believe that the morality of a person is defined by how they were born, but by their choices in life.
War has plagued the Earth since the beginning of time. With war’s longevity, it is easy to see how there are different political opinions …show more content…
Pacifism is the belief that all violence is unjustifiable, and that there is a peaceful solution to every situation. Left-of-center Christians find reason for this belief in the Bible. For example, the Sermon on the Mount. Christ states, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth. But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also” (Matthew 5:38-39). They would say that Jesus is telling us that violence is never the answer even if someone has wronged you. Another Biblical reason for pacifism comes later in the Sermon of the Mount when Christ states, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:43-44). Pacifist would take this to mean that we shouldn’t act against our enemies, but should show so much love, that it overflows our enemies.
The right-of-center Christian has a very different view about war. These Christians believe in something called the Just War Theory. According to the article “Justice and Morality in Foreign Policy,” the Just War Theory was a set of criteria created by St. Augustine to determine whether a war was just or not. From the same article, the criteria for a just war …show more content…
This “War on Terror” caused the gap between left and right to grow. Many people on the left side of the political spectrum see terrorist in a different light than those on the right. Many people on the left believe that terrorist groups in the Middle East are fighting against a foreign threat that invaded their land. One possible reason for why they believe this is because of the underdog effect. The underdog effect states that people will view a team, organization, or nation more favorably just based on the power of the opposition. This means that many left-leaning Americans view the United States as the villain because of how powerful it is compared to Middle East nations. Another possible reason for their views on terrorism could come from how they view the human intent. They are more likely to believe that people are naturally good, and are turned evil by the circumstances around them, so instead of invading their countries and killing them, we should find ways to help them. People on the right side of the political spectrum have opposing views to those on the left. These people believe that most terrorist attacks being carried out are by Islamic terrorists. They would also believe that the morality of a person is defined by how they were born, but by their choices in life.