Peace and Justice, no just war

Today is the 70th Anniversary of Pearl Harbor.  I was not alive at that time.  Our territorial United States was attacked.  The horror of that day is not just about history it is about people.  We declared war.  In many ways that war was a justifiable response to an act of willful and deliberate violence against the United States.  We were clearly justified.  Does that make World War II a "just war"?

In my life time, planes did not drop bombs on a military harbor, they became bombs, missiled into buildings with innocent people inside.  Our response of violence and war in Iraq and Afghanistan are justifiable and our response justified but doe that make it a "just war".

I do not believe there is ever a "just war" as humanity and all humanities perceptions are based on human perspectives and both are essentially self-preserving, self-promoting, and self-vindicating.

Justice is welcoming all perspectives and perceptions without prejudice and acting with calmness and compassion toward all regardless of anything.  If everyone one would embrace this concept of calmness and compassion there would be peace on earth and there would be justice for all.  There would be no war not because there was a war to end all wars but because all accepted a way to end the fear of being conquered and the desire to conquer.

For me that is the "Jesus Way".  War is humanities way.  Witnessing peace and love toward all is divinities way.

Acceptable or Accepted

I sat there listening to a preacher teach us all that we are "acceptable to God" and that is why God has called us to be pastors and teachers.

Inside it did not site well.  I had two parts that predominated the uneasy feeling and others that joined in a weaker refrain.  One part said this is an ego inflating way of seeing this calling. We are not called because we are acceptable to God nor is it that we are made acceptable to God.  The calling is to "be the person who God called you to be".  The idea of a "special calling on a select few rubs me the wrong way.  It seems elitist.  So it feels like a rub of friction and frustration not a soothing rub.  God calls us all to be "conformed to the image of the son of God" we are all called to serve and to bear one another's burdens.

My second part said we are not acceptable or unacceptable to God.  Our parts that choose to do certain behaviors those behaviors may be unacceptable or acceptable according to sociological mores or internal affirmations.  In a balanced internal system all parts are accepted in a universal welcoming but their behavior may be acceptable or unacceptable. It is that we are accepted and accepting of all parts in ourself and all parts in others.  It is not about approving or disapproving of the behavioral choices of the part.

Paul Tillich said, "Accept the fact that you are accepted" communicates to the internal parts the grace of God to accept you as you are and to offer you the grace.  The grace of God gives you power to be able to choose that which is the "acceptable and perfect" will of God.

When we accept the fact that we are accepted by god regardless of anything we experience peace and love in the primordial sense of perfect love and peace.  They are the only qualities which are coupled with perfect.  When all parts are accepted and they trust that acceptance they settle, and experience the calm and compassion that are the essential qualiteis of God and the Image of God in us that we call, Self.

Isaiah tells us 26:3, that we are kept in "perfect peace" when we stay focused on the God who accepts us as we are.  John tells us in I john 4:8 "perfect love casts out all fears" for fears have to do with punishment and the one who is accepted by God no longer fears punishment.  Acceptance is transformational.  Acceptableness is judgmental.

Just peace just justice

Yesterday I spent some time with a wise, well read, and well written friend who asked me to dialogue with him about Just War and Holy War.  The context if I understood it right was a dialogue among scholars in both the Christian and Muslim Traditions.  The Christian advocates were defining the idea of a Just War.  I wondered to myself is this deifying war.  The Muslim advocates were defining the idea of a Holy War. I wondered to myself who defines holy.  At the time my only response was to present the idea that no war is holy and no war is just.  

When we define justice in our terms and in our perspective and in our side we are in fact I think engaging in an injustice.  Is there such a thing as a just war?

After over 24 hours of thought, my idea on this matter would be to answer no with two quick qualifiers.  I have a part that truly understands that when someone is a menace to society's code of conduct or more particular the "dignity of humanity and human rights" it is a just act to protect the menaced or bullied person or group of people.  I quickly add, while that makes the intervention whether arms or restraint or arms of violence, justifiable that does not make it a defense for a "just war theory".  Justification is not justice.  Justice is when all people's right to dignity and to determine their own destiny are equally respected and any behavior or belief that threatens the rights of any one person in favor of the rights of another is not right.

Similarly, there is no holy war except in the eyes of the one who declares it holy or declares that they have a "holy directive".  The nature of holiness is to be free of "one sided ways of seeing the world" and seeing the world with open eyes to all prejudices and perspectives.  To claim a holy purpose that is self-serving is not a holy war but a war using God.  God's holy purpose is to transform people from over and against thinking that promotes self justifying and self deifying purposes that are counterproductive and violent in nature into an alongside of (parakalein) orientation that sees.  God invites the world to watch as he receives the anger, hostility, and war of humanity against divinity and transforms that war into a war that is won by surrender, sacrifice and serenity. 

Whoever is willing to lose his life, will truly be set free to live his life, this is the principle of God.

To argue for a "just war" or a "holy war" is to argue against the message of peace and love.  War may have at times a justifiable or holy purpose but to declare war holy or just is counterproductive to "loving your enemies" so that hey will be free of their need to do violence and live in peace and love toward all.

Violence may sometimes have a justifiable or holy intention but to endorse violence as a way of being is counterproductive to living at peace and with love toward your neighbor.

The crucifixion intentionally receives the violence of humanity with the intention of transforming that way of living into the way of love and peace.

There is no such thing as a holy war or just war.  There is such a thing as holy surrender and just sacrifice.  There is such a thing as a holy or just intervention on behalf of the oppressed, afflicted, and abused.

The Mission of Parakalein

The mission of Parakalein is to present and represent the God of love and peace in kindness and mindfulness and to “call” (kalein) all tribes (Religious Groups), all nations (Ethnic Groups), and all people (racial groups) into an “alongside of” (para) posture and position toward each other.  This promotes the experience of the global community of all faiths as “one” because they are one in love and peace toward all. (2011)

The Vission of Parakalein

The vision of parakalein is to see God as not against any person and group or for any particular person or group, God is “alongside of all” in internal serenity, with a willingness to sacrifice and surrender, to lead humanity into the steadfast love that is who God is”.

God is along side of “creation” and calls all of humanity to come alongside of each other welcoming all parts of

humanity into a  community “alongside of” one another with appreciation and respectfulness toward all resulting in “liberty and justice” for all. (2011)

Jerusalem, a City of Peace

I was talking to Nitsan about a possible trip to Israel where she lives and where "love beyond words" (www.beyondwords.org is bringing peace to troubled land.  I commented to her that I had no desire to "walk where Jesus walked"as I get that that is what some people seems to want or need to do which draws them to travel to Israel.  I recalled how my brother, Phil and his wife Debby did that as God put that on their heart.  I totally get that for some but it is not my thing.  I then, perhaps a defensive part of me or Self not sure, said to her:  "I would rather walk in the footsteps of the way Jesus Walked, I do not need to walk in the footsteps where Jesus walked."  She said I really like that can I use it change it?  I said it i snot mine as I spoke it to her I had never thought of it in that way before.  She shifted it a bit and it became.

"I would rather walk in the way Jesus walked than to walk where Jesus walked"  We both agreed that we both liked it.

I then told her that several years ago I had a vision about running the Israel Marathon and crossing the finish line holding the hands of other communities of faith in celebration that the parts of religion create conflict but the heart of religion, is the harmonizing SELF and Spirit of all faiths.  Nitsan is Jewish.  She looked at me and said:  "That would be a picture of the way of Jesus.  We can work on that happening!"

"That they might be one"

Living in Love and Peace is the Jesus Way

The War for Peace

I saw a bumper sticker the other day that said "End War" and another that said "Endless War".  I mused that that is the opposite of "Endless Peace".

Everyone says they are for peace but the peace that they are for is outer peace over their enemy, perceived to be real.  Believing the enemy of peace it outside of me in another persons aggression fuels the flame of war, perpetuates abuse, violence and oppression.

Jesus could not, did not, and would not end war for profit or for outer peace.  The advent of the peace talks that Jesus began were about everyone surrendering their desire to win and fear of losing to the highest good of humanity:  to live in love and peace.  At his birth and through out his life the angles message was, "Glorify God in the highest, and on earth there will be inner peace and good will acts of loving kindness automatically happening toward all by all.

The religious machinery and the political malcontents coupled together to kill him because the message of inner peace served neither of them and threatened both.  The threat was  to shift the focus from religion and military attempt to promote their agendas for peace that only served the sea of turbulence and violence that perpetuate abuse, oppression and resentment.  Jesus message was not about religion or against politics but for "inner peace focus" that perpetuates deference, respectfulness, liberty, and justice for all by all.  Their is an internal resiliency to and for peace when the propensity of fear of loss and of desire to win are set aside and surrendered to the natural flow of inner peace.

"Glory ot God in the Highest and on earth peace good will toward all humanity.