[Mrs. Don-o]

Years ago, an Anabaptist theologian named John Howard Yoder wrote a book called "Nevertheless: The Varieties and Shortcomings of Religious Pacifism" (BTW available, used, for under $10 from Amazon.com) where he distinguished I think 14 kinds of Christian pacifism.

I only mentioned this to say that pacifists do not all believe or act identically; neither should they be painted with the same brush. Some will cooperate with their nation's military in an unarmed capacity (e.g. as battlefield medics; but some are members of religious denominations who are convinced that they are forbidden by Christ to take ANY part in war (Amish, for instance.)

I would argue that those who use force justly (important adverb alert: justly) to stop aggressors and protect life and liberty --- that would be good soldiers and good police --- are doing necessary and morally upright work. They should be able to count on everybody's cooperation in some capacity. That doesn't mean everybody has to tote a gun, but that does mean that everybody should support them through cooperation, taxes, prayers, etc. because this is our obligation in order to defend the common good.

Comments?

[don-o]

Like many moral issues, "devil is in the details."

Good points.