It is also about the souls of these men and my original posts were geared towards those who would judge their potential eternal welfare based on these coersed statements. I simply will not do so.
Yes, ultimately Peter died...but all of us will die as well I do not believe Peter's eternal welfare is in question...at least not in my mind. His denial of Christ...which Christ knew he would do...led him to become a great champion for His Savior and the Church.
Now, I agree that the terorrists will be emboldened and attempt more. It is their desire to "convert" the world to Islam in such a manner...which means basically enbslave all to their ideology on pain of death. We must fight that to the death.
I have followed this story for the past two weeks, totally convinced these guys would be tortured and perhaps killed. We have all seen the barbarism that the followers of this perverted religion are capable of. I've imagined myself in their places and wondered how I would feel. I have NO doubt that I would have been terrified beyond belief.
It is so easy to sit in the comfort of my chair, by my computer, the television muted off to my side, a lovely cup of coffee within reach, and be judgmental about the manner these two very real human beings have handled a horrifying ordeal.
But I just cannot condemn these men for making this so called "conversion" video, as completely repugnant as the idea is to me. With guns pointed at them they probably felt their only other option was death. The desire to stay alive, our love of this life and of our family and friends, is powerful.
Strange, I am totally secure in my belief in God, and I recognize the Lord Jesus Christ as my soul's savior, Who bore the penalty I so totally deserve and have earned. This issue is settled forever with me. But would I really have done differently than these two men?
I want to believe, with every fiber that is in me, that I would not have denied Him just to save my skin for a bit longer. After all we all die once. And yet....in many ways I am such a physical coward....I wonder.... Its so easy, when faced with danger, to forget the eternal and cling in every way possible to the temporal.
In the end, God, who knows all our hearts, will have the final say on Steve and Olaf. I can't condemn them.
Sorry for the ramble, I've been mulling this over all morning. Had to post my thoughts.
pattyjo
That's not what I meant, and I think you know it. I responded to your expressed standard of rationality. That's not what this is about. This is about faith, not rationality. What is rational to us is within such a subset of interests and consequences so narrow that we cannot know or understand the full implications of what we do. That's but one reason we have to trust Adonai and do what He says to do, whether we like it or not. In that sense, we would be irrational to behave rationally.
His denial of Christ...which Christ knew he would do...led him to become a great champion for His Savior and the Church.
Knew he would do or ordered them to do? That account in Matthew can be read both ways. For example, it would be entirely consistent that Peter (Kefa) would have wept bitterly when the cock crew because he so regretted having to go through with it as ordered, because he knew what portended and couldn't die with Him. They all had to know that Y'shua was committed to fulfulling the prophets through his death:
That wasn't the first time He'd explained His intentions. They knew He had plans for them after He was gone. He'd explained it too, more than once. After seeing Him conquer death in others, do you think it rational that they doubted Him?
We must fight that to the death.
Death by martyrdom can be the ultimate statement of commitment or an act of complete futility compared to fighting. It's hard to say which course is ultimately more effective in any individual instance, so I leave it to prayer to deal with that when or if the time comes.
"Now, I agree that the terorrists will be emboldened and attempt more. It is their desire to "convert" the world to Islam in such a manner...which means basically enbslave all to their ideology on pain of death. We must fight that to the death."
People should read how Hitler used terror via the SS and Gestapo to turn otherwise 'normal' people into barbarians or at the very least to turn a blind eye to their neighbors being hauled off to death camps.. I believe the Islamofacists have studied Hitler's technique well.. they have their SS and Gestapo, (Al Qaeda, Hezbollah, Hamas,etc.} laying the ground work right now..they are weakening the resistance of souls around the world as they move on towards the ultimate conquest.
Courage is needed and required to fight this World threat, their acts of savagery and tyranny must be illuminated by all.
I hope I would have the courage not to deny Jesus. This is so horrible and sad. It has reminded me of the Left Behind series, where people dies when they refused to take the mark. Again, I hope I would have the same courage...