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To: ohioWfan
I, like you, do not believe forced conversion is an answer. However there is an interesting reference in Luke 14:23.."And the Lord said unto the servant, 'Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be full'".

Now, it is true that this is a parable spoken by Jesus regarding a great supper which the master was bidding his friends and family, but they offered excuses not to come. Then he instructed his servant to go to the poor, maimed, lame and blind to come to the great supper. These would have been those who were the unpolished and lower class. I don't believe Jesus meant to compel, at the end of a sword, people to come to Him. Those who come to Him, must come as a little child. We must open the door and ask Him to come in to sup with us. I think I agree, that Jesus never said other than, "Those who take up the sword, will die by the sword". I also don't believe Jesus was saying, there is no just war. Blessed are the peacemakers, He said.

98 posted on 12/11/2006 10:42:33 AM PST by Texas Songwriter
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To: Texas Songwriter
There is danger in using any single verse of Scripture to defend any theological concept, (but it is far more dangerous to use one to defend one's politics, as I believe was happening here).

One needs to look at the whole of Scripture, and how one comes to Christ (through His calling and grace alone, and not through any human action), and it becomes very obvious that one human being cannot force Christ on another, nor one country on another.

Now if one is talking about forcing Judeo/Christian based political systems on other countries, that's another subject entirely. As is the subject of whether or not the United States is Christian at all any more......

101 posted on 12/11/2006 11:01:17 AM PST by ohioWfan (President Bush - courageously and honorably protecting us in dangerous times, . Praise the Lord!)
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