[DoughtyOne]

By the way, since you brought up that you’re Seventh Day Adventist, I want to take a moment to thank you for your church’s long history of defending biblical teaching on creation and for helping set some of the legal precedents in court that make it somewhat easier for those of us who have biblical convictions on Lord’s Day or Sabbath observance to fight for our jobs when threatened by employers.  Well you've touched on some important reasons why I am sympathetic to religious freedom, and the need for government and businesses to make some allowances.  At the same time, as Christians, I believe that we should go out of our of our way to be respectful of the government that provided documents to us that grant us those rights rights.  I don't believe you provoke the government when you don't need to.

Is it the policy of the Mennonite Church to allow evil people to do anything they want to their breathren?  Can an evil man force himself on a Mennonite woman without her objection?  Is the husband supposed to stand by as his child or his wife is abused by an evil person?  Is the Mennonite man supposed to stop at some point, if the evil person puts up too much of a fight, and an "it's him/or me" situation develops?  To allow this would be pure evil.  To watch your loved ones be abused or fatally wounded without resisting would make the person refraining from takeing action, to be nothing less than an accomplice during the fact.  That's how I see it when raised to a national level.  None the less, I do support people refraining from taking up arms.

It’s a side point, but I ought to thank you for the good work that your church has done in these areas.  Well, I'm not so sure it's a side point, because defending church/patron's rights is fundamental.  It's not of my doing, but I do appreciate the acknowledgement of something good the church has done.

It’s been a while, but I think I also remember reading the biography of a Seventh Day Adventist who served as a combat medic and received the Medal of Honor for saving a large number of American soldiers who otherwise would have become victims of the Japanese.  He was Private Desmond T. Doss.  His heroics and citation can be found by clicking on the left, and more resources can be found here.    I’m somewhat aware of the SDA heritage of alternative service, and from what I know of it, it looks like an honorable tradition that can be respected as an alternative way to show patriotism.  I agree, and again I appreiciate you bringing this aspect of my church's teachings and public service to light.  Like other churches, possibly yours too, the Seventh-Day Adventist Church has a strong drive to provide community aide through it's Dorcus Society, and even disaster and international aide through ADRA.  The global outreach for our denomination is quite impressive considering the meager size of the total global congregation.  ADRA operates in over 100 nations.  Last year it disbursed over $120 million dollars worth of aid and assistance.  At least I believe that's the figure I read over there.  There are 16.7 million SDAs.  There are 232 nations and areas recognized by the U.N., and the SDA church operates in 206 of them.

[darrellmaurina]

Thank you, DoughtyOne, for both of your notes. I think we’re now on the same page, if perhaps not the same place of the page.

I don’t want to speak on the modern Mennonite position on pacifism because I could easily get details wrong, but I believe what you’re describing (nonresistance even in cases of murder, rape, and similar levels of horrific abuse) is the historic Mennonite position. I have major problems with that. While I can understand the reality that Menno Simmons’ pacifism was what led to the end of persection against the Anabaptists because some of the Protestant civil governments decided the Anabaptists didn’t pose a threat, it’s still wrong.

From what I’ve read of this National Anthem controversy, it sounds like the college had never used the National Anthem until this year, and started doing it this past school year with instrumental music but not singing the lyrics. That was apparently at the initiative of the college president, who then got criticized by his constituency.

I believe in being under church authority and following the doctrinal standards of one’s denomination. However, this is flat-out ridiculous. There must have been many ways to settle this quietly without it getting on FOX News and the rest of the major media. If we had a more conservative federal administration, it would be asking for a controversy with the state when none is needed, which I think is one of your major concerns. Yes, we render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s and unto God what is God’s, but we don’t go poking Caesar in the eye unless we’re forced to do so.

Goshen College did this to themselves, and they’ll have to reap the fruit — most of which is going to be quite bitter.

On the SDA matter, I will read your links to information on Pvt. Desmond Doss. It’s been a while, and I think it’s important in our current conflicts to remind ourselves of the stories of our soldiers, especially those with particularly compelling stories, and that’s virtually always the case with Medal of Honor recipients.