[He Rides A White Horse]

He is a God of mercy, compassion and love who taught us to love those who despitefully use us and to turn the other cheek and forgive others ... He also taught that there are times when men, if they do not already own one, must sell their clothing to buy a sword to defend themselves and their free will with.

Some say the Bible is a book of contradictions....."don't kill".........."kill 'em all"............

...........Ecclesiates is very revealing...there is a time and place for everything.

Yes, we must always strive for the ideal. I would like a world where nobody died, war was obsolete, and everybody had everything they needed.

It doesn't happen that way. In many ways, the Bible is a guide..........one in which we try to achieve the ideal, but have been given instructions in how to deal with situations where the ideal cannot be achieved.

In dealing with imperfect human beings, we often find ourselves having to make seemingly imperfect choices.

[Jeff Head]

Yes, we must always strive for the ideal. I would like a world where nobody died, war was obsolete, and everybody had everything they needed.

One day The Ideal will come to earth and the conditions you decribe will be established. I long for that day and will either live to see it, or so live that I arrive with it.

in the mean time, we do the best we can in an imperfect world inhabited by all of us imperfect people.

The combination of free will and foundational, individual moral restraint is, I believe, the best combination given the imperfections. And we should be extremely grateful to live in the one place in the world where that can best be practised (IMHO).

Regards.