I have ran into that, too. Even in Taiwan.
I think it's some propaganda that gets inserted in certain media circles and believed by people who like to question the 'king of the hill' globally, so to speak.
BTW, Am curious if you know any of the folks from Ling Leung Tang in Taipei. Or if you ever met a pastor Ralph who visited NZ.
Most Asians, in my experience, are not given to checking a LOT of diversity of sources out. Some are discerning and skeptical of conventional media lines. But most just don';t bother to check things out by digging deeper. Their lives are full enough--usually with overwork.
In terms of the war--Jesus honored and respected the Roman soldier. There's no evidence in any of the NT that military personnel were advised or encouraged to leave the military at their earliest opportunity. They were expected to be good soldiers as potters were expected to be good potters.
There is the one comment that he who lives by the sword dies by the sword. It's hard to build a list of doctrines on the one generalized statement. But probably, it at least means, that if one is depending on one's sword for protection vs God, then there will be natural consequences of that.
I personally, would have a hard time killing even most animals in most situations. But could for food and easily for food for others. I would in many situations just as soon be killed and go home to heaven instead of killing my attackers. But if I were protecting loved ones, it would be easy to kill attackers.
And, when I was in the Navy, I was certainly prepared to defend shipmates; the comm center and the USA.
And, there is a fierceness of God's wrath which will be dealt in a rather war like manner--especially at Armageddon.
I can conceive of folks earning a greater weight of glory avoiding killing anyone in these times. And, I can conceive of folks earning a greater weight of glory taking a jaw bone of an ass, so to speak and slaying thousands of Philistines.
But we do well to remember that over all, the weapons of our warfare are NOT carnal.
I think that whichever tack we take, we do well to prayerfully seek God's will for us in that situation and then act in as much faith as we can muster accordingly.
Sorry that I don't personally know anyone from the Taiwanese Ling Leung Tang and in NZ (I know mainly Anglican, Presbyterian, Baptists, and some non-denom brothers here only), but coincidentially when I was still living in Hong Kong, the Kowloon Ling Leung Tang is just next to my home at Boundary Street. We frequently receive gospel leaflets from them but it seemed to us that particular church was embroiled in a vicious church property dispute in the 1980s so we don't have much contacts with them. (I can't remember much detail as I was a small boy then, but it seemed to be about the church site. The original pastor, Mr Sai-kwong Chiu, had the church registered under his name. When he went to be with the Lord his sons hoarded the property and the church was forced to "rent" the church site that was originally rightfully theirs)
I share your line of thinking as well, particularly since the whole Sinosphere (excluding Korea and Japan), from Taiwan to HK to Singapore and to many North American Chinese, read essentially the same Christian materials. We read the same Christian books and magazines and many people seemed to be what you in America would call "religiously and socially conservative BUT politically liberal". I know their shocks when they see Christians in the West who are as Biblically orthodox to them on doctrines and beliefs are politically conservative, or that those "Christians" in the West who share their politics are full-blown apostates. (Not long after 9/11, I remembered it was common in Asia to see Christian sermons or articles that runs like "9/11 is God'd pubnishment on the United States for its sin or abortion, pornography, gay rights, public school prayers ban, imperialism, wars, capitalism, racism, all together" Hey, this is like rolling the words of Jerry Falwell and Frank Griswold together!)
At the end of the day, I know some of them accuse me of "humanist" or "rebelling against the Word of God" when I say that the Iraq war was necessary or when I say the free market is superior to socialism (whether in full-blown communism mode or Euro-lite version of welfare state), but I know a more thorough study of the Bible reveals that our side of the stand on politics is more Christian. And a big "Amen" to your points about seeking God's will on these areas.