Regarding the article about Doss: It says that he chose military service, despite being offered a
deferment and was sent to
Fort Jackson in
South Carolina for training with the reactivated
77th Infantry Division. He refused to carry a weapon into combat because of his
personal beliefs as a Seventh-day Adventist against killing. He consequently became a
medic assigned to the 2nd Platoon, Company B, 1st Battalion,
307th Infantry, 77th Infantry Division.
I found nothing indicating that Doss was a pacifist, and I can sympathize with his desire not to kill anyone, because I don't even want to kill animals, although I appreciate those who do that so I could enjoy the combination fajitas I just had for dinner. As a chaplain, I was not allowed to carry a weapon, but I told my folks that I was just as guilty as the trigger-pullers for any killing that was done, because I supported them and tried to improve their morale, which was why we all could be grateful that our mission was peace-making rather than aggression or conquering.
Thank you for sharing this with me and God bless you.
Yes, I am like Doss in the sense that I would do everything I can to avoid killing someone even for self defense of the family.
I like all translations of the Bible that I have ever read, although I prefer those which attempt to be accurate rather than paraphrase, although I understand that sometimes translators adapt to the culture in order to increase understanding where literal translations would be confusing or nonsensical. You say this does not take away the message, but if you run across an example of a different "path", please share it.
I will share anything depending on the convo as I can’t think of something specific right now.
You said that people brainwashed by the communist propaganda have indeed chosen to be Christians but the majority of them have not unfortunately. Yes, but this may be due to brainwashing the devil has done to humanity from the beginning. I am glad that your grandparent’s generation were Christian because the lived in a time when churches were allowed. Were they allowed because GW/the KOG salted that generation including politicians?
Did your parents tell you not to speak of a higher power because the KOG/GW was squelched or not allowed to salt Albania at that time? I am glad that politicians could not hide the sky.
My grandparents generation and many others before them were Christians because that’s how the culture is in the area since the time of apostles who spread Christianity in Greece and surrounding areas. It was only during communism after WW2 that the churches were shut down.
My ancestors have gone through many trials including a Turkish/ Muslim invasion but most people in the area remained Christians.
You see communism is horrible because it crushes the human spirit not just your body from hunger. People have no hope so the dictators don’t even want God in the mix but total worship of them. This is how North Korea is right now.
If someone is seen to practice Buddhism over there let alone Christianity they’d all go in jail or shot. Sometimes the whole family too. That’s how it is in communism.
So this is why my parents told me never to speak anything God related in public or school.
But yeah God’s creation and wonders cannot be hidden by anyone including Satan himself because back then during communism people believed in miracles too and some of them were quietly whispered throughout the country.
During the civil war, did you view the attackers as morally equivalent with those defending against them?
I viewed them all as animals, all possessed with no soul.
Did you realize the USA was better because it had the Second Amendment that gives people the right of self-defense?
No, I had no idea US had the second amendment and when I found out later it was a disappointing moment for me which is why I chose to live in Massachusetts which has strict gun laws.
Your second amendment is a nice illusion because you feel good that something is written down, but many revolutions in history, Albania included with its civil war did not have anything written in their constitutions about guns, yet everyone got guns when they had to. So whether it’s written or not, people will revolt if you push them too hard. This is also how your civil war happened. With or without the 2nd amendment, it had to happen when disagreements aren't solved in the table anymore.
So it’s a nice illusion that you have there about self defense and you can keep it and make NRA and all gun manufactures rich which is beyond the scope of your founding fathers back when you had muskets and people didn’t have gun collections, but I just want to stay in an area with less guns regardless if I’m in a country where they’re allowed or not.
Because even if they’re banned, people will smuggle them in.So I just want to be in an area where there’s less of them.
I chose to come to US instead of another European country because the opportunities are greater here.
Even today at my job where I have to work in hospitals for IT related stuff. I meet young doctors from many countries in Europe such as Spain, Germany Italy and none of them want to go back home because the pay is better here.
The USA won the Cold War because the Soviet Union could not afford to keep up with the American weaponry, which you stated as "the system was crumbling from within and unable to support itself." The experiment was over in the SSRs, but unfortunately not everyone knew that communism doesn't work because Marxist professors in America were brainwashing the current Dems,. including Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Joe Biden, etal. My university probably had some, but I did not take their courses. They were transformed by the renewing of their minds with Marxist ideology ala Alinsky--Satan's RM 12:3. :^(
100% agree but there are many confusions about communism in USA and the first principle is the idea of having no private property.
This is why USSR and everything else around them collapsed. If you take away people’s homes and all their property and you leave them with just the clothes on their back, you’ve crushed their spirit.
This is why China did a nice 180 move when they saw ussr collapse. With a stroke of a pen they said “being rich is glorious”.
They have an interesting hybrid system and time will tell how it will go.
But here in USA you have nothing close to communism and it will never happen despite what the talk show hosts tell you.
Communism as it was during the cold war is dead and won’t be repeated (hopefully), even China knew this that’s why they allowed private property and foreign investment.
Europeans have been enabled to prefer that approach after WWII only because the USA has prevented them from being conquered by communists or Islamists, paid for on the backs of American taxpayers, which is why Trump insists that NATO stop freeloading and pay their fair share of defense costs. Freedom is not free. Only overwhelming strength deters continuation of KOTH (the history of warring and killing or king of the hill). The apostle Paul was able to go on missionary journeys because the Roman army enforced the Pax Romana. God works in strange ways, huh and hallelujah!
100% agree again and I loved Trump for pushing Europe to spend more on defense. I’ve mentioned this elsewhere in the forum too.
You asked, "Is grace even in your vocabulary?" Absolutely not!
This is your best answer yet!
Cheers!
Regarding Greece allowing abortion up to 24 weeks: That is 8 months, whereas viability occurs at 6-7 months and sentience at about the third or fourth month, so that is too prochoice, even though that is what I--a Christian--once believed. My assessment is that if they would learn about fetal development with an open mind they would come to realize as I did that the only difference between a five month old newborn outside the womb and a five month old fetus inside the womb is geographical location and mode of breathing. I would send everyone to remedial education until they agreed with the scientific solution: deem life beginning by the same parameter used to deem life has ended--presence of absence of certain brain waves indicating sentience. Once no one has an excuse for murdering sentient babies in the womb, I would punish it as such. What punishment for murders to you advocate?
I think that your criminal justice system is pretty good but I would do away with the death penalty. I would allow it ONLY if the family wants it.
You see some families want closure with not just a murderer in jail, but they might want him dead. So that’s the only time I’d allow it, if the family wants it and not be sanctioned by the state.
My personal preference is jail. that’s the punishment for murder. And send a priest in there once in a while to get them to repent.
But I gave you this example to show you that different cultures come to different conclusions despite having them educated with your method which most of them know fully well.
This is why the KOG is unattainable until Christ comes because we’re all fallible like you’ve said.
