The Passive Acceptance of Evil

[Pursuing_Truth]

Jesus said, "You have heard that it was said, 'AN EYE FOR AN EYE, AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH.' But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also. "Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you. You have heard that it was said, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.' "But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous." <a href="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?passage=MATT+5&language=english&version=NASB">Matthew 5:38-45, The Bible.</a>

This is one of the most well-known and powerful passages of Scripture. The question I want to address in this post is, How are we to read this passage in light of what is going on today with the "war on terrorism"? Is Jesus saying that it is never acceptable to engage in any form of violence? Is He saying that we must passively accept any and all acts of violence against us personally? What about as a nation?

Let's look at "but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also." Why did Jesus specify the right cheek? I believe He is referring to back-handed slap across the face. This is an insult. Jesus is calling us to bear the insult without seeking revenge. I do not believe that this verse is calling us to outright pacifism.

The late <a href="http://bible.crosswalk.com/Commentaries/RobertsonsWordPictures/">Dr. A. T. Robertson</a>, a Bible scholar, speaking on this passage said: "Jesus protested when smitten on the cheek (John 18:22). And Jesus denounced the Pharisees (Matt 23) and fought the devil always. The language of Jesus is bold and picturesque and is not to be pressed too literally (he is speaking here of the passage in question, GC). Paradoxes startle and make us think. We are expected to fill in the other side of the picture…. Aggressive or offensive war by nations is also condemned, but not necessarily defensive war or defense against robbery and murder. Professional pacifism may be mere cowardice." (A.T. Robertson. "Word Pictures in the New Testament", Vol. I, p. 48).

The Reverend Simeon Howard, a colonial pastor, addressed the issue in a 1773 sermon: "When our Saviour forbids us to resist evil, he seems to have had in view only small injuries, for such are those he mentions in the following words, as an illustration of the precept; smiting on the cheek, taking away one's coat, or compelling him to go a mile. And to such injuries it is oftentimes a point of prudence, as well as duty, to submit, rather than contend. But it does not follow, that because we are forbidden to resist such slight attacks, we may not defend ourselves when the assault is of a capital kind. . . . And as we have as good a right to limit the precept which forbids our resisting evil, by the nature and reason of things, as we have to limit these other indefinite expressions." (Simeon Howard, A Sermon, 1773, in Charles S. Hyneman and Donald S. Lutz, ed., American Political Writing during the Founding Era, 1760-1805 (Indianapolis: Liberty Press, 1983), 1:193-4, 201, emphasis added.)

Commenting on Rev. Howard's conclusion, <a href="http://www.claremont.org/about/staff/west.html">Thomas G. West</a>, Professor of Politics at the University of Dallas and a senior fellow of the Claremont Institute in speech delivered September 16, 2001 titled <a href="http://www.claremont.org/writings/010927west.html">Christianity, War, and America</a> said: "Should a person, for instance, whose ability and circumstances enable him to do good in the world, to relieve his distressed brethren, and be an example of charity and other virtues, tamely yield up all his interest and become an absolute slave to some unjust and wicked oppressor, when he might by a manly resistance have secured his liberty, would he not be guilty of great unfaithfulness to God, and justly liable to his condemnation?"

Please bear with me as I quote two more leading preachers from the 1770's.

Nathaniel Whittaker preached on the command to love ones enemies in 1777, in his sermon "Antidote against Toryism," that "Every soldier should . . . pray for those he endeavors to destroy, and wish them their best, their eternal good. These are no more inconsistent in a soldier, engaging in battle and doing his best to kill his enemies, than they are in a judge and executioner, who take away a murderer from the earth. . . . How absurd then is the pretense that the gospel of Jesus Christ forbids us to take up arms to defend ourselves! . . . It may with as much reason be said, that to punish a murderer or robber is forbidden by the gospel; which is in effect to say, that the gospel of peace forbids the exercise of love and benevolence in acts absolutely necessary, in this sinful world, for the peace and happiness of society and individuals." (Nathaniel Whitaker, "Antidote against Toryism" (1777), in Frank Moore, ed., Patriot Preachers of the American Revolution (New York: Charles T. Evans, 1862), 226-7.)

Samuel Davies, a passage written in 1758 said: "When [our enemies] would enslave the freeborn mind and compel us meanly to cringe to usurpation and arbitrary power; . . . what is then the will of God? Must peace then be maintained? Maintained at the expense of property, liberty, life, and everything dear and valuable? . . . No; in such a time even the God of Peace proclaims by His providence, "To arms!" Then the sword is, as it were, consecrated to God; and the art of war becomes a part of our religion. Then happy is he that shall reward our enemies, as they have served us. Blessed is the brave soldier; blessed is the defender of his country and the destroyer of his enemies. . . . But, on the other hand, "Cursed is he that doth the work of the Lord deceitfully; and cursed is he that keepeth back his sword from blood." . . . This denunciation, like the artillery of heaven, is leveled against the mean, sneaking coward who, when God, in the course of His providence, calls him to arms, refuses to obey and consults his own ease and safety more than his duty to God and his country." (Samuel Davies, "The Curse of Cowardice" (1758), in The Annals of America (Chicago: Encyclopedia Britannica, 1968), 2:23-24. The quotation is from Jeremiah. For ref, see Baldwin, 126.)

Commenting on the previous two citations, Professor West <a href="http://www.claremont.org/writings/010927west.html">said</a>, "For Davies, and for most Americans ever since, God's will forbids passive acceptance of evil. It commands the spirited resistance to oppression, tyranny, and murder by every necessary means, including violence and war."

I agree. We are in no way commanded to passively accept evil. On the contrary, we must oppose it. The Bible says that we are to <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/cgi-bin/bible?passage=2TIM+2:15&language=english&version=NASB&showfn=on&showxref=on">accurately handle the word of truth</a>. Good people can disagree on the interpretation of important Scriptures but this passage either forbids self-defense or it does not. Both interpretations cannot be correct.

I thank Professor West for the quotations and insight provided from his speech. This post is just a commentary and affirmation his very helpful and informative <a href="http://www.claremont.org/writings/010927west.html">conclusions</a>.

from my new blog <a href="http://pursuing_truth.blogspot.com">Pursuing_Truth</a>

[David H]

Your speculation about the right cheek is an interesting and sensible one.

Jesus didn't have a problem with tearing into moneychangers. This seems to indicate that we should act not upon personal affront bur rather upon sound principle. When we're angry it's hard to tell the difference, which brings to mind an old karate axiom:

"When your hand goes out, hold your temper. When your temper goes out, hold your hand."

[Woodrow Riley]

As civilization moves forward, it's a good thing to recall the past, past speeches, sermons, actions. But we need to put them in context. All those decisions were made by people whose life situation was very different from today's. I don't think we should scrap the Past but too much weight given past decisions can add up to limiting us from making forward motion. For instance, many wars were engaged in in the past and the combatants used tools and artillery that by today's standards are little more than bows & arrows, yet our politicians and military have both withdrawn from using the nuclear arsenal. But if we were to use yesterday's logic we would have conquered the world by now and erased Beijing from existence. As to whether pacifism is right or wrong, we would need to explore the roots of pacifism and what drives a person to refuse to fight before dropping a blanket condemnation over it. Being a pacifist may stem from a differing set of reasons peculiar to an individual. Sure it would be EASY to call pacifists cowards. If they were it would be EASY to line all pacifists up against a wall and blow them away. Our government has decided not to do that either. Surely there are deep-seated reasons our government leaders have made these decisions. Some people want to say Bush & Cheney were cowards for refusing to serve. Perhaps, and Perhaps NOT. Perhaps a man is not a coward if he feels a call from the future to some kind of as-yet-unknown greatness of purpose. Perhaps the future calls to our present to allow some people to avoid service because a significant contribution to Humanity is required of them later. Perhaps Life is more complex than just picking up a gun or hanging once-living people by a noose. There was a time when doing so to a Black was accepted, or at the least looked past. As we continue to grow we seem to be more understanding of those who hold a different viewpoint, even when it conflicts our own individually treasured and cherished beliefs. Many of my older relatives fought in WWII so when I opted out on Vietnam for medical reasons my own Mom moved 180 miles away in shame. I had dishonored her amongst her friends whose son's had dutifully gone to Vietnam! At some point, perhaps we need to give credit to each individual to decide the right thing to do, for only that person can feel such a "call from the future" that none of us can know. And those who feel a Duty to go running into wars and fighting for whatever the Cause for the Day is, we must respect that also. Each one chooses the level of life they answer to and what they feel a personal requirement to fulfill. Some people choose to go fight and may kill many of the enemy, and destroy many lives of close relatives, only to return home and begin feeling a different call, becoming ministers sometimes even. All of these personal-level decisions need to be accepted by others. For instance, I'm a very religious person. I could browbeat those people with one Scripture after another and call them every manner of Evil. I could say they went to fight so they could get a cheaper home loan for being a veteran and educational benefits. I could object, saying they sold out to kill other human beings so they could have a decent life. But I refuse to do that. I refuse also to keep dipping into the Past for justification of the Present and Future. I find it a waste of my energy. And yet if you enjoy doing that, more power to you. It's a fine hobby. But I wouldn't go letting statements and decisions from 1770 rule your present. And that's my personal feelings on the matter. I don't expect ANYONE TO SHARE THEM OR AGREE. But I would say that because of my philosophy I have been able to focus all of my energy towards the Present & Future. By the intense focus of my "time freed" spirit I have discovered ways to fix Social Security http://www.newpath4.com/marriage.htm, designed a new process for engines that mimics gasoline without any pollution whatsoever http://www.newpath4.com/NNINDEX/nnindex.htm, and I've written pages to help others with matters both physical and mental. All of this and more is in my website: http://www.newpath4.com/. Two pages I wrote just this year I've tried to help others to sort of "step back" and look at matters from a 3rd person perspective. The 1st such page was http://www.newpath4.com/fireontheplanet.htm and the second one http://www.newpath4.com/keystoworldpeace.htm. I could never have reached these pages, or solved the LN2000 nitrogen engine by adding Flash Steam, if I had used up my life energy by continuing to view the world through yesterday's bifocals. And to be quite honest, I believe a number of other inventors and thinkers have discovered this method of washing oneself of preconceived "walls" that entrap us to keep living the Past. That's why we see Inventor Robert Hunt having developed a plane that flies without fuel http://www.fuellessflight.com/ and recently a reporter helped researchers to a new discovery -she noticed that altho crocodiles fight and tear each other's flesh they don't get infected- that is on this page: http://biologicalmiracle.com/. And then there's this problem with many, many overweight Americans being unable to work because of pain in their feet that is being helped with shoes that have special springs: http://www.c4life.com/shoes.html. In less than FIVE YEARS FROM NOW, myself and these many other inventors are going to make being alive SUCH AN INCREDIBLE AND HEALTHY JOY THAT PEOPLE WILL NOT WANT TO FIGHT WARS. In a kind of celebration of this realization, I added some information to my page on World Peace: http://www.newpath4.com/keystoworldpeace.htm#WhichGod. It's old knowledge to me, something I was blessed to understand a decade ago, a way of knowing the correct Biblical spelling of God's Name. I released it because I felt the time was right. Our World was made to run like a top. Now that we are discovering that and fixing so many errors we need to recognize the One who made this place for us. When I discovered a way to combine water -as steam- and liquid nitrogen -2 of this planet's most abundant fluids- into an engine to give us all the power we need to run our vehicles without polluting ANYTHING, the chances of this planet we call Earth being an accident of nature, created by a bomb blast {Big Bang}, dropped to miniscule, off the scale. Senator Kerry knows of my work and conclusions. I sent my work previously to George Bush, who never responded nor anyone in his office. I've sent much of my links to Fox News who -despite their claims of being "Fair, Balanced, and Unafraid (Brit Hume)- has to a MAN and TO A SHOW refused to tell anyone of my new engine solution. However, of all these new inventions and concepts that can help all of us, both mine & others' {many others}, one of the best to date has been the work I started back in January of 2004. It started with this page http://www.newpath4.com/theanswer.html where I saw the decline in World Oxygen Levels as being one of the many causes of everyone having such a lowered state of health and such an increased susceptibility to airborne germs. We're losing the fight for health from nature's germ warfare because our bloodstreams don't have the amount of oxygen to kill, or hold in inactive stasis, many diseases. Not just cold germs either. Multiple schlerosis, Parkinson's, dementia, Alzheimer's, HIV all benefit with increased oxygen. So several months ago I completed http://www.newpath4.com/theanswer2.html and then went on to write this material http://www.newpath4.com/lungs101.htm . By placing an obstructive device over our mouth and nose that makes it harder to exhale, as per that page, we cause more oxygen molecules to be dissolved into the lung's capillaries as they route thru the lung alveoli. The amazing conclusion is that by doing that, we can actually press the life-giving, disease-inhibiting, oxygen molecules not just into the blood platelets but INTO THE BLOOD PLASMA LIQUID ITSELF. So the Medicare Crisis, the lack of funds for medical care, the Social Security Crisis are all fixed now for those who bury the Past and see that the Future has reached us, and IT'S A PRETTY NICE PLACE. It is a sickened and dying human race that fights and kills each other. Once you read these pages I've been blessed to write, you will see the causes for war are now greatly diminished. Once we raise our health and stop needing foreign oil to run our vehicles we can start enjoying life, and uhm perhaps take time then to find God. And all of these new life-enhancing informations have been held back from you by Fox News because I have written them all along, each fantastic step of the way, for about the past 15 months or more. Fair, Balanced, Unafraid, and IGNORANT. But to be fair, they aren't the only ones. After 18 months of writing numerous worldwide organizations, some in the U.S. and many others around the World, not a ONE has stepped forward to endorse any of my revelations. I've written GreenPeace, the Sierra Club, several scientific orgainzations in Japan and numerous such societies all across EUROPE. And none of them seems to want you to know these secrets... which of course wouldn't remain secrets if they would fulfill their Mission Statements to the World. Could it be that they do not want to acknowledge God? In that case, NOW YOU KNOW WHY I FIGURED THESE THINGS OUT WHILE NOBODY ELSE COULD. I REFUSED TO JOIN THE MEDIA AND THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY IN THEIR DESIRE TO BURY GOD. However, since it does seem my reply has turned into a New Path 4 Guide let me remind you all that the Bible says Life starts at Home... I took that for its word and have developed systems for making every home have its own mini power grid and mini home air cleaning, hyperbaric system that engages plants to OVER PRODUCE OXYGEN into your home, to supply you and your family the life-giving & cleansing oxygen you need. So here's the page for that: http://www.newpath4.com/AAINDEX/paget6.htm and that concludes my vision of America within the next 5 years. No foreign OPEC oil, no any oil, and plenty of healthy, happy people who don't run all over this globe killing people to make them live our way. People will see our improved way of life and join us. And if YOU don't tell anyone they sure won't hear it from anybody else because they've all to a man taped their mouths shut.

[Guest]

Most of what Jesus spoke of was as it pertains to Jesus and God. If someone strikes you over Jesus, or sues you because of your beliefs in God. It was to show how love conquers all. Most people behave due to lack of belief in God. If for no reason other than to commit a crime someone wrongs you, you have every right to defend yourself. Resist temptations at all costs, even revenge, yet do not allow yourself to be a doormat for evil."The violent take it by force"

[Woodrow Riley]

I agree. I've never felt that believing in God and being religious should mean you have to just lay down and be a doormat. What I do believe strongly is that Good has a power to conquer Evil that Evil lacks. When we do turn the other cheek or we help those who wrong us, it shows them a piece of God that maybe they're never seen before. Each of us should become a reflection of God's Mercy and Love. In my particular instance, I've been blessed to develop the LN2000 engine to where it doesn't pollute and will have an abundance of raw power that will meet or exceed gasoline. Yet in all the time since last August when I first went online with my discovery, NONE of the organizations I've contacted {GreenPeace, Sierra Club are just a few} or the News Media I've written {NY Times, CA newspapers, writers} has been willing to even MENTION the engine! Why is that? We hear about Fair & Balanced all the time, but the Fairly Balanced People and Shows will not mention this engine. Why? And more importantly, should I just "turn the other cheek"? Well, I have done that for over 14 MONTHS NOW. I decided not to try and fight them, and just continued my writing and e-mailing campaign. Yesterday, I decided the time for cheek turning was satisfied and it was time to accuse the national media of hiding my engine from Public View. I might add that when I came out with the engine solution, oil was about $34 a barrel. Since oil is now $54 a barrel I began to realize that keeping my engine from the Public constitutes a Crime. But you know, it isn't so much a crime against me individually as it is a Crime against the American People and indeed a Crime against the people who live everywhere. Once I decided that the hiding was a crime against everyone suffering under the weight of oppressive fees for oil, not to mention THE EVER PRESENT PRICE GOUGING, it was an easy decision to make some appropriate new links to my Public Accusation: http://www.newpath4.com/auxiliarylinktothefuturelifeguidefornewpath4thenext5yearstowardenginebodilyhealthdiseasefightinglife.htm#hiding_national_media_engine. I have reached a rather startling realization, that the United States population in particular -and the rest of the world's people probably also- are being victimized through the media by the media's denial of printing anything positive about GOD. Except of course the tritest of token admissions of the existence of a Supreme Being. Whenever there's a holiday they give the token stuff. But as far as admitting that my engine is a Gift from God by using 2 of the most abundant fluids on Earth {God's footstool} they have all together decided to clamp down and not speak the news; my good news... & the good news, the gospel even, that we've been drilling this polluting crude fluid from the ground when everything we needed was right here all the time! Friends, something weird is happening here; it is also Evil. Many of you may know of people who even this day have committed suicide because of this situation. To withhold information that lightens people's psychological load by showing them there IS a new engine that DOES NOT POLLUTE... to withhold this information is just plain Evil of the Highest Order. Some of you haven't read my information in http://www.newpath4.com so you doubt my claims, and I RESPECT THAT. But whether I really have "cracked the egg" or not, for our National News Media that is charged by their very own LEGAL CHARTERS TO REPORT NEWS TO THE PUBLIC to refuse to report to you -after I contacted them REPEATEDLY FOR 14 MONTHS- you are being slapped upon the cheek quite hard. I'm not on here to incite anyone to a riot, but I'm just here DOING THEIR JOB FOR THEM. I have successfully shown how to combine 2 energies in such a way {riding into the cylinder on inert fluids} that they explode with power, without combusting anything. I view the process as a geniune Miracle. Maybe you all aren't ready for that... but for our News Media to be deciding what YOU are ready for is just the sort of thing we have all become SICK TO DEATH OF. So I'm going to report to you that I placed most of the relevant & best links to understanding my engine process on this page: http://www.newpath4.com/NNINDEX/nnindex.htm so that EACH OF YOU can decide for yourself. It is the only way I know to show you the utmost respect, & show your family the utmost respect. I know my website has an unconventional design, and I hope you can overlook my many mistakes, but the information is there. Pack a picnic basket, grab a cooler, and set down to the biggest Feast of Understanding you've ever had in your Life. Not my feast; the feast from God. The government and the oil companies don't want you all to read about my engine. Turn your cheek, or don't turn your cheek, but the information is there for you. We simply do not have to keep using oil for our vehicles. I want you to read my information and laugh out loud at the engine. Laugh with joy and glee. Laugh at the end of pollution, the end of airborne garbage, the end of pollution. This engine is far superior to the combustion engine. That's why it does not need a cooling system. It is totally efficient. The cylinders don't have compression, so there isn't the usual resistance to piston motion... more power to the drive wheels. The liquid nitrogen delivers the compression, in reverse. Fluid-delivered compression per each cycle {nitrogen decompression = cylinder manual compression}. I fully expect you to question this engine for days and weeks, and some of you may even think I'm working some kind of scam. If it was a scam, where's my MONEY?! I've paid for 3 websites and hosting, spent the last 15 MONTHS pounding this stuff onto the Internet. Put all this on the Internet for Free. Where's my scam money? If it's a hoax, it's the WORST HOAX EVER because I'M NOT GETTING ANY MONEY. Again, all the information is laid out right there on YOUR COMPUTER, FOR FREE. It has to be free; it's from God. http://www.newpath4.com/keystoworldpeace.htm#WhichGod. ... You definitely won't read THAT in your newspaper.

[Guest]

I do not believe that this verse is calling us to outright pacifism.

And yet JESUS told Peter when they came to take HIM and Peter cut off someone's ear, "all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword." And also, JESUS healed the wounded enemy. If you look at the early church and the apostles they did not return evil for evil.

Romans 3:8 And not rather, (as we be slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say,) Let us do evil, that good may come? whose damnation is just.

When Paul and Barnabas were in prison and the cell doors were opened the jailer was going to kill himself. Paul could easily have let him die but actually revealed himself to the jailer and told him not to harm himself, this is Christian charity. The reason charity or love is the fulfillment of the commandment is because it does no harm to others.

1 Timothy 1:5 Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:

[guest]

One of the most refreshing things to come out of this round of elections was Mr keyes refusal to congratulatory to his opponent in defeat.

I wish Kerry had shown as much honesty.

[jzyehoshua]

I think a big part of it with Keyes was that his whole reason for coming to Illinois was to stop Obama from voting down more bills against live birth abortion.

To congratulate Obama would be for him like saying "Congratulations on your victory, I'm sure you'll do a solid job at voting to kill thousands more newly born children. I'm behind you all the way, buddy!"

Keyes could not congratulate Obama so long as one of Obama's great goals for this term is seemingly to destroy as many infants as possible. To congratulate Obama would be to encourage his reign, one which well may involve millions more dead children, children Obama will aid in killing. And nothing I have seen of Keyes suggests he can ever accept such a thing, much less offer "congratulations" on it coming to pass.