Believe it or not, there was a time I professed to be a pacifist. Not the "wear a peace-symbol while spitting on soldiers" kind, but a religious pacifist; a nonresistant, conscientious objector to fighting and war.
Well do I remember my elation when, at the age of twelve, I was socked between the eyes by a peer and managed to "turn the other cheek". The problem was: I was no martyr! That nose-punch was completely and totally deserved!
Less than a month later, my true nature became evident, as I watched that same fellow tormenting a group of schoolchildren, chasing them with his bicycle on our way home from school. As the little ones ran about screaming, the rascal ran a six-year-old into a ditch, pinning him against the hillside with the wheel of his bike.
At first, my response was to ignore the bully, and vainly instructed the younger children to do the same. But then, the hooligan grabbed a 7-foot reed; plucked from the ground with roots and dirt intact and used it as a lance! Foolishly he charged within an inch of a first grader's eyeball- and I SNAPPED!
Without stopping to think, I found myself jumping in front of the bully's bike and grabbing his "lance". As it snapped in two, leaving me with half the stick- plus the large clump of dirt at the end; it was only a split second before I began to swing it, yelling at the miscreant with all my might. Strangely enough, my mind kept instructing, "Don't hit him! Just his bike!" So that's what I did. After smashing his end of the stick to smithereens, I went on to strike his bicycle handle, seat, and wheels- all the while screaming and hurling insults that I can't even remember.
It felt good to see the monster riding for home as fast as he could pedal, but the victory was hollow... I was a fraud and I knew it. And now, a whole school full of Amish kids had seen what I really was.
From that point, I've struggled with this concept and those that spring from it. Should a Christian retaliate in any manner? Should they be involved in politics, or go to war? What about defending the innocent? And how do you reconcile the Old Testament commands like, "wipe out the Amalakites" with the teachings of Christ that promote peace? Beyond that, what do you tell your children to do when they have conflicts with siblings, friends, or bullies?
Please take a moment to answer my poll, and tune in next time for the conclusions that I've drawn since that incident...
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