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From: scott@uniwa.uwa.edu.au (Scott Shalkowski)
Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian
Subject: Re: Doing the work of God??!!)
Message-ID: <Apr.24.01.09.43.1993.4288@geneva.rutgers.edu>
Date: 24 Apr 93 05:09:44 GMT
Sender: hedrick@geneva.rutgers.edu
Organization: The University of Western Australia
Lines: 31
Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu

Desiree Bradley (Desiree_Bradley@mindlink.bc.ca) wrote:

<. . ..

: The next Sunday, the sermon was about Joshua 6 (where the Israelites
: take Jericho and then proceed to massacre everybody there --- except
: for Rahab, who had sheltered the spies).  With those reports about
: Bosnia in my mind, I felt uncomfortable about the minister saying that
: the massacre (the one in Joshua) was right.  But what really bothered
: me was that, if I was going to try taking Christianity seriously, I
: shouldn't be so troubled about the reports of "ethnic cleansing" in
: Bosnia.  Certainly, my sympathies shouldn't be with the Moslims.
: Considering that the Bosnian Muslims are descendants of Christians
: who, under Turkish rule, converted to Islam could the Serbs be doing
: God's work?

Perhaps it would be useful to ask whether those doing the ethnic
cleansing could be said to be loving those they are killing in the very
act of killing.  Does it reflect the attitude of God, who sends rain to
both the just and the unjust?  If not, then Christians should be
uncomfortable with it.  Jesus gave his followers the law of love to
follow and it is by exhibiting this that disciples will be known. 
Doctrinal (or political) correctness is not the standard, so I don't see
why Christians should be moved against the Serbs because their ancestors
converted from Christianity to Islam.  It seems to me that as a
Christian you _should_ be troubled by the ethnic cleansing.
--


Peace,
Scott Shalkowski                            scott@arts.uwa.edu.au
