People pay for their mistake in bringing a regime like the Nazis into power. They pay in spades not only in defeat but in what it does to their own people when it is in power. Demanding prosecution of individuals for war crimes is reasonable. But demanding reparations as Korea is now doing to Japan is bad mistake and represents a determination to increase hostilities. I thought we learned this lesson already.
What would Jesus have done?
Please, only from the Christian perspective. Let’s talk about it religiously.
I personally love justice, or even care about my own safety over the word “humanity”, which makes me unable to be a TRUE Christian. Sometimes, I am really confused by what Christians preach and what they do. Could religious consistency be possible in reality?
Typical excuse for complete insanity. But the reality is that Jesus NEVER talked about war reparations. NEVER! So I am not buy what you are selling!
Quoting religious catch phrases will never be a good excuse for the avoidance of thinking things through. The truth is that neither cheap forgiveness nor hardheaded unforgiveness is warranted by the teachings of Jesus. What would Jesus do? He would consider the question with a fully operational human brain unclouded by manipulative rhetoric.
Ah… so what you really want is a silly caricature which makes it easier to dismiss and ridicule Christianity.
Can the teachings of Christianity be misused? Of course, and that is no different from anything else. But one of the things Christianity does is examine the distortions and abuses in religion, so the abuse of religion would be a rather poor excuse to dismiss Christianity.
If Christians don’t know or even don’t ask “what Jesus would have done”, then how could they follow Jesus? Could they follow what they don’t know?
It’s not what I wanted.
I asked not about misuse or abuse, but the possibility of religious consistency (because I had believed it’s possible.)
If it’s impossible or too hard in reality, then what? To preach what is impossible?
I wonder what you think “religious consistency” means? If it means one single answer to all the different questions ignoring all the complexities and different circumstances then that is a mindless dogmatism that uses “consistency” as an excuse for insanity. I often talk about a consistency with the objective (scientific) evidence as being one of the conditions for rationality and this is VERY far from a one answer to all questions approach. It is not even a means of providing each question with one answer of its own. But rather it is just a minimal condition of requiring no contradiction with the objective evidence which is available.
But I would hope that by “religious consistency” you just mean that all the answers which a religion provides to different questions have a coherent logic behind them. Though I think it is demonstrable that different religious people and even different Christians don’t use the same set of premises upon which to put a coherent logic behind the different questions they answer.
If Judas had asked for forgiveness, he would have received it, but he did not.
The Germans and Japanese were not exe4cuted for fighting against the US. Some were executed for was crimes. I do not think it is wrong for nations or individuals to be punished for crimes against humanity. .
Hello Shaun,
You are correct to judge the German people or any people you worked with and traded with according to their acts as persons, not according any suspicion toward the people group they belong to or what others may have said about the nation. That’s how morality is played out. To do otherwise would be wrongful discrimination. Those you found trustworthy did not contribute to the cause of suspicion toward the nation.
Are the German people the most hated people in the world? I only know that the leader that made them hated was defeated and is dead and those guilty of war crimes were punished. All people groups have their own unique modes of evil. It is not written that we all are sinners? But Biblical forgiveness and reconciliation makes restoration of trust possible to those that want it. Continue with your trust.
We are all at one kind of risk or another as long as we are in a fallen world. Please remember that God is our keeper and morality is based on trust in Him. It is written,
“(6) Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? (7) But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows (Luke 12:6-7).
Earl
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Hi Earl,
It’s a bit ironical that in the age of information we have to rely on our own personal experience to find out the truth!
I’ve learned the lesson that discrimination, either caused by political propaganda or one’s personal stupidity, hurts both those who discriminate and the victims. Discrimination blinds oneself.
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Hello again Shaun,
Thanks for your true comment about discrimination.
Although sometimes helpful, we do not totally rely on personal experience to find the truth. Where did you find the supposed “Christianity” you spoke earlier of above? Where did you get the idea you should dislike the Germans?
Correct Christian training should have already given you the truth you had to find by personal experience. The bottom line of the Christian faith is forgiveness and reconciliation. It is unfortunate that increasing cultural confusion around us during the last few decades has drowned out much vital knowledge that should have came with the training.
Instructions given in a free society are based on the laws of Moses including the Decalogue. Moses demanded the Pharaoh to let God’s people go that they may be free to serve Him. You were blessed because you by your good conscience obeyed the Biblical command, “. . . It is not good to have respect of persons in judgment (Proverbs 24:23).”
I also have my pet peeves about churches and leaders. A typical erroneous scenario may be exemplified in Isaiah 29:13 and in 1 Corinthians 1:11-13 and more. Jesus resisted the temptation toward worldly power.
But God yet has people serving Him rightly and doing the job properly. It would thus be helpful to pray for God to lead to the group that handles the truth rightly. The church is the salt (preserver) of the earth that brings peace and understanding. Individual Christian living in its truest sense is a personal relationship with Jesus. It is written that true worshipers worship in spirit and truth (John 4:23). What better way to know a person than through communication? The telephone - I mean prayer is the means of communication. It is the means by which learned truth is processed properly.
Earl
Hi Earl,
I joined a group of Christians to study the Bible ten years ago and it lasted three years.
That’s where I was taught Christianity, and got the impression that we should dislike the Germans after hearing many times “the example of evil, the Nazis”.
Sometimes the teaching sounded like propaganda.
I also believe honest and accurate teaching gives itself more credibility and will be more influential.
So what to do? I suspect that it’s not just the failure of teaching. Some people may have a plan behind it.
Greetings,
Shaun
Hello Shaun,
It sounds as if the teachings you received were done in the wrong spirit and thus counterproductive. Remember how Jesus treated and blessed the Samaritan woman, the Roman centurion, and Zacchaeus and Matthew that were publicans, all of which were generally hated?
You are correct that Biblical teaching must be accurate. My suggestion as I said earlier is to pray for God to lead you to a decent group and pray and honestly read scripture for yourself. Jesus promised that seekers findeth. Jesus charged the religious leaders of his time of a devastating lack of the love of God.
Are you familiar with ministers like John MacArthur and Tony Evans?
As for the Germans, we owe them much for their contributions to internal combustion engine technology. Diesel engines are found all over the place.
Earl
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Well…I haven’t heard that expression since some time in the last millennium! 
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Liz Lemon and I say it all the time. But we’re kind of old.
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Or my favorite for the secularly inclined “holy moly, mother of pearl!”
Hi Earl,
I felt the same, and left eventually.
No, I haven’t listened to them but will try. Thanks!
Oddly, the first pastor I was interested in was James David Manning, a criminal turned Christian. At first, he made me smile. But soon I realised he spoke the truth and he’s bluntly honest. He talks about real issues.
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