Quote:
Originally Posted by Brother Tim
(2nd try, time ran out)
John was a fair plain-spoken person. Do you think that he possibly knew that soldiers sometimes have to kill people? Occasionally, they may have to get very rough with those who resist. If he likely knew that and did not plainly say, "You must leave the military," is it not VERY obvious that the violence that he was speaking of was that of the viciousness that the common soldiers were known for. Do not hide behind words that you know do not mean what you are trying to make them mean to fit an unbiblical church teaching.
A question: Does your church permit police as members? The soldiers of John's day were also the police force.
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Greetings Brother Tim,
I understand now your reasoning here. Concerning police, no, a police officer would not be allowed to be a member of any Anabaptist church, whether Amish, Conservative Mennonite, Old Order River Brethren, Old German Baptist Brethren, or Hutterite. You will notice that we all don't wear a mustache, and it is because of this very belief in non-resistance (the mustache was, and is, a symbol of pride and authority for most worldly folk. It was at one point worn by most officers in WW1, which was when the Amish and Mennonite began shaving it off). We don't believe that we belong in positions of authority over men that aren't of the brethren. We don't believe a child of God can exercise authority over the actions of men that do not serve Jesus Christ. I understand that to you baptists this seems rediculous. I'm not sure what I can tell you to explain this. Like I've said before, there are countless books on the Anabaptists, and YES there are biblical reasons for what we do. However I don't feel the Spirit guiding me to 'get into it' here with you all. I've spoken with baptists before about this, and you all are ever so staunch in your beliefs that Christians should be encouraged to serve 'their' country by killing the enemies of the nation they live in, whether or not those 'enemies' are devout Christians (heaven forbid). Since some of you think I'm an anti-American 'pacifist' I will refrain from these sort of discussions in the future. I don't see it bearing any fruit on these forums. I'm open to anyone truly curious about us via Private Message (I think my AIM, MSN, and ICQ account info is available on this site). To be honest I came to these forums because I truly feel all alone out here in Wenatchee (the nearest Anabaptist congregation is an hour away, and I struggle to get there because of financial and work related issues) in my beliefs that the KJB is the only preserved Words of God in the English language. I really need the fellowship of like minded Christians (in this regard), and don't want to get into debates concerning the various Anabaptist doctrines.
I apologize if I've offended anyone.
Much Love in Christ,
Stephen