Republican Politician Creates A “Biblical Basis For War” Manifesto

[Unbeliever]

Washington state legislator Matt Shea was forced to admit recently that he had authored a four-page document that serves as a “Biblical Basis For War” that calls for murder of those who disagree with his group’s core beliefs. Shea has also called for the state of Washington to be split up in order to form a new state called “Liberty.” Ring of Fire’s Farron Cousins discusses the mental illness that is apparently rampant in the Republican Party.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i06tnKg7pHg




This guy wants to use the Bible to justify his version of how things should be, just as his forebears did to justify slavery.  "The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name." Exodus 15:3

[Blackleaf]

[Shiranu]

One often overlooked aspect of Christian doctrine is that those whom are living are known as the Church Militant (Ecclesia militans) and are literally soldiers of Christ meant to wage war against that which is unholy. Growing up, we were always taught about the beauty of "spiritual warfare" against the Devil.

I know we say it all the time, but I think it doesn't always even fully sink in for us... Christianity is an Abrahamic religion, and Abrahamic religions are deeply entwined with warfare and struggle, much moreso than say Dharmic religions (escaping the cycle of Rebirth) or more primal religions like Shintoism, Daoism or most African and Native American religious traditions that are meant to appease nature or live in harmony with it.

Given the nature of Abrahamic religions, it's really not at all weird what he proposes; I would say it is much more inline with Christian doctrine than odd for it, regardless of how much reform Christ tried to bring to Judaism. Even Christ's teachings often times involve invoking military and martial themes.

[Poison Tree]

I can remember many times all us 'christian children' sang (to the tune of 'The Old Grey Mare')
"I'm too young to march in the infantry
shoot the artillery; ride in the cavalry
I'm too young to fly o're the enemy
but I'm in the lord's army. Yes, sir!"
After I was out of college it finally dawned on me first how strange it was for an officially pacifist denomination to teach its children that song and, secondly, how horrified we'd all be to hear a bunch of 'muslim children' singing "I'm too young to machine-gun the infidel" even if they insisted that the lyrics were merely symbolic of "spiritual warfare".

[drunkenshoe]

Which is called Jihad. 

I agree that as long as Abrahamic religions survive in an organised form, this is where they are all going with power. But then you can accomplish something similar under 'patriotism'. So it looks like one way to go in the world in our era. 

It's how this usually goes. When Trump wins for the second term, and he will in my opinion, these things will be the norm. And what is before called; the left and right and religious, will turn into the two camps of far right and the fundamental religious. Any real left will be regarded as treason or some sort of potential domestic terrorism. It will be like the n word.

I know how it sounds, lol. It's what happened over here. The most common mistake is Westerners think that's not going to happen in their country. Or that it is different. It's not. It's an unbelievable change happening in a short time, you don't believe as it happens. You don't comprehend it. Then it becomes the normal. And then one morning you look... you live in a completely alien, dangerous place.

Hang in there.

In my country there is a seriously high rise in deism, agnostcisim and atheism. The new groups are mostly far right people. 15 years ago, almost all atheists over here were strictly left. Like the socialist left. You could make an easy generalisation, because that's how atheism entered and survived in the country to begin with. There was no diversity in political tendency at all. Same with Europe then, I suppose. How things change.     

     

[Baruch]

One often overlooked aspect of Christian doctrine is that those whom are living are known as the Church Militant (Ecclesia militans) and are literally soldiers of Christ meant to wage war against that which is unholy. Growing up, we were always taught about the beauty of "spiritual warfare" against the Devil.

I know we say it all the time, but I think it doesn't always even fully sink in for us... Christianity is an Abrahamic religion, and Abrahamic religions are deeply entwined with warfare and struggle, much moreso than say Dharmic religions (escaping the cycle of Rebirth) or more primal religions like Shintoism, Daoism or most African and Native American religious traditions that are meant to appease nature or live in harmony with it.

Given the nature of Abrahamic religions, it's really not at all weird what he proposes; I would say it is much more inline with Christian doctrine than odd for it, regardless of how much reform Christ tried to bring to Judaism. Even Christ's teachings often times involve invoking military and martial themes.

Correct.  Called Just War theory.  And part of the reasoning behind the Declaration of Independence (which was written by radical British colonists who deviated from the Church of England.

Abrahamic religions aren't going anywhere ... and all three support Just War theory.  Technically it is a stretch for modern Israel, because it is an essentially secular population like Europe.

The anomaly is that the proponent of the memo, is a Republican instead of a Democrat.  But both former Texas and present California governors have threatened secession.  There are proposals for California itself to be broken into three separate states.

So non-pacifist atheists object to non-pacifist theists considering war to be thinkable?  Are these the same people who applaud artistic representations of the assassination of George W or Donald?  But not Barak?

[Gawdzilla Sama]

It's often easy to tell who hasn't been in a war.

[Hydra009]

The thing that bothers me most about this is that it's not some rando on the internet, this is a lawmaker.  Elected 4 times, no less.  4 times too many.

I mean check out his wiki page.  It has more red flags than an expert game of minesweeper.

[Hydra009]

It's often easy to tell who hasn't been in a war.

He actually was in Iraq.

[Baruch]

It's often easy to tell who hasn't been in a war.

But did you learn anything from the experience?

Yes, warmongers like Dick Cheney frequently have a boil on their ass that excuses them.  Same as Bill Clinton.

[Baruch]

He actually was in Iraq.

We should have drafted all the non-Veterans from the 60s, and sent all of them to Iraq in 2003.

[Unbeliever]

Here's the document, so you can peruse it at your leisure:

https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/5026577-Biblical-Basis-for-War.html

[Baruch]

There is clearly a Biblical basis for G-d to exterminate all of mankind.  Second time is a charm ;-)

[Blackleaf]

Conservative Christians love their wars. They frame their stupid wars as "fighting for freedom," whether by "protecting" our freedoms (which totally makes sense to do from 6,202 miles away), or by "liberating" the people we invade, even though we really just make everything worse for them. And heaven forbid you question the motives of the use of our military, or else you are obviously an unpatriotic Communist. This asshole is just more consistent in his approach to war. It's horrific, but it's the logical conclusion one must come to when they worship a god who said, "Happy is the one who seizes your (Babylon's) infants and dashes them against the rocks."

[Baruch]

Leftists ... pacifists?  Really?  Atheists ... pacifists?  Do tell?