“When Love Draws the Sword”

The battle of words, and of a very important idea, continues to wage between the Pope (a well-known theologian) and Donald Trump (a…um…lesser theologian). But who is on the correct side of the debate? The veteran…or the novice? And what is “Just War Theory” anyway?

Here’s a story that I found helpful, adapted from another well-known theologian you may have heard of.

“A man and his family were going down from Tehran to Jericho when they fell in among Iranian tyrants, who stripped them, beat the father, and threatened to rape the mother and torture the children, as they had so many other families in the previous days. 

Now by chance, as the evil men were committing this atrocity, a pope and his many cohorts were going down that road, and when they saw them, they passed by on the other side, saying, ‘Violence is not the answer. God is not on the side of those who wield the sword.’

But then a man named Donald, as he journeyed, came to where they were, and when he saw the atrocities being committed, and heard the cries of the oppressed being so badly harmed by the Islamic Regime of Death, he had compassion.

He went to them, drew his sword, and slew the robbers, as David had slain Goliath of old. 

And the family rejoiced with a great rejoicing, for the enemy of their souls was no more.” 

And so I ask, which of these two, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the family who fell among the psychotic, murderous Islamic regime?  The people answered, "The man who showed them mercy."

And Jesus said to them, “You go and do likewise.”

The End.

(adapted from Luke 10:30-37)