Page:The Net of Faith.pdf/687



In the following I shall show how the military service is contrary to Christ. The authorities think that the best way to get rid of contrary things is through fighting or other forms of revenge and repulsion. Therefore they rise up against enemies with force, wage war against them, repay evil for evil, murder them in order to establish peace – this is the whole aim of the military service. And propaganda always runs ahead of the struggle saying, "this is not for our sake, but for God's sake." God knows this propaganda, and the people know it too, because, were it God's struggle, they would all be long-suffering, and accept inflictions. But the warriors' behavior shows that they are lying and that they are serving God falsely when they cannot stand a slander at home, while at the same time they take no thought of blasphemies against God.

But I have said that our Lord Jesus detests this behavior in his followers; he leaves it to the pagans and painted hypocrites in faith. But to his servants he gave a commandment to love their enemies and to do them good for evil deeds; to give In the Czech original, "sluz̄ebnost mec̄ova̍," i.e. the "servitude of the sword."

In the original, "na̍lepec," "something that is plastered over."

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