An Eye for an Eye (WWI - part 2)

There cannot be a war unless there are people willing to fight! When WWI first broke out, there were plenty of volunteers to send to the 'frontlines', willing to fight for their country.

But there were some who 'objected' to the war, and refused to fight as they believed it was wrong. These men were called 'conscientious objectors' and were often accused of being cowards. Many people were angry with conscientious objectors, as their brothers, sons, fathers and uncles were fighting and being killed or injured in the trenches. They felt it was unfair that some men stayed at home where it was safe and had nothing to do with the war. Sometimes conscientious objectors were handed white feathers, as a sign of cowardice.

There were many different reasons why people objected to the war and refused to fight. One of the reasons was because of their religious beliefs.

Is it ever right to fight?

The Bible tells us that God will take revenge against our enemies, so we must not. We are to be peaceful and be kind to our enemies. (Romans 12:17-21).

But there is a difference between revenge and justice. Our God is a just God. And we are to be just too. We are told that 'to do what is right and just is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.' (Proverbs 21:3) and that when justice is done, it brings joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers. (Proverbs 21:15).

The Bible also says that we should "defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked." (Psalm 82:3-4)

Imagine you are playing with your friends and some other children come along and start throwing stones at you. They're all around you, so you can't run to get help from a grown-up.

Do you ...

(a) Stand still and let them hurt you and your friends?
(b) Try and stop them from throwing stones at you, even if it means fighting back?

Now imagine that the naughty children have run out of stones to throw.

Do you ...

(a) Throw stones at them to show them how much they hurt you?
(b) Run and tell a grown-up so that they can be punished?

Finally, imagine the naughty children have been punished by a grown-up.

Do you ...

(a) Ignore them, because they are not very nice children.
(b) Give them some of your chocolate, to help them feel better.

There are times when it is right to defend yourself. But we should never take revenge; a punishment needs to be fair. And we need to forgive, and be kind to people who have not been kind to us, because this is showing God's love. This can be HARD! We need to ask God to help us.

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In WWI tanks, planes and chemical weapons were used for the first time. You can read about them here. 

Technology has changed a lot over 100 years. How many differences you can spot between this WWI plane and a modern fighter jet?

http://www.ctie.monash.edu.au/hargrave/images/nieuport_11_03_750.jpg

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrM118nJOZebUSZFGPxaITi9Ylj4jNTNcRznHewT6PS7HPDt4qbZhQz6BOY26Rq4-sQmTvHE_wGLAvAgiwVRf6rkKbgkOmUlLTwG804DvG8LmFF0A0jfUHBpH5o_J0fQ5bp764A1JqoJtv/s1600/rafale-fighter-jet-2.jpg

Why don't you ask a grown up to find some stinky things for you to smell, such as spices, medicines (TCP, AfterBite), garlic, vinegar, or daddy's socks (tee hee!)? Perhaps you could make a gas mask, like my son did ... !