I strongly disagree with the right to carry armed weapons. The sole purpose of a gun is to kill. Some may say it's for "protection" but I don't believe them. The WMD distribution and use has gone out of control. Counties in civil war such as Sudan and Darfur and constantly in a war over power. The use WMD to combat their opponents. The church stands by the Just War Theory. But I could not find anything more hypocritical than the Jus ad Bellum. So it's okay for the church to go to war if it's for a JUST cause. What constitutes a "Just" cause? Jesus taught us to forgive and turn the other cheek. Not make a list of justifying war. Jesus was a pacifist. Sure, not all politicians will agree that we should turn the other cheek, but the church should certainly stand by their teachings.
Nonviolent resolution is the solution. Look at the African American Civil Rights protest in the 1960s. They stressed nonviolent resolution. Even though the white police men hosed them down, beat them, and even assassinated their beloved MLK, the African Americans never instigated a war. The Civil Rights movement was more like a war than anything. They were lynched, beaten, enslaved, and discriminated against in every possible way. Why can't the church learn from the past? Why is the option to go to war still an issue. While the teachings of the church are pure, it is corrupt.
We should stress the Culture of Life. People in war should not take life lightly. After all, your life is a gift from God. Why can't we be thankful for the life we have and not focus of taking the life of another. The church should be opposed to war more than any being on this earth.
I can make a difference by starting small. I am completely against war. I want to live out the Culture of Life in my own life. By starting small, like in my own school, I can make a difference. Whether it may be protesting the war or challenging the Just War Theory, I want to make an active difference in the world.
