WWJD?
WHAT WOULD JESUS DO???

BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS: FOR THEY SHALL BE CALLED THE CHILDREN OF GOD.    MATTHEW 5: 9

Ye have heard it hath been said, AN EYE FOR AN EYE, AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil, but whosever shall smite thee on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.  					MATTHEW 5:38-39

And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples and said, "Blessed be ye poor: for your's is the kingdom of God. Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh. Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake. Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in like manner did their fathers unto the prophets. But woe unto you, that are rich! for ye have received your consolation. Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep. Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! so did their fathers to the false prophets.

But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat also. Give to every man that asketh of thee: and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again. And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them. And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same. And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind to the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye merciful, as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive and ye shall be forgiven: Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again."  				          	 LUKE 6: 20-38

Ye have heard it hath been said, THOU SHALT LOVE THY NEIGHBOUR, AND HATE THINE ENEMY. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not the publicans do the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.                   MATTHEW 5: 43-48

When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on the right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick? or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungered, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.  				    	     MATTHEW 25: 31-46

Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence." 						 		JOHN 18: 36

And Jesus answered and said unto them, "Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. And then shall many be offended and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that endures unto the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then the end shall come."  MATT.  24: 4-14

For he that said, DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, said also, DO NOT KILL. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. 									 		 JAMES 2:11 

Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. ...  But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving you own selves.     			  JAMES 1:19-20, 22

	I originally wrote this following the events on September 11, 2001 but current events warrant an update. With the whole world watching and waiting, President Bush presses forward with his showdown with Saddam. If Bush decides to attack it will mark a drastic turn around in U.S. foreign policy,  as the U.S. becomes the aggressor  nation, threatening or attacking any nation it sees or defines as a threat. Just the suggestion that the U.S. would attack on its own, if it can not arm-twist other nations into supporting a war, is sending chills throughout the world. This policy can never be defended as a policy ordained by God. Before war has even broke out,"the New York Times reported that many religious bodies have passed resolutions against the war. This list includes the Episcopal, Evangelical Lutheran, Presbyterian and African Methodist Episcopal churches as well as the United Church of Christ, the National Council of Churches and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (War Times, October/November 2002, page 1)." Traditional churches associated with the peace movement have also come out against raging a war against Iraq. This war is not a war to defend U.S. soil but a war to: settle old grudges; benefit the U.S. military machine and complex; benefit large corporations and give the U.S. further control over the world's oil supply.

	September 11, 2001 was a horrible tragic act, carried out on American soil but similar acts have been carried out around the world, by the likes of the U.S. and other governments, freedom fighters and terrorists (the label changes but the results are the same: death/destruction). God does not bless the U.S. response, contrary to all the signs we see in windows, in advertisements, or no matter how many times you hear someone say it on television. War doesn't decide who's right, war only decides who's left. Why do we kill people, who killed people, to show people, that killing people is wrong?

	This is not a 'just war', as some churches would have their followers believe, it seems all sides claim God is on their side: is God divided? Many of these same churches actively oppose the taking of innocent lives through abortion but support wars which do the same. This is probably not the war to end all wars, the U.S. alone has been involved in well over a hundred wars/ conflicts in its short history. Christians are called upon to be Christ-like, and Jesus taught non-violent pacifism. The present war on terrorism which is seeing the wrath of man being unleashed upon others, is based on the human thirst for blood, domination, oil, self-interest and greed: not on the scriptures. Terrorism is bred in poverty, hopelessness, injustice, domination by others, and occupation; it can only be stopped by examining our country's policies, developing alternative fuels, repentance on the part of Christians and actively seeking/ supporting a 'just world' for all. The war in Afghanistan has taken the lives of thousands of innocent children, women and men; either as a direct result of our bombing; or indirectly, as refugees fled the bombing only to end up in camps with inadequate housing, sanitation and food.  Thousands more have been injured or made homeless. In Iraq, 1million innocent people have died as a result of U.S. supported sanctions since the end of the Gulf War. U.S. supports Sharon of Israel, who is facing trial for 1982 war crimes in Lebanon; and the U.S. has to share responsibility for the escalating violence. This is a war without end; it will never end terrorism but only increase the cycle of violence. Bush can not deliver 'Infinite Justice', only God can.

	So do what Jesus would do: become a voice for peace, adopt a non-violence stance and become a conscientious objector. Feed the hungry, quench those that thirst, take in the stranger, clothe the naked, visit the sick and those in prison. Remember, it is harder for a rich man to enter heaven than a poor man (America is very rich, while much of the world is poverty-stricken: I often wonder if God really Blesses America or if Satan has blinded America). In Revelations, it talks about the seven churches, and only the two churches that are poor/ suffering receive praise/ encouragement; while the five other churches receive warnings. So if you believe our actions on this earth are what will determine where we spend eternity, do WWJD. 

	Many organizations, including Christian ones, are speaking out and actively finding ways to make a difference. To see how you can become involved use an Internet search engine, type in: Mennonites, Friends, Women in Black, peace churches, peace, peace movement, peace organizations, antiwar movement, social justice, etc. Headlines from around the world at: www.antiwar.com. Also look at www.warresisters.org.  A new organization, Military Families Speak Out, is voicing its opposition to a war in Iraq, check out: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MilitaryFamiliesSpeakOut or their website: http://www.mfso.org.
	
Feel free to reprint this and use my contact info or put yours in its place. 

Jeff McKenzie