Where was God in the Great War?

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War is a terrible thing. It causes many more problems than it solves. I am a Christian and you may think that I believe that God was on the side of Britain and her Allies during World War One. After all, we won and we joined the war to defend poor little Belgium from the aggressive Germans. (That’s why my relatives joined the conflict with clear consciences.) But the Germans believed that they were justified in what they did too. German priests told soldiers that God was on their side and German soldiers had ‘Got mitt uns’ (God with us) on their belt buckles. So whose side was God on? Neither!!!

 

God didn’t want this futile, destructive, cruel war. He didn’t promote or support it, despite what clergymen and politicians told the people. Many people say that religion causes war, and it does in a way, but God doesn’t cause or want war. War is caused by selfishness (sin) - by man’s inability to live in harmony with each other. The Great War was a power struggle, as Germany tried to join the ‘power club’ of leading nations. She wanted what she saw other nations had and finally had the power to do it. Countries like Britain were very happy being ‘top dogs’ and didn’t want to concede. The Great War was a squabble of the European nations for control and all their empires got sucked into the conflict too. Britain was a super power because she had used her industrial and military might to conquer the world. She overpowered weaker nations, enslaving them and stealing from them. The British Empire is nothing to be proud of – we were (and are) bullies!! Power corrupts. War is caused by tribalism and selfishness, not God!

 

Today we have Jihadists, who think that they fight for Allah. In history Crusaders were told that they were fighting for Christ. No! GOD IS LOVE!! That is at the core of Jesus’ message on earth. God’s desire is that man should live in harmony and share the resources of this beautiful earth that he blessed us with. But we hoard wealth for ourselves, ignoring and exploiting the weak. Man without God’s help is selfish and that is what Jesus came to destroy. That selfishness (sin) separates us from a Holy God. Jesus died to break the barrier between man and God. If you invite him into your life and ask his Holy Spirit to be your guide and helper, he will. I know, because I’ve done it! We have to submit our own selfish desires to follow what God wants us to do. That is a daily choice, which I try to make with God’s help. I try to be loving and selfless, as God would want me to be. I try to follow Jesus’ example and I challenge you to do it too.

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My own personal opinion is that, although I am a pacifist at heart, I could take up arms against others who threatened those I love and who I believed were in the wrong. If we don't stand up against evil, then it will just grow stronger. I believe that war is a very last resort, when all negotiation has failed.

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If you have questions, please ask me      andybelseymodels@hotmail.com