I'd like to pose a question...
Of the two (War and Hell), which is worse?
I have recently been inclined to say War is worse. I know that probably sounds loony but hear me out. Watching an episode of M*A*S*H recently I heard a quote that immediately hit me and hasn't left me since. Read the following dialog between Frank, Hawkeye and Father Mulcahy.
Frank: War is Hell.
Hawkeye: War isn't Hell. War is war, and Hell is Hell. And of the two, war is a lot worse.
Father Mulcahy: How do you figure, Hawkeye?
Hawkeye: Easy, Father. Tell me, who goes to Hell?
Father Mulcahy: Sinners, I believe.
Hawkeye: Exactly. There are no innocent bystanders in Hell. War is chalk full of them - little kids, cripples, old ladies. In fact, except for some of the brass, almost everybody involved is an innocent bystander.
Now, the little quip at the end about 'brass' lightens the mood, but think about it. It's so true. As Christians, and humans for that matter, shouldn't we be afraid of hell? The more I think about it, I'm inclined to think I am more afraid of War.
I honestly don't know exactly what I think...
I guess the thought is moot considering I shouldn't worry about going to Hell, but still. I'd love to hear other opinions on this....if anyone still reads it.
2 comments:
One thing I found interesting in the M.A.S.H. dialogue is that Father Mulcahy doesn't respond. I don't know if they were just trying to make war look meaner or what their intent was, but it's kind of like asking a guy in a casino which addiction is worse, gambling or alcohol. I think they are both very bad addictions, but the addict in the casino is going to say gambling.
As far as my opinion about innocent bystanders in war, read Joshua 8:1-29.
I think that if God is giving His Son to save us from something (Hell), it is probably a pretty bad place. It should probably be feared more than anything that any man could do to us on Earth.
(begin sarcasm)It also says in Joshua that I can stone someone for sinning against the Lord. Should I assume then that I can do that?
(end sarcasm)
I don't know that the situation in Joshua is the same as they are today. Today it's hard to say that wars are caused by the same things and the men fighting them are not the same as they were then. There isn't a closeness to God the way there was then. Regardless, I find it hard to support genocide, which is what happened in Joshua.
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