The book of Joshua describes the Israelites as they invade the Promised Land and take control of it. One of the significant aspects of the book of Joshua is the portrayal of God as the one who makes the invasion and conquest possible (Josh 1:2-9; 6:2). In other words, it is because God is on the side of the Israelites and because the Israelites put their trust in God that they are successful in taking over the land from the other people already living there.
Particularly after 9/11, there has been a renewed nationalism in the United States, a mindset espoused by many that the United States will prevail over evil because we are a Christian nation, united under God. When President Bush declared war on Iraq he gained a great deal of support by playing into this mindset, and in some sense perpetuating it. All of the "Middle East" was defined as the "axis of evil," Suddam Hussein was portrayed as the devil incarnate, and ordinary citizens became even more wary of anyone with dark hair and dark skin. Anyone of Middle Eastern descent, real or imagined, became the target of scrutiny. Headlines splattered newspapers and magazines indicating that the USA would win this war not because of our military power, but because as a nation we trust in God to be on our side. In other words, God's name is invoked as a synonym for security.
Our topic this week in class has been the historical context of the Bible. We have discussed the geography and the history, and we have seen that, according to the Bible, the Promised Land was given by God and secured by God. It is only after many generations of unfaithfulness that the people were exiled from their land.
When we think of these two ideas in tandem, it is possible to see how many people could believe that because the US is a "Christian nation" we will win the war in Iraq. The questions to ponder are these: Is God on our side? Are we a Christian nation? Can the Bible be used to support our presence in Iraq? Why or why not?
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I believe that God created everyone in His own image, and loves us all equally. He doesn't love any one person or any one nation more than another. He does however expect us to live by His commands, and I believe that those who choose not to believe in Him or live by His commands have stepped out from under the grace of God. Now obviously all Americans are not living by His commands, so when considering us as a nation, I believe that if our leader is living by those commands, then yes God is on our side. As far as us being a Chritian nation, I feel that is where our nation began, and selfishness and hatred has corrupted that, but thank God for a Christian president! I have a hard time the idea of war for any reason, so I'm not sure if I believe the Bible can be used to support our presence in Iraq.
I guess it all depends on if a person really believes in a God. If one believes in a God they should follow in the steps God set out. However, I do not think we should be fighting in religion. I think people should believe what they want to believe, and others should not sit and tell others what to believe or preach. I think once back when we were a Christian nation, but now a days we are mostly based on reality and no one knows if God is real, and people chose what they want or not want to believe. I think society wants more actual facts. It is kind of like the saying, "seeing is believing." I think many think that if they see God, they will believe in him.
For the most part I do believe we are predominantly a Christian nation even though we practice the freedom of religion. However,in regards to the war with Iraq,the question of "Is God on our side" is irrelevant i believe. War is not widely accepted by the people, so then how can God accept it? I can understand support for the troops, but not the reasons to battle. That is why I don’t not think God is on our side nor Iraq’s side. The book of Joshua does a great job on highlighting the concept of trust in God as he trusts in you. With that statement, God is on the side of those who keep Him close to their hearts.
To answer to the question "is God On our side?" is the most disturbing question that i some ask myself and i find it to be irrelevant because the bible says that He created all human being equal. He doesn't take the side of ones and leave others for that He loves everybody the same way. when He created His world, there were no christian. no jews, no muslim but we were just human, male and female. I always ask myself when i'm competing in any competition, what is the prayer of my competitor? is he or she praying God for the same position as i do? Is God going to let Him or Her take the place that i'm asking? I can not dare say if i win that prize that it is because i'm more precious in front of God than my competitor. I believe that it is destiny or more God's will that USA won the war in Iraq as it was for God's will that USA did not win the Vietnamese war.GOD'S WILL
I think God is on a side in this war. I believe that God is in favor of wars. There are always wars in the Bible. I think God creates these wars to test Christians strenght and obediance. He also looks over us Christians during these wars and brings us to safety. This nation was founded on Christian beliefs. However, I think we have strayed away from that. Many of the things this nation does would not please God. We are weeding God out of everything and this will come back to hurt us. A good example is the Ten Commandments being removed from public place. I'm not so sure the Bible supports this war because I don't really know that much about the Bible. However, I do think if we go to war for the right reasons that God does support us.
I believe that God is "on the side" of those who put their trust in Him. However, by claiming that God is on our side as a nation or that we are "favored" often leads us to think we are better than others. The truth is we are not collectively a Christian nation anymore, we are a nation of a variety of cultures and religions that must learn to hold eachother in equally high esteem. As for President Bush's playing into the mindset that we will prevail over evil because we are a Christian nation united under God.. I wouldn't be so bold.
I don't think there can be such a thing as a "Christian" nation. No sooner does somebody set out to create one then they show how "unChristian" they are. When people say "Christian" nation, I actually think of Geneva when it was ruled by the Calvinists -- ruled by fear and tyranny. There was no "love" or "mercy" for those with the wrong theology in that city, or anywhere in Christian europe for that matter.
No. States govern with force, and as soon as you act with force to govern a community, the "Christian" part evaporates. Forgiveness is great for the soul, but it's impractical in politics or the legal system. And I'm not even so sure that God really was on the side of the ancient Hebrews as much as they thought. They kept getting so much of it wrong -- and he still stuck with them.
I do believe God is on our side if you are a true believer and trust in God as your savior. He grants us his grace if we truly believe in him. But when it comes to a nation i think that God doesn't favor certain places. I do believe that having a christian president does help a lot though because he knows what the bible says and what He should be doing to glorify God. And i believe that the bible can help us in any situation because its Gods word to us and his teachings.
I don't think that God is on any side in the war. I think that if he had it his way there probably wouldn't be a war or any wars. I know that there are wars in the Bible, but I don't think there is any place in the Bible that says God is in favor of war. I think that war is just us sining like we always do. If God wanted to destroy people I think that he would just do it himself. I do agree that Suddam Hussein needed to be stopped, but I think that it is time we left. They obviously don't want us there.
In regards to this topic I agree with Manga when he or she said that God created us all as equals. Therefore, I do not feel God chooses sides because ultimately he is going to do what he wants. This does not mean we should lose faith in God, though, but just be aware that God is going to do what he feels right. Using the bible to describe our presence in Iraq is ridiculous. God wants us to love our neighbor. There may be wars talked about in the bible, but no where does is specifically say that God wants us to go to war. I feel since it does not say anything that we are sinning and sinning is not something the bible supports. So...we cannot say that the bible was supporting the decision we made to go to war in Iraq.
In regards to this topic I agree with Manga when he or she said that God created us all as equals. Therefore, I do not feel God chooses sides because ultimately he is going to do what he wants. This does not mean we should lose faith in God, though, but just be aware that God is going to do what he feels right. Using the bible to describe our presence in Iraq is ridiculous. God wants us to love our neighbor. There may be wars talked about in the bible, but no where does is specifically say that God wants us to go to war. I feel since it does not say anything that we are sinning and sinning is not something the bible supports. So...we cannot say that the bible was supporting the decision we made to go to war in Iraq.
i don't know if God really has "sides" all the time. we are talking about The Lord "which through all things are possible". Nothing is ever black and white with him. If i have to answer the question though, i believe that as long as we believe in the Lord, love him and have faith in him, he will always be on our side. that doesn't mean he is not on anyone else's side or that he will always agree with our actions. but he will always be there for us whenever we need him.
In my opinion, this is definetely a hard topic to discuss. I know for me I feel like God is with me but there are also others where is against me. I think that we are not a Christian nation at all. We all believe what we believe but unlike God we have imperfections, it's what makes us human. I don't really that that the Bible could be use to support our presence in Iraq because no one wants to be in war in the first place. Thou shall not murder and go against thy neightbor, and yet this happens because it's out of our control. No matter what happens, there will always be a war somewhere because somehow we ended up hating our neighbors then loving them.
I don’t think God really picks a side because the Bible says he loves everyone no matter what. Also, he will forgive those who ask for it someday. Even though I think we are mainly a Christian nation, I think that God could decide or have already planned that we will lose the war in Iraq. I don’t like to think we will lose, but it is still a possibility. I believe that God could choose for us to lose because bad things happen to good people (Christians) all the time. He may want us to lose to learn something from it. Just because we have a lot of Christians in the US doesn’t mean that God will choose us to win the war. I don’t know if the Bible supports our presence in Iraq because I was confused about how God took a side in the invasion in the book of Joshua.
I know that many Christians in the United States believe in the God, however, I don’t think that the United States is not a Christian Nation. I think that it is a nice think that people have their own beliefs. However, this idea could be dangerous, because I felt that it contains exclusive opinions. If the God is on the side of the Untied States, all of other countries against the United States can be considered as the “axis o evil”. That means the United States is always right, and other countries need to support what the Unites States did. I think it is strange.
I would say based on the Bible God is on our side. But I don’t know if I believe that. Most of the Middle East is Muslim and they also believe that their God is on their side. So which side is he really on? I don’t know if he picks sides at all.
I looked the number percentage of Christians in the United States. Wikipedia says “76.7% of American adults identified themselves as Christian.” The majority of the US is Christian but I don’t think that necessarily makes us a Christian nation. Many people come here to live from all over the world so I look at the US as a melting pot.
I don’t think can use the Bible to support our presence in Iraq. I think too many people want to use the Bible as a way out so they don’t look responsible for what they think or what they do. Some people think homosexuality is wrong, and their reason for think its wrong is because “The Bible says it’s wrong.” Well there are also things the Bible says that society chooses not to follow. As for Iraq, I don’t think we should use the Bible as an excuse for our presence in Iraq.
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