Is Retaliation Against Possible Attack A Justified Holy War Tactic?

The Headline is: “Trump goes back to bombing Iran as deal implodes”. Honestly, it’s not at all surprising. The question is, “Was it ‘right?'” Was it actually retaliation? Was it justified? And from an administration that’s constantly showing off, talking about, or otherwise bringing out claims of being so very Christian- were the actions really Christ-like? Were they in line with what Jesus taught His followers?

Of course, the answer to all those questions is, “It depends”.

I know, it’s a lot of “it depends”. But let’s look anyway, because it matters.

It’s not like the U.S. is going to change anything. I know that.

The thing is, each of those questions requires an answer. And each answer is a choice we have to make, as Christians – true Christians that actually try to follow what Jesus said under the New Covenant. Eventually, all those answers may end up determining your eternal residence.

If you’re not Christian, I get it. You don’t care. And that’s your God-given right.

But if you really want to be a Christ following Christians, those answers really do matter. They matter for you. And they matter to every person who watches you and follows your example to get their own idea of what a Christian should be like. For their sake, I hope they choose someone who truly does follow the New Testament.//New Covenant.

What happened to cause a retaliation?

The headline from The Daily Beast was: Trump goes back to bombing Iran as deal implodes.

And what were the details? Check them out from the article.

✏️ “Targets included missile launch sites and Iranian boats attempting to emplace mines. U.S. Central Command continues to defend our forces while using restraint during the ongoing ceasefire.”

The strikes come just hours after Trump said negotiations with Iran were “proceeding nicely.”

“It will only be a Great Deal for all or, no Deal at all—Back to the Battlefront and shooting, but bigger and stronger than ever before—And nobody wants that!,” he wrote on Truth Social.

On Saturday, Trump claimed that a peace agreement had been “largely negotiated” between the United States, Iran and other countries, but it remained subject to finalization.

The Daily Beast

Here are the potential issues with those details.

• We’ve been told before that mines were possible. That ships were blown up while placing mines. Even that mines were in place. And yet, there are also statements that no mines are in place. Is there a truth issue here – or just no idea what’s really happening?
• This is not the first time the U.S. has bombed Iran while negotiations were presumably going well. This is not normal behavior – bombing while successfully negotiating a deal that’s almost complete.
• “A Great Deal for all – pr no Deal at all”. That’s impossible, when the Great Deal means the U.S. gets everything it wants – and Iran gets nothing. That not peace negotiation – it’s complete unconditional surrender.
• How did we go from largely negotiated to bombing?

Why am I writing about this?

As I wrote, what I write won’t change U.S. policy. I know that.

By writing this, I’m also not making any assessment of the danger or lack of danger from Iran or any other country. That’s the job of our leaders.

However, this is not a theocracy. There is, although disputed, language about separation of church and state in the First Amendment to the Constitution: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

It all gets to be of paramount importance for every individual who wants to truly follow Jesus.

As such, if our Rules of Engagement put procedures in place that are to be followed without question – that has an impact on our view of Christianity. Why? Because this administration puts its view of Christianity front and center in so many things, especially when it comes to attacking people/countries we disagree with.

From the top on down, one must follow those rules – or be fired. Maybe even called a traitor. Certainly, lied about. For instance, if you don’t agree with what’s happening, you’re labelled as wanting Iran to have nuclear weapons so they can attack us.

And here’s my issue with that. As a Christian, there’s so much our country does that I believe is against what Jesus taught. At the same time, so is much of what other countries do. This is a fallen world. There’s no getting around that. Bad stuff happens. But – I do have a problem when leaders decide how Christianity should be practiced – and then proceed to wage war and claim it’s the Christian thing to do – that Jesus not only is OK with it but condones and even says it’s our responsibility to participate.

What if the Rules of Engagement were set by God?

What if the government built an AI console for the war department?

All the rules of engagement from above are in place. The system is told to launch a retaliation attack. But the system refuses to do so.

How can this happen?

Well, let’s put Jesus into the equation here. But in a very different way.

What if God literally takes over control of the system? Replace the artificial intelligence with the absolute intelligence of an all-knowing, all-powerful God with perfect love.

The war department has been doing things in God’s name.

But what if God finally says – enough!

Do you think that can’t happen?

Most people probably don’t. But I refuse to put God in a box. Refuse to believe we can do anything at all that He cannot undo, prevent, or in whatever fashion He chooses, ensure that His will is done – at the right time. So, consider the lines below. I can argue that every one of the highlighted commandments has been violated by our military – as well as any other who claims to be acting in God’s name.

I believe I could highlight the other two as well, although they may be a bit tenuous. If the parents don’t believe in God, then dishonoring them may very well not be an issue. As far as the Sabbath goes, once a war is started, it’s not likely that everyone’s going to stop fighting every seventh day.

But still – aren’t the others enough? Don’t they make you think? Worry about your eternal future?

Do you want to be on the wrong side of this gathering before Jesus?

If not, maybe reflect on what will happen to you in this scenario:

What do you think?

I don’t like to end with this kind of thought. And yet, sometimes it seems this kind of thing is needed for a wakeup call. I feel, this is one of those times.

Given all of this, where will your stance on this issue put you? Will you be with the sheep enjoying eternal life with Jesus? Or will you be with the goats suffering eternal punishment?

Final Analysis: Is Retaliation Against a Possible Attack a Justified Holy War Tactic?

No. Retaliation against a possible attack is neither retaliation nor holy. It is preemptive violence, and nothing in the New Covenant supports it.