{{2009_06_18_t1.jpg}} {{2009_06_18_t2.jpg}} {{2009_06_18_t3.jpg}} [[http://www.jesusnetwork.eu/de/doku.php/jn_de_2009_06_18|Deutsche Version]] [[Start|| Wiki Start]] [[topics_collection_i|| Topics Collection i ]] ======Police and Military Rules.====== Thursday, June 18, 2009. What tools should we use to work within this world for as much peace and prosperity as possible? This is a basic and important question for every society and for every individual within it. Should we support police forces? Should we support military forces? What about the rules for military operations? There are natural conflicts of ethics arising whenever we take responsibility serious in an environment of crime! {{2009_06_18.jpg }} One of the basic observations about our world is that evil exists. Evil is there in the form of individuals or groups carrying out crimes. Murder, theft and war is there. War is not only just, but it is a war of terror and suppression. It is a matter of fact that even the most civilized societies suffer from events of kidnapping and neglect, abuse and violence on various levels. I do not want to discuss whether individuals or groups ARE evil, whether we all are evil. But on a practical level we need to make decisions, what ever we think about the underlying causes and reasons. What are the rules we want to operate. How do we want to set up our societies such that we keep the evil under control, with as much freedom as possible. Police forces and the monopoly of the state to use physical force is extremely important. What about military? The threats of terrorism have shown that military is an important ingredient of peace and security. But how should soldiers operate? Are they allowed to torture an individual to gain access to particular information? What if this information might help to save many others? But what if you get into such a system innocent? Do you want to be tortured to release information which you do not have? I am convinced that we should be different. We need to be different - as a civilized society and more than that as Christians, since Jesus is different. But I have never experienced the cruelty of war, have never been exposed to murder and death in such a way. So how would I react when faced with unbelievable crimes? Could I stand and be strong in the Lord, bearing the load of suffering? Bearing the responsibility? I have deep sympathy for the conflict which all those people experience who are in charge for military operations everywhere on this planet. [R.W.E.P., jesusnetwork.eu] {{ 2009_06_18_2.jpg}} [[http://www.jesusnetwork.eu/en/doku.php/topics_collection_i|... more texts]]