A notorious peace activist, Adrian James Leason, currently awaiting trial in NZ was speaking at a conference in Auckland a while back. He had come up with a foolproof plan for bringing about world peace. He said it was simple: Husbands love your wives (presumably quoting Eph 5:25 and Col 3:19?). And then give them lots of sons. Then all those mothers' sons will grow up with mothers who do not want their sons to go to war and kill other mothers' sons. And so there will be no war.
Now although I could see possible practical difficulties with the plan I thought it really demonstrated how insane war really is. As I was looking at my daughter this morning I thought to myself, how can anyone send someone else's children to war? Why would anyone let someone send their children to war?
Adrian is causing controversy again this month by including his six yearold daughter in a protest march against the atrocity in Gaza (and here). For which he has been condemned by some, but I wonder by what right we keep our children at home unprotesting, while the world that they will inherit is increasingly consumed by war, hatred and greed? Just a thought.
For more about Ploughshares movement see here or even see their own website.
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I know what you are saying, it would kill me if my boys wanted to be in the army. I guess its my job to make sure they grow up understanding the futility of it all.
ReplyDeleteBut then we were never brought up to think war and fighting was good etc... but all my brother ever wanted to be was a soldier. And he was in the army for 4 years from only being 17! I look at 17 year olds now and can't believe at that age my brother could have been sent, and many mothers sons and daughters are sent, into action at that age. I don't know how my mum got through those years, especially when he was posted to Kuwait for a few weeks.
I would not want any of my children to go to war, but I'm not convinced that some of them won't just choose it on their own. I really just don't think that Leason's plan would work - not only from a logistics perspective either. Human nature abhors peace - just look at children. No amount of positive modelling will change it either.
ReplyDeleteWe are lost without God changing our lives.
I also don't think that it is appropriate that children are included in the protest marches. It's not just dress-ups.
OK, so Leason's 'plan' was at least in part a joke, but why shouldn't children protest if they have convictions about an issue? Don't they have right to voice their opinions? Children of political activists are probably more informed than the average voter about the issues they are protesting dont you think? Can you give me a reason why children shouldn't be allowed to protest?
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