Philosophical Paper

As Christians today we are faced with many ethical issues living in our society. Every time we turn on the TV to watch the news, pick up a newspaper and read the headlines, or read a magazine about world issues we can see situations happening in this world that challenge our morals and ethics. It is our duty as Christians to know what we believe and where we stand so we can back up our beliefs and try to interact with this world as morally correct as possible. There are some situations that we have no control over that appear ethically wrong to us and there is not much we can do if anything at all. At the same time there are things that we can do to try and reach people in some situations. It is our job to know the difference and stand up where we can but not force our own morals and ethical principles on everyone we come in contact with.

One issue that is very prevalent in the world today and all through out the history or the earth is the issue or war and combatancy. Now as Christians we know the bible says, "Thou shall not kill," but is this issue really that simple? If we just took that stance and said that as Christians we shouldn't go to war then our country and the world we live in would suffer. Let me get something straight right now before I go into this topic, I do not like war; I think it is an ugly thing, and I wish there would not be any more wars on this earth for the rest of its existence. But the fact of the matter is that there is war, there always was war and there will always be war until the second coming of Jesus Christ. War has become a way of life, it was not God's original plan, but because of the entrance of sin into our universe, war was created. The first war we know of was a war in heaven between Satan and his angles and Jesus and His angels. All throughout the old testament we see the Israelites, God's people, lead by God, going to war to obtain the land that God had promised to them. War is real and has become a necessity.

Just because war is here does not mean that it is an ok thing to do. War came about as a result of sin; with the beginning of sin there was the beginning of war. War has become a necessary means to get by in a sinful world. To protect the peace and the free way of living that we enjoy here in America, sometimes, we must go to war. As members of society we owe a duty to our country to defend it and uphold the principles on which it was built. So if we go to war to protect our principles and what we stand for then I believe it is our duty to get involved. I am not saying just go to war for any reason we see fit, but have it as a last resort, when the other person leaves us no choice. For example, Desert Storm, we had to take action against Iraq and Sadam because he left us no choice. If everyone who was a Christian decided that war was wrong and didn't fight, then we would have lost the war. As Christians, I believe it is our duty to try to avoid war, but when it become necessary we must take action. Even though we might not desire to be out on the front lines with the people who are actually doing the killing and combat, we must support our country. We can take roles in the army as non-combatance if it is necessary for us to actually go out to war, but whatever we do it is our duty to our country to show support and be involved so we can make sure that the war is just for what is necessary and not taken out of hand. You see, if we stay out of war then our country and way of living will be threatened all together, but most of us do not wish to go in headfirst and kill everyone who opposes us. We just find a median where we can help control what is going on and seek the best possible outcome for the world in which we live in.

The next topic that we will discuss is the Christian's involvement in matters relating to the division of church and state and religious liberty. I believe that a separation between church and state is a necessary thing to have in the world today. As Christians I think it is important for us to get involved in our government and try to influence it as much as possible, without forcing our opinion on everyone, so we can have a better more moral society. It is important for us to be involved in the government so that we can preserve our religious liberty and freedom. I don't think however that the government should be run by the church or the church by the government. If the church ran the government then it would be claiming that all of their actions are ok because they are the church and their directions came directly from God. We would have a society like back in the middle ages when the government was ruled over by the papacy. People would go out on Holy Wars and make claims for God that are really just their claims but they force on God. It would give other surrounding nations and countries the wrong picture and idea of God.

I believe that it is our duty as Christians to stay involved in the government so we can keep it free for everyone to worship the way they want. Its important that we do not get so involved as to force our beliefs on other people of different religious backgrounds. It is important for us to keep our government free from meddling in our and everyone else's religions and provide religious liberty and freedom for everyone.

In dealing with racism, discrimination, and other social injustices I believe it is our duty as Christians to stomp them down with all of our effort. One of the fundamentals of Christianity is to love your neighbor as yourself. This is a commandment that came straight from Jesus' mouth himself. As Christians we are here to act like the model that Jesus Christ gave us, and if he said to treat everyone the same because we are all made with the love of God, then that is something that we should do and stand up for. I believe that it is our obligation to stop racism discrimination and other social injustices when we see them happening to others in our community. This is an issue that I believe that we should put a lot of effort into stopping, not to the point of force, but very close.

When we see someone treating a person of another race, nationality, or creed wrongly it is our duty and obligation to step in and put it to a stop. This is a lesson that we must teach everyone that we come in contact with and demonstrate it to everyone who crosses our path. If there is something going on in our community of this nature and we know about it we should step in and try as much as we can to put a stop to it. This is something that should not be tolerated in such a culturally diverse nation in which we live. For example, if we know of a person who runs a business and treats people of a different race or nationality worse just because they are different then they are I think, as a Christian, we should confront that person