Doug said, "Not all peacemakers are Christians, but all Christians should be peacemakers." We all agreed that while it is a struggle, it's worth the struggle to try come to terms with this timeless principle. Personal, deep reflection is required of those who desire to know their hearts.
Doug asked us "How do you take the whole council of God and find answers?" We all seem to draw our line in the sand in different places. Some of us would never own a gun. Some of us said we would fight if provoked. But we all realized , I think, that it is complicated and it is personal and we can only look within ourselves to find what we ourselves are comfortable with. One never knows what life may bring and how one might react. But it is important to think about the peace testimony and put it into proper perspective with what is our essential belief in Christ. We must embrace Christ's message and live at peace with everyone whenever we can. Doug reminded us that this is a clear call from scripture.
So the question remains, "How do we carry out the peace testimony?" We talked about WWII, William Penn's Holy Experiment, slavery and the Civil War. "How do you stand up for one brother without harming another?" It's just not as simple as we might like to think it is. We talked about defending your Country, defending youtr family or your faith. How far is to far, and how do you know?
It is very interesting and a very deep and troubling subject. It's hard to think about these things because it can be uncomfortable and upsetting. But I think, in the end we all clearly understood that as Quakers we are Christians at heart and that being a peacemaker naturally follows that calling.
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