There's a pretty song by OwlCity called "The Meadow Lark". The story of the song is that two soldiers meet in a forest, point their guns at each other, then decide not to kill each other and leave. The song says this is Christ's command to "love your enemy", and showing the grace that Christ showed to you.

With the scenario itself, the problem doesn't come so much from them not killing each other as from both of them leaving. Neither of them surrendered, they made no truce to not take part in that war, or anything of the kind. They were both still soldiers, still at war, and each let the other go continue in this: in doing so each betrayed all they were fighting for, and placed their fellow soldiers if not their loved ones in the line of fire.

And then the claim that not killing an enemy in war is "loving your enemies": to say this one must not only say that killing is always wrong, one must specifically say that killing to save and protect life is wrong.
Even more than it is frowned upon in Scripture to avenge oneself, it is our vehemently established duty to avenge others; yet it is surprising how often people confuse these opposite principles. Blessing them that curse you is far from, if not the opposite of, blessing those that curse others. An enemy in war is in a way the farthest one can get from someone who is your personal enemy.

I wrote a short-story based on the OwlCity song - be warned, as a story of war, it is graphic.



And here's the song, for the curious:


2023/04/29 #sabbathposts