"But who is my brother?"

If you ever have the chance to read Fear's Empire by Benjamin Barbour, do it. This is an exerpt i found interesting. But the whole book really is worth your time...
love, anna

"In our fear of anarchy, we are actually returned to the anarchic state of nature that was fear's first true empire. There we feel obliged to abjure the law and rely on force and fraud alone; putting aside alliances and depending on ourselves; trading in the sicil and lawful liberty acquired through democratic citizenship for that treadbare "natural liberty" that gives us the right to do waht we can, to kill each other in the name of self preservation. We are drawn back into a war of all against all, and if not all then all percieved "enemies." The list grows and grows: Iraq today, the "axis of evil" with North Korea and Iran included tomorrow; Sudan, Syria, Indonesia, and Pakistan next week, Malaysia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Somolia, and the Philippines next yaer. In the state of nature there are finally no friends... Now independent states constitute among themselves a new global "natrural condition," defined by anarchy, force, and fraud. Independent states are as insecure with respect ot one another as individuals once were in teh state of nature. But what was clear for human relations within nation states has been far harder to grasp for internation relations. Nations are deluded by their nominal independence (for this is the paradox of independence) into thinking that they have neither need of nor duty to one another." -pp.93

I've been thinking about this book and it's meaning for an ethics class i'm taking and it's raised some interesting questions for me. I think now is the time when our Christian Ethic comes in as especially important. In todays world no other ethic (save perhaps Islam, ironically) has any more direct a call to lay down arms and be vulnerable to our enemies. As believers in a soverign Lord we no longer have the right to protect ourselves. Others, always must be in our care, but more and more I do not know whether violence or murder or any sort can be condoned by the ethical system, the faith, that is Christianity. Murky waters abound when it comes to protecting the weak, because that is obviously part of our call in Christ, but i am loathe to claim violence toward any entity is warranted. If we believe the Lord is soverign and has called us to love our enemies, we can no longer kill them. It is quite simple when considered in this way, though its everyday application is much gray-er. We believe in a soverign Lord, but we believe that we are agents for, stewards of, such a Lord. I hear Jesus asking over and over again in the story of the good samaratin, "But who is my brother?" And I hear him answer over again, 'They all are.' As Tertullian said, our faith was begun by those who were baptized in blood. Not the blood of our enemies, or our persecuters, but our own blood. We are saved through the blood of Christ, not the blood spilled by Christ. Our heritage is a faith of martyers, not conquors. With Christ, we are the sacrafice. Perhaps it is time we started applying such a concept in our global ethical system my dears. Long past time.