“Put up again thy sword into its place: for all they that take the sword shall perish by the sword.”

it sucks

God's word is true....every word.

Nice sentiment if it were true.Many who take up the sword make others perish by it but do not end up doing so themselves.

I believe.

... every knee shall bow and every tongue confess ... one day.

Perishing by the sword is not necessarily a terrible thing. It all depends on the cause for which you wield it. Would you rather die of old age, knowing that you've cowered in the face of evil all of your life? The quote is correct, however. Those who take up the fight take up the risk that goes with it.

War is the antithesis of any peaceful religion (belief, thought, personal code of conduct, etc.), regardless of what 'God' is worshipped. Men like Christ (or Gandhi for that matter) knew that a man must change within before he tries to rule people without; both men taught that you cannot establish peace through war. As Christ said, “He who would be the master must be the servant of all.” There are few exceptions to the establishment of peace through war, the biggest being to protect oneself (or nation) against the depravity of personal liberty, freedom, responsibility and accountability by a physical or otherwise controlling outside force. The only other exception for war that I can find in harmony with a peaceful religion is in the defense of a weak nation against the ruthlessly encroaching hand of a greater nation; however, in accordance with my agreement of the Monroe Doctrine, the weaker nation must ask for aid before a finger is ever lifted. Both Gandhi and Christ are great examples, however, of how far good men will go to establish peace without war. It saddens me to see what vile, evil, and controlling men have done throughout history in the name of Jesus Christ, to bring “salvation”, “virtue”, and “life” to those who simply want to live in peace as Christ taught.

EGL, was the thumbs down for the nice sentiment or your bigoted hatred of the Christ? (Could you have given it 1 or 2 stars for being right some of the times?)

Would be nice, if true, and often is, but consider the corollary that all that do not take the sword shall not perish by the sword. The fact is, there is no direct corelation. Another useless biblical quotation.

I consider this the crux of the Christian faith. I certainly understand the nay-sayers' arguments, as well. Live free or die -- but when to kill? What about 'an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind'? Evil must stop with someone. This is what great souls are made of. ;-)

Is the crux of Christianity really the belief that bad things happen to bad people and good things happen to good people ...or is it the hope? Did the quote really say anything different from that? It doesn't seem like much of a philosophy to base a religion on. I'll take your word for it, though, as I'm aheist (thank God).

Jack, no one expects you to get it.

thats why I appreciate being an atheist I dont have to get it That point when I realized that and admitted it was a big relief

Good words, even if they are not always 100% accurate... and just because the converse is not true does not make this quote either always false or unworthy. It is worth noting that these are the words of man about men, that they appear in a book assembled by men from the writings of men and assigned by men as being "from God" does not make that statement of assignment true, nor does it bring any more power to the quote.

You don't have to believe in God to realize the power of non-violent non-cooperation with evil.

Moral code originated with a belief in God. Otherwise, we're nothing more or less than animals in this world acting on mere insticnt. Is it wrong for a lion or tiger to kill? We would say no. Then, if there be no God, there is no right or wrong, because who is to say what is right or wrong? Murder is simply a means of survival (natural selection). Right or wrong is only a matter of opinion, originated by one man or another, and can be changed just as easily as it was originated, unless there is a God. The only absolute, if there is no God, is that there are no absolutes. It's simply impossible. Why is violence wrong? Violence is simply an application of the law of the survival of the fitest and means of self promotion, if there be no God. In such case, Hitler should be praised for his ability to survive.

How can man understand 'god'? The Laws governing Nature (e.g. gravity, light, energy, etc.) are immutable. This world is a complex interplay of forces seen and unseen. In order to survive, all living creatures must live in harmony with these very basic governing 'laws' or else die. From here laws governing power emerge. It also seems apparent that their are 'spiritual' laws with similar consequences for ignoring -- these laws are discovered in similar manner as the physical laws. 'As you sow, so shall you reap' is one of those laws (for you computer folks, 'garbage in, garbage out'). Right and wrong does not depend on the existence of god or super natural forces. I do not want to get into a debate about the existence of god as that never ends. Even if you get a Christian, Muslim, Hindu, and Jew to agree that god exists, you cannot get them to agree what his 'laws' are. SO it is still left up to the individual to decide and bear the consequences.

Archer, you are absolutely correct. I think what Logan is talking about is that devout atheism is a position of perpetual ignorance and a place to hide from reality. As Jack has put it, miracles or magic can be explained by science; but, corporeal science cannot explain the why of morals, good v bad, or most any other abstract of man's existence, it can only postulate on interpreted events. (2 personal experiences of many) I once lost my livelihood due to criminal activity and literally did not have 2 pennies to rub together. I found a job well over 100 miles away and for the next two and a half weeks got over 340 mpg in my car. I got a paycheck and the gas needle immediately started moving again (back to 20 mpg). My sister was in an accident, in a comma for months with a fractured skull. Her hair was shaven around the wound and all doctors said she was going to die. 2 individuals from the church were giving her a blessing when she woke up (immediately, no fractures and all hair restored) These 2 events that I personally witnessed do not prove that there is a God, simply corporeal science can not prove everything. If we measure the events of history correctly, we have the opportunity to establish certain consequences. As the quote so states, violence usually begets violence. (without religion or god, you morally can not answer whether you want a violent society or not.)

To all, a very Merry Christmas, God blesses all!

My "sword" (actually gun) is "put up", but I will take it up to train, and in defense of myself, my family, my friends, my property, or my neighbors.

This quote is easily taken out of context exactly as you have done, by omitting earlier verses of Matthew 26 and 26:53-54. Taking it out of context makes it seem Jesus is teaching men should not use swords to defend themselves. The purpose of Messiah's first coming was not only to reveal incredible truths of God, but also to allow Himself as God in the flesh to be sacrificed for the sins of all men as the Lamb of God. Jesus taught this to his disciples several times, but it was not an easy teaching for them to understand and accept. This was exactly the Passover when the Romans had taken away the power of the occupied Israel to execute capital punishment by stoning, and the Roman capital punishment by crucifixion became law. The Messiah's death by crucifixion is clearly prophesied in David's Psalm 22, written a thousand years before that. Crucifixion is very visible suffocating to death before an entire city of witnesses, which cannot be faked or mistaken. This was exactly the Passover when the time for the Lamb of God Himself to be sacrificed was ready in other ways as well. The same week and night before his arrest Jesus referred to His impending death by crucifixion (as given in Matthew 26 verses 1, 12, 20, 25, 28, 31, and 32). Peter was there every time, but also a zealot who hoped Messiah would establish His kingdom immediately and overthrow the Roman government of Israel. Peter was thickheaded like many of us, and misunderstood the warning that Christ's followers should soon be prepared to defend themselves with swords (Luke 22:36), to include resisting the Romans. He used his sword to defend his own hope for freedom, represented by the person of Messiah himself. Peter depended on his sword to get personal liberty, rather than submitting to the will of God about that ultimate Passover providing the actual sacrifice of the Lamb of God for all men's sins. Then Jesus rebuked Peter's attempt to thwart fulfillment of God's many prophecies by saying (verses 52-54): "Put away your sword... Those who live by the sword will die by the sword. Don■t you realize that I could ask my Father for thousands of angels to protect us, and he would send them instantly? But if I did, how would the Scriptures be fulfilled that describe what must happen now?■\"

Anonymous,New york, Yes, God's word would no doubt be true, but the Bible is mans word about their ideas of God. How anyone can believe that the Bible is somehow literaly "God's Word" is beyond me.

Yes, let us remember this [Memorial Day] weekend the millions we have killed in the name of freedom and democracy - If those coming to the new world are responsible for the subsequent genocide of its indigenous inhabitants we should perhaps change our teachings to those of Buddhism.

"I came not to send peace, but a sword." Matthew 10:34 The sword should be taken up when it is necessary.

I don't particularly like the wording in this translation of the verse...as my understanding of it was that the meaning was to more indicate, "those who live by the sword die by it". I think some take up the sword....they use it, they carry one for a purpose at some point, etc....But on the other hand, like the Samurai, some 'live' by the sword. That way of life is what they worship, it get's the majority of their attention. They'll live in strife and violence, or in search of it....

Google thy dictionary, for those who use the correct expressions live in reality.