Re: Temp
Salim Syed said:
Apologies, will try and keep to the thread from now on...
First time on a forum, takes time to get used to the laws of the forum..
Please be patient with me...
Patience is the sacrifice of time or opportunity, for which the adherent of many religions should have. I remind myself of Qur'an 103 when I hear that word on a forum.
Who is a war for? Who is a war against? That would depend on the war. In case people forget, God (swt) the creator of this universe does not lack the power to do anything. God (swt) does not need a protector. Fighting for truth and justice seems to be claimed by each party in most conflicts. Christians and Muslims recognize that true justice comes on the last day before the judge that sees all and hears all, correct?
It sounds to me like the issue here is the "chain of command", where people place themselves in ranks. It is the organization of every military, police force, many civil services, many businesses, schools, governments, and even many families in the world. The chain of command is an organization that alledgedly commands authority, but not necessarily responsibility. The troubling questions are: Who is responsible for a subordinate's actions? Who chooses the rank, title, or responsibility? If a subordinate is ordered to do something they disagree with, are they responsible if they do it? Is it the person who gives the order that is responsible? If people vote for it are they responsible? If people voted against it are they still responsible? With a decision comes responsibility but following a decision is also a decision that bears responsibility. Imagine a parent that tells their underaged children to do something like drive a car to the market to get something, but which turns out to cause a tragic accident that harms their children and their neighbors. If the children don't know better are they still responsible? Imagine a parent who raises their children to worship wooden idols. Is the child responsible for worshipping the idol if they didn't know otherwise? All of these questions deal with the responsibility of making a decision, delivering information, and following others by placing faith in them.
It can be a pyramid scheme. Who put the man at the top as the Pharoah, the Lord, the master, boss, parent, teacher, judge, president, scholar, dictator, or caliph? Who placed him there? I believe with that placement comes responsibility. When we place faith in someone it is our decision to follow (or not) and with that decision comes responsibility. If you were born into a family that is not righteous by your beliefs then it is your struggle to obey or respect, and yet to disobey or disrespect when it counters your beliefs. Those are the tough decisions of how to struggle.
In some countries it is your choice to join the military whereas in others it is a requirement. However, in most every country there is no public vote taken of whether to go to war and there is no military vote of whether to follow every specific order. There is simply no public vote made. Serving a military is made out to be an all-or-nothing decision, which does seem wrong. The same can be said of a police organization. The police officers do not write the laws, but they are tasked with holding the people accountable to them. They are held accountable for acting or not acting per the law, regardless of the situation. If in your heart you feel that it is wrong to judge and condemn when you see another person oppressing or causing harm to another person, then neither the police nor the military is a place for you. Even if you are in neither organization, someday you might be faced with that decision of whether to help your neighbor by judging and condemning another, or to sit by and do nothing. For which action bears the greater responsibility is up to God (swt), the only true 'just judge' who sees all and hears all. Taking no action sometimes does not serve justice. As Jesus Christ (pbuh) said, law is a matter of justice, and mercy, and faith... summed up also as doing for your neighbor as you would have them do for you. Certainly there is the passage where Jesus (pbuh) says, he desires mercy, not justice. Also: judge not and you will not be judged, condemn not and you will not be condemned, but forgive and you will be forgiven. Powerful words.
The other issue is who writes the law? God (swt) has some laws and commandments. So if everyone followed those laws would there be a need for any military or law enforcement? Would there be any wars? Would there be a need for any police? I don't think so. Many laws and orders are written by religions, governments, and ordinary people whether they are elected, self-appointed, or as a simple agreement made between two people. Are they truly lawful? Are they righteous? Are they laws from God (swt) or are they derived from the logic of individuals who are subject to errors or selfish beliefs? You be the judge.
With the information age things are rightfully challenging social structures and will certainly cause further changes as people search for what is righteous. News, information, and conspiracy theories propagate faster than at any time before in history to rightfully shed some light on situations. It seems to me that people around the planet need have even more say in the laws that govern them, regardless of what nation they claim to live in or religion they claim to live by.
