Young Israeli soldier near the Western Wall in Jerusalem, Author Levi Meir Clancy (CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication)
South Africa — where the system of institutionalized racism known as apartheid was in effect for over four decades — is alleging that Israel has committed war crimes in Gaza [1][2].
As a result, the International Court of Justice, the principal judicial arm of the United Nations (UN), has ordered Israel to take measures to prevent and punish genocide [3].
Civilian Casualty Ratio
“Civilian casualties in combat are always devastating and tragic. But unfortunately they are a feature of nearly every war.”
–Col. Richard Kemp (Ret.), British Infantry Commander
The UN puts the civilian casualty ratio during war and conflict, i.e. the ratio of civilian deaths to deaths by combatants, at 9:1 (90%) worldwide [11].
During WWII, the civilian casualty ratio was between 3:2 and 2:1 (or 60% to 67%) [4A]. During the Vietnam War, the civilian casualty ratio is estimated to have been 2:1 (67%) or lower [4B].
According to the IDF, the civilian casualty ratio in Gaza in December 2023 was 2:1 (67%) [5]. However, it has since been decreasing, and may now to be as low as 1.5:1 (50%) [6][12].
It is noteworthy that the Hamas Health Ministry fails to distinguish between civilians and enemy combatants when reporting casualty figures. Nor does Hamas acknowledge the casualties it has caused, for instance, by misfired missiles.
The Just War
“They who have waged war in obedience to the divine command, or in conformity with His laws, have represented in their persons the public justice or the wisdom of government, and in this capacity have put to death wicked men; such persons have by no means violated the commandment, ‘Thou shalt not kill.'”
–St. Augustine, “City of God”
St. Augustine was among the first Church Fathers to support the just war theory which can be traced back to the Code of Hammurabi [7][8A]. The theory holds that war — though terrible — may be justified if rigorous criteria are met, both in its inception and conduct. Read more…
“Christ the Vine” (1674), Hellenic Institute of Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Studies, Venice, Author Tzim78 (CC BY-SA 4.0 International)
Dating from the 4th Century, Pelagianism holds that human beings can attain perfection through the application of free will alone [1A].
An outgrowth of stoicism, Pelagianism effectively dismisses the impact of original sin [1B][2A][3A]. Instead, this heresy maintains that human beings have the capacity to exercise absolute control over bodily appetites [2B]. Grace is, at best, a helpful supplement in this view.
Consequently, Christ is seen as a mere model of holiness, rather than as our Redeemer [2C].
“For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do” (Rom. 7: 15).
This is, of course, in sharp contrast to the Gospel message, and the Apostle Paul’s acknowledgement of his own sin nature.
Modern Day Pelagianism
Pelagianism was condemned by the Council of Carthage in 418 AD [1C][2D]. However, it persists in various forms today [3B]. Read more…
Homeless man in New York City, Photo by Linda Fletcher, Author Adjoajo (CC BY-SA 4.0 International)
The United States last year had the highest rate of homelessness since 2007 [1]. This is not a record of which we can be proud. Some 650,00o people nationwide are now homeless. Fully 50% of those experiencing homelessness are families with children.
Causes
There are multiple causes for homelessness. Among the most common are poverty, a lack of affordable housing, domestic violence and other trauma such as rape, disability, a criminal history, mental illness, and drug addiction [2][3][4A].
Typical Scenarios
- A gainfully employed individual living in a single room occupancy (SRO) hotel or rental apartment who is laid off work may quickly run out of funds and become temporarily homeless [4B].
- A family subsisting on part-time employment can be rehoused following a fire or eviction only if local employment and housing conditions are favorable [4C].
- A woman fleeing domestic abuse may find short-term safety in a shelter or on a friend’s couch [4D]. But she is all too often unemployed, unskilled, and penniless.
- Teenage runaways (often, themselves, victims of abuse) comprise another vulnerable group of the homeless [5].
Downward Spiral
A return to normalcy for those who even temporarily become homeless can be extremely challenging, and is likely to be compounded by secondary factors such as the loss of tools, the loss of a vehicle, family break-up, depression, and substance abuse [4E].
This creates a downward spiral. Read more…
Many of us begin the New Year with resolutions we all too soon abandon. Such lapses may be trivial. Other failures, unfortunately, are not. Despite that we must not lose heart.
We none of us want to fail. Failure is humiliating, discouraging, and painful. Surprisingly, however, there are blessings that flow from failure. God can even use failure to prepare us for greater things.
Strength
“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Ps. 73: 26).
Failure strips us of pride. It forces us to recognize the limits of our strength. But if we turn to God, in our distress, He will lend us His strength – strength which, unlike ours, is infinite.
Heavenly Reward
“ ‘Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake…for great is your reward in heaven…’ ” (Matt. 5: 11-12).
Failure teaches us that the world’s evaluation of us means nothing; and God’s evaluation, everything.
Image from “Abraham Lincoln: A History” by John Nicolay and John Hay, Source https://www.flickr.com/photos/internetarchivebookimages/14576022089/ (No known copyright restrictions)
When Abraham Lincoln took up politics the results were not entirely promising. He was defeated in his first try for the state legislature in 1832; defeated in his first attempt to be nominated by his party for Congress in 1843; defeated in his application to be Commissioner of the General Land Office in 1849; defeated as a potential nominee for the vice-presidency in 1856; and defeated in attempts to secure a seat in the U.S. Senate, both in 1854 and 1858 [1].
In 1841, Lincoln (who is known to have suffered from recurrent depression) wrote to a friend, “I am now the most miserable man living. If what I feel were equally distributed to the whole human family, there would not be one cheerful face on the earth.”
During the Civil War, Lincoln was forced to deal with one staggering military defeat after another, all the while berated by the press and his political opponents. Lincoln was called a liar, a filthy storyteller, a braggart, an ignoramus, a tyrant, a despot, a usurper, a thief, a swindler, an old scoundrel, and a monster. Gen. George McClellan called him, “Nothing more than a well meaning baboon.”
But Lincoln somehow held the Union together. By then, he could say about criticism:
“If I were to try to read, much less answer, all the attacks made on me, this shop might as well be closed for any other business. I do the very best I know how – the very best I can. And I mean to keep on doing it to the end. If the end brings me out all right, what is said against me will not amount to anything. If the end brings me out all wrong, ten angels swearing I was right would make no difference.”
Lincoln is today recognized as one of the greatest presidents in American history. Read more…
Our walk of faith is a continuous climb — one mountain after another, often over a rough road. We grow weary at times, exhausted even. But the Lord never leaves our side.
Wishing All of You a Happy New Year!
READERS CAN FIND MY VIEWS ON ABUSE AND ABUSE-RELATED ISSUES AT ANNA WALDHERR A Voice Reclaimed, Surviving Child Abuse
https://avoicereclaimed.com
“Prince of Peace” by Akiane Kramarik, Source https://akiane.com/
“For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isa. 9: 6).
Wishing All of You a Merry Christmas!
READERS CAN FIND MY VIEWS ON ABUSE AND ABUSE-RELATED ISSUES AT ANNA WALDHERR A Voice Reclaimed, Surviving Child Abuse
https://avoicereclaimed.com
“The Holy Trinity” possibly by Elias Moskos or Michael Damaskinos (1550-1593), Benaki Museum, Athens, Greece (PD)
Human beings seek after origins as part of a greater search for meaning. Not only paleontology, anthropology, and archaeology derive from the need to know where we came from (and how to make sense of the world around us), but philosophy and theology. What – or Who – was the First Cause, the Prime Mover? And why are we here?
Though our answers to those questions may differ, the questions, themselves, are wired into our genes, no less so than the drive to seek out new horizons. Read more…
“Christ Crucified” by Diego Velazquez (c. 1632),
Museo del Prado (Accession No. P01167), Spain,
Source https://www.museodelprado.es/coleccion/obra-de-arte/cristo-crucificado/72cbb57e-f622-4531-9b25-27ff0a9559d7 (PD)
“And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split…” (Matt. 27: 50-51).
We have already discussed Rick Larson’s conclusion that the Star of Bethlehem was, in fact, a triple conjunction of the planet Jupiter and the star Regulus [1][2].
The same analysis would place the date of Christ’s death on April 3, 33 AD of the Gregorian calendar. Larson sought external evidence for this conclusion, and found it in geological strata preserved in the Dead Sea.
Through a unique set of circumstances, the layers of sediment which accumulate in the Dead Sea go undisturbed. This provides a history of earthquakes in the region, most especially those in nearby Jerusalem.
A drop in water level in recent years has given us access to strata which were previously submerged [3]. Read more…
Nativity Scene at old parish church, Kiefersfelden, Germany,
Photographer Renardo la Vulpo
(CC BY-SA 4.0 International).
“…and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was” (Matt. 2: 9).
Many biblical scholars, amateur and professional astronomers over the centuries have attempted to identify the Star of Bethlehem which the Bible tells us led the Magi to the Christ child.
Some have proposed comets or meteors. Others have suggested supernovae or planets which the ancients termed “wandering stars”.
Based on Scripture, the lawyer and filmmaker Rick Larson identified 9 characteristics of the Bethlehem star [1][2]:
- The star signified birth.
- The star signified kingship.
- The star was related to the Jewish nation.
- The star rose in the East.
- The star was not known to King Herod the Great.
- The star appeared at a specific time.
- The star existed for a period of time.
- The star went before the Magi as they traveled south to Bethlehem from Jerusalem.
- The star stopped over the city of Bethlehem.
“Incarnation of Jesus” by Piero di Cosimo (1485-1522), Uffizi Gallery (Accession No. N. Inv. 506), Source/Photographer Spike (PD)
“The incarnation of Christ is the central Christian doctrine that God became flesh, assumed a human nature, and became a man in the form of Jesus, the Son of God and the second person of the Trinity. This foundational Christian position holds that the divine nature of the Son of God was perfectly united with human nature in one divine Person, Jesus, making him both truly God and truly human [1].”
“…the Word submitted to appear in a body, in order that He, as Man, might center their senses as Himself, and convince them through His human acts that He Himself is not man only but also God, the Word and Wisdom of the true God.”
— St. Athanasius of Alexandria, “On the Incarnation” [2]
As we approach Advent and the Christmas season, the miracle of the Incarnation comes into view.
That an infinite and immortal God should have taken on finite mortal form and nature is almost beyond comprehension — the more so because His act was prompted by love, with the ultimate purpose of redeeming us from our sins.
Little wonder that this is the season of joy.
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us…” (John 1: 14).
—
[1] Wikipedia, “Incarnation”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incarnation.
[2] Wikipedia, “Athanasius of Alexandria”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athanasius_of_Alexandria.
READERS CAN FIND MY VIEWS ON ABUSE AND ABUSE-RELATED ISSUES AT ANNA WALDHERR A Voice Reclaimed, Surviving Child Abuse
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A Lawyer's Prayers 