July 22 The Prince of Peace and War

When I tell folks what I am doing and they get beyond the riding across the country to why in the world would you do that, them I tell them. Often they get my leaflet that has my “Why I Ride” mission statement. A frequent response is, “I believe in god, I am a Christian, and war is god’s will the bible says so.” It’s true that there is a lot of war in the bible, the Old Testament or Jewish Book. But he New Testament is about the Prince of Peace, that is what Christ is called. I am perplexed why folks who call themselves Christians, name themselves after Christ, feel this way. There was a Navajo outside of Chambers, an older fellow who appeared to be native at the ABQ-CP&J, a young bicyclist in Gallup, and then the manger of the Western Stars Motel in the ghost town Nara Visa.  

The war stories of the Old testament remind me of the propaganda that our current evangelists of war spout. Using god’s will as an excuse for getting others to do horrific things to others for their personal greed. We live in a democracy, limited as it is right now, and it is our responsibility to see that our government does not go down the path of the current batch of robber barons toward war and climate catastrophe. At least that’s my view.