I think I see another imprecision.....
To believe something exists is really very different than believing IN something. Luther said it is not enough that someone believes God exists, or even that He sent Jesus to die on the cross and that Jesus rose again from the dead. Even Satan believes that.
Believing IN something means you are trusting in it, you are basing your life on it. It is one thing to know or believe that God exists, it is completely another thing to trust IN Him and His Word and to know that He will provide what we need, especially when we are tempted to sin.
I sincerely doubt that the person who said she didn't believe IN war would ever consider putting her trust in war. I even doubt that many soldiers put their trust IN war as a guiding idea. But they believe it exists. They make their living doing it, and they probably believe IN the cause that brings the war about.
So when we are saying "I believe IN God the Father Almighty....and the rest of the creed, we are saying far more than "there is a God and He exists" But many people aren't actually going any farther than that.
So good call!
She's right. I used the wrong definition of "believe" and this could have caused quite a bit of misinterpretation as far as the rest of what I believe, and the rest of my post. Thank you to her for correcting my definition, because I would NOT like to cause confusion over my beliefs because of it.
I believe in God. That means I put my faith in God. I do not put my faith for salvation in war.
However, I do believe that war is sometimes necessary. War, in and of itself, is a bad guiding idea, as she said. However, to steal a quote from another friend of mine:
"People are free because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf."
To all those people who have stood ready, who are standing ready, and who will stand ready to do violence on my behalf, so I may remain free...
Thank you.
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