To the Editor:

In her article “Where’s the Peace” Tammy Leytham makes the same error that is made on the right and on the left concerning the words of the Lord Jesus: she selectively applies them without any regard to context.

In the very Book of Matthew that she cites, the Lord states that He came “not to bring peace” (10:34). Any of us can rip words out of context if we start with a pretext.

Is your next article going to be on the Bible’s call “not” to bring peace?

In her quotation of Matthew 5 she skips over a verse about which I’d like a response. Tammy, you seemed to have missed verse 42 which states “Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.” In light of your desire to obey without regard to context, please send all your assets to my home in Marion.

And while you’re in Matthew, turn back to chapter 10 and try and obey those commands as well: raise the dead and refuse to preach to gentiles. Do you apply those commands to yourself as well? Good luck.

In this limited space I will not attempt to offer an interpretation of the quoted scriptures. Unfortunately, in your short article you attempted to wrest the words of the Lord from their context for your political end.

That is a grave error whether done on the left or on the right. As the Lord Himself will someday lead an army into battle (“taking vengeance on those who know not God”) let us leave all things in their order, in their time, in their context and “rightly divide the Word of Truth.”

But if you are intent on taking all commands in the Bible for yourself, don’t forget about Matthew 5:42 and my request above (I could use the cash before the holidays). And when you read the commands in scripture to build an ark and to make bread from human dung, please keep those “commands” to yourself as well. As for me, context, context context.

If you want “no more casualties” in Iraq, I suggest killing or converting the people who believe that salvation comes by murder and martyrdom would be a good start. Leaving Vietnam without victory in the name of “peace” meant the murder and enslavement of millions. If you’ll note in Iraq, we’re not there trying to keep our troops from killing Iraqis, we’re trying to keep Iraqis from killing each other. If you want to argue that such a policy is futile, I’ll listen, but if you want to argue that leaving will somehow secure the region for “peace” you have 1,400 years of history to argue with.

Peace is not the absence of war, it is the absence of evil.

The U.S. military is not the evil here, Tammy.

We’re still in Iraq because we have refused to fight this war the way wars need to be fought because we are the most civil and peaceful nation on earth. We’re not perfect, but all things considered, we’re the good guys here.

I hope you won’t selectively apply the words of the Lord if a terrorist decides to start shooting children in one of our schools.

I hope you’ll support the “good guys” who seek to bring “peace” to the school by disposing of the evil-doer. Now, that is a picture of what the earth will look like when true peace comes upon her. Peace and liberty are most often secured by war. That may not be palatable, but it is nonetheless true.

Michael Scotto

Marion