Defending the war is still possible???  

Last night I was with some friends, most of whom are Republican, and the War in Iraq was mentioned. I knew a few of them, Republicans included, didn't agree that the war, even if justified (justified according to them), was headed in the right direction, so I felt more freedom to make a comment against the war. Whoopsy!

All of the sudden the war is a great thing because the Iraqi's got to vote and little girls can go to school now. I remarked that yes, getting to vote before getting blown up into pieces is wonderful indeed and the little girls can go to school knowing the rest of their family was just murdered...

I got annoyed because while Iraq wasn't this beacon of greatness before the war, invading and occupying didn't make it this beacon of greatness now. That even though a lot of the innocent civilian deaths wasn't at the hands of American troops, America destabilized the region, made it a breeding ground for terrorists and we are now at least partly responsible for all of the deaths, if not completely responsible.

One of the people who disagreed with me instant messaged me later and he asked if I was upset with him. I told him no because I knew that we agreed on at least 75% of the things with the war and the other 25% aren't things we disagree on because he is ignorant and uneducated. I told him that I get upset with conservatives, especially LDS (Mormon) ones who are always far too supportive of war, even if it is justified through self-defense.

Jesus is the "prince of peace." Christ taught that "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God." And the Doctrine and Covenants tells us to "renounce war and proclaim peace." And really, I could go on and on with the words of Christ, the words of Mormon leaders who have taught us how to view war, and references from the scriptures, but I then remember the quote from Gandhi, who stated, "non-violence which is a quality of the heart cannot come by an appeal to the brain."

I became a pacifist, and there are many types of pacifists, because in my heart, I couldn't justify many wars and battles that have been waged and fought, not because of a scripture or quote, though they played a part in my conversion, but because my heart couldn't wrap itself around the idea of fighting for peace.

I guess I was annoyed last night because I felt that some of the people defending the war don't invest the time and energy that I do into investigating the war to be truly and accurately informed. This isn't to say that if you read and research you will disagree with the war, but if you want to support something, at least know what you are supporting! Just my two cents.