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Conscientious objector. “Man in form but without substance”? You can choose to educate yourself or remain in your ignorance. I don’t care which you choose. Those who are educated about him know your assessment is wrong, whether they choose to publicly stand up to you or not.

Neither of them. You continue to put on public display your ignorance.

You don’t possess even an ounce of the courage he possessed.

https://desmonddoss.com/bio/bio-real.php

Thanks. I didn’t know Desmond Doss in person but many, like myself, know his story. I think it’s important for our readers to know that you think he was ”a man in form but not substance.”

Since you’re here, I might as well ask you: Do you agree with @Wrangler that “you are not following Jesus if you aren’t armed, ready to kill”?

I was speaking with a man years ago who was much more disdainful of possible alternatives than the average person tends to be. The man said to me (I’m paraphrasing): “You might enjoy watching the evil done to your family. Perhaps you could help the depraved attacker carry out his deed - hold...

In a manner of speaking, they are. I’ve just finished addressing alternatives without going into detail. We can do that, if you like.

“Thus the ‘what if …?’ question has more than two commonly conceived possible options. We have noted seven: 1. Tragedy 2. Martyrdom. a. Victim b. Defender 3. Another way...

“The options available … We come now to the decision itself. How do we answer the question? We must note, first of all, that the questioner wants us simply to answer either yes or no. For most questioners, the only choices which the question offers are defense - which must necessarily be...

“Especially is this emotional dimension of the question more visible when the discussion centers on one’s duty to protect someone else. Often the questioner will heighten this aspect of the argument by saying, ‘Perhaps as a Christian you have the right to sacrifice your own welfare to be loving...

“Not only is this stock case one in which an emotional appeal is made to my virility as the defender of those entrusted to me; it also tends to be a sexist argument. It assumes the potential victim is a dependent being, a woman, one who needs protection by a stronger male. She who is prey...

“The emotional twist to the question If the situation of attacker and person being attacked stayed on the rational level, it would be much easier to debate and answer logically. But the way the question is put does not allow us to do that. It appeals to family connections and bonds of love so...

“5. Righteousness The logic of this approach assumes my righteousness. Not only am I able to calculate what would bring about the best outcome. I also assume that I am morally qualified to be judge, jury, and executioner - and to perform all those roles in one second. It is taken for granted...

“4. Individualism The question as usually posed assumes that the decision and what happens are individual matters. Not only does that make the ‘What if …?’ question quite unrepresentative of the social and institutional dimensions of war; it even makes it untrue for any particular concrete...

“3. Knowledge The ‘what if …?’ question presupposes, if not omniscience, at least full and reliable information. Not only does it assume on my part that events will unfold in an inevitable way; it also presumes that I am reliably informed about what that unfolding will be like. I know that if I...

“2. Control The challenge at least assumes my substantial control of the situation, if not my omnipotence. It assumes that if I seek to stop the attacker, I can. Now in some cases this may be true, but in many it is by no means certain. The more serious the threat which an attacker represents...

“The assumptions behind the question … 1. Determinism The questioner usually assumes that I alone have a decision to make. My relationship with the other persons in the situation is supposed to be one which unfolds mechanically. The attacker, for example, is preprogrammed to do the worst evil...

One of the best books that I’ve ever read is titled What Would You Do?: A serious answer to a standard question, written by John Howard Yoder. I highly recommend it to my readers. What is the “standard question”? “Sooner or later, in almost any serious discussion about peace and war, someone...

Critically thinking is what set me on the path that leads to the life of the age to come.