Peacemakers (Peace)

“Peacemakers (Peace)”

" 피스메이커 (평화) "



-September 2001 - Right after 9.11 Terror

- Sermon about Matthew 5:9 ‘Peacemakers’
- 9.11 Terror and ethics in international society, and the Spirit of the ‘Sermon on the Mount’
- The ‘Sermon on the Mount’ and ethical principles in modern society


Matthew 5:9
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.

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It is near impossible to live according to the teaching of ‘the Sermon on the Mount’ (Matthew Chapter 6,7).

It is because ‘living according to the Sermon on the Mount’ itself is too difficult and because it is hard to practice without one’s loss.

For 2000 history of Christianity, many sorts of theology have been established and developed, but then have been stingy indeed in applying to each person’s life the teaching of the Sermon on the Mount, one of most important in Christianity divinity.

For us who live modern days, the most hesitant to put into practice and still hot subjects are ‘the way of nonviolence,’ ‘the way of human love,’ ‘the way of peacemaking,’.... In a word, the Sermon on the Mount suggests ‘the way to human salvation,’ which tends to appear as still a hot theme.


The most grievous separation in Christianity is not separation of Catholic and Protestant, but separation of religion and politics.

There are many people who think the life and teaching of Jesus is only fit for Sunday sermons and Christmas stories, but that it can never be used in a political sense.

A prevailing thinking was that one must interpret Jesus’ teaching only spiritually(?), irrespective of politics, to be a pious religionist.

However, a single power only by a person doesn’t maintain peace by modern times. If a person want a peaceful public order personally, the person’s own peace cannot exist if the circumstances don’t cooperate. This is a situation in modern times.


Responsive to the terror that America just had on September 11, 90% of Americans want revenge for the sake of America’s pride. 83% favor a solution to revenge even if war involves. Not only America, but also such countries as Russia, Britain, France, Australia, even Korea are announcing their governments’ trends to the public through the media, saying ‘We share or support the revenge of America.’

Among those who make a resolution of revenge and war of blood, there would be politicians, religionists, and priests and ministers who would pray holding hands of people. I ask a question.
What is the prayer for?
Who is the prayer for?
Beyond the victory of America, there should be numerous loss of lives in Afghanistan.

Terror is bad, real bad.
But even worse is war.


What we must have in mind is, there are many contradictions hidden in the international order that depend on ‘Peace by Force’ and ‘Justice by Force.’ We must know, there are many minor powers’ or minority races’ unvented clots of grudges in those ‘Peace by Force,’ ‘Justice by Force’ and ‘order by Big Powers.’


Conflict of blood between Palestinian autonomy and Israel which has been continued since 1945 and American Authority that unconditionally favored Israel on every occasion, The Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan from 1979 through early 1980, The Persian Gulf War(1990~1991), The Civil War in Yugoslavia(1991-1995) that coined the new brutal word, Ethnic Cleansing, unceasing wars for independence in Eastern European Countries, small and big civil wars in the African continent.... Besides, countless bloodshed collisions have been on the earth even after 1980. In each of these wars, an innumerable number of people used to be murdered without reason.

At those times as well, were such countries as Korea, America, Russia, Britain, France and Australia enraged as this time? Were all the people, nay, the whole world seething with anger as this time?!

In many Local wars after 1980, there have been not only the countries’ problems but also big powers’ interests involved before the wars began.
Why then?!
How calm and unagitated the world opinions were!
Weren’t leaders of each nation standing on the fence of the international situation!
In what action, what attitude and what prayer were the religionists wailing!

At those times, all of them remained as if mere onlookers.
But why is all the world seething in agitation only on this 9.11 Terror in America? Why should Korea too take the initiative on the ‘day of mourning’ which the president in America proposed to their nation in commemoration of victims in the terror?!


In big or small wars in the global village in last 20 years, the loss of lives are more than 100 times as many as the victims in the terror in America that happened last September 11. Ravages of war in Afghanistan 20 years ago(1979~early1980) had more than 100 million Afghanistan refugees only on the border of Iran.

The people who used to be silent on previous occasions in other countries, why do they now wring their hearts only on the terror in America?! If their attitudes are out of pure humanism, why didn’t they express their mourning evenly and fairly toward various nations, but why only toward America?!


I wouldn’t like to continue this saying. I really wouldn’t.
But, like it or not, this is the reality of modern society.
The modern society is finding the biggest religion in the mystical phenomenon of ‘economy’ and making ‘money’ the greatest god.

The reason the whole world is dumbfounded and enraged in front of the terror America encountered is because economic and diplomatic issues of each country are affected the most. News on TV and newspapers are busy reporting most parts of the world’s economy market are staggering here and there after the terror in America. A tremendous drop in world stock market, a sharp rise in price of gold and crude oil, emergency in export businesses... It is virtually a warfare without war.


For the sake of profits, there was no classification between America, Soviet(Russia), Britain, France, Australia, Japan, etc.. It is these powers that clapped their hands and cheered to the retaliation of blood by America. Russia have already had the terror of 280 people being killed with the explosion of a building in Moscow a few years ago. Britain, France, Australia and Japan also have no idea of when the sparks from the fire might be at them. In order to subsist in the international society, each nation had to adapt to ‘the order by power.’ Under this law, powerful countries have pursued only their own profits.

Representatively, Soviet invasion upon the Eastern Europe, Soviet invasion of Afghanistan 1979 through early 1980, the Falklands War between the United Kingdom and Argentina, an unceasing policy of discrimination against Aberdeen Native Australians by the government of Australia who boasts of its advanced welfare state, conflict between Great Britain and Ireland,... Like these, there has been an endless ‘policy of profit-seeking’ by big powers.

Until 1940, there has been a prevailing policy of imperialism by big powers. In the aftermath, most of the Middle East was under the colonial rule of Britain and France.

In such circumstances, president Putin of Russia and other powers as well totally disregard their used-to-be brutalities over their victim countries to stand for only firm retaliatory policy against terrors shown on the surface. And they are cheering for America who resolves to take revenge of blood.


During Clinton presidency in America, Clinton administration conducted the policy to protect teenagers, proclaiming the ‘War on Smoking.’ But then, as U.S. tobacco industry was inflicted upon by the policy to protect its own people, the Clinton Administration gave trade pressure to South Eastern Asian countries into buying American tobacco in the interest of American businesses. After all, it was Clinton Administration’s policy of the ‘War on Smoking’ to protect the American people and businesses, only to victimize the South Eastern and especially Korean teenagers.

International society is the ‘society of power.’
This is reality.


When the terror in America occurred, the whole world was consternated. But the folks in the Palestinian autonomy took to the streets and shouted hurrahs. What does these folks’ hurrah mean?
Are they animals?
Or devils?
No, they are just the same as us humans.


Afghanistan folks too see America and Russia totally as foes. When our media in Korea were broadcasting in unconditional favor of America’s position, the New York Times said the voice of reflection, ‘It is the time of reviewing the deep-rooted anti-Americanism’ prior to retaliation through war. This is democracy.

Even though 83% of the people is wanting the war calling for blood, the society voicing bravely some diverse contrary opinions on the other side is democracy.

Right now, I see a group of entertainers campaigning in the public advertisement on TV. It is in the middle of ‘U.N.’s movement to help the children in the world’ by UNICEF(United Nations Fund for children). “Our children are the actors and actresses of the world in the future. Let us grow children bright and healthy without discrimination between yours and mine for the world in the future.” Aren’t there any children in such parts of the world as Afghanistan, Yugoslavia and Serbia, Africa,...?

Here, what we should first care about are:

1) The song ‘We Are The World’ American entertainers made in the 1980s - here, how far are the limits of ‘We’?
2) British entertainers made the song ‘Do They Know Christmas?’ for the children who are dying in hunger due to war and drought in Ethiopia and other African regions. Whom is it for?
3) There is a sharp difference in worth and meaning between a lump of bread given to the full and a lump of bread given to the hungry.
4) Who are the most serious victims in war are women and children.

The politicians, broadcasters and religionists who used to be indifferent when children and women were famished, hurt and being dying in wars in the other regions.
Why?!
Why only right now, that they should be in so extraordinary concern and fuss?!

I repeat.

The current world has no nation who has nothing to do with political and economical influences by the gigantic nation called the United States of America. Even though Soviet invaded Afghanistan, civil wars took place at corners of the world, and things were into a state of appalling confusion and as devastated as a doomed land, yet other countries had little to be damaged.

In front of the terror America came across, however, the very foundation of the world economy began to quake. As sustained so far, ‘peace by power,’ ‘order by big powers’ and ‘society in which only the strong can survive’ were the ‘justice and peace’ made on this earth.

We should remember what one of the greatest spiritual leaders in the 20th century Mahatma Gandhi said, “I can dare say those who insist religion has nothing to do with politics are those who don’t know what religion means.”

Truth is eternal. But how to keep the truth is different case by case. In our country, there are many people who insist the separation of religion and politics. Yet, more than half of the 33 members as Korean nation’s representatives were Christianity activists, with part of the rest of Cheondo-kyo, Buddhism, etc., in the Independence Movement in March 1st 1919. So many religious leaders having been there enlightens us on the fact, ‘Peace doesn’t come in the mere head.’

In the movie Peacemaker, why don’t you bring to mind what was said by the Serbian professor(old Yugoslavia’s terrorist) who plotted a nuclear warhead terror into the building of the United Nations General Assembly, rather than an American style of Heroism of George Clooney

His remark was, “Ethnic cleansing and mass murder in Serbian civil war took all away, my family, my siblings and my motherland. U.N. and the Security Council have been just too nominal and powerless. Pax Americana is silent all along, yet what have they done for us and the entire world? Watching under my eyes my daughter and wife thrown down dead over the ruined motherland, I designed this terror action to arouse the self-awakening to the self-interest strife between big powers.”

The director Olive Stone’s ‘Savior’ is a film apart from the formula of the birth of a hero, spectacular scenes of war and ever righteousness and ever triumpantness of our forces, which is an emblematic of American movies.
Neither is it a documentary style film describing war.
It intends to give awakening to how war is so cruel towards civilians innocent of war and ism, especially women and children.


Frankly, rather than a pastor who pray ‘God help America win!’ at the news of America’s proclamation of war to punish the terror, yet the director Olive Stone’s message is more fit to the Sermon on the Mount. This point is high time for the whole world’s Christians to accept. What is the spirit of the Bible? Who succeeds to the spirit of the Bible?


At the measure of 1981 (20 years ago), the money spent 4 hours by NATO(North Atlantic Treaty Organization) for military purpose was approximately 250 billion dollars. At the same time of the 4 hours spent 250 billion wons by the NATO, our planet had 7000 children dying from hunger.

It equals, a child has been starving to death every 2 seconds.
It is said, 2,620 million dollars a single day is expended in military affairs in the world 2003.

UNICEFF’s purpose is to help support these children! And yet, are the public service advertising of entertainers in our country for the benefit of these children, indeed? For you, me or other Christians to hear, see or feel this situation, for what purpose should we pray?

We confess Jesus as ‘our Lord.’ We say the teaching of Jesus has the highest spirit in human history of culture. However, more important in Jesus religion are:
“It is contents, rather than formalities of religion.”
“It is love, rather than conventional justice.”
“It is practice, rather than theory.”
“It is action rather than words of peace, and life rather than instruction”


The sermon on the mount is the Word written for the human world of reality.

However proactive women’s movement may be in the 21st century, large parts of our global village have still been controlled by the theory of male dominance, such as violence, obedience, outcome, command, ideology, etc..

Like the roman saying, ‘If you want peace, train for war,’ each nations put their own interests first and are accepting and applying the ‘principle of power’ that ‘only the strong can survive’ as a ‘principle of international society.

Man didn’t get wiser after eating the ‘fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil’ which Satan seduced Adam into believing. Rather, a firm resolution was urged, that man should take his own responsibility for eating the ‘fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil’ (Genesis 3). Decisions by man’s arbitrariness have gone worse and worse (Genesis 4, Murder by Cain and Lamech). The Scripture writer tries to awaken his posterity to how seriously humanity is fallen in the murder in Chapter 4 after the Fall of Man in Genesis 3.


Man’s power being destructive is tragic.
Ecologically, war threatens all created (see Romans 8:22).

‘Peace by power’ and ‘justice by power’ leads after all to a war. And the war destroys not only man but also nature, eventually the land.

Use of nuclear weapons deserts man even on the earth. The explosive disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant within the former Soviet Union has been leaving the folks born in the neighborhood to have their irrevocable sufferings of seriously deformed children being delivered. The laboratory of nuclear weapons by big powers, some big and small islands in South Pacific, too, have been being afflicted with the delayed aftereffects of radiation such as unexpected mutation of plants (the film ‘Godzilla’ is a imaginative mutational monster spawned out of iguana due to gene variation after France’s nuclear experiment; it is occasional in the vegetable kingdom) and deformed children being delivered.

If these have happened in America, France and Australia (Russia still confining freedom of speech), all people would have been furious seething with demonstrations. Till now, a small number of environmentalists have been active without international attention.

Pastors who believed and preached the end of antiquity having been ‘by God’ as well may be deepest hurt, knowing the Planet or the human race might be destroyed by the hand of man in 21st century.


I emphasize again I am not a supporter of terror at all.

One doesn’t have to see America is entirely right and the behavior of America is entirely just, nor American government is entirely wrong.
But what we should reflect in life is:

What is justice!
What is power!
What is peace!
What is order!

Look at Isaiah 2:4 or Micah 4:4~5, and they are singing there shall come an age of peace and Messiah’s coming in which people will beat their war tools of knifes and spears into agricultural implements and every man shall sit under his vine he has farmed.
It is a craving for peace thought up by Israelite prophets who were in agriculture and amidst the situations of unending invasions and battles by surrounding big powers.

The present is 2001. There are few folks who make a living nomadically or agriculturally, yet the truth is unchanging.
The Bible emphasizes transcendentally from time, ‘true peace’ is not from ‘balance of power between nations’ but it is possible in only ‘where justice of God is practiced.’

The world of nature is beautiful, indeed.
However, only the strong and the shrewd result in surviving in the strenuous struggle of food chain between the individuals within.
This intense balance between the living creatures maintain the ecosystem of nature, which ‘looked good’ in the eyes of humans.
But then, this survival of the fittest existing in animal kingdom shouldn’t fit into man. It is because every man is born with God-endowed privilege of dignity, in whatever situation he or she is born, regardless of nation or race. (see Genesis 1:27~28)


I am now to conclusion.

The life of modern folks doesn’t have peace accomplished through the efforts of a single person or group. Nor does the peace come of itself, if we say ‘shalom’ 3 times a day.
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Against America’s declaration of retaliation to punish the terror, Afghanistan in turn made its declaration of Jihad, or the Holy War to counter-respond.

The figures are not only victimized, who can wield their military and politicians of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. While the world are seething, raging, mourning, praying and avenging in front of the terror America suffered, yet who will take the role for the sake of the powerless women and children?
Who will compensate for the civilians who would be victims of war?!


There are too many an unanswerable problem in the life of humans.
Especially in the matters of complicated politics of the state and further of economy and diplomacy in international society, things are frequently so complex and abstruse, that it is difficult to judge with simply theory and consequences.

Like Isaiah 40:6~8, the history and culture man built has always been ups and downs.
It is man’s history that has eventually the end.

Today’s text Matthew 5:9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God” as well might be a preaching that neither has been achieved nor will be. However, without this spirit as a basic principle of humans’ world, there would be no way, no truth and no life to be handed over.
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Christians, Muslims, advanced countries, underdeveloped countries, haves, have-nots, the normal, the handicapped..., the harmony of all these people are making our one world. Not you nor I can make peace, but all of us can.


Please be reminded, peacemakers, the sons of God, are connectors of the history and transmitters of the life.
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...."We are the world" and

“Do they know Christmas" .....

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