Live by the Sword

I'm about to piss some people off, so brace yourself. 

Snipers kill people, that's what they do, that's what they trained for and that's why they are called upon.  It doesn't matter if all the "targets" (A.K.A. people) are really bad people, they are still people.  It doesn't matter which government or President sanctioned the actions, the actions result in a person being dead.  Yes, their  following orders, but that doesn't remove the fact that people die.  Being a sniper isn't a game, it isn't a status symbol, it doesn't mean you're a warrior of God, it means you kill people.  When you do this for the government, you are called a hero, when you do it for pure profit, you're called a Hitman and a murderer.  When you do it for the government and then come home and write a book and then profit, you become a household name.  But that doesn't change the fact that you lived by the sword.

Where does live by the sword come from?  The bible of course.  I'm no theologian but I'm going to go out on a limb here and share what the bible says on this matter.  In the Book of Revelations 13:10.

"He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints."

Now what does this mean?  I'm not going to rely on my own personal interpretation for this I'm going to use a professional interpretation.   

"Live by the sword, die by the sword" Prov. If you use violence against other people, you can expect to have violence used against you.; You can expect to become a victim of whatever means you use to get what you want.


That seems pretty clear to me.  Now I don't claim to be model christian, I don't even usually chose to wear the christian monogram, but if I did I might choose as so many Christians do, to look and see what Jesus Would Do in situations like this.   Mathew 26:52, describes a disciple drawing a sword to defend against the arrest of Jesus, but is rebuked by Jesus, who tells him to sheath the weapon, because "all who take up the sword will perish by the sword"    Now this may seem confusing to some because the bible also teaches us that those who do not own a sword should sell their cloak and buy one, but this teaching only makes it clear that it's a benefit to have one in the case it is needed, and not that using it is always the preferred course.

Snipers use the sword, that's what they do. So to think that it's mean or hateful to say "live by the sword, die by the sword", when a sniper is killed, only means that you think the Bible is mean and hateful, which is OK, if that's what you believe, your entitled to your opinion, but don't hold the Bible up on a pedestal while cursing those who are simply sharing the wisdom from within it.  If one is mean and hateful then they are both mean and hateful.     

Cheers,

Mike