lulapilgrim

"Thou shalt not murder." seems to cover it, no? Jesus felt that all of The Law hinged upon two Commandments - the first and second.

You ask whether "We are an army fighting for God and the church and for freedom." is justified in Jesus' views? The answer would be no.

If not, Crusades or any violence can be justified.

Being on the receiving end of violence does not justify returning it (except in one specific case, below), nor acting preemptively. While self defense is legal, you ask whether it is moral: Specifically, in the Christian framework of morals.

The answer to that would depend on whose view is the ultimate one (for you in that framework). If it is Jesus', then the answer would be that unless one feels that by not resisting attack, harm for those he is responsible for would occur, he should submit himself to the will of the attacker.

This answer is specific to the Christian moral framework only, as that seems to be what you were asking in the OP.

Hopefully I'll have time to see it next week and post comments.

Here's an AP review of the movie..

http://www.telegram.com/article/20120603/NEWS/106039717/1312

I plan to see the movie tomorrow at the morning showing.

Thanks GFT for the Wiki article. Quite interesting indeed. 

I confirmed that quote (which was #24 in the Wiki article). 

Here is the article by Christopher Check...

I think the answers are easy, it's just that some people don't like those answers.

Thou shalt not murder does not mean don't go to war.

How do you reconcile that interpretation with God commanding the Isrealites to take the Promised Land?

Oh, I'm sorry, I thought you were discussing what Jesus felt and such.

You can use God to justify anything, but there are two things one should be worried about - one, everyone is going to meet him when one dies, and two, other people have His Word and know what He thinks about what one has done.

I saw the movie this morning and found all 143 minutes of it fabulous and inspirational. It was made very very well with beautiful music, scenery and great acting too. What I took out of it mostly was the brave Cristeros, young and old, but most moving is the "deep faith", fearless faith..love of Christ and the Church. More than a few times the screen was blurred from my tears.

A friend recommended I stay for the credits as they give a history of the real life figures portrayed in the film, including those who were canonized by the Church. I'd encourage everyone to see it ...it gives the viewer a glimpse of the harshness of the Mexican government's tyrannical suppression of the Church and religious freedom that not too many people are even aware of..certainly not I before the film. 

I think the release of this film is very timely and may help us gain a better understanding of the seriousness of the current Obama administration's attack on religious freedom in the form of his HHS mandate.

Here is a review of the movie from Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia. 

 A quote from Ed Vitagliano in the orginal article:

"The message of the Cristeros is summarized by one character's statement: "We are an army fighting for God and the church and for freedom." The viewer must wrestle -- as the film does -- with whether or not such a motive is proper for a Christian."

DrJBHL, 

Just a small point...It was not me but Ed Vitagliano who asked this question.

You say the answer would be no. I disagree. If all men did the will of Christ our King, there would be no war. But if some people refuse to do the will of Christ, those who desire to fulfill His will may be compelled to fight and may quite lawfully do so. 

The government of Mexico was bent on murdering or otherwise causing pain and suffering to innocent people, men, women and children. Christ nowhere teaches that we must allow others to suffer unjustly. If, owing to the malice of others, there is no means of doing this save by taking up arms, war is lawful. After seeing the film and reading historical accounts, I believe the Cristero War was a just war.  If warfare is unjustly forced upon a peaceful people, then that people is justified in defending itself by force of arms if necessary. 

The Bible never declares war intrinsically immoral. On the contrary, in hundreds of passages, Almighty God approves and commands war. 

Yes, Our Lord's chief commandment was the love of God and the love of the neighbor for God's sake. If the world were faithful to it, war would become impossible. But the Mexican government set at nothing the Christian principles of justice and virtue of charity (love). 

Though temporal, political, and national matters were outside the scope of Christ's mission, He did not condemn them. He abstracted from the temperal concerns of this world, and preached the kingdom of God, bidding men to attend to the spiritual welfare of their souls, and to make sure of securing their eternal welfare whatever might be their success or disasters in this life.

 Without any condemnation of earthly warfare, He even chose analogies from it in order to illustrate His higher teachings. And He treated war as quite a normal event incidental  to the worldly imperfections given over to the administrations of men. 

You will notice in the Gospels that Christ met several military men and soldiers and even wrought miracles for some of them, yet never once did He condemn their occupation, nor did He ever condemn war. Thus in St.Luke 14:31, He says, "Or what king, about to go to make war upon another king, does not first sit down, and think whether he be able with ten thousand, to meet him, that with 20,000 cometh against him?" 

Most movies insult the art and the creators of the movies.  I find it better to not watch the credits and save them the embarrassment.

You must not have seen many movies lately.