Blatant cut and paste plagiarism

“Naturally the common people don’t want war… But, after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them that they are being attacked, and denounce the peacemakers for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country.”  - Hermann Goering at the Nuremberg Trials

I cut this straight from a website called:

http://www.spinwatch.org

I hope they will forgive this gross plagiarism since I have inserted this link.

Just to remind you -

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”   - Jesus

“The Didache” - a very early guide to Christian living

This little text is from very early in the life of the churches - it might well be from the middle years of the first christian century and contemporary with the Apostolic writings.

Like the New Testament, it is written in the common “man in the street” kind of language rather than proper Greek.  Unfortunately, most of the well known English translations go for “thees” and “thous” and a false exalted tone.  I stumbled across one version which feels more right and here is the link:

http://ivanlewis.com/Didache/didache.html

The instructions are fascinating - obviously based on the sermons on the mount and plain - and show that the early church took Jesus’ ethical teaching and a consistent holiness very seriously.  The re-write of the “ten commandments” for the Roman context is bold and interesting.
People say it is legalistic and lacking in grace.  That is a fair criticism but it seems to be designed to answer the question “How do disciples behave”.  Any answer to that will be culturally conditioned and directive.  This is how one group of very early believers discipled each other.