I believe God is on the sidelines in war not choosing sides, not favoring one nation over another.  God isn’t sitting on the Christian side and opposing the Muslim side.  God’s doesn’t favor the US and oppose the side of ISIS or the Taliban.  William Mahedy, author of Out of the Night: The Spiritual Journey of Vietnam Veterans, stated that in theological terms, war is sin.  It is a form of hatred for one’s fellow human beings … it represents a turning away from God.  If it is true that war is sin, then God is not associated with it and chooses no sides.

I believe God loves all people on all sides and is saddened that God’s beloved creatures can’t live in peace.  We, all of us in the US, pray to God for safety for our young men and women who serve in the military and face the dangers that war presents.  I believe that the families of soldiers belonging to ISIS and the Taliban pray to the same God for safety also.  It makes no sense to ask God to be the final arbiter and decide in favor of one cause or another.

Out God is a God of peace.  We are taught by Jesus to love our enemies and forgive those who do harm to us.  We should be on God’s side.