1 I don't know who this "the Lord" guy is, but it certainly doesn't sound like I would want to mess with him. I'm just sayin'

2 I am truly wrestling with my commentary for this post---- I know as a Christian I am called to love my enemies, but Lord only knows how filled with anger and rage I was after reading the article. 27 "But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29 If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. 30 Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you. 32 "If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' do that. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' lend to 'sinners,' expecting to be repaid in full. 35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Show me where you will find such a commandment to love in the Koran. I am truly torn by this.

3 couldn't "love thy enemies" have been mistranslated from "daisycutter thy enemies" ? After all those scribes probably did not have the word "daisycutter" in their vocab?

4 Two quick notes: My passage is from the Gospel of Luke, while MDV's "passage" is actually a sorta a "collage", and a work-off of Ezekiel 25:17 (Scroll down to "Jules' Bible passage" for the explanation)

5 I was quoting Jules in the movie Pulp Fiction.

6 I know, bro, I was just clarifying for those who didn't catch onto the "Pulp Non-Fiction" title.

7 For some reason, your post made that phrase just pop into my head.

8 You can love your enemies while killing them, you know. Just because someone forces you to kill them doesn't mean you have to hate them. God was smiting people left and right in the old days, but he loves us all, doesn't he? How can we be expected to be greater if even God gacks His enemies. I love my family, but if one of them ever comes at me with a knife, they're going down and not getting back up, and strangers can expect no better.

9 I'd forgotten that scene with Jules. If you can overlook who said it in the movie, it's rather moving.

10 IM: I speak as a Christian, and IM (who, I believe, is NOT) is theologically right on the money.

11 IM's right. Christianity is just like The Force. You want to strike down your enemies without giving into the Dark Side.

12 Note the Lord never says what to do if slapped on the other check after you offer it.

13 And also note he only asks that we turn one cheek-- once-- not both cheeks ad infinitum.

14 Meant to add this before--JP II and past popes have repeatedly spoken out and written about the dangers and evils of Marxism and Communism. And pacifism in all situations has NEVER been a Church teaching.

15 When a child I found that Franciscan Nuns with rulers were not pacifists.

16 People who try to find some limitation in Jesus's commandment to love our enemies remind me of people who try to hide behind various meanings of what the word "is" is. Obviously, Jesus is not saying, "Love your enemies unless ..." or "Love your enemies until ..." or "Try loving your enemies for a while and then if that doesn't work, kill them." One of the previous respondents is incorrect in saying that "pacifism in all situations has NEVER been a church teaching." Some Christian denominations have long histories of pacifism. The fact that some other denominations have not embraced pacifism is arguably just one more example of how those non-pacifist Christians have ignored some of Jesus's teachings.