Bible Study recap

As usual, we covered a wide range of topics in Bible study, related to the Romans reading. We went from democracy in Iraq, to AIDS in Africa, to Karla Homolka, to George W. Bush and bereaved mother Cindy Sheehan, to Pat Robertson's suggestion of assassinating Hugo Chavez (Venezuela), to the lack of children/young families attending church ... As for direct connections to the scripture, we came up with some of the following:

Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer.
- this was a reassuring and comforting verse for many, yet it has different implications for those in abusive relationships ...

If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.
- an important recognition that some things in our life are out of our control; we can only do so much within our situations
- when do we decide if a situation is in, or out, of our control?

Where does self-defence come in? In abusive and oppressive situations (domestically and internationally) when does enough become enough? (Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them)??

And this seems out of place too: No, "if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads."
- shouldn't we help others in need, enemies or not, simply because they're in need and not because of some ulterior motive of heaping coals on them?

The desire for revenge seems to be ingrained within us. Conflict within and around the church in Rome was prevelant, Paul sets out high standards for people to follow. Yet at the heart of all of his instructions seems to be a sense of respect: for others, for God and for oneself. So if we find ourselves in situations where respect is denied others, where relationships are based on power rather than equality, this goes against what God desires for us.

Yet waiting for God's vengeance, or taking a violent course of action, devalues our sense of relationship with others (and the divine). Are we able to remove ourselves or withdraw from the conflict?

So ... we have more deep and difficult questions than when we started, kind of like life.