Is God on “our side”? What does this even mean and from what vantage point is this true? God apparently is on everyone’s side – waging war against himself from all sides. There are grave consequences for claiming God is on your side. For using God as justification for killing. This has been done for centuries as eye for an eye retributive violence. It seems as if God wants everyone to be blind. How you read 1Samuel 15:2-3 is instructive in how you understand reality. Is God commanding this slaughter or is Samuel using God as justification for this slaughter? Given the words of Jesus, “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also…” (Matthew 5:38-39) it is difficult to make sense of God and not Samuel ordering the slaughter. This is important because there are so many claiming God for their side, their cause, their actions. Last Friday in Miami at an evangelical mega church Donald Trump claimed, “God is on our side” and the crowd of evangelical Christians cheered about the assassination of Qassem Soleiman. Perhaps, more words from Jesus are apt, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” If you claim Jesus is God then the only side God can be on is the side of peace.