I served in the United States Navy for 20 years, as a Hospital Corpsman. I loved the Navy, loved being a Corpsman and was honored to be selected to wear the anchors of a Chief Petty Officer. I believe strongly in the defense of our nation against all enemies, foreign and domestic, or I would not have enlisted and reenlisted twice during my career. But, I retired from service four years earlier than I had to as a Chief and ten years earlier than planned. The reason I left is partly the reason and motivation for this post. The other part of my motivation is my growing concern over the ever increasing, insidiously sly cult of the warrior and war that has inserted itself into our churches today, under the guise of Christian patriotism.
Its not difficult to understand our national preoccupation with war and all things military. Our nation was born in war and we have yet to know a generation that didn't know and participate in conflict.
In many ways, we, the United States of America, have become the modern day equivalent of ancient Rome and its Legions. Like ancient Rome, our troops are spread about the four corners of the world, attempting to keep a modern Pax Romana (Peace by Force). Like ancient Rome, while many nations would prefer we were not there, they have come to depend upon us for security (albeit, a security that comes with a price). Like ancient Rome much of our economy has become dependent upon the economic stimulus of a massive military-industrial-congressional complex.
And just like the warrior society of Rome, we revere and esteem the role of the military professional and what we believe it says about our culture, our goals, our character. We speak of the "best and brightest" that serve...about the "greatest generation"...how "all gave some, but some gave all"... all of which carries the notion that there is no greater form of service or sacrifice than signing up for military service and giving your life for your country, for freedom, for democracy, for the sake of your brothers in arms.
Retailers offer special incentives and discounts to active duty military members, we have two national holidays recognizing the veterans service, we even have two national banks specifically designed for military members.
We have the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars that constantly lobby (and rightly so) on behalf of military members, active and retired, ensuring they receive the benefits they have earned and deserve. And, we have a dozen or more groups that have been set up to aide military members in duress, such as the Wounded Warriors. One of the largest health care organizations in the world is the VA (Veterans Assistance) who's primary goal is the care and treatment of sick, injured, wounded and disabled veterans.
References to the military and military paraphernalia can be found everywhere in our society. We have fashion designs that take their cue from military uniforms. We have toys and games for children and adults...everything from GI Joe dolls, to Battleship board games and first person shooter video games and paintball tournaments involving hundreds, event thousands of participants, recreating battlefield scenarios past and future. Even professional sports teams don uniforms with camouflage in honor of our veterans and have military "fly-bys" at the start of games, along with color guards and military members singing the national anthem or God Bless America.
Hollywood pumps out new war movies and made for tv stories of American war heroes and their adventures and noble sacrifice almost monthly. And of course, national and local tv newsrooms and YouTube are replete with stories, commercials and videos of heartwarming homecomings and somber funerals and remembrances for "fallen heroes".
Don't get me wrong. I am all for rendering honor to whom honor is due and taking care of those who willingly step up to serve our country. However, I am beginning to wonder, has this pre-occupation with war and the warrior crossed a line from tribute and honor to cult worship?
In particular, as a Christian, I wonder if our constant elevation of the American warrior and war, has adulterated our faith? Have we become blind to the facts that indicate our involvement in some wars may have been, at best, muddled...or, at worst, outright nonsense and illegal. Has our blanket American-Evangelical support of war and the warrior somehow made us callous or deaf toward those who speak up for peaceful solutions and who have suggested that, perhaps, our justifications for war may be wrong...even lies. Has it made us unsympathetic, perhaps even racist, toward those upon whom we have inflicted great pain and loss as a result of war?
Biblically, there are no commands in the bible forbidding the follower of God from taking up the profession of arms. In fact, when confronted by a soldier and asked how he might make his way to the Kingdom of God, Jesus did not tell them they had to leave their profession. He did, however, forbid the unauthorized use or abuse of power.
"Some soldiers were questioning him, saying, 'And what about us, what shall we do?' And he said to them, 'Do not take money from anyone by force, or accuse anyone falsely, and be content with your wages.'"
Luke 3:14
The bible is replete with references to war and the warrior, and often describing God in warrior terminology. Ultimately, God in Christ, will lead His "army" against Satan, the Antichrist and their horde in the final Battle of Armageddon.
But, does that mean all wars have the blessing of God?
Does that mean whatever a soldier does in war, also has His blessing?
Of course not. Could a Nazi soldier claim righteousness as he is hauling off Jews to the death camps? Could the American soldiers massacring Vietnamese villagers at Mei Lai claim that they were just in their cause? It is obvious that war can be filled with wrongs and atrocity.
So, when is war wrong, and when should Christians begin to question being a part of it?
That is a deeply personal question, but one every Christian in this warrior nation needs to ask, needs to think deeply about, and MUST answer, honestly and sincerely.
I recall a scene from Shakespeare's "Henry V". King Henry is moving among his troops incognito the night before a great battle. In a conversation with one of his soldiers a question is asked, whether a soldier who commits a crime in war is responsible, or is the King responsible, since it was the King that willed them to war? King Henry reveals the folly of their reasoning by suggesting that if they are correct, then a son, who commits a crime while on the business of his father, should not be held liable, but the father should, since it was the father that sent the son out. Of course the soldiers then see the flaw in their reasoning. Henry V then adds these great words...
"Every man's duty is to his King; but, every man's soul is his own."
I believe that as citizens of any country, if we are to enjoy its benefits, we have a Christian duty and obligation to serve in the protection of that country we call home. But, I believe even more strongly that if called to war, that war must be righteous, our reasoning sound and true, our cause just, and our methods moral and reasonable.
Have our recent, modern "adventures" in war met that criteria?
There was a time when I would have answered that question with an unapologetic, resounding "Yes!" Of course we're right. Of course, we are the good guys...the cavalry come to the rescue of freedom and democracy around the globe. We, as our Navy recruiting ads suggest, are a "Force For Good". But, I was to eventually learn that I was being naïve. For example...
WWII:
We are now learning that our government had advanced intel that the Japanese were planning to attack Pearl Harbor and kept that intel from the CO of Pearl. We also know now that our policies and diplomacy with Japan was designed to provoke an attack. Convenient and unusual that none of the carriers (which would be critical to winning the Pacific war) were in Pearl during the attack Sunday morning.
Vietnam:
We now know that the attack of the USS Maddox was a fiction. And, that the US was buzzing N. Vietnam with U-boats, provoking an attack. We also learn that the N. Vietnamese had extended diplomatic hands to the US when they attempted to unshackle themselves from the French. The N. Vietnamese had never liked China and their form of communism was nothing at all like Chinese or Soviet communism. We learn that every effort to establish relations with the US and make peace was rebuffed by the US and that this information was kept from the public.
USS Liberty:
Attacked by the Israelis during the Arab/Israeli war, the USS Liberty, a US Spy ship observing the war, was denied air support by direct order of the POTUS. It was bombed, strafed, shot and torpedoed over a period of nearly two hours without any aide rendered by the nearby carrier task group. Only the courage and skill at damage control of the US Navy sailor saved her from going down, as the POTUS desired. And why? To draw the US into the war in support of Israel and create a US military presence in the Middle East region.
Operation Northwoods:
Designed by the Joint Chiefs of Staff and signed off by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, General Lyman Lemnitzer, this plan involved faking attacks on US soil and US airlines, faking deaths and burials, remotely controlling an airplane made to look like a commercial aircraft and faking an attack by Cubans using our own planes, all designed to foment public support for an all-out attack on Cuba.
9/11:
How do three modern steel and concrete skyscrapers fall into their own footprint from fires? How do four "known-to-be-hijacked" commercial airliners get to fly for over an hour without military intercept and 3 of the 4 hit their intended targets? Why did the POTUS sit in an elementary school classroom reading listening to school kids read a book when he already knew we were "under attack"? Why did it take public pressure to create the 9/11 Commission and why was it so under-funded, rife with conflict of interest and designed to fail? And why did we use it as an excuse to invade Iraq and Afghanistan when the supposed hijacker-terrorists were Saudis?
9/11 Fallout:
Rendition, Torture, Black Prisons, GTMO, extremely high civilian/enemy combatant death ratios, the dismantling of cultures and leaving nations stripped of leadership and means to secure peace (consequently leaving them open to the abuses of war lords and profiteers). All this came as a result of 9/11.
.
Global War on Terror:
It has given rise to Al Quada, the Taliban, El Shabbat, ISIS and ISIL, has now justified the killing of enemy combatants remotely with drone missiles (illegal, immoral and against international law and rules of war, not to mention unconstitutional). We've even used drones to kill American citizens...merely for being "suspected" terrorists or terrorist sympathizers, without due process.
And lets not forget about the damage done here at home: the shredding of the Constitution, Bill of Rights and Rule of Law in favor of a police state; and economy based on war; a society that lives in fear of our neighbors and is willing to trade freedom for security; the militarization of local law enforcement; the silencing of dissent.
I'm gonna' catch hell for this, but it must be said...
I was a Hospital Corpsman and proud of my rate, my service and my country. But, I have come to the same stark realization that MajGen Smedley Butler, USMC did.
A two-time recipient of the Medal of Honor, MajGen Butler was a Marine's Marine. A man of courage, honor, integrity, of dedication to country and deep convictions. He declared what he had learned in his years of civilian service that followed his military career, at a meeting of the American Legion, that "War Is A Racket". He went on the declare that he was nothing more than high priced muscle for American corporations.
In my investigation into 9/11, I came to realize, as did Butler, that I wasn't actually fighing to defend freedom and democracy, nor was I fighting to defend the Constitution. These were the noble causes they "sold" to me. What I WAS fighting for was our economy. What I was lending my service to wasn't my government or my country, but a shadow government owned by bankers and corporate industrialists, who were making trillions of dollars off my honor and service, as well as the service of my enemies (you see, they fund and sell weapons to both sides, ensuring their profits).
Not only was war a racket, but it has become THE cult following of Americans of every race and creed. War and the Warrior are worshipped, praised and venerated in this country, like no other, save ancient Rome. We have become the very thing that Eisenhower warned us about.
There used to be a time when I would stand a little taller when someone said to me, "Thanks for your service, sailor." Now, it just leaves me heartsick that people still buy into the lies of our own government and into the mythos of the noble American warrior.
The fact is, the military service has just as many bad eggs as the civilian sector. Not all are the heroes the media wants you to believe. Most, if they're honest, would tell you that the primary motivator for joining (particularly re-enlisting) is economic. They need the pay and benefits that military service provides. Many, if they had the courage to admit it, don't really believe we're "fighting the good fight" anymore, have their doubts about 9/11, but don't see any financial benefit to leaving the service.
And if heroic means showing up on time, doing your job well and safely, and being willing to sacrifice time with your family, well then, most are, I suppose. But, truly, for the majority, military service is about as dangerous as driving down the Interstate at rush hour...and most civilians run that gauntlet daily. Most of us are involved in the "support and admin" end of things....in the rear with the gear...and of the 7% of the population that serves, perhaps less than 1% actually spend time at the front and even fewer see combat and face the bullets or bomb of the enemy.
For my money, there are some more deserving "heroes" out there, in our civilian work-force. I know many heroic police officers, firemen, ambulance workers, doctors, nurses.....teachers....promoters of peace?! Why don't we celebrate their heroism with the same level of awe and veneration we give to military service members? Why? Because their contributions don't pay out in the trillions of dollars, thats why. As stated, corporations and bankers create, finance and run our wars, on both ends, and they pump billions into the media to maintain a mythical awe of war and the warrior, in order to maintain a steady stream of volunteers to fight their wars, and to ensure public support of those wars.
Veterans day used to called Armistace Day...a celebration of the "end" of war and a time of thanks for the peace (short lived as it was) that came at the end of WWI. But today, its all about a celebration of the warrior and their noble sacrifice...its about pumping the well of patriotism and stirring anger and hatred for whatever the enemy of choice is. It has become,in short, big business. Just recently we learned that the Pentagon was paying the NFL millions of dollars to support the military during the broadcast of their games.
http://www.sbnation.com/2015/11/4/9670302/nfl-paid-patriotism-troops-mcain-flake-report-million
Now that I'm "awake" to the truth of war and the war machine we have become, I am no longer comfortable with people telling me "Thank-you, for your service." It only reminds me now of the fool I was for volunteering. It only pains me to recall the years of effort, sweat and sacrifice I put in for a lie. And it shames me to realize what this once great country has become....a giant war machine not only creating and fighting wars, but providing weaponry to just about every army/navy/airforce out there, friend and foe alike.
Do you want to thank me, as a veteran? Then do me a favor....investigate 9/11...do your due diligence and learn the truth about what it is you're either serving or supporting. Don't go on glibly repeating a phrase that does nothing more than support "business as usual" for the military-industrial-congressional complex.
Do yourself the favor, and wake up! Everybody's gotta' learn sometime...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2akRFWiFtD4
Knowing what I now know, I couldn't possibly remain in uniform, as a patriot. And I most certainly could not remain a part of military service as a follower of Christ given the facts that our wars were not righteous and honorable, but based on lies and, therefore, illegal and unjust.I was a Hospital Corpsman and proud of my rate, my service and my country. But, I have come to the same stark realization that MajGen Smedley Butler, USMC did.
A two-time recipient of the Medal of Honor, MajGen Butler was a Marine's Marine. A man of courage, honor, integrity, of dedication to country and deep convictions. He declared what he had learned in his years of civilian service that followed his military career, at a meeting of the American Legion, that "War Is A Racket". He went on the declare that he was nothing more than high priced muscle for American corporations.
In my investigation into 9/11, I came to realize, as did Butler, that I wasn't actually fighing to defend freedom and democracy, nor was I fighting to defend the Constitution. These were the noble causes they "sold" to me. What I WAS fighting for was our economy. What I was lending my service to wasn't my government or my country, but a shadow government owned by bankers and corporate industrialists, who were making trillions of dollars off my honor and service, as well as the service of my enemies (you see, they fund and sell weapons to both sides, ensuring their profits).
Not only was war a racket, but it has become THE cult following of Americans of every race and creed. War and the Warrior are worshipped, praised and venerated in this country, like no other, save ancient Rome. We have become the very thing that Eisenhower warned us about.
There used to be a time when I would stand a little taller when someone said to me, "Thanks for your service, sailor." Now, it just leaves me heartsick that people still buy into the lies of our own government and into the mythos of the noble American warrior.
The fact is, the military service has just as many bad eggs as the civilian sector. Not all are the heroes the media wants you to believe. Most, if they're honest, would tell you that the primary motivator for joining (particularly re-enlisting) is economic. They need the pay and benefits that military service provides. Many, if they had the courage to admit it, don't really believe we're "fighting the good fight" anymore, have their doubts about 9/11, but don't see any financial benefit to leaving the service.
And if heroic means showing up on time, doing your job well and safely, and being willing to sacrifice time with your family, well then, most are, I suppose. But, truly, for the majority, military service is about as dangerous as driving down the Interstate at rush hour...and most civilians run that gauntlet daily. Most of us are involved in the "support and admin" end of things....in the rear with the gear...and of the 7% of the population that serves, perhaps less than 1% actually spend time at the front and even fewer see combat and face the bullets or bomb of the enemy.
For my money, there are some more deserving "heroes" out there, in our civilian work-force. I know many heroic police officers, firemen, ambulance workers, doctors, nurses.....teachers....promoters of peace?! Why don't we celebrate their heroism with the same level of awe and veneration we give to military service members? Why? Because their contributions don't pay out in the trillions of dollars, thats why. As stated, corporations and bankers create, finance and run our wars, on both ends, and they pump billions into the media to maintain a mythical awe of war and the warrior, in order to maintain a steady stream of volunteers to fight their wars, and to ensure public support of those wars.
Veterans day used to called Armistace Day...a celebration of the "end" of war and a time of thanks for the peace (short lived as it was) that came at the end of WWI. But today, its all about a celebration of the warrior and their noble sacrifice...its about pumping the well of patriotism and stirring anger and hatred for whatever the enemy of choice is. It has become,in short, big business. Just recently we learned that the Pentagon was paying the NFL millions of dollars to support the military during the broadcast of their games.
http://www.sbnation.com/2015/11/4/9670302/nfl-paid-patriotism-troops-mcain-flake-report-million
Now that I'm "awake" to the truth of war and the war machine we have become, I am no longer comfortable with people telling me "Thank-you, for your service." It only reminds me now of the fool I was for volunteering. It only pains me to recall the years of effort, sweat and sacrifice I put in for a lie. And it shames me to realize what this once great country has become....a giant war machine not only creating and fighting wars, but providing weaponry to just about every army/navy/airforce out there, friend and foe alike.
Do you want to thank me, as a veteran? Then do me a favor....investigate 9/11...do your due diligence and learn the truth about what it is you're either serving or supporting. Don't go on glibly repeating a phrase that does nothing more than support "business as usual" for the military-industrial-congressional complex.
Do yourself the favor, and wake up! Everybody's gotta' learn sometime...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2akRFWiFtD4
Understanding this I have become increasingly disappointed, irritated and frustrated with churches that continued to believe and support those lies from our pulpits, promoting war (particularly where it is us vs Muslim extremism -- the new "Crusade"), elevating the role of military service members to the status of holy warriors, all in a Global War of Terror that is illegal and immoral and being conducted in a manner that is unconstitutional, without congressional approval or oversight and breaking international and Constitutional law. No wonder the Muslims hate us!
I've come to the conclusion that US churches (primarily Evangelical churches) have equated military service with service to God, and exchanged true faith in Christ with patriotism and faith in our government and democracy.
I believe we have, indeed, crossed a line from honoring military service to idolizing it. Not because it is true and just...but, because it supports our way of life; because it strengthens our twisted notions of freedom and democracy; because it justifies the incredible costs in national treasure and blood we have and continue to pay; and, primarily, because it massages our egos and our national pride, providing us with a quasi-moral grounds upon which to stand and justify our arrogance and our violence.
The problem is the churches do not recognize the shifting sands of lies they have built this cult of war and the warrior upon. For as the truth about our wars and warfare come out...as the public begins to learn and awaken to the reality of our situation...the US Evangelical church (just as I was, personally, when I was awakened) is going to be put through a lot of humbling.
But, this is a good thing...and necessary.
It is not easy admitting you were wrong. It is often painful to face the facts and the truth about what you have become. And, it takes a lot of moral courage to then make the decisions necessary to correct wrong behavior, wrong thinking, and wrong worship.
But, that courage is available, in the Holy Spirit, if you will but humbly bend the knee to truth (all truth is from God) and submit to the pricking of your conscience that comes with every question about 9/11 and our culture of, by and for war.
I don't believe it has to, necessarily, mean becoming a pacifist. But, one does need to be far more discerning about when to choose the path of war and when to sign up for military service. For certain, we must choose NOT to build our economy on the basis and outcome of war.
I believe the US church can and must make this change and promote this change, if it ever hopes to remain relevant and effective for the Kingdom of God. We must stop wrapping our faith in flags and human politics that establish rule by man. We need to wrap ourselves in the Truth of His Word, the Truth of who we are, where we're at and how we got here. And, we must surrender to the Will of a God of love, to the power of His Holy Spirit, and we need to start building up a people ready and fit for the Kingdom of God.
Take the time to listen to Martin Luther King Jr's speech "A Time To Break Silence", about the Vietnam war and his prophetic warning about what this nation will become, if we do not heed the lessons learned from Vietnam. I believe that we, unfortunately, have seen that prophetic word come true.
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkatimetobreaksilence.htm
God bless you in your pursuit of Truth and the goal of Christlikeness in all you do, and in your decisions that involve the taking up of arms and the use of violence against another human being.
