Over at Aunt B’s place, she discussed Terry Frank’s take on the Gospel of War. As everyone knows, Jesus commanded his disciples to “go forth and die in his name in defense of the state” in John 15:13. Everyone knows that if you are a martyr for the state, you show the greatest love there ever was….and you get 70 virgins in heaven. Oh wait, wrong martyr myth.
While many have acted valiantly and selflessly in the face of peril in war, this bible verse is no salve or justification for such sacrifice. It is certainly not a verse to hang your hat on in the way of life goals. It works well in the Army for making good soldiers, but not in Christianity for making good disciples.
As a person trying to do things to make this world a better place, it makes me very angry to read the glorification of violence and death in violence as something done out of love and endorsed by God. Loving your neighbor as yourself does not include trying to kill them in the first place. In a global sense, aren’t we all neighbors? Aren’t we all brothers and sisters? Seems to me that if you are going to love your neighbor as yourself, it is a prerequisite to try to not kill your neighbor. It makes the loving a little easier.
So, please (gently, non-violently, and in love) take your red, white, and blue wrapped bible and stick it.
9 Comments
May 30, 2007 at 11:58 am
[...] don’t think soldiers are the equivalent of the messiah but I do think dying in defense of liberty is a noble thing. I’d rather people LIVE in [...]
May 30, 2007 at 1:43 pm
Okay, David. I think think that this might be the first time I’ve commented on one of your posts! But I just had to, because this is so incredibly accurate. I’m a very religious person, and I’m HORRIFIED by all the people around me who say this exact stuff, all in the name of righteousness! And every time that president of ours quotes the bible, I want to throw things at the TV. I sorta thought that the Gospel taught us to LOVE one another, to be honest, to be kind, to be noble. Murder is out, lying is out, hating is TOTALLY out. This post was extremely well written, and it really hit a nerve for me, as you can see! Thanks for putting it out there for us.
May 30, 2007 at 4:47 pm
[...] non-violently, and in love) take your red, white, and blue wrapped bible and stick it.” -Malia Spread It Around: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and [...]
May 30, 2007 at 8:36 pm
although i would like to be of the camp to say that “stick it” and in regards to making the war a religious calling… i could go on a rant on that one too.. i do need to say that we don’t need to fly to the otherside. though i wish i can claim myself as a pacifist, i struggle with that as much of my freedom is in place due to sacrifices by generations past.
this doesn’t mean that i now have more security due to the recent actions of war.. i probably don’t.. but i just bring this up to simply say.. this is more complicated than you present it.. and certainly more complicated than the religious supporters of war present it.
excellent close though
May 30, 2007 at 10:06 pm
My main focus for writing this post was to poke at the notion that romanticizes dying in the cause of war under the guise of liberty or martyrdom that is cloaked in religious speech. It is that cloak that angers me since I believe and read that religious speech to tell a different story, one of peace and love that grants freedom to people regardless of the system of government in authority. No human has ever died to secure that freedom for you, it is granted to you by simply being born into the human race.
May 31, 2007 at 1:22 am
No human has ever died to secure that freedom for you,
Well, there was this ONE guy….
May 31, 2007 at 8:02 am
cheeky monkey.
July 22, 2007 at 12:21 pm
I love to see the recognition expressed in this post. Much of today’s pseudo-christian opinion and interpretation simply mirrors extremism found elsewhere, and has nothing to do with salvation by grace, motivated by love. If the fruits of the spirit are not the result, then god isn’t in it.
It’s sad to think of religious discourse as simply the means of manipulating the masses for other purposes…
July 22, 2007 at 12:23 pm
[...] stumbled across a great post at live. laugh. love. As a person trying to do things to make this world a better place, it makes [...]