I pan to get back to the "Oklahoma " thread in a few days ..but recent developments and thoughts keep forcing themselves on me in such a manner that I know I need to deal with them .
As can be expected the last few weeks centered around " Independence day " have stirred some thoughts , discussions and a few stumbling blocks.I believe it is possible to be out of balance when it comes to Patriotism and the Military. The past church we used to go to would have ( in my opinion ) these over the top patriotic services to honor the Military in our country. On services close to Memorial Day, Veterans day , Fourth of July , patriotic songs would be sung , Service men and women past and present would stand and be honored , we would pledge allegiance to the flag , and at one time we even had an alter call to America the Beautiful. This seems inappropriate and out of balance to me. I believe this Country is much more than our Military conquests. If I had my choice we should be honoring ...all those who have "sacrificed " for the country
Because I am a Pacifist I am routinely called a traitor ...This by many who have themselves never worn a uniform or sacrificed for the country. What they don't know or care to know is how much I have sacrificed and worked to make this Country better for those that will go on after me ...I was active in the Anti War Movement in the 60's , Actively worked for Civil Rights. When I was in College i was both President of the Student Body and The Editor of the Student Newspaper, As a new father and store owner in Sisters Oregon I was a Volunteer Fireman and emergency health provider for over a decade ...
Most important ...in all this I am not alone ...I don't believe that the greatness of this country can be measured only in terms of Military victories and sacrifices. My father was one of thousands of young men who hung on wispy strands of steel to dynamite the sides of the Hoover Dam, he was a high steel worker on the Golden gate bridge , and during WW 11 he worked rigging cargo in the giant cargo bays of Liberty Ships ..where he was exposed to asbestos and died an early death from Lung cancer at 59.
This country is the sum total of the farmers, and steel workers, the accountants, and teachers , the pastors and doctors , pavers and roofers...riveters and welders , truckers and food pickers , packers , and stockers.
Some of these people went home after work and watched TV , or sat in easy chairs and read their favorite books or magazines. Some came home quickly showered and grabbed a bag full of Baseball equipment and headed for the Neighborhood Baseball diamond. Some even though they were bone weary ..pushed themselves into cars and took the Neighborhood children into the wilderness , or to the camping grounds nearby.
I have also found something interesting over the years ...those who went off to war are perhaps the most ardent pacifists of all ...their pacifism comes from that same epiphany voiced by General Robert E. Lee at Fredricksburg " It is good that War is so terrible that we would not do it more often ". Veterans who I know who actually saw combat are almost to the man unwilling nor inclined to talk about their front line experiences. Conversely I find those who are most vocal when it comes to talking of Sacrifice and Honor ...may have served in the theaters of Combat , but their service was far and distant from the spilling of blood.
There are those who missed the fight and live vicariously the battles and bravery.
My former father in law was a corpsman running a LST on D day ..he took fresh young troops into the Battle and returned with Mangled bodies from each landing. He never talked about his experiences , until the 50th anniversary of Dday ...when I called him to thank him for his sacrifice...His reaction was simple and direct ...those who fought fought so that we might never need to fight again.
My best friend had two tours of Duty in Vietnam ...one where his job was defusing unexploded bombs and explosives..the second tour he worked in Graves registration ..he came under fire several times and I have heard from other of his friends that he was for a brief time a POW until he escaped .
Lee and I might be seen as a curious pair Him the Warrior and me the Pacifist ..but we have a deep and abiding appreciation for each other and what each has done in good conscience.
We also share a distrust and dissatisfaction of the leadership that has directed both of us .
Yes I believe we should honor the soldiers and warriors of our country , but I think that we should also honor the peacemakers , the workers , the teachers and all of us that form the matrix of the society we live in ...Honor does not always mean continued sacrifice , that we send more to their deaths out of fear of dishonoring those that died in service to their country is not in my opinion appropriate ...we should seek to diplomatically end hostilities whenever possible and certainly not be seeking to expand them.
As Christians we have a battle plan , one offered by Jesus Christ not just to His Disciples but to the Multitudes as well ...these words of His are not the words of a Mad man ..nor the words of a man who had no Idea where the world would be today. His words which we must at least discuss and examine are easily available in the Bible.
Matthew 5: 38-47
"You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.'But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.
"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
If this is what Jesus said , and if we believe that Jesus is God , and if we as Christians take our very name from this man ..then we must accept this teaching ....how do we not ?
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