America's War Machine and the Prince of Peace

The US Military-Industrial Complex and Jesus Christ

(Matt. 5: 38-48)

by Minister Paul J. Bern

There are certain Bible-based Christian convictions and Christ-like values that do not agree with the way the US military has been conducting its affairs and fighting its mostly unnecessary battles overseas. For example, president Trump has already ordered the evacuation of all US military forces from northern Syria. The Kurdish forces – our former allies who now understandably despise us – have been sent to a certain death by the US military's withdrawal. This is only one example from recent memory of American duplicity committed by the US military-industrial complex.

I will comment further down in this posting about the most extreme example of this duplicity – 9/11 and the eventual death of Osama Bin Laden. But for now I will keep this article in the present tense. I make no secret of my moral opposition to war and to killing in any form. Today we will examine a few scriptures that gives my words some backup. First and foremost, there is Biblical scripture that supports being a peace-loving person. Being tranquil and loving while practicing nurturing and compassion, these are ways of living taught by Jesus himself at the Sermon on the Mount, and it's in all four gospels. Allow me to quote our Savior in this regard:

“You have heard it said, 'An eye for an 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. (Matthew 5: 38-42) Moreover, Jesus said this prior to making that last statement, “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” (Matt. 5:7) Is our supposedly Christian nation living by these standards and obeying the commands of Jesus Christ? Quite the contrary – the US “leadership” and its military-industrial complex are embroiled in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and more recently in Pakistan, Libya and Syria, and has been playing the role of global policeman since the 1940's. And yet, for many years we have heard, seen or read stories about 1 in every 4 American schoolchildren going to bed hungry on any given night. That amounts to 35,000,000 American kids who can't even get a decent dinner. If another country did this to our kids, we'd be at war.

And yet the Bible reads, “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 loved 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.” (Matthew 5: verses 43-48)

For the last several years the Pentagon has been muttering about “regime change” in Syria and Iran, and let's not forget about Venezuela and the Korean peninsula while we're at it. Maybe what America needs is some regime change at home instead of abroad, and you can start with the ultra-rich Wall St. elites and the central banking establishment. Notice my exclusion of the Democrat/Republican political paradigm, since they are dragging the USA in the same direction as their 'black ops' units – straight to hell in a hand basket. Osama Bin Laden died long ago, and the demise of the USA as a world power will not be far behind. This is especially true if the US continues to treat their 'allies' the same way they treated the Kurdish people in northern Syria. It appears that the word 'karma' applies here.

Trump's recent suggestion that he should sue Representative Adam Schiff of California, chairman of the House intelligence panel, for misrepresenting what he said on the now infamous call with Ukraine’s president, is making a lot of political hay for the lame stream press. The talking heads work capably with what few details they have. On the split screen, familiar spliced video footage replayed what little most of us know — or care to know — about Donald Trump, wearing a $10,000.00 suit, engaged in a flurry of phone calls and all the other things considered to be 'presidential'. This reminds me of the time when the bogus news media here in America made the initial reports on the demise of Osama Bin Laden. Reports said impromptu crowds gathered in front of the White House and at Ground Zero exuberantly chanting “USA! USA!,” singing our anthem. Others retorted that they would not celebrate any person’s death, no matter who it was. Still others retrieved unsettling data about what it has cost us to find and kill bin Laden, in dollars and human lives.

All of these responses are authentic for a Christian who lives in America. Bin Laden has had more influence in the last decade over the way we live our lives than any other person. He was a wedge in our politics, he disrupted our ability to come and go freely; he triggered a vast global security and surveillance apparatus. He was directly or indirectly the focus of two wars that affected the material well-being and peace of mind of millions here and across the world. Jesus gave the world an example of what it means to live our lives in a righteous manner: “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matt. 5:48) I know it's true that nobody is perfect. That kind of perfection is a journey towards Jesus Christ. It is not a static state of mind, but it is always dynamic, ever changing as our Savior teaches us.

Bin Laden desecrated Islam and radicalized Christianity, making some Christians more enthusiastic about military action than they might have been otherwise, while making others more enthusiastic about trying to find peaceful solutions to global problems. He made a whole nation feel vulnerable and fearful of unpredictable catastrophic violence. There is no one manner by which to respond to this man’s death, because Bin Laden's life impacted all of us, sometimes in radically divergent ways. Beyond our feelings, people of all faiths might also spend time considering Jesus' call to love our enemies and to pray for those who persecute us. This is not an easy thing to do.

If we call ourselves Americans as well as Christians, we may feel a strong civic sense that what our government did in our name was the embodiment of public justice. But our political identity and our identity as followers of Jesus are rarely reconcilable. Jesus did not meet enemies with violence. He asserted that the way to loose ourselves of our enemies was, counter-intuitively, by loving them and forgiving them — by wanting God’s best for them and believing in the Holy Spirit’s power to convert any person to faithful obedience. Jesus implied that if the Spirit does not convert them to goodness in this life, any judgment of their deeds is to be left in the hands of their creator — God alone. Our job is to never cease praying that they receive God’s blessing. For example, I prayed for Osama bin Laden for about 10 years. I also pray frequently for president Trump, among others.

I have wondered over the years what God tried to do to win back to love all the Bin Laden's, the Hitler's, the Stalin's, the Pol Pot's and the Mao's of this world. I wonder about the confounding ability of human beings to resist the love of God. I wonder about these things for all of the above, and I wonder about same things with respect to my own life. Today, as I have many days before, I pray for my enemy — I pray him into the hands of the God of justice and of mercy. I pray for each and every one of you who view this blog, and for your entire families. Last but not least, I pray for myself, that I won't get left out.