Jesus and Our Troops

There are two sayings that I can't seem to escape, interpret or understand. One is that 'our' troops are fighting for 'our freedom and rights' in Iraq and Afghanistan and the other is 'Jesus Saves'.
I will leave the country under an assumed name shortly after this article is published to avoid the lynching that questioning either one of these assumptions may incur.

Let's start with 'our' troops. First of all the troops do not belong to us, the people, and we as ordinary citizens have absolutely no control over their fate or affairs. That is the role of the government. Secondly they are in no way representative of the whole population as many people do not support this, or any other war, and therefore, in association do not support the troops in their endeavors. Why are so many of those who claim they are against the war afraid to just come out and say they do not support the troops? So the words 'our troops' on all those car stickers and flyers should be changed to 'the U.S. government's troops'. Soldiers are trained to kill efficiently - kill other human beings, other mothers' sons - and are also trained to avoid being killed. It is their prerogative to take life without being held responsible - licensed to kill if you like. Sorry to be so blunt, but that's the immutable truth of the matter. They are also trained to take orders and if a commanding officer tells them to shoot and kill - they have to obey the command. Anyone associated with the military may disagree and add that troops also act as a deterrent to violence and to protect the vulnerable from violence, and of course, this is true and in a way very commendable.

What I can't understand is what the 'troops' are fighting for right now. While waiting to be served a cup of coffee recently I happened to read a notice about a young soldier who had just died in Afghanistan. The flyer stated that this young man died bravely to protect 'our freedom and rights'. It also asked for donations, I'm assuming for his family left behind.
First of all if this war is so commendable and 'our' troops are fighting for 'freedom' why isn't the government, who made the decision to send them off to war, picking up the bills when they are hurt or when they are killed? Why do the public have to pay for this? Through taxes, the people have already paid for him to be trained and sent overseas, and for his guns, ammunition, and all the rest of it. Shouldn't those 'in charge' help his family?

But let's get to the crux of the matter - 'fighting for our rights and freedom'. How on earth can fighting poor, disorganized, unsophisticated, fragmented, guerilla, militia groups (which the news like to call insurgents or even terrorists) in practically third world countries, be protecting our rights and freedom? Where is the menace here? How could they possibly pose a threat to a huge, powerful militaristic and economic force like the U.S.A? It's impossible. Even terrorist attacks do not threaten a whole industrialized nation. Britain lived with the threat of so-called IRA attacks for decades and it changed nothing. Curiously enough the IRA - the Irish Republican Army, were always labeled as terrorists in the pre - 9/11 era but have not been referred to in those terms for quite a while - doesn't pay to have western terrorists running around I guess, takes the fear out of the word. The IRA of course, called themselves 'freedom fighters' and it was the British government who labeled them as terrorists. Sound familiar?

It has already been established and proven that there were no WMD's that could threaten the U.S or Britain and that the premise for going to war in Iraq was, if not an outright lie at the very least misleading! Also the leader of the pack, the antichrist himself, Saddam Hussein is apparently dead. So we are left with several groups of angry people - not a huge and forceful, well funded, organized army ready for all out war.
Let's just call it what it is - the inevitable results of an unprovoked attack (or massacre) on an unprepared nation, a forced regime change; civilian deaths numbering in the tens of thousands and continuing occupation. In other words people defending their country from invaders. If America was attacked in this way and fought back in a similar fashion, they would be classified as heroes. Think about it. Where there is oppression there will always be a backlash of 'terrorism' - sometimes it's the only way left for desperate people to fight a mighty and ruthless force.

If people are genuinely concerned about losing their rights and freedom they should purchase a copy of the United States Constitution, read it thoroughly and then check whether any of the rights that are outlined therein are being threatened by Al Quaida or any faction in Iraq.
Then go to www.aclu.org and check whether any of your rights and freedoms, outlined in the Constitution, have been lost under the USA Patriot Act - a piece of legislation that was sneaked in right after 9/11, with little or no debate about its provisions, and little to no coverage in the mainstream press. The Patriot Act used the 'fear' of terrorism to slowly and carefully strip citizens of their rights. It's not meant to protect you, it's meant to control you.
It gave the government the power to access your medical records, tax records, information about the books you buy or borrow, and the power to break into your home and conduct secret searches without telling you. It sounds very Orwellian doesn't it? The Patriot Act has now been revised and some provisions changed, but I would encourage everyone to research it, as some of our personal freedoms have been, very quietly, dissolved. You won't know this unless, and until you engage in some form of civil disobedience for your beliefs. Even attending a rally, such as an anti-war or peace rally, could earn you a black mark and you may end up on some sort of list somewhere. This is not conspiracy theory but reality. Check it out for yourself. Of course your very right and freedom to free speech and to assemble are being violated if you are monitored and penalized for doing so. Therefore the threat to your 'rights and freedom' may not lie with the 'terrorists' but in your own back yard. Maybe the fight should take place on the home front - in the intellectual arena, to protect us from a much more insidious and powerful 'enemy' than any militia or 'insurgent' group in the Middle East.

So lets move quickly on now to Jesus, the Prince of Peace. I wonder if the Jesus so many believe in and claim has 'saved' them would proudly display a 'support our troops' sticker on his car? I wonder if he would support the war in Iraq or in Afghanistan at all. Would he support the troops or would he want to bring them home and end the war, and while he was at it, end all wars? Would the same Christians who now, so patriotically 'support our troops' agree with him if he did this? Or would they disown him and call him 'un-American'?

This is fascinating but very dangerous ground to tread on, but somebody has to do it.
What intrigues me is how Jesus can save you and from what exactly. Some Christians claim that he 'died for our sins' and ever since a young child I have been perplexed by this statement and nobody has been able to offer a satisfactory explanation of how this can help us. Dying for our sins? Doesn't that essentially strip us of responsibility? And what sins are they referring to anyway? Does a baby have sins that he or she needs to be saved from? Are we born sinful therefore? And what about all the people who lived before Jesus died for the sins of mankind? Isn't that a little unfair for them? What about the world's population that is not Christian? Are they just screwed as well? Some people live their whole lives without even hearing of Jesus for goodness sake. For some reason in American society references to Jesus and God are everywhere. I happened to watch the Masters Golf tournament and the winner even thanked Jesus, his Lord and Savior, for his success. I'm sure that was Jesus' main concern on Easter Sunday, amid all the wars, genocide and suffering going on around the world!
If we want to 'be saved' why don't we simply emulate Jesus and live his message instead of just saying 'my Lord and Savior', 'Jesus Saves' which are basically meaningless. Don't you have to live a truth to be able to share it with others and show them the way? If the New Testament is correct (and this may really get me shot - it may not be folks!) then Jesus' message was pretty simple. Co-exist peacefully, love your enemies and treat other people in the same way you want to be treated. Goodness, if we all adhered to these basic rules wouldn't the world be a great place? There would be no wars! Actually if everybody obeyed the Ten Commandments there 'could' be no wars as it says, quite clearly, 'Thou shall not kill'. It doesn't say, 'thou shall not kill, but its okay if you're fighting so-called terrorists, then you can kill indiscriminately' and it's also okay to bomb civilians'. So I guess most Christians who say they support the war or support our troops may need to re-read the material that they bombard us all with and try to actually understand its real meaning.

Of course, on the other hand, many who have studied Jesus' life in the historical context of Palestine's geographical, political, religious, economic and social life in the first century, have suggested he was, in fact a revolutionary, militant and messianic leader, a political freedom fighter who may have wanted to overthrow, or challenge the Roman occupation and may have resorted to violence to achieve this. That would make Jesus, what in the eyes of the Romans? A terrorist!
I'm booking my plane ticket right now