In Memory of Peace

Imagine walking into a church and seeing images of warfare plastered on the screen with the approving message of, "Remember those who died for freedom." Would you walk out?

I did.

Yes, the church celebrates the victory over death, and death is nothing to be feared, but what is the cost of death when it comes to human suffering? How much does it hurt to lose a father, a son, a husband, a brother, an uncle, a nephew, a cousin, a friend? How many tears have been shed, how many hearts have been broken because of a war that ended a life too early?

The United States of America has convinced itself and its people that war is necessary and that peace cannot be attained, for in reality, war has become peace. The war-machine, that decimates cities and slaughters people around the world, must be allowed to continue its death march unabated, for if we stopped it, we wouldn't have freedom.

But what kind of freedom kills?

You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other (Gal 5:13-15, NIV)

A freedom that says, "I can do what I wish to you," is not freedom, it's tyranny. And tyranny will destroy not only them, it will destroy us too.

All westerners labor also under the illusion that they have the right to choose whether to send bombs or Bibles to other nations. If they choose Bibles, life is sacred and all killing must cease, whether it be infanticide, or honor killings. But if they choose bombs, life is something that is reserved only for those who have machine guns; the human body exists only to be mangled down by weapons that make money for those who profit from warfare.

No wonder an evangelical church in the US plasters images of warfare on the screen, for the Prince of Peace is a wonderful story on Christmas Day, but come Monday, there is a general consensus that we can't trust that God will keep us safe. For that we have the army, and when Memorial Day comes, we will lend our heartfelt support for those who died taking lives so that we can have the freedom to continue to feel that we have the right to exploit the rest of the world in the name of God.