Friday, June 4, 2010

Where are we headed here?

I've recently been educated a little about why christians claim they must support Israel like they do. I have a friend, who happens to be christian, that actually believes the bible tells her that all christians are supposed to support Israel, no matter what. I find this to be particularly disturbing, considering I've been questioning our Nation's collective morality. Here is why I think this way.
Christians, on one hand, preach a religion of love and tolerance. They have commandmants, one being "Thou shalt not steal", and the another being "Thou shalt not kill". So here is why I am so disturbed. If, your God tells you on one hand, do not steal from people, do not kill people, treat all others with respect, how on earth can he or she on the other hand demand you support a government doing those very things this very instant? That would be very hypocritical.
Let me say one thing real fast, I'm not a christian. I follow a religion that teaches honor, family, oaths, and strength of purpose. I'm not saying christianity cannot be that religion, but I am saying that it certainly isn't that any longer. Christians have completely lost their way in this Country. Nowhere in the bible I read so long ago, did I see any passages stating that the commandmants are "a living breathing document" (this is my obvious jab at people that try to say the Constitution, 4 pieces of paper, are that way). Nowhere have I seen where it says, thou shalt not steal, except when...Now the Thou shalt not kill part, that one is debatable in a way. Because I believe we were all born with the inalienable right to defend our lives, and sometimes, you may have to kill to do so. But it most certainly does not mean it is ok to attack a ship full of unarmed civilians, with the full intent to kill as many of them as they could get away with. I do not see anywhere in the bible that says it's ok to do something like that.
Now christians I know condemn that type of behavior, no matter who does it. I would think your God would not tolerate any of his people behaving against his tenets, wether they are Jewish or not. I've heard the argument "They're God's people". That is actually a racist statement when used in that context. Yes, they are "Yaweh's people", because he was a local deity of the middle east, a religion practiced by Jews. But here is the rub of this. That doesn't mean they are any better than me. Their God is not my God. By using blanket statements such as that, people empower a corrupt, criminal government to use it as an excuse for vile, warlike behavior.
I always have heard that christianity is the kinder, softer version of religion. I've had christians attempt to degrade me once they find out I am a proud Heathen, a follower of Odin. I see christians celebrating the perpetual war we are fighting, from "drug wars" to "wars on terror". My religion has taught me that as an honorable man, a keeper of my Oaths, it would be wrong to raise arms against those who are not attempting me or mine harm. That means, you actually have to attack me, or attempt me harm, to get me to hurt you. Christians in this Nation gleefully send their young men and women to war after war, telling them they're blood and sacrifice means something. I am a veteran, I have served. I can tell you right now, in my opinion, if I bleed for my country, it is only honorably done if the people that I serve ask me to do it for the morally right reasons. Otherwise, you are demanding of me that I set aside my own value set, to commit murder on people who want nothing more than to have a steady job, a safe place for their family to live, education for their children, access to healthcare and clean water. They sound an awful lot like me. When you have an entire population such as Israel, who arms their own citizens with automatic weapons, has over 200 undeclared nuclear warheads, and they are gleefully cutting off nearly all humanitarian aide to a large population of what should be a sovereign nation, then they should be treated as a criminal Nation, a terrorist Nation. They have in short, commited crimes against humanity. The Germans did that and got their asses kicked for their trouble.
Let me draw a parallel for my christian friends out there. What Israel is doing right this very instant in Gaza, is no different at all, to what the Nazis did in the Warsaw Ghetto to the Jews. Yes, I believe the holocaust happened, and I'm apalled by it. I have non zionist Jewish people in my family, whom I love very much, and hate to think about what some of their family had to go through. However, having been the victim of a horrible crime, does not ever give you the excuse to visit that very same crime on another race of people. If your God is giving the Israeli government a pass on it's behavior, because it's composed of "his people", then I am afraid you are beyond help. You would actually be serving a God that is a liar then, a hypocrit, an evil doer. Now, I might not be a christian, but I believe Christ was an amazing holy man, a great teacher, and that anybody that truly follows his tenets would have a good, solid spiritual life, filled with love and peace. So I would tend to think it's not Christ, or your "Yaweh" that is the problem. I think it's humanity itself, that has allowed itself to be blinded with hatred, all because somebody else follows a different religion. What I want to know is this. Are you, as a christian, , who professes to follow his tenets and commandmants, going to stand by and allow tyrrany and murder to continue, or are you going to have the balls to stand up, and do what is right no matter what? Christ was crucified because of his defiance to the Roman Empire. In short, he stood up for what is right, and paid the ultimate sacrifice. I know many men and women this day that would do that very same thing. All too often, they end up with a uniform on of some sort. I count myself as one of them. When I pass into the next world, when I stand before my Gods, I will do it with pride, because I have fullfilled my Oaths to them, I have lived a life of love and freedom.
Are you going to be someone that stands before your God, and tells him that you really respected his commandmants, but that there were special circumstances in your case, and you just couldn't practice the value system he had laid out for you to be in his grace? If so, I don't think you would like his response to that.
The easy way is to stay quiet, and hope someone else does something about this. But the easy way is the morally wrong way in this instance. If you are commanded to be "Christ like", then by standing by while another nation commits genocide and murder, certainly does not help you accomplish that goal. He died according to you, doing the right thing, understanding that it would cost him everything.
I swore an Oath 23 years ago that parallels that. I swore to spend my life as a Guardian to my people, a protector. I also understand that by swearing that Oath, by pledging my life, honor, and fortune, I have placed myself in real and present danger. I understand fully that if I make a stand against tyrranical behavior, I might also be killed. If that is the price I am asked to pay, so that my legacy may carry on, then I will pay that. I wouldn't be happy about it, but I will never compromise my values, just to breath a little bit longer. I will never just stand by silently, while someone or some government entity, wipes out an entire population of another country. What I want to know is this. Are you going to make that stand with me and others like me? If so, stop being so silent, stop blindly supporting criminals, just because that was what you were taught to do. Had Christ and his disciples come into a small village with weapons and armor, and slaughtered any that refused to follow them, I would think his daddy would have something stern to say about it. So if Christ would not have done this, why on earth are you allowing it to happen today?