The US Military Needs To Be Christian In Order To Win Battles????

You know what I don't understand?  I don't understand why the Christian Right in this country absolutely refuses to recognize the fact that not everyone in America is a Christian.  Examples of this abound, but the latest comes from Bryan Fischer, a director of the American Family Association and host of its talk radio program Focal Point.  Fischer declared in a recent radio address that in order to win battles, the US military must be composed of "men of Christian faith, who are in touch with God and with the spirit of God."

US Military Must Be Christian In Order To Win Battles

This is pretty light fare for Fischer as he has often referred to gays as "Nazis" and seems to have the misguided opinion that the freedom of religion guaranteed by the First Amendment only applies to Christians, but once again I digress.

My point is this.  Why are these people of the opinion that everyone should believe as they believe?  Are there no Muslims, Jews, Wiccans, Atheists, etc. serving honorably in the US military?  Of course there are.  Was the US military that won WW II a Christian military?  Absolutely not.  While our country was not as diverse in the 1940s as it is now, to suggest that everyone who fought for our country against the Axis was Christian is ludicrous; and to suggest that our present day military needs to be Christian in order to victorious is equally inane.

You know, I have no issues with anyone who practices any religion, but I do have issues with those who practice religious bigotry.  I realize that every religion says their way is the one and only way, but this is the United States of America.  Can we not accept people of all faiths and no faith at all as honorable, capable members of the armed forces and as productive members of society? 

The Islamic terrorists that attacked us on 9/11 have framed this conflict as a Holy War.  It would seem that Fischer is playing right into their hands by suggesting that our military consist only of Christians.

Peace and love, my brothers and sisters.

Thanks To The Men And Women In Uniform

As Memorial Day in the US is now over, let me take a quick break from my normal format to thank all of the past, present, and future members of the United States military for their service to our nation and then personal sacrifice. (For my readers outside the US, Memorial Day is a holiday set aside to remember and revere all of the millions of men and women who have been killed in the line of military duty throughout the history of our country. It also bears noting the United States military is a strictly volunteer force.)

As I attended my umpteenth Indianapolis 500 this past Sunday and watched pickup truck after pickup truck full of active service members make laps around the hallowed grounds of the Brickyard, where they were saluted by hundreds of thousands of race fans, it really occurred to me that, despite their cheesy grins and over animated waves to the crowd, there was no more deserving group of people to be given the honor of a lap around Indianapolis Motor Speedway. We can only hope that they are honored as the heroes they are at all times.

As I once shared with my buddy, and fellow student nurse, Matt, I can count the number of times that I feared for my life since I joined the fire service five or six years ago on one hand with fingers to spare. These men and women who are fighting in the wars in the Middle East fear for lives all day every day for essentially their entire tour of duty. Stop and think about that the next time you whine about spending sixty bucks to put gasoline in your vehicle. They are in harm's way each and every day of their service in the Middle East. These men and women are modern day heroes and deserve to be treated as such.

Peace and love, my brothers and sisters.