"Killing for Jesus" and getting away with it!

"Killing for Jesus" and getting away with it!

I was talking to my evangelical Republican online friends this morning. They are such a nice couple. She works for the State of California DMV and he is an military airline pilot. They are throwing a big party today because their eldest son, first born and sitting at the right hand of the father so to speak leaves for Marines this week. I cautiously asked him if he was concerned about the timing of the enlistment considering the escalation of Marine operations in Afghanistan. His reply was unexpected. He said last year more Marines died on motorcycles than in combat. I said that's reassuring. But it isn't to me.

I wanted to ask him if he thought Jesus would become a Marine, or who would Jesus call an airstrike on? I can hear it now...
"Bravo Six Leader this is the Almighty we have movement in sector Blue, repeat sector Blue can you confirm over?"
"Almighty this is Bravo Six Leader confirmed six no wait seven Tangos in sector Blue we will engage over."
"Copy that Bravo Six Leader, make them count over!"

It would seem to a non believer or an undereducated Christian that the phrase "that which you do to the least of my brothers that you do unto me" is pretty self explanatory and leaves little room for debate on how one should behave. Killing and rape and torture or even rude language are ruled out by the above statement.

It isn't that simple because many many many Bible verses are extremely violent. Here are some examples of what the Bible says are the words of a perfectly just, kind, loving and forgiving God.

Genesis 7:4 For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth.

Ten pages into the Bible and God drowns 99.999% of all living things, that's all the baby horsies and kitty cats and puppies not to mention women and children. Drowned. Now if you asked a thousand people the way they would NOT want to die, drowning and burning are the top picks.

Genesis 19:24 Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven; 19:25 And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.

There is the burning part. But teh gays live in those cities we haz to nukes it! There is a pattern here.

Exodus 11:4 And Moses said, Thus saith the LORD, About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt: 11:5 And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the first born of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts.

Clearly the first born of the Pharoah, his servants, his pets and all the citizens of Egypt deserved to die because the Pharoah wouldn't play God's game. I should mention that there is no evidence Hebrew slaves ever lived in ancient Egypt, let alone helped build the Pyramids. None.

Numbers 31:1The Lord said to Moses, 2“Take vengeance on the Midianites for the Israelites. After that, you will be gathered to your people.”

3So Moses said to the people, “Arm some of your men to go to war against the Midianites and to carry out the Lord’s vengeance on them. 4Send into battle a thousand men from each of the tribes of Israel.” 5So twelve thousand men armed for battle, a thousand from each tribe, were supplied from the clans of Israel. 6Moses sent them into battle, a thousand from each tribe, along with Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, who took with him articles from the sanctuary and the trumpets for signaling.

7They fought against Midian, as the Lord commanded Moses, and killed every man. 8Among their victims were Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur and Reba—the five kings of Midian. They also killed Balaam son of Beor with the sword. 9The Israelites captured the Midianite women and children and took all the Midianite herds, flocks and goods as plunder. 10They burned all the towns where the Midianites had settled, as well as all their camps. 11They took all the plunder and spoils, including the people and animals, 12and brought the captives, spoils and plunder to Moses and Eleazar the priest and the Israelite assembly at their camp on the plains of Moab, by the Jordan across from Jericho.^a

13Moses, Eleazar the priest and all the leaders of the community went to meet them outside the camp. 14Moses was angry with the officers of the army—the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds—who returned from the battle.

15“Have you allowed all the women to live?” he asked them. 16“They were the ones who followed Balaam’s advice and were the means of turning the Israelites away from the Lord in what happened at Peor, so that a plague struck the Lord’s people. 17Now kill all the boys. And kill every woman who has slept with a man, 18but save for yourselves every girl who has never slept with a man.

I could go on and on but let me finish with some verses attributed to Jesus himself.

Luke 12:10, "And everyone that says a word against the Son of Man, that will be forgiven; But he that blasphemes against The Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.

Mark 3:29, "Whoever blasphemes against The Holy Spirit will never have forgiveness, but is guilty of everlasting sin."

Matthew 12: 31-32 "Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven men, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. And whoever shall speak a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever shall speak against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age, or in the age to come".

So violence is a tool to be used "righteously" and most sins, even violent sins can be forgiven...all except blasphemy. Given that premise, Hitler, a self proclaimed Catholic could get into heaven if he was resolute and contrite of heart before he died, but his victim Anne Frank, a Jew, could not. Peace and Justice? Hardly!

There are hundreds of verses in the Bible promoting violence, slavery, incest, and other heinous acts. It is easy to see how a young man raised with this kind of moral base could join the Marines, pick up a rifle and kill and kill again.