Sun May 19 2013

Hypocrisy of war and religion: How an unlikely group could unravel their evil connections
by Charles Foerster
October 2, 2011

It’s almost unimaginable but it may be near the end for the U.S. military and quite possibly, the end of war. It is the result of the President’s recent decision to allow gays to openly serve in the military. Two million men and women in the U.S. military are now being forced to undergo training on how to cope with the new rules. If gays find a welcoming atmosphere in the military hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions of straight men and women might drop out of the service; reserve units could be especially hit hard because this is where a large part if the older segment of the military is found and they are probably far less tolerant of tampering with God’s plan.

Unlike most professions where they can rise to commanding positions, the military was always thought to be off-limits to gays and homosexuals. Of course it never was but that was the popular notion. Thinking along those lines, it was easy to assume that the planning and execution of warfare tactics such as fire-bombing, water-boarding and nuclear strikes required personnel to be of the highest moral character. We all know what that implies. Not only do we require our field-grade officers to be beyond reproach in reputation but we scrutinize our potential presidential candidates for the slightest flaws of character including sexual orientation and religious affiliation. In similar examinations at lower levels we find there is some religious basis for the unofficial practice of excluding gays from the military.

Chapter 20 of Leviticus covers all the different forms of immorality that requires the penalty of death, bareness or excommunication from God’s people. —adultery, fornication, homosexuality, incest, sex among relatives, sex with animals, any sexual activity other than between husband and wife. The passages of Chapter 20 were obviously not considered when this official scheme of integrating gays into the ranks was planned. The biblical scriptures are very specific about war and killing so this action of forcing the military to integrate gays into their ranks may well destroy the finest killing machine the world has ever known. In the books of the three major religions, Judaism, Islam and Christianity, there are several passages that speak of killing, war and jihad, so it took an unusual disregard for the ultimate authority to issue a counter-command of this magnitude.

On to the scriptures:

Hebrew Bible:
“Joshua’s army killed everyone in Jericho, both men and women, young and old, oxen, sheep, and donkeys, Joshua defeated the whole land; he left no one remaining, but utterly destroyed all that breathed, as the LORD God of Israel commanded.” (Joshua 6:21 and 10:40)

Islamic Qur’an:
Muslim leaders have sometimes threatened to kill unbelievers if they did not accept Islam (Peters). Although Islam spread to some parts of the world like Indonesia mainly by means of “beautiful preaching,” much of its expansion elsewhere was due to offensive war, first by Muhammad to unify Arabia, then by his followers in conquering Palestine, Syria, Iraq, Persia, parts of India, North Africa, Spain, Turkey and the Balkans.
Qur’an 9:5, “Kill the idolaters wherever you find them,”

Christianity:
Killing unbelievers was actually declared by popes Leo IV and John VIII to be spiritually beneficial for Christian soldiers…No one was immune from attack by Christian crusaders; whole cities were slaughtered.[1]

Historically speaking, the religious precedent for war and killing had been established long ago. Because it takes millions of real men and women to wage global war, the forces might well be decimated by the loss of personnel because of the reaction of the heterosexuals revolting against serving with gays. If the revolt is large enough resignations and retirements could soon flood the Department of Defense. The reality of it all could be the end of the military and thus, the end of war, all because of gays. They will have accomplished in a very short time what the United States has been fighting to win for over two hundred years, everlasting peace and it comes to this: Peace by Homosexuality. If it indeed comes to pass what an unremarkable way to end the glory of war and a way of life. One might have expected a grand and global battle to finalize war and secure eternal peace.

But a word of caution to the executive and legislative branches; the whole economy of the United States hangs in balance, indeed our imperial dynasty could be toppled by this incredible phenomenon. It’s unsettling, the elimination of war and all that it means to us as a nation.

Can you imagine? No more body-bags, dog-tags, snipers, drones, screaming nightmares, civilian causalities or combat boots. Troop ships, jeeps, Hummers and drummers all gone. Military specifications will be a lost form of measurements and codes. No more use for the Agency for International Development where bright young elite men can serve to direct other young men on which villages to burn. Other bastions of war mongering will cease to have importance. The propaganda factories will lose direction and fold. Their directors will have to join the unemployed since their profession is now a casualty of peace.

Certainly this decision could not have come from a divine message for it is in direct opposition to biblical teachings of the three major religions. A few short years ago, the previous president received a message from God to go to war.[2] Now, a real God would not be that inconsistent. If one subscribes to the belief in God and the scriptures and accepts the fact that God has allowed and/or directed his children to kill each other, probably numbering more than one hundred million people, for thousands of years, does it not seem odd that he would suddenly allow Mr. Obama to use the gays in the armed forces issue to bring about the demise of our military and ultimately, to end war?

Surely, for believers, there must be some way to override or ignore this aberration and return to God’s will so the nation can continue the killing, bloodshed, horror and depravations for all the right reasons. And of course, the most compelling reason of all is self-righteousness. How else could a country develop a Phoenix Program?[3]

If however, one rejects the hypocrisy of religion and war and all the inhuman tenets, there might be another option. When secular humanist principles are applied as a way of life the entire human race will be protected and secure in pursuit of their destinies during their short time on this earth.[4] Tags of gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, political persuasion or tribal membership will mean little. We’re all humans, like it or not. We really have no other choice. The sustainability of our earth and its inhabitants depends on us making the right choices, better sooner than later.

Hopefully we have not gone beyond the point of no return but every day that we allow crimes and heinous acts against our fellow man to proliferate and eat away at our foundation our prospects grow dimmer and dimmer. Perhaps it’s time for Washington to examine not what we know about them, but what we don’t know about ourselves.[5]

Self-examination is a challenge at best, believing the results is almost impossible as so many historians and and authors have observed over the centuries.

_____________________ Charles Foerster is a graduate of the University of Houston and a former Naval Aviator and professional pilot. He and his wife live in West Texas. Email

Charles Foerster ©2011

Reference notes:

[1] Ethical persepectives

[2] Guardian

[3] Counterpunch

[4] Secular Humanism

[5] Destabilizing Pakistan