Authors of the Old Testament portray Hebrews as the chosen people of their god, Yahweh. The people value Yahweh in the same way they value the War Lords who invented him – he is their savior, their protector – as long as they are obedient. War Lords are believed to have enabled a small but obedient band of marauders to be victorious in war after war and grow into a nation. How then do authors explain the ignominious defeat of those chosen people? Sunday’s first reading from the Old Testament explains they have been disobedient to Yahweh. It goes on to explain Yahweh’s War Lord response, “the anger of the LORD against his people was so inflamed … enemies burnt the house of God, tore down the walls of Jerusalem … Those who escaped the sword were carried captive to Babylon.” The moral to the story, it is only through obedience to the War Lord class and its deity that the chosen people can be saved and protected.
An old adage is that the victors write the history books. It means that Militarists have been writing history. Even in defeat, as in the Old Testament story, Militarism is the frame of reference dictating that War Lords, obedience to them, and the killing they do in war save us. Ultimate value across history has been set by the War Lord class. They are our saviors. They are our protectors. But are they? Or, are members of Militarism’s War Lord class and all their armed War Lord underlings not our saviors but our slave masters, not our protectors but our destroyers? Missed in Biblical analysis of the Old Testament story is the truth about War Lords as slave masters and destroyers. All their wars were waged via the people’s exploitation and death, both physically and financially. Young men fought and died in the wars while old men and women died paying for the wars. Also missed and evident in this Sunday’s depiction of Yahweh is that the War Lord class is willing to turn the focus of its War Lord ways onto its own people. The domination, suffering, and violence War Lords value against external enemies they also value against internal ones, their own people. The deadliness of Militarism’s values is the history of Yahweh’s ancient empire. It is all the history of all empires, from their genesis to revelations of their demise. It is the current history of the United States Empire; War Lords will be War Lords – they will enslave and they will destroy. Neither the War Lord class nor its armed War Lord minions are to be valued as saving us or protecting us. They are the fire and the flame and the burning written of from Yahweh in this Sunday’s reading. They are fire fighting fire infernally enflaming the world as they indoctrinate and propagandize us with fables as to their value as heroes. In late July of 2001 the G-8 were meeting in Genoa, Italy under the threat of terrorist attack. World wide news, except in the U.S., reported on international intelligence determining an Al Qaeda threat to fly airplanes into tall buildings. It was thus reported that President Bush stayed off shore on a war ship for his safety. Two weeks later on August 6, 2001, President Bush received a briefing titled “Bin Laden Determined to Strike in the U.S” identifying planes as weapons. The attack briefing was no surprise – to the War Lord class. Four weeks later on September 11, 2001 Bin Laden attacked the U.S.’s World Trade Center. It was not a surprise to the War Lord class. It was only a surprise to those enslaved and destroyed by the War Lord class. This month marks the 15th anniversary of Bush’ declaration of war against an oil rich nation that had nothing to do with the attack. It is a war in which young men are still fighting and dying in War Lords’ wars while old men and women are still dying paying for them. War Lords keep telling us their value in keeping us safe, protected and our value in obeying them. In truth, it is only through our DISOBEDIENCE to the War Lord class that we the people can be saved and protected FROM them.
For 2,000 years Militarists have been attempting to re-write the history of the Gospel. Their fable concerns Jesus’ value as an obedient son to his War Lord deity Father who suffers and dies as a hero in place of the people. Missed again in Biblical analysis is the truth Jesus did not value any of that. He was disobedient to it all and was condemned and murdered by the War Lord class because he was leading others to do the same. “God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.” The world is saved through peacemakers. Will we be among them?
Prayer: Spirit, lead me to value peace
Question: How do I live my value for peace?
March 11, 2018 Gospel John 3:14-21 Fourth Sunday of Lent
Well said! Militarism only begets violence, never protection. Thus we now see an average person using military weapons. We have a long way to go!
It is great to see Peace Farm back up and running!
Yes, as military weapons have been used against the people of Iraq etc, it makes sense that military weapons are used against the people of the U.S. It took a while to get the website back up. Thanks for the encouragement.