Divine Murder

Many patriotic e-mail messages go around, replete with poignant photos of military personnel and their tireless dedication to the task at hand, along with admonitions to never break the process, lest it dishonor the dead and fighting living, this messaging compliance ostensibly illustrating and proving that divine sanctions from God are dictating all war efforts and the killing (both 'enemy lives' and our own) which is taking place, and this must never be forgotten. This mindless forwarding is taking more and more thinking people over a small edge, having nothing at all to do with dishonoring the unfortunate men and women who have died or been mutilated in any war effort.

While reading these extremely dramatic directives, viewing the photos, carefully chosen to enhance the idea of the message, thoughts must occur that perhaps God hasn't personally authorized or endorsed all war; that is, maybe it isn't about God at all. Just men, deciding that for some reason (economic or otherwise) warring on someone is advisable, and convincing the public of this is necessary. Defense is often the reason given and fear becomes the motivator; threats of an outside group doing harm to U.S. citizens get quick and emotional results, especially when there is an act of terrorism which kills a group of Americans. However, America seems to be doing more to Americans (huge taxation, punitive action against the tax-paying public constantly, hounding the populace for more money which is then largely squandered by those who receive it; spending huge amounts of tax dollars in the form of legal process 'investigating' random companies and individuals who have committed and gotten away with their crimes because our own government looked the other way and many times were actually aware of or even involved in the coverups; making everything we do within this American life more and more difficult) than to our enemies. Those who are required to fight must believe that what they are doing is divine. It's just difficult to swallow it all whole anymore . . . no resemblance to anything spiritual or God-driven. More like waste and maybe even misdirection. Does it look like God is pleased with us? Not the way our lives are currently going in this nation. It's thought-provoking.

The safety of any group of people, community, country, or otherwise, is important. Defending a way of life, children, accomplishments achieved as a nation, a government; establishing a freedom from perpetration of any hurtful evil (inside or outside borders) is prudent. Billions of dollars and much effort is expended on same. Should any military 'take on' another country's government, its culturally determined way of life? And how could the group of people who are responsible for determining whether or not to do this assume that their actions are sanctioned by their deity? When reading of the Incas, the Mayans, and other violent cultures which offered human sacrifices in bloody rituals to their gods, how is it that modern parallels seem to be invisible?

Consider carefully before clicking 'forward' - it seems at least reasonable.