Marching Off to War?
Evangelicals Dominate Military Chaplain Corps
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/071205M.shtml
.................................................
Once upon a time I was on the cusp of facing possible service as a military chaplain -- I had started college with NROTC training (which I had departed with the end of the Korean war) and ended with admission to theological training in which I completed a degree at Union Theological Seminary in NYC with an exchange year at Mansfield College, Oxford, the 'free church' (i.e. non Anglican Protestant) college there.
I had enough time during this transitional period in my life before I returned to philosophy to contemplate the inherent conflict between the Christian Gospel of 'peace on earth and good will towards men' with the 'onward Christian soldiers' mindset of the military chaplaincy. Also I was bothered by the inherent establishment of religion that this institution entailed -- most chaplains were mainline Christians. I later served for several decades on the Church-State advisory committee of the ACLU where we deliberated at length over such things.
With the current decline and faltering of contemporary Christianity in the U.S. -- the co-option of a religion of peace by a 'born again' warrior mentality -- one has no reason to be surprised by the reports of abusive behaviors on the part of military chaplains who would see their role as aggressive recruitment of their charges into their narrowly hate-ridden, moralistic cadres. Among other things chaplains play key roles in determining whether soldiers are sincere when they decide that they have become "conscientious objectors" to military endeavors -- a not unlikely occurrence for very young men and women who wake up from all the patriotic hoopla with the discovery of its underlying patriot gore.
It ancient times there was no separation between morality, state, and religion. Athena led the troops of Athens to war as did Yahweh those of Israel. I hope we are not seeing a return to such horrors with our current thinly veiled call for a crusade against our barbarian (Muslim) enemies. What Bush and Blair manifestly share is a disposition towards such jingoistic pietism. Beware such preachers -- in or out of uniform!
--
"A war is just if there is no alternative, and the resort
to arms is legitimate if they represent your last hope." (Livy)
--
Ed Kent 718-951-5324 (voice mail only) [blind copies]
--
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http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/071205M.shtml
.................................................
Once upon a time I was on the cusp of facing possible service as a military chaplain -- I had started college with NROTC training (which I had departed with the end of the Korean war) and ended with admission to theological training in which I completed a degree at Union Theological Seminary in NYC with an exchange year at Mansfield College, Oxford, the 'free church' (i.e. non Anglican Protestant) college there.
I had enough time during this transitional period in my life before I returned to philosophy to contemplate the inherent conflict between the Christian Gospel of 'peace on earth and good will towards men' with the 'onward Christian soldiers' mindset of the military chaplaincy. Also I was bothered by the inherent establishment of religion that this institution entailed -- most chaplains were mainline Christians. I later served for several decades on the Church-State advisory committee of the ACLU where we deliberated at length over such things.
With the current decline and faltering of contemporary Christianity in the U.S. -- the co-option of a religion of peace by a 'born again' warrior mentality -- one has no reason to be surprised by the reports of abusive behaviors on the part of military chaplains who would see their role as aggressive recruitment of their charges into their narrowly hate-ridden, moralistic cadres. Among other things chaplains play key roles in determining whether soldiers are sincere when they decide that they have become "conscientious objectors" to military endeavors -- a not unlikely occurrence for very young men and women who wake up from all the patriotic hoopla with the discovery of its underlying patriot gore.
It ancient times there was no separation between morality, state, and religion. Athena led the troops of Athens to war as did Yahweh those of Israel. I hope we are not seeing a return to such horrors with our current thinly veiled call for a crusade against our barbarian (Muslim) enemies. What Bush and Blair manifestly share is a disposition towards such jingoistic pietism. Beware such preachers -- in or out of uniform!
--
"A war is just if there is no alternative, and the resort
to arms is legitimate if they represent your last hope." (Livy)
--
Ed Kent 718-951-5324 (voice mail only) [blind copies]
--
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CollegeConversation
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PeaceEfforts
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EndingPoverty
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/440neighborhood
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/StudentConcerns
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AcademicFreedom
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PrivacyRights
http://BlogByEdKent.blogspot.com/
http://www.bloggernews.net/
posted by Ed Kent at 2:50 AM
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