Send the Marines?

November 10 is the birthday of the U.S. Marines (1775). "Semper Fi," from the Latin Semper Fidelis , means "always faithful." Not faithful to God, but faithful to the Marine Corps:

That Marines have lived up to this motto is proved by the fact that there has never been a mutiny, or even the thought of one, among U.S. Marines. usmc.mil

What would "faithful to God" look like?

The American response to British tyranny was armed resistance. This was not "faithful to God."

www.July4th1776.org

The result has been the creation of a government more tyrannical than Britain by several orders of magnitude.

The response of the Marines to Muslim terrorists in the years 1775-1805 was armed resistance. These wars, called "Jefferson's Wars" ( pdf html ) ended with a treaty that was imposed by the Marines and which attempted to deny the central religious conflict that existed between the two nations. This was not "faithful to God."

The result now evident in 2006, after 230 years of allegiance to the military, is the creation of an enemy more threatening and more powerful than it was in 1775.

When will we try peace? Or,
When will we try real war with real weapons?

America's Founding Fathers trusted in God far more than today's politicians. But they didn't take a consistent stand with the Prince of Peace. They didn't act against slavery like their more faithful progeny. If they could have seen where the Marines and U.S. military policy would lead the world, what would they have done? What would they advise today?

By the time Bush leaves office, the U.S. will have spent $500 billion in its War in Iraq, creating an Islamic Theocracy in Iraq that will be aligned with a nuclear-armed Iran. We are looking at the possibility of the deaths of millions of people. We are living in a police state, where the Constitution is "just a piece of paper."

By giving the federal government such power, we have also created a generation of atheists.

When we sing "God Bless America" do we really believe it? If we were to follow the advice of America's Founders when they were most consistent with the Christian principles upon which this nation was founded, would God Bless our efforts?

Would there be peace and security if we repented of imperialism, made restitution for our destruction, and removed the Marines from over 130 nations?

The Bible repeatedly promises us peace and salvation if we obey God's Commandments.

Are we brave enough to trust God, or will we continue to cower behind the military-industrial complex?

http://nobravery.cf.huffingtonpost.com

When the Marines are considered as individuals, as human beings created in the Image of God, there is much to admire in every Marine who makes it out of boot camp. Every war in America's history has seen individual acts of heroism, self-sacrifice, devotion, bravery, skill, physical endurance, love of country, and other admirable human traits. Every individual in the war zone rises to extraordinary levels of human achievement. But when the Marines are considered as a political philosophy, we see the antithesis of the Christian faith. Why are these individuals in the war zone in the first place? War is where honorable individuals inescapably and deliberately become "killing machines." ( html pdf ) The Image of God becomes warped into a demonic counterfeit.

It's time to repudiate this idolatry.