On a recent flight to Baltimore, a couple of men were moved from the seat behind me up to first class. I probably wouldn’t have noticed, but the woman beside me commented on it approvingly. For once, my response was minimal. Keeping it that way, though, grew more difficult when the captain of the plane announced the presence onboard of several members of the nation’s military and most people on the plane applauded. The woman beside me suggested that we could buy them all a drink.

Pondering this series of occurrences that likely takes place on thousands of flights a day, I couldn’t help but wonder what it means that we treat with honor women and men trained to kill on their nation’s behalf. Oh, I know it is much more nuanced than that, but I don’t see the airlines or their passengers applauding police or firefighters. They risk their lives daily to keep us safe, but they have to fly in coach with the rest of us preachers, teachers, nurses and therapists. Why just soldiers? Why does our society insist on honoring them but underpaying almost all other public servants, treating them with little regard? I’m not saying anything negative about the soldiers; I am just wondering what this all says about us as a culture when those trained to kill our enemies are, almost, our only national “heroes” … other than millionaire athletes.

Most people know that early Christians were killed for their faith. They were tossed to the lions and forced to fight fierce beasts, and Nero lined the roads with Christians, covered them with tar, and used them as human torches. What has consistently been unreported in these tales, though, is the fact that most of the early Christians were killed not for their beliefs, but for the fact that they would not fight in the military. Early Christians had the courage to die for their faith, but they would not kill. When did that change and why? Today, Christians routinely serve in the military or applaud others who do. Again, I’m not criticizing out military, just asking what it says about us and the evolution of our faith.

I believe true Christianity, of the brand that was given birth by Jesus and the first disciples, essentially died on the day that Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity. The religion of the dominant culture soon would be unrecognizable to those early Christian martyrs. The faith of the poor, the pacifists, the women, slaves and other marginalized persons soon became the property of the powerful, wealthy and warrior classes.

What passes as Christianity in America applauds the soldiers because they protect US from THEM. They ensure that we are able to retain our wealth and continue to use a disproportionate share of the of the world’s resources. Soldiers are our heroes because they protect our worship of the true God of America, ensuring that we don’t have to treat others as children of God, but as enemies who want what we have.

No, I didn’t buy a soldier a drink. While I hold no ill will toward those who do a difficult job, I just want to live in a society where we applaud teachers and peacemakers, and maybe even buy them a drink.

Blessings,

Michael Piazza
President, Hope for Peace & Justice

If you have not already signed the petition to END SPECIAL RIGHTS for Heterosexual Taxpayers please do so today and then forward it to everyone in your address book. We have got to change this conversation to an argument we can win.