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When I was in the military, they gave me a medal for killing two men and a discharge for loving one. - Leonard Matlovich
While the culture war is heating up for Christmas, Bryan Fischer of American Family Association is branching out into the war in Afghanistan and dissing heroes who have saved lives. He had this to say about the awarding of the Medal of Honor to men who protected their comrades:
Christianity is not a religion of pacifism. Remember that John the Baptist did not tell the soldiers who came to him to lay down their arms, even when they asked him directly, "what shall we do?" (Luke 3:14).
War is certainly a terrible thing, and should only be waged for the highest and most just of causes. But if the cause is just, then there is great honor in achieving military success, success which should be celebrated and rewarded.
One
of the few people who outwardly mocked a man for not paying a
subscription fee to the fire department, (then witnessing his house
burning down along with his beloved pets) and has Glenn Beck's aversion
to the words "compassion" and "social justice," Bryan Fischer is still
a force to be reckoned with since he broadcasts without censure from
the network sponsored by the American Family Association. His last
notable public appearance was at Tony Perkins' Values Voter Summit -
that appearance becoming the imprimatur of sorts to his tasteless and
violent rhetoric: he thinks all muslims should be deported because they
all pose a threat to the US. He thinks all gays should be put in prison
and has defended Uganda's infamous "kill-the-gays" bill. And now he
thinks that good Christians should be rewarded for killing as many
people as possible.
It
goes without saying that Bryan Fischer should be considered "fringe" or
"wingnut" because of his penchant for depicting a "Rambo Jesus" totally
at odds with the conventional Jesus. But in recent years, the revision
of the image of Jesus Christ has spilled onto more mainstream
Christianity. In a time when terrorists are supposedly hiding behind
every tree, people don't feel safe when they see their God dying
ignominiously on a cross or holding a warm-and-fuzzy lamb. Bryan
Fischer points out the valor of the knights of the Crusasdes
liberating Jerusalem from the "heathen." Muslims remember the Crusades
differently.
Fischer
could also be accused of pushing the envelope regarding Christianity
itself. What many people do not know is that the envelope had been on
the table for a long time in the form of Christian privilege.
Christian privilege is the overarching system of advantages bestowed on Christians. ... At times overt and at other times subtle, Christian privilege is oppression by purpose and design, as well as by neglect, omission, erasure, and distortion.*
We're currently engaged in a comparatively mild annual skirmish brought on by Christian privilege: the "war on Christmas: the Christ Right has declared Christmas to be their exclusive holiday and to pay it proper respect we all MUST say "Merry Christmas" or be branded as atheists. Churches are also forcing government officials to display nativity scenes.
But
in his Right Wing militaristic stance, is Fischer going too far? Has he
taken the image of Christianity and turned it on its side? To
uneducated and naive people, he has done just that: studies have shown
that Christians are reluctant to wage war (unless pressured by their
Christian leaders). Unfortunately, they have no knowledge of history:
Bryan Fischer's Crusades ushered in the concept of a "just war," almost 1000 years ago, but before that Christians refrained from warfare and most of Rome's legions (after Constantine) were pagans. The early Christians were indeed pacifists.
There
has also been a progression in Fischer's view that, if not stopped at
the image of a "Rambo" Jesus, seems to be leading to even more deadly
scenario: first, the protestation of the Ground Zero Mosque, then the
recommendation of deportation of all Muslims, and the latest rant about
"feminizing" the Medal of Honor.
It all begs the question: what's next, concentration camps a la Manzanar?
*(Investigating Christian Privilege, by Warren Blumenfeld, 2006)
