Yea.....We get it....You, Laurence and Raimondo don't like the military....
On Mon, May 29, 2017 at 10:27 AM, MJ <[email protected]> wrote: > > May 29, 2017 > > *Would Jesus Celebrate Memorial Day? *By Laurence M. Vance > > Memorial Day, as we all know, is not just the official beginning of the > summer vacation season. It is a federal holiday that commemorates U.S. > soldiers who died in military service for their country. Although it was > first observed in honor of Union soldiers who died during the War to > Prevent Southern Independence, after World War I, Memorial Day was expanded > to include soldiers who died in vain and for a lie in any unnecessary U.S. > war. > > Since the beginning of the senseless and immoral wars in Iraq and > Afghanistan, Memorial Day has degenerated into a holiday to honor all > things military. It ought to be called Military Appreciation Day No. 1. > Just like the Fourth of July ought to be called Military Appreciation Day > No. 2 and Veterans Day ought to be called Military Appreciation Day No. 3. > The rhetoric on all three of these holidays is now the same: soldiers are > heroes, veterans are to be lauded, soldiers fight for our freedoms, there > is no higher honor than military service, soldiers keep us safe from nasty > terrorists, soldiers should be thanked for their service. > > Puke. > > As I have maintained about Veterans Day, Memorial Day is now devoted to > praising soldiers, flattering veterans, repeating ridiculous slogans and > poems about the military, and heaping glory, laud, and honor ad nauseam on > the troops. > > What is really troubling to me is when Memorial Day idolatry turns into > Memorial Day blasphemy. > > The worst time to be in a church is on the Sunday before Memorial Day (or > the Fourth of July, or Veterans Day). Many evangelical churches have > “patriotic services” that are wholly given over to military idolatry and > blasphemy. > > Current and former members of the military are encouraged to wear their > uniforms to church. They are recognized during the church service. They are > asked to standsometimes with thunderous applause. Their names are printed > in the church bulletin. More prayers than usual are offered for “the > troops” (but never for their victims) over and above the usual nonsense. > The church sign has something on it about the military. A video tribute to > the troops will be shown. The pianist will play the song of each branch of > the military during the offering. Special military guest speakers might > will be brought in, perhaps even a chaplain trying to serve two masters. If > you are truly blessed, a military color guard will march down the main > aisle to open the service. > > But that’s not all. The Pledge of Allegiance > <https://www.lewrockwell.com/2011/11/laurence-m-vance/should-christians-recite-the-pledge-of-allegiance/> > is recited in the middle of the church service. An image of the American > flag is put on the cover of the church bulletin. Hundreds of small American > flags are placed around the church property. More American flags are placed > inside the church building than are normally on display. American flag > lapel pins are worn more than usual, or even worse, a cross and flag lapel > pin. The blasphemous Battle Hymn of the Republic > <https://www.lewrockwell.com/2006/07/laurence-m-vance/blasphemy-in-song/> > is sung, as well as hymns of worship to the state > <https://www.lewrockwell.com/2009/07/laurence-m-vance/no-government-glory-and-praise-music/> > . > > Would Jesus celebrate Memorial Day? > > A Baptist pastor thinks so. > > I had never heard of Dr. Marc Montethe “well-known” pastor of Faith > Baptist Church in Avon, Indianauntil a pastor friend who is not a military > idolater sent me Monte’s recent article “ Memorial Day: WWJD? > <http://www.theologywithoutapology.org/single-post/2017/05/25/Memorial-Day-WWJD>” > I couldn’t resist penning this brief critique. > > Monte begins by saying that “for many Christians, Memorial Day observances > include a patriotic church service,” but then mentions that this tradition > “has come under censure by some well-meaning but misguided Christian > leaders.” He references “a recent online article” by “influential > Presbyterian pastor Kevin DeYoung” that “decried church observances of > Memorial Day stating, ‘The church is not a good place for patriotism.’” > Monte gave no link to said article. I checked Pastor DeYoung’s blog > <https://blogs.thegospelcoalition.org/kevindeyoung/> and did not see a > recent one. What I did find was something DeYoung wrote > <http://www.christianity.com/church/church-life/thinking-theologically-about-memorial-day-11651058.html> > years ago titled “Thinking Theologically About Memorial Day” in which point > five was headed: “All this leads to one final point: while patriotism can > be good, the church is not a good place for patriotism.” The article is > undated, but I found that the same article > <http://churchleaders.com/pastors/pastor-articles/152006-kevin-deyoung-patriotism-and-the-church.html> > under a different title was published in 2011. > > Here is what Pastor DeYoung said that so upset Pastor Monte: > > We should pray for service men and women in our congregations. We should > pray for the President. We should pray for the just cause to triumph over > the evil one. We are not moral relativists. We do not believe just because > all people are sinners and all nations are sinful that no person or no > nation can be more righteous or more wicked than another. God may be on > America’s side in some (not all) her endeavors. But please think twice > before putting on a Star Spangled gala in church this Sunday. I love to > hear the national anthem and “God Bless America” and “My Country, Tis of > Thee,” but not in church where the nations gather to worship the King of > all peoples. I love to see the presentation of colors and salute our > veterans, but these would be better at the Memorial Day parade or during a > time of remembrance at the cemetery. Earthly worship should reflect the > on-going worship in heaven. And while there are many Americans singing > glorious songs to Jesus there, they are not singing songs about the glories > of America. We must hold to the traditions of the Apostles in our worship, > not the traditions of American history. The church should not ask of her > people what is not required in Scripture. So how can we ask the Koreans and > Chinese and Mexicans and South Africans in our churches to pledge > allegiance to a flag that is not theirs? Are we gathered under the banner > of Christ or another banner? Is the church of Jesus Christ-our Jewish Lord > and Savior-for those draped in the red, white, and blue or for those washed > in the blood of the Lamb? > > Yet, in a 2012 article titled “ Remembering Memorial Day > <https://blogs.thegospelcoalition.org/kevindeyoung/2012/05/28/remembering-memorial-day-2/>” > that was also published in 2010 and earlier, DeYoung says some things that > make me cringe: “There are a number of good reasons why Christians should > give thanks for Memorial Day,” “The life of a soldier can demonstrate the > highest Christian virtues,” “On the whole, the United States military has > been a force for good in the world.” > > So DeYoung is a mixed bag. > > Nevertheless, Monte says that DeYoung’s “piety is misplaced” and that “his > insistence that churches (other than his own) avoid Memorial Day observance > violates Scripture” because “the Apostle Paul granted Christians and > Pastors latitude with respect to the holidays they choose to observe.” > Although DeYoung has the right “to refuse Memorial Day observance on Sunday > (and to lead his church in that decision), he does not have the Biblical > right to question the spiritual integrity of other Christians who chose to > observe the holiday in their services.” Monte points out that DeYoung’s > church acknowledges “extra-Biblical holidays” like Christmas and Easter and > says that “Memorial Day celebration is a matter of Christian liberty and > conscience.” > > Monte then brings up the question: “What would Jesus do? Would Jesus have > celebrated a nationalistic Jewish holiday connected to war and bloodshed?” > He says that Jesus did celebrate such a holiday: Hanukkah, called the > “feast of the dedication” in the New Testament. Says Monte: > > As a holiday, Hanukkah is not part of the Jewish ceremonial requirement of > the Old Testament. It is a civil holiday commemorating a Jewish priest’s > military victory over the Greeks and his subsequent rededication of the > Jewish temple. And Jesus was present in the temple for the celebration. He > did not condemn the nationalistic observance; He participated in it. > > Monte then says that “it is appropriate to render due honor within a civil > context when doing so does not violate the Scriptures or a believer’s > conscience.” And since “Memorial Day is preeminently a day of honora day > to honor and remember America’s fallen heroes,” “to render such honor in > public worship is well within the purview of the New Testament.” > > In his conclusion, Monte again mentions American heroes: > > Some Christians will, for whatever reason, remain non-observant of > Memorial Day in their worship services on Sunday. That is their choice and > it is within their right. Others, however, will observe Memorial Day, > remembering American heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice for our > freedoms. And that choice, too, is right and proper and goodand above > reproach. > > I said I would be brief. I have six comments to make. > > First of all, because Christians have “latitude with respect to the > holidays they choose to observe,” they should avoid Memorial Day because, > as I mentioned above, it is merely Military Appreciation Day No. 1. > > Second, “LGBT Pride Month” is celebrated in June each year. Certainly > Monte would be critical of this and say that he has “the Biblical right to > question the spiritual integrity of other Christians who chose to observe > the holiday in their services.” > > Third, Christmas and Easter, although neither one is celebrated in the New > Testament, both have to do with the person and work of Jesus Christ, who > should certainly be honored. Memorial Day has to do with honoring those > who, for the most part, died in vain and for a lie in service of the state, > many times in countries that many Americans couldn’t locate on a map unless > it was labeled with large, bold letters. > > Fourth, here is what the New Testament says about Jesus “celebrating” > Hanukkah: “And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was > winter. And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon’s porch” (John 10:22-23). > And from this Monte says that Jesus “participated in it”? Yes, it was a > civil holiday, but it was a Jewish civil holiday, not a Roman civil holiday. > > Fifth, Monte has a fantasy view of soldiers. Let me break it to him as > gently as I can: soldiers are not heroes, soldiers do not fight for our > freedoms, soldiers do not keep us safe from terrorists, soldiers should not > be thanked for their service, soldiers should not be honored. > > Sixth, even if all of the things that Monte wants to be true (soldiers are > heroes, soldiers fight for our freedoms, soldiers keep us safe, soldiers > should be thanked, we should honor soldiers) are true, this still doesn’t > mean that Memorial Day should be celebrated in church. Church services > should be wholly dedicated to the praise and worship of God and the > preaching and teaching of his word, not honoring heroic men. > > Yes, it is a Christian’s choice to observe Memorial Day in his worship > services. But given that the celebration of Memorial Day in America is, > like Athens, wholly given to idolatry” (Acts 17:16), it is not a wise > choice. > > https://www.lewrockwell.com/2017/05/laurence-m-vance/ > would-jesus-celebrate-it/ > > -- > -- > Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. > For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum > > * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ > * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. > * Read the latest breaking news, and more. > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "PoliticalForum" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > -- -- Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. * Read the latest breaking news, and more. --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "PoliticalForum" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
