The war in Iraq has been the topic of most news, editorials, evening dinner conversation, and national contemplation for a while now. In the course of a conversation with a friend this evening, a burden and concern that has been weighing on my heart since 17th came boiling to the surface and I thought that I should take some time to share it with others, despite its seemingly "wet blanket" philosophy and despite my fear, which is great, that I will be misunderstood and cast into the same repulsive category is the uninformed, ridiculous anti-war protestors who have so readily cast shame on themselves and their country.
War is an ugly proposition, but one that is sometimes necessary to increase the good and right in the world. At times, the increased peace, greater personal freedom, social justice, and punishment of wrong justify the pain, loss, death, and destruction that are such an integral part of military action. I believe that this war is such a time. Once war has come, I also feel that it is foolhardy, ignorant, and cowardly to shrink back from the conflict because it is more costly, more painful, or more difficult than anticipated. Furthermore, it declares that the lives that have already been sacrificed for the greater good are of no value, and it cheapens the efforts of all who were involved. If a war is worth starting, it is worth finishing.
With this said, I have been deeply grieved by a great deal of the "God" talk surrounding our current conflict. The prayers for safety of coalition forces, for the annihilation of the Iraqis in power, and the calloused indifference with which many who claim to be Christians approach the war is a mockery of what it means to be the people of God. Jokes made from the pulpit concerning the fate of the Iraqi leaders, grotesque attempts at humor at the expense of the Iraqi people or their ignorant leaders, and claims concerning God's blessing being on our endeavor cause me to become physically ill.
This sort of a narcissism is so utterly opposed to the Christ-like humility to which we, as followers of Christ, are called that it seems tautalogical to state this fact. These previously mentioned sentiments are in no way keeping with the compassion of Christ for the lost, nor with the Biblical idea that human life is of value.
Tonight, even as we kneel to pray for the safety of our sons, husbands, and fathers who are fighting overseas, a vast number of Iraqis are mourning the loss of loved ones. Iraqis are not some faceless enemy, not some ignorant mass of animals that exist only to serve our inflated, pompous, American notions of justice; THEY ARE PEOPLE! People who bleed, who know pain, who are in fear, who daily face the destruction of their homes, their families, and their lives. Saddam, as many evil decisions as he has made, is still created in the image of God; he is a special creation, a person that Jesus Christ died to save. Perhaps Justice does demand that he die for his disregard of others lives; however, this is a realization that should strikes us with gravity and should grieve our hearts, just as it grieves the heart of our Father.
So, it is with tears in my eyes that I will pray tonight. I will pray for my close friends who are offering their lives for the oppressed Iraqi people. I will pray for the many British, Polish, and American troops who are currently engaged in taking the life of other human beings. I will pray for the leaders of America, Britian, and all the other nations who must make decisions of life and death for their people. And I will pray for the Iraqis, that God will grant them a revelation of himself, that he will touch their hearts in his way to heal the many pains, that he will have pity on them and keep as many safe as is possible. I will pray for Saddam, that even as far as the war has progressed that he would make decisions that will limit the loss of life. And I will pray for my many friends and countrymen who can brazenly rejoice in the taking of human life and somehow imagine that because it is for freedom it causes God to smile. May God save us from ourselves.