NuclearShadows
02-01-2008, 08:02 AM
There is an article on military.com today about a web site the Army asked to take down photos of soldiers with guns and bibles in hand. (http://www.military.com/NewsContent/0,13319,161133,00.html?ESRC=eb.nl)
http://images.military.com/pics/FL_gunsbibles_020108.jpg
I can understand the take on it that it sends a negative message and creates visions of the crusades. But if soldiers believe in their God and in their choice to fight wars and kill fellow humans why not just stand up and say so? The rhetoric is that we are in a struggle against radical Islam and they are evil. So the religion thing is in part at the heart of the “war on terrorism”. Do they really think they are fooling anyone by attempting to hide the fact that they believe they are Christians in a “holy war” of good against evil? Al Qaeda doesn’t hide the fact that they believe it, should the our soldiers not stand up for what they believe also?
The connection between war and religion is just a fact that has played out though history.
Oh my name it is nothin'
My age it means less
The country I come from
Is called the Midwest
I's taught and brought up there
The laws to abide
And that land that I live in
Has God on its side.
Oh the history books tell it
They tell it so well
The cavalries charged
The Indians fell
The cavalries charged
The Indians died
Oh the country was young
With God on its side.
Oh the Spanish-American
War had its day
And the Civil War too
Was soon laid away
And the names of the heroes
I's made to memorize
With guns in their hands
And God on their side.
Oh the First World War, boys
It closed out its fate
The reason for fighting
I never got straight
But I learned to accept it
Accept it with pride
For you don't count the dead
When God's on your side.
When the Second World War
Came to an end
We forgave the Germans
And we were friends
Though they murdered six million
In the ovens they fried
The Germans now too
Have God on their side.
I've learned to hate Russians
All through my whole life
If another war starts
It's them we must fight
To hate them and fear them
To run and to hide
And accept it all bravely
With God on my side.
But now we got weapons
Of the chemical dust
If fire them we're forced to
Then fire them we must
One push of the button
And a shot the world wide
And you never ask questions
When God's on your side.
In a many dark hour
I've been thinkin' about this
That Jesus Christ
Was betrayed by a kiss
But I can't think for you
You'll have to decide
Whether Judas Iscariot
Had God on his side.
So now as I'm leavin'
I'm weary as Hell
The confusion I'm feelin'
Ain't no tongue can tell
The words fill my head
And fall to the floor
If God's on our side
He'll stop the next war.
Bob Dylan
http://images.military.com/pics/FL_gunsbibles_020108.jpg
I can understand the take on it that it sends a negative message and creates visions of the crusades. But if soldiers believe in their God and in their choice to fight wars and kill fellow humans why not just stand up and say so? The rhetoric is that we are in a struggle against radical Islam and they are evil. So the religion thing is in part at the heart of the “war on terrorism”. Do they really think they are fooling anyone by attempting to hide the fact that they believe they are Christians in a “holy war” of good against evil? Al Qaeda doesn’t hide the fact that they believe it, should the our soldiers not stand up for what they believe also?
The connection between war and religion is just a fact that has played out though history.
Oh my name it is nothin'
My age it means less
The country I come from
Is called the Midwest
I's taught and brought up there
The laws to abide
And that land that I live in
Has God on its side.
Oh the history books tell it
They tell it so well
The cavalries charged
The Indians fell
The cavalries charged
The Indians died
Oh the country was young
With God on its side.
Oh the Spanish-American
War had its day
And the Civil War too
Was soon laid away
And the names of the heroes
I's made to memorize
With guns in their hands
And God on their side.
Oh the First World War, boys
It closed out its fate
The reason for fighting
I never got straight
But I learned to accept it
Accept it with pride
For you don't count the dead
When God's on your side.
When the Second World War
Came to an end
We forgave the Germans
And we were friends
Though they murdered six million
In the ovens they fried
The Germans now too
Have God on their side.
I've learned to hate Russians
All through my whole life
If another war starts
It's them we must fight
To hate them and fear them
To run and to hide
And accept it all bravely
With God on my side.
But now we got weapons
Of the chemical dust
If fire them we're forced to
Then fire them we must
One push of the button
And a shot the world wide
And you never ask questions
When God's on your side.
In a many dark hour
I've been thinkin' about this
That Jesus Christ
Was betrayed by a kiss
But I can't think for you
You'll have to decide
Whether Judas Iscariot
Had God on his side.
So now as I'm leavin'
I'm weary as Hell
The confusion I'm feelin'
Ain't no tongue can tell
The words fill my head
And fall to the floor
If God's on our side
He'll stop the next war.
Bob Dylan