- Driving on a community road not far from
here, I passed a new construction site. The structure will be imposing
upon completion, but even without seeing the finished product, its representation
is enough to inspire questions. The sign posted announces the future
site of a "Chapel Complex" and the steel frame already erected
conjures up the image of a cathedral, one with a three story grand entrance,
and a massive sanctuary. In the end, it may not be so grand, but
still the questions represent a conflict that calls out for resolution.
This chapel complex is located within the garrison of Ft. Stewart, Georgia,
one block away from the stretch of motor pools just now receiving their
first shipments of armored vehicles returning from their year in Iraq.
-
- Less than half a mile from the site of
this spiritual/religious edifice are the cement lots built to store our
own weapons of destruction. Less than 10 miles from this future house
of worship are the training grounds for war. Less than a quarter
mile from this structure being built for soldiers to come together to listen
to the teachings of faith meant to lead us all to peace, is a half mile
stretch of sidewalk lined with newly planted trees surrounded by small
American flags, tied with yellow ribbons and marked with the names of those
from the 3rd
- Infantry Division who have given their
lives since the beginning of the war in Iraq.
-
- Not long ago Islam celebrated the birth
of its prophet, Muhammad; someone who professed a peaceful path and the
honor of Allah in the practice of life respectful of the rules Allah set
forth through this prophet.
-
- Recently Judaism celebrated the birth
of its nation, having been led by their prophet, Moses; someone who saw
the way to a peaceful path and sought to honor God in the practice of life
respectful of the rules God set forth through this prophet.
-
- This past weekend Christianity celebrated
the resurrection of its prophet, Jesus; someone who professed a peaceful
path and the honor of God in the practice of life respectful of the rules
God set forth through this prophet.
-
- Still war rages soldiers and civilians
die and political leaders of opposing countries rail against each
other in their God's name.
-
- Soldiers return from a year spent at
war, having served their country by following the orders of their "commander
in chief," an elected leader of the people of this country.
They return to a chapel being built for the worship of a God who sent peaceful
prophets to teach His rules and lead us to His way. Many of these
soldiers return confused, suffering from PTSD combat stress.
Many of them return with questions, and many more return angry for what
they feel they have not yet finished. What happens when they go to
this chapel to pray after driving by the rows of armored vehicles they
so recently used in war? Will they go to the chapel seeking peace
when they have finished a long walk past all of the markers naming the
soldiers who could not be saved? How do they find their peace when
the rules their "commander in chief" ordered them to follow don't
reconcile with the rules of the God they worship? Who has the greatest
power? Whose order is the highest order, the one that should be followed
above all others?
-
- When a child is born and baptized into
their faith, haven't they undertaken a covenant of that faith? Isn't
that an oath to abide by the rules of their God, to live as a Christian,
a Jew, a Muslim should, and uphold the teachings of the peaceful prophets
as they have set forth the rules their God has given them to share?
Don't those rules define humanity and our purpose on earth?
-
- We have each sworn an oath to respect
humanity, to cherish life; a life given to us by a powerful creator, not
a human leader elected to office for a four-year term. We have sworn
an oath to respect authority but there is only one authority, and
it speaks to us in the voice we hear, as an individual human being with
an allegiance to what is RIGHT, not an allegiance to a flag, a country,
or another human being elected to a temporary position of leadership.
-
- Our oath to humanity is the only oath
that should matter, and the oath was given in contract with a party that
does not expect us to break our promise. Whatever we do in our life,
when a promise we make conflicts with the oath we have taken to respect
the laws of our God, isn't it right to correct what is wrong?
-
- When a soldier realizes that his conscience
can no longer support the oath he gave to serve in the military, it is
because he has learned that what he was asked to do as a soldier violates
the oath he gave to humanity. Who, at that point, has a higher authority
than the authority that governs a man's conscience?
-
- People argue that we go to war to kill
those who might hurt us if we do not get rid of them first. These
same people argue that killing is wrong unless we are killing those who
seek to kill us. When a soldier learns that killing is simply wrong,
that going to war is the wrong way to honor humanity; when his conscience
says "NO MORE," hasn't he learned true respect for the highest
authority? Isn't he upholding the one oath he cannot betray?
-
- We may make other promises in our lives,
but is there any other oath as significant as the oath we make in the name
of our humanity, in the presence of our one God, be it the God who comes
to us through Islam, Christianity or Judaism?
-
- When other promises we make are no longer
in harmony with our oath to humanity, isn't it our moral obligation to
alter our path?
-
- As soldiers return from war and seek
resolution in their life, if they turn to the chapel and the answer that
comes is one that means change, the military regulations give them a legal
option to use that allows them the freedom to make the choice to live by
their conscience. The Uniformed Code of Military Justice provides
for soldiers who seek Conscientious Objection in the writing of Article
600-43, a legal tool by which to exercise their right to uphold their oath
to humanity, a commitment, which supercedes all sworn promises to man-made
authority.
-
- Can one assume, when another man dares
to challenge a soldier's right to his humanity, that the challenger believes
his will is stronger than the will of the Creator? It is a bold assumption
when another man believes he has the right to dictate a soldier's choice
and question a soldier's right to stand on his own integrity and principles
when they have been violated by his military contract. Is it possible
that someone who challenges a soldier's right to conscience is simply someone
who did not have the moral fortitude to question unjust actions he himself
had been asked to commit?
-
- Our leaders are put in place because
we elected them to office on the basis of promises they made. They
took an oath to honor the Constitution of this country when they took office,
and they did so swearing to their God. The oath of a soldier is based
on the promises of our elected leaders, and a leader is only as good as
the manner by which he adheres to his own oath to humanity. In the
end, we all serve One, and there is no man with the authority to decide
how our individual conscience dictates our service.
-
- Until our elected leaders actually lead
from a position beyond reproach, it is the duty of all Americans to question
them with authority, as their God speaks to them through their individual
conscience. When we allow our leaders to speak for us in a
voice that goes against our conscience, we are as guilty of crimes against
humanity as any man who lifts a weapon to kill another without knowing
for certain that there is a justification as an act of defense.
-
- Our tax dollars are being used to construct
a Chapel Complex where, having returned from war, our soldiers can go to
heal their souls by hearing the words of prophets of peace in their God's
name. Yet soldiers who heed the words of those prophets and follow
their conscience, having seen firsthand the inhumanity of war, are imprisoned
for no longer wanting to participate in the destructive action of war.
-
- The hypocrisy continues, and all the
questions remain.
-
-
- Monica is the wife of Sgt. Kevin Benderman,
a veteran with honorable service in Iraq, and a Conscientious Objector
to war who is currently serving a 15-month prison sentence for his choice.
To learn more, please visit www.BendermanDefense.org and www.BendermanTimeline.com
as well as www.BendermanDefenseTrust.blog.com
-
- Kevin and Monica may be reached
at mdawnb@coastalnow.net
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