From a pacifist-friend:

I have problems with sentiments like this:

I REALIZED THE FAMILIES,

THAT I SAW THIS NIGHT,

OWED THEIR LIVES TO THESE SOLDIERS,

WHO WERE WILLING TO FIGHT…

THEY ALL ENJOYED FREEDOM,

EACH MONTH OF THE YEAR,

BECAUSE OF THE SOLDIERS,

LIKE THE ONE LYING HERE.

They need to be questioned: that we enjoy freedom because of those who perpetrate violence on others. This is precisely the myth of redemptive violence, a dangerous, all-pervasive myth in our society from the army to Superman movies: that it is violence that ultimately saves us, and as unpalatable as it is, we outsource it to those willing to do it on our behalf. We see violence as an evil yes, but a necessary one.

Jesus, though, as the fullest revelation of God we have, is entirely nonviolent. He consistently combats injustice and oppression with love, transforming people in the process. And that’s why I think passing these sorts of things on as Christians carries a danger for our formation. If fighting and killing is not the way of Christ, then celebrating and glorifying those actions are also not the way of Christ. The way of Christ is the way of nonviolent confrontation of evil; of love of enemies, of self-sacrificial love. The sacrifice we celebrate is not one where someone died killing his enemies, but one who died forgiving them. One who, to the very end, modelled self-sacrifice rather than retaliation or even self-defence. The more we perpetuate the myth of redemptive violence, the less capacity we have to understand and live into the import of the cross. Christmas celebrates the Prince of Peace, who rules not with a sword, conquering his enemies, but with a towel, loving and serving them.

We should support our military, yes, but do so by loving them and encouraging them towards nonviolence. It’s a terrible thing to kill someone; no one can emerge unscathed or unchanged. To support them may mean encouraging them to leave, and giving them the wherewithall to do so. In the early church, converting to Christianity completely changed them – some left the army, but many of them remained and gave up their swords, convinced that the twin commands of loving their enemies and killing them was contradictory (fancy that!).

MY LIFE IS MY GOD,

MY COUNTRY, MY CORPS.”

It’s a strange kind of loyalty that says we are to go off to defend those who happen to sit within our own borders. Our loyalty is not to this or any country, but to the Kingdom of God. As followers of Jesus everyone on earth is our brother and sister; as the song says, “found in him are no divides/race and class and sex and language/such are barriers he derides”. How can you kill your own family, or support the actions of those who do?

So let’s support the troops and anyone who is away from their family and in danger this Christmas because of their jobs. But I’d also encourage you to be careful not to celebrate that which is destructive of our fellow brothers and sisters, even those who might be considered our “enemies”.

Blessings of peace to you all,