Jesus Christ vs. U.S. Soldiers

Jesus Christ vs. U.S. Soldiers

In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,
With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me:
As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free,
While God is marching on.
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It’s not Memorial Day yet, but I want you to be prepared for the blasphemy and idolatry that will soon spew forth from preachers in pulpits and Christians in pews like smoke from the bottomless pit (Revelation 9:2).

Memorial Day has degenerated into Military Appreciation Day Number 1. This is followed on the calendar by the Fourth of July, which should be considered Military Appreciation Day Number 2, and then by Veterans Day, which should be renamed Military Appreciation Day Number 3.


I mention this blasphemy and idolatry now because of Good Friday, the day when multitudes of Christians around the world commemorate the death of Jesus Christ by crucifixion at the hands of the Roman state.

On the Sunday before (or the Sunday of if July 4th or Nov. 11th falls on a Sunday) the aforementioned official Military Appreciation Days, as well as on occasional regular Sundays which some churches designate as military appreciation days, one will sometimes see sayings like the following about Jesus Christ and U.S. soldiers on church signs, on church websites, and in church bulletins:

The American soldier and Jesus Christ,
one gives his life for your freedom,
the other for your soul.
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Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you:
Jesus Christ and the American Soldier,
One died for your soul, the other for your freedom.
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But just because Christ died and soldiers die doesn’t mean that the two deaths are somehow related. Consider the following.

Jesus Christ died for our sins (1 Corinthians 15:3); U.S. soldiers die in vain in senseless foreign wars.

Jesus Christ is the propitiation for our sins (1 John 2:2); U.S. soldiers commit sin when they maim and kill for the state.

Jesus Christ said “Suffer the little children to come unto me (Mark 10:14); U.S. soldiers make little children suffer the loss of their limbs, homes, and parents.

Jesus Christ died for us (Romans 5:8); U.S. soldiers died for a lie.

Jesus Christ made the Atonement (Romans 5:11); U.S. soldiers make widows.

Jesus Christ was sacrificed for us (1 Corinthians 5:7); U.S. soldiers do nothing for us.

Jesus Christ was made to be sin for us (2 Corinthians 5:21); U.S. soldiers make orphans.

Jesus Christ went about doing good (Acts 10:38); U.S. soldiers are a global force for evil.

Jesus Christ died for the ungodly (Romans 5:6); U.S. soldiers died for empire.

Jesus Christ was without sin (Hebrews 4:15); U.S. soldiers are full of sin when they bomb and shoot for the state.

Jesus Christ is the Just One (Acts 3:11); U.S. soldiers fight unjust wars.


Jesus Christ is the Saviour (1 Timothy 4:10); U.S. soldiers are destroyers.

Jesus Christ died for all (2 Corinthians 5:14); U.S. soldiers died for no one.

Jesus Christ is undefiled (Hebrews 7:26); U.S. soldiers defile the bodies of their victims.

Jesus Christ raised people from the dead (John 11:43); U.S. soldiers send people to their deaths.

Jesus Christ is God manifest in the flesh (1 Timothy 3:16); U.S. soldiers destroy men’s flesh.

Jesus Christ had disciples who worshiped him (Luke 24:52); U.S. soldiers worship the god of war.

Jesus Christ is holy (Hebrews 7:26); U.S. soldiers commit unholy acts when they invade and occupy for the state.

Jesus Christ suffered for us (1 Peter 2:21); U.S. soldiers make people suffer.

Jesus Christ created all things (Ephesians 3:9); U.S. soldiers destroy everything they touch.

Jesus Christ became poor (2 Corinthians 8:9); U.S. soldiers make people poor when they destroy their homes and livelihoods.

Jesus Christ’s death was a fulfillment of prophecy (Isaiah 53:5); U.S. soldiers deaths’ were pointless.

Jesus Christ is part of the Trinity (1 John 5:20); U.S. soldiers are part of the president’s personal attack force.


Jesus Christ laid down his life for us (1 John 3:16); U.S. soldiers laid down their lives for the military-industrial complex.

Jesus Christ died for sinners (Romans 5:8); U.S. soldiers died for the imperial presidency.

Jesus Christ shed his blood (Matthew 26:28); U.S. soldiers make people shed theirs.

Jesus Christ made us free (Galatians 5:1); U.S. soldiers falsely claim to fight for our freedom.

Jesus Christ gave his life a ransom for many (Mark 10:45); U.S. soldiers gave their lives for no purpose.

Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6); U.S. soldiers are warriors for the god of war.

Jesus Christ is the light of the world (John 8:12); U.S. soldiers are the scourge of the world.

Jesus Christ was separate from sinners (Hebrews 7:26); U.S. soldiers are a great company of sinners when they help carry out an evil U.S. foreign policy.

I can’t think of anything more blasphemous than mentioning Jesus Christ—the Lord, the Son of God, the Prince of Peace—in the same breath as U.S. soldiers who unjustly bomb, maim, and kill for the state and then die in vain and for a lie. Can you?




 Laurence M. Vance

Pro Deo et Constitutione –
Libertas aut Mors Semper Vigilans Fortis
Paratus et Fidelis
Joseph F Barber