Four U.S. Soldiers were killed today in Iraq, pushing the death toll of American Soldiers to at least 4,000. They were killed when a roadside bomb hit their car. It is easy for us, who are so far away from this state of terror, to skim over stories and stats like these without allowing the full gravity of the situation to sink in. So take a second and think about that. 4 people were blown up while driving in their car. 4,000 have been killed over the past 5 years. 4,000.
Numbers of this magnitude are hard to wrap our minds around. But try to remember, these are not numbers, they are people. Each one very dear to someone. Each one with a story, a family, friends and a future before they were shipped over to Iraq. And now their future is forever lost, and their family and friends are left broken and aching from the pain of what will now never be. 4,000 times over.
Many soldiers in Iraq are there because they are victims of the economic draft. According to Logan Laituri, “statistics have proven that recruitment levels verifiably increase exponentially in our most impoverished neighborhoods. The ‘All Volunteer Military’ is not quite, as it is the lack of proper social programs in place that force the least of those among us into a service too many of our own leaders have ambivalently shrugged off.”
Logan is one of the many caught between the sword and the cross. He fought in Iraq, until he came to the realization that you cannot love your enemy while shooting them. So deep was this realization that he decided he would not carry a weapon on his next tour of duty. The Armed Forces however, would not allow him to go without a weapon and to make a long story short, he was discharged.
Logan now has started an organization called Centurion’s Purse, which exists
“To support and defend prospective, current, and former service members while bearing true faith and allegiance to Jesus Christ. For a few months now, a small group of friends have been considering the question of how to serve fellow service members who struggle, as we did and do, with our relationship to the military and how to live conscientiously with one another and ourselves. Some of us are objectors, others remain in service and are prepared to deploy to the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East. Some have never served in the Armed Forces but have felt the reverberations of friends and family who have. We are united in our desire to serve others who similarly struggle to live as peacemakers in a world of conflict. We hope to redistribute our wealth to help others in need who would see peace as the means and the end, but who may be tempted to settle for less. Today we are near completion of an initiative we call Centurion’s Purse, a program designed to create an alternative to the significant financial incentives offered to enter the military. With the appeal of $20,000 signing bonuses, many unwary citizens recklessly sign eight years of their life away, not taking into account what truly is being asked of them. We aim to do what we can to offer financial support to those who may join the Armed Forces out of financial distress and who may regret their decision in hindsight. Soon, we will begin accepting applications for need-based financial gifts to support those who have incurred debt or are facing debt as a result of their interaction with the Armed Forces.”
Four soldiers died today in Iraq. 4,000 have died of the course of the war. A number which will only continue to rise. Joining the military should be a choice. One made out of will, not financial necessity. Hopefully Centurion’s Purse will give that choice back to the least of these across the nation.
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Literally every day in America 4.500 human beings are viciously murdered. Every day.
Globally every year 50 million innocent human beings are viciously murdered in the same way. Every year.
Who is standing up for them? Who is being a voice, for those who truly have no voice?
Abortion is not a joke. It is not a side issue. It is not a conservative right-wing issue. There is a reason that people choose to vote on this issue and this issue alone. Because as a country we have legalized the murder or 50 million babies in our country, since Roe v. Wade. The Israelites sacrificed their children on the altar of Molech. Americans are sacrificing their children on the altar of convenience.
God judged the Israelites for the shedding of innocent blood. He poured out his justice, in the form of wrath, on His own people, the apple of His eye, because they destroyed His heritage. (Psalm 127 says that children are a heritage from the Lord, they are like arrows in the hand of a mighty warrior).
As a nation, I believe God is going to judge us for allowing innocent bloodshed. As individuals, I believe we will be judged for how we responded to it. A vote for someone who is pro-choice, is a vote cast for murder. I understand that those who are pro-life are not perfect, and they condone other things like war and gun ownership, which cause death. But I truly believe that the issue that is on the forefront of God’s heart in this day is the legalization of murdering children in the womb.
You may hate people who stand and vote on only one issue. But during the days of the abolition movement, there were other political and economic and social issues. But the abolitionists chose to put everything else aside to fight for the freedom of slaves. In their day they were mocked and hated. Today they are our heroes. You could not be an abolitionist and vote for someone who was for slavery. These people laid down their lives and reputations to save an entire people group. One-third of my generation has been aborted. And I will not stand down until that is changed.
In 1856, the Supreme Court ruled in the Dred Scott case that an African American was not a person, but they were the property of the slave owner. In 1973, the Supreme Court ruled that a child inside of the mother’s womb was not a person, but the property of the mother. And she could do whatever she wanted to the child. Even kill it.
Planned Parenthood, the group that does most of the abortions in America, was started by a woman named Margaret Sanger. Her goal in starting Planned Parenthood was to rid the country of “human weeds,” blacks, hispanics, and all minorities. She was a strong supporter of eugenics and “race hygiene.” She was known to speak at Klu Klux Klan meetings. Today most Planned Parenthoods are located in low-income neighborhoods, and more African Americans die each year than are born.
We cannot be silent on this issue. I had written this issue off, because I thought it was ridiculous to only vote on one issue. Because I had no faith that it would ever change. I was more concerned about the environment and the war and foreign policy and economics. But one day God smashed me. Over and over again he compared it to slavery. And now I cannot be silent. God is going to end abortion one way or another, and I am going to be apart of that.
I live in community with 9 other people at a house of prayer. We took in a baby and found it a home. We’ve seen so many babies lives saved through our prayers. Just yesterday we found out that our friends cousin was going to have an abortion, but then heard we were going to be praying for the ending of abortion that night and decided to keep her baby.
Yesterday 4.500 babies were murdered in our country.
Today 4.500 babies were murdered in our country.
Tomorrow 4.500 babies will be murdered in our country.
Every day.