Abu Grab Scandal

Dear Champion of the Lord and Preborn,

The Lord richly bless you! Here is my latest offering. We have received a lot of feedback concerning previous articles. Some have spread them far and wide through their friends, churches, family members, e-mail lists, web sites, local papers, and civil officials. We are grateful. If you find merit with this article, please pass it on as well.

My desire is to tackle the burning issues of the day and present a Biblical world view in the process. May God use these feeble attempts to touch hearts, change minds, and advance His Kingdom amongst men. May His truth march on conquering every foe and setting the captive free.

IN KING JESUS' SERVICE,

Rusty

Abu Grab Scandal

Or

Our Chickens Have Come Home To Roost!

by Rusty Thomas

Being from Central Texas, one can hardly escape the notoriety of the Abu Grab trials that are being conducted at Fort Hood, Texas. Fort Hood has the distinction of being the largest military base in the world. Today it is becoming known for something entirely different as it is enmeshed in a major military tribunal. The local and national media have all gathered there to monitor the trials of each defendant that stands accused of crimes committed at this Iraqi prison. Some have already been paraded out, tried, found guilty, and have been sent to prison. Currently, the focus is on PFC Lynndi England and the part she played in this military scandal.

A little over a year ago, America and the world learned of this horrific event as the sordid pictures of prisoner abuse were leaked to the press. American military prison guards were captured on film mistreating Iraqi prisoners. Our nation was stunned and demeaned as the perverse, humiliating, and sadistic pictorial essay became available for public consumption.

In the aftermath, the political machines of both parties went to work. The liberals in the media and our government seemed delighted. In fact, Ted Kennedy, the infamous Senator from Massachusetts, seemed intent on celebrating the one year anniversary as a liberal holiday. For the left, this demoralized our war efforts and thus gave them credibility to denounce President Bush and the war in Iraq. The conservatives on the other hand, circled the wagons to protect President Bush and his embattled Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld. To some, putting woman's underwear on the head of an Iraqi insurgent is far less offensive than the literal removal of American civilian heads by the terrorists. In matters of degree, the point is well taken. But does that in and of itself excuse the disgraceful and dishonorable behavior of these American soldiers? I think not!

Besides these obvious realties, there are other realities that must be dealt with to understand the implications of the Abu Grab scandal. For years now the military has been targeted by the feminists and the homosexual agenda. They have sought to turn the military into their own personal play ground. To them, the military is not here to defend our nation, kill our enemies, and break things. No sir, it exists for their social experimentation. Their combined efforts have paid off. We now have women in harm's way. Mothers and daughters of America are being killed, crippled, and raped (or, as in Miss England's case, actually becoming the sexual predator) and we at home are to celebrate this as being “enlightened” and “progressive.” Bill Maher must be proud.

The God of the Bible, on the other hand, considers this a curse. Biblically, it is a shame and a disgrace to the men of any nation that allows their women to fight and die for them. But in today's culture, who cares what the God of our fathers has to say about the burning issues of the day? Perhaps He needs to be reminded of the “separation of church and state” fallacy. You know, the “Trojan Horse” concocted by the enemies of the cross to remove His commands from the public life of our nation. Though it certainly is not found in the First Amendment, I guess if you promote a lie often enough it becomes truth to the deceived.

The homosexuals, on the other hand, have progressed to the “Don't Ask and Don't Tell” policy in our military. It is ok to participate in sexual deviancy and demoralize yourself and your fellow soldiers, just as long as you don't brag about it like your civilian counterparts. Yes, they can march throughout America led by governors, mayors, and police chiefs, parading their sin like Sodom , but you can't. They can publicly whip themselves, put leashes on each other, and commit indecent acts on our public streets, but you will be discharged for doing the same.

This confusing double standard highlights the hypocrisy of America today. We condemn the sick, perverted conduct of these soldiers in a military court of law, while demanding tolerance for these same perverse, sadistic behaviors at home. So, in essence, what makes us blush abroad, we are to celebrate here. Is it just me or is there something wrong with this picture?

C. S. Lewis said it best, “We laugh at honor and are shocked to find traitors in our midst. We castrate and then bid the geldings to be fruitful.” How long has America turned her back on God? How long have we trashed His Holy Commands? How long have we mocked Christianity and considered it an enemy in America today? How long have we scorned virtue, honor, and duty, and now, we are shocked by the behavior of this crooked and perverse generation? We are living in a fool's paradise.

These war crimes did not take place in a vacuum. For decades now, we have indoctrinated ourselves and our children to accept, tolerate, and even celebrate that which should cause us great shame and guilt. But God forbid, we should destroy the fragile self-esteem of our spoiled nation with such archaic notions. We have purposely seared our consciences and forgotten that the issue is not self-esteem, but self-control. We have defined deviancy down, stupefied the culture, but at least we feel good about ourselves. According to Syndicated Columnist Kathleen Parker, commenting on the Abu Grab prison scandal, “You can't steep your tea bag in a sewer and expect it to taste like Old Gray.” Exactly!

What previous generations allowed in moderation, our children are taking to an excess. We have opened the door an inch and the Enemy of our souls has taken a mile. For far too long we have called good, evil and evil, good and as Robert Bork declared, “We are slouching towards Sodom.” Our collective soul is becoming reprobate and the casualties of this mental breakdown are our reason, logic, and rationale. The grisly headlines in our newspaper testify that America is being turned into hell and we, like Nero, are playing the fiddle while our nation burns.

The symptoms of our decaying Republic surround us and yet we continue to shake our fist in the face of a Holy God. The stench of our sin has reached heaven. We demand the murder of our children through abortion, we allow the sodomizing of our sons and daughters to continue unabated and we still proudly sing God Bless America . Do we think that God has taken leave of His senses?

Yes, we crave the blessing, the freedom, and the prosperity faith in Him brings, but we reject Him. Yes, we desire the fruits of Christianity in our beleaguered nation, but not the root, which is Jesus Christ and His holy Word. How much longer do we think we can prolong ourselves biting the hand that has fed us in our nation's history?

Obviously, this article brings a warning and a call to repent before it is too late, but I also want to end it with a hope. In Romans 8:18-21, the word of God states, “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.” I've read this passage of Scripture many times without understanding. For the life of me, I could never figure out how man can derive hope out of vanity and yet God said it was possible.

This passage of Scripture informs us that when man committed high treason against God not only was death, hell, and the grave introduced into the affairs of our world, but vanity became king and we became its loyal subjects. Thus our pursuits of fame, fortune, pleasure, and position in this fleeting life are nothing more than grasping at the wind. We slave away our lives clawing our way to the top and we run in the rat race only to find an empty pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Ah, vanity, vanity, all is vanity or so said the wisest man in the world, King Solomon (Ecclesiastes 1:2).

However, it is from this very tragic place, God promised man can find hope. How is this possible? I sought the answer for many years. Finally, one day it came to me. The bottom line is, man cannot live without God. Life does not work nor satisfy us apart from a relationship with Him. Saint Augustine once said that each of us has a God-shaped vacuum in our hearts that can only be filled by putting our faith and trust in Jesus Christ. Our hearts will wander aimlessly, until it finds its rest in Christ. In other words, man cannot live with the conclusions of his ridiculous belief systems apart from this spiritual reality. It is hard for us to kick against the pricks (Acts 9:5). And yet, God subjected us to this in the hope that we would eventually come to see how lost, blind, miserable, vain, and empty life truly is apart from His saving grace and loving rule in our lives.

Jeremiah the prophet drives home this truth, “Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee: know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, saith the Lord God of hosts (Jeremiah 2:19).” All the woe that is coming upon America is based on this truth. All God desires is that we awaken from the stupor of our sins and return to Him. He promised, if we would, He would return to us and would relent of His judgments against us (Jeremiah 3:12). If we would draw near to Him, He would certainly draw near to us (James 4:8).

America , we are too young to die! Please come to your senses before it is too late. Let us muster the humility and the moral courage that is necessary to arise from our current prodigal nation status. Let us shake off and detach ourselves from feeding at the pagan, immoral pig's sty we have created and let us begin the journey back home to the rich heritage of liberty our Heavenly Father desires to grant us in Jesus' Holy Name!!! "...For where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty (2 Corinthians 3:17) ."

If we don't, what is the option? According to Senator Daniel Webster, "If we abide by the principles taught in the Bible, our country will go on prospering and to prosper; If we and our posterity shall be true to the Christian religion, if we and they shall live always in the fear of God and shall respect His Commandments...we may have the highest hopes of the future fortunes of our country;...But if we and our posterity neglect religious instruction and authority; violate the rules of eternal justice, trifle with the injunctions of morality, and recklessly destroy the political constitution which holds us together, no man can tell how sudden a catastrophe may overwhelm us and bury all our glory in profound obscurity.” He also warned, "If religious books are not widely circulated among the masses in this country, I do not know what is going to become of us as a nation. If truth be not diffused, error will be; If God and His Word are not known and received, the devil and his works will gain the ascendancy; If the evangelical volume does not reach every hamlet, the pages of a corrupt and licentious literature will; If the power of the Gospel is not felt throughout the length and breadth of the land, anarchy and misrule, degradation and misery, corruption and darkness will reign without mitigation or end....The thought is one to cause solemn reflection on the par of every patriot and Christian.” He who has an ear let him hear; he who has a mind, let him think; and he who has a heart, let him correctly respond to God in this desperate hour in our nation's history.