Goshen College pacifists: taking the moral low ground

“Given the choice between peace and righteousness, I choose righteousness.” –Teddy Roosevelt

The Mennonites at Goshen College in Indiana are dead wrong.

This place of higher learning has banned the playing of our National Anthem (substituting it for America the Beautiful) before all sporting events, citing their “pacifist” and “religious” tradition.

This is America, and a college will no longer play the National Anthem. George Washington and Paul Revere are weeping in their graves.

People who hide behind the veil of pacifism have no regard or respect for the freedom we enjoy and cherish in this country. They decry war under any circumstance, no matter how worthy or just. They are the people who say “can’t we all just get along” and opine about world peace while terrorists are abusing women and murdering innocent civilians, even in our homeland.

I am no fan of war. I abhor it and believe it is an awful and appalling way to resolve problems. That does not, however, mean that it is not sometimes necessary and required to restore peace, order, and freedom.  The desire for world peace is admirable, but it is a pipe dream.  Reserved generally for anyone who wishes to watch and do nothing as evil runs rampant through our country and our world.

I would gladly support a “no war” policy, right after the terrorists and tyrants forever stop being terrorists and tyrants.

For the sake of our own blessed nation, as well as the millions of  innocent people all around the world liberated and given a chance at life because of the United States of America, thank God our country is not militarily pacifistic.

As far as the “religious” excuse for clinging to pacifism, this approach clearly ignores thousands of year’s worth of Biblically documented wars used to free and liberate innocent people from the hands of oppressive and enslaving governments.

Renowned Christian scholar C.S. Lewis believed both World War I and World War II were justifiable. He addressed his thoughts on this subject in his most famous work on religious theology, Mere Christianity. He calls pacifism both a theological mistake and a practical one.  Lewis also says pacifism fails on every moral level.

Tell Jews in Nazi Germany or the families of victims of 9/11 you are a pacifist and they would be justified in punching you in the nose (would you punch back?). To adhere to pacifism is to eternally allow the evil in the world prevail.

Pacifists claim war is never justifiable. To them, this means that no matter how bad things get it is morally superior to stay uninvolved. If that’s true, Hitler could have killed 10 million Jews instead of five million.  I wonder if a pacifist would defend his family from an intruder trying to rape his little girls.  Only the worst of naivety would suggest that fighting is never warranted.   Yet, under no circumstance is justified war the correct answer? Please.

It would be nice to dismiss pacifists as well-intentioned, but simply misguided. However, they are not. If they were, they’d fight for the peace they want instead of grandstanding about the evils of war. Yes, war is unpleasant, too bad. As long as there is evil in the world (that is, as long as humankind exists), there will be the need to eradicate it.

When the administration at Goshen College declared it would no longer play the Star Spangled banner, it effectively condemned the very values this country was founded on; to fight and defend freedom, at any and all costs. Someone should tell them that if we toed the pacifist policy line, white Americans would still be enslaving and beating black Americans, Hitler’s Third Reich would never have been brought to demise, and Saddam Hussein would still be torturing and raping as many women as he pleased.

The phrase in the National Anthem that has Goshen College officials up in arms (pun completely, totally intended) is this: “and the rocket’s red glare, the bombs bursting in air.” They say it glorifies war. I say it glorifies freedom, justice, and goodness, all things distinctly American.

I have a difficult time tolerating those who denounce the U.S. military and her history while terrorists fly planes into our buildings.

Consider Colonel Jessup’s speech in A Few Good Men:

“I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom that I provide, and then questions the manner in which I provide it. I would rather you just said thank you, and went on your way.”

They love and utilize their freedom to say and do as they please, yet attack the method in which that freedom is bestowed upon them.

America, the greatest nation in the history of mankind, is the “land of the free and the home of the brave”. It does not take bravery to shun tribute and eliminate the Star Spangled Banner from your campus, but it does take freedom.

How dare they use the freedom provided them by our fighting men and women to condemn our fighting men and women. This is exactly what they are doing by refusing to honor them with singing the National Anthem.  They are kidding themselves to think it’s doing more good than harm for their students and community.  Remember when we use to raise kids to be country-loving patriots?  This act is disgraceful to our troops, our citizens, our country, and our country’s history.

So, Goshen College, I’ll speak on behalf of the thousands of troops who’ve fought and died and continue to do so for your right to be as unpatriotic and un-American as you please by saying: “You’re welcome”.

You should be ashamed of yourselves.

For more on C.S. Lewis’ take on pacifism and Christianity, read this article: http://www.touchstonemag.com/archives/article.php?id=16-03-045-f