Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

The Lord said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites: ‘Any Israelite or any foreigner residing in Israel who sacrifices any of his children to Molek is to be put to death.  The members of the community are to stone him.  I myself will set my face against him and will cut him off from his people; for by sacrificing his children to Molek, he has defiled my sanctuary and profaned my holy name.  If the members of the community close their eyes when that man sacrifices one of his children to Molek and if they fail to put him to death, I myself will set my face against him and his family and will cut them off from their people together with all who follow him in prostituting themselves to Molek.

• Leviticus 20:1-5

About ten days ago, we celebrated Veteran’s Day in the USA.  For most veterans, it was a day when we got a chance to have a free entrée at a restaurant, very limited menu.  To some royal jerks, it was a chance to lie about being a veteran to get the same meal for free.  My wife and I know one such person that only wears his “veteran” hat once each year, having never served a day in the service.  To the rest of the folks in the USA, they wondered why there was no mail delivered that day, oblivious of the honor that was meant to be bestowed.  Some ‘honor’ when the only people who recognize the day were other veterans, thanking each other for their service.

That night, I changed channels to watch one of my favorite programs and it had been preempted to show an often-repeated broadcasting of R-Squared Publications, We Call Them Heroes.  It is about Vietnam veterans who returned to the USA to be abused by people calling them “baby killers.”  It also talks about veterans who go from killing an enemy to being ill-prepared for the return to civilian life, the issue of PTSD, and the lifelong hell that some of these men go through (and now with the recent war, women, although the documentary was just about Vietnam veterans).  Here is the trailer, although I have shared this link before.

In this trailer, there is a man who talks of having his crutches kicked out from underneath him.  In the full length documentary, he mentioned that he had no idea what these people were talking about, having gone from Vietnam to the hospital in the USA, and then leaving in crutches.  Why were they calling him a “baby killer?”  He never had, nor would he ever, kill a baby.  And then the tears formed in the eyes of this strong man.  My parents were wrong.  Strong men can and should cry on occasion.

Tomorrow, I will write about how hard it was to find the trailer.

One of the veterans in the documentary said that after years of abuse everywhere he went by people who found out that he served in Vietnam, the government tried to make amends and had them march in a parade to welcome them home.  But to this guy, it was too little, too late.  He knew their true feelings, and he did not wish to be pandered.

But let me bring a different view into play.  For this illustration, I will use one gender for ease in telling the story. Let us assume there is a man who has the fanciest house in the cul-de-sac of a ritzy gated community.  His house is maintained by hired servants as well as his yard.  He is treated with the utmost of respect.  He is a hero, and called that, when he goes to the golf club three days each week.  He even sings in the church choir on Sunday.  He is praised for the great service that he performs.  What is his service?  Killing unborn babies at the local abortion clinic. The key difference between what he does and the Scripture above is the “religious ceremony,” in my opinion.

Of all the things that are backwards at the present time with the secular world doing the opposite of what is right or even what makes sense, it just dawned on me how backward this one issue is.  We make our present day baby killers into heroes, and those who never killed a baby, but were called baby killer, are the vile trash that the “upstanding” among us would love to see die off.  All those Vietnam veterans are of retirement age or older.  There are many who have already died.  I know a few personally who died of cancer that probably got its start being exposed to Agent Orange, and there were countless others that I did not know personally.  I personally know of at least one who took his life, unable to cope with the civilian life after warfare.  And all were called “baby killers,” and most were spat upon.  The documentary talked of veterans throwing their uniforms in a dumpster, hiding the fact that they had served.

But now, while some still distrust the seedy old Vietnam vet, they praise the professional baby killer.  I was spat upon while in uniform, but I never went to Vietnam.  Yet, no one would think of spitting on the doctor who does abortions.  He is paid handsomely and revered in his community.

Jesus said that when you have served the least of these, you have done it unto Him.  You may find Jesus among those veterans who hang their heads low, hoping no one will notice.  It would be more likely to see Jesus there, than on the cul-de-sac, practicing his golf swing.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.