In Theory: What would you say to veterans who are dealing with guilt?
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Q: What might you say to someone who served in the armed forces — perhaps even decades ago — and who carries guilt over having killed others in a time of war?
War is one of the unpleasant, unavoidable necessities of life in the world as it presently is. War will be eradicated only after the return and reign of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace. Jesus warned us that: “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes” (Matthew 24:7). Though it is good to do all we can to avoid them, there is nothing we can do to completely avoid deaths from famines, earthquakes and wars. They will happen, and they’re not personally our fault.
God commanded the armies of Israel to go into battle and even to kill their enemies. It is God’s will for us to obey our leaders in government. So as unpleasant as it is, a man who has killed in battle has not sinned before God. He has simply done a difficult task that was required of him. Be assured that the Bible very clearly distinguishes between murder and killing in battle. The former is always wrong, the latter isn’t. King David was a man who shed much blood and waged great wars. Yet God called him a man after his own heart. David did what he had to do in order to pass on a peaceful kingdom to his son Solomon and to establish a peaceful place for God’s temple to be built. The godly warrior fights and kills only that a greater peace may be established for the future good of all. Whether or not they were in active combat, we express our greatest appreciation to all of our veterans and we urge them to be at peace knowing they have honorably fulfilled their duty before God and country.
Pastor Jon Barta
Valley Baptist Church
Burbank
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I ask forgiveness for sending you to kill in my name. I oppose war yet I should do more. There could always be one more letter, another phone call, more emails, a longer vigil.
I’ve protested safely, even comfortably. I’ve obediently paid every penny owed in federal taxes, knowing full well that about half pays for war in some way. I’ve never been in jail for my beliefs.
Your guilt is shared by us all, those who pulled the trigger, those who ordered it, and those who allowed it. We citizens of imperial powers share a particularly heavy collective guilt. In their heart of hearts, every person in every tribe in the misnamed Holy Land must be racked with guilt.
I recommend that you read the book “On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society,” by Army Lt. Col. Dave Grossman. He recounts the research of Samuel Marshall, a historian of the U.S. Army in World War II. In his study, “Men Against Fire,” Marshall claims that no more than one in four World War II U.S. combat troops ever fired their weapons at an enemy.
Lt. Col. Grossman reports on the concerted efforts of the military, through intensive training using operant conditioning techniques, to increase the firing rate to 50% of soldiers in Korea and then up to 90 to 95% in Vietnam.
This research is controversial, with Grossman’s conclusions criticized but also supported. Even if the numbers aren’t exact, he convinces me that the trend is real.
As a Broadway song says, “You’ve got to be carefully taught,” to hate and to fear, and you were.
I regret the guilt you suffer yet rejoice in it as well. Because humans are predisposed not to, guilt over having killed another human is both appropriate and inevitable.
Grossman says: “We can never understand the nature of the force in humankind that causes us to strongly resist killing fellow human beings, but we can be thankful for it. It is there, it is strong, and it gives us cause to believe that there may just be hope for humankind after all.”
Every Friday from 5:30 to 7 p.m. in Montrose a small group of us remind the world that we are still at war, pointlessly killing, after all these years. We feed our own and each others’ hopes for peace, and seek redemption for our part in our wars. We gather at montrosepeacevigil.proboards.com the rest of the week. You can too.
Roberta Medford
Atheist
Montrose
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While death is tragic, and wars that prematurely bring it are the product of sin, it’s not necessarily sinful to participate. It’s the nature of combat, and there’s often no alternative. There will always be despots who seek to destroy and plunder, and likewise those who kill to prevent the same. If warriors returning from active duty carry guilt from what they’ve done legitimately in their country’s service, then thank God for the military chaplaincy.
I would imagine that the burden of having killed fellow human beings weighs especially on those who don’t know if they’ll face judgment for their deeds. Certainly the mind will rehash battles that ended with the victors returning home, leaving a bloody aftermath of people who could just as well have been good neighbors in peacetime. But unless a soldier participates in war crimes or serves as a mercenary, his position before man and God stands honorably, and heart-heavy concerns about actions necessitated by his duty should be relinquished.
I would remind soldiers of the positive things said about them in Scripture. When soldiers heard John the Baptist preach and were converted, they asked “What should we do?” John didn’t say, “quit your jobs.” He said, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely — be content with your pay” (Luk 3:14). In other words, “be good men, as you do your soldiering.” When Jesus encountered a Roman officer, He didn’t condemn the man’s profession but extolled his exemplary faith (Mat 8:5-13). And when the Apostle Paul heard about assassins waiting for him, he finagled a military escort and availed himself of their deadly arms (Act 23).
It’s been said, “War is hell!” On earth it is, but there’s a greater Hell to which it refers, and it’s not for saints on either side of any conflict.
The Rev. Bryan Griem
Montrose Community Church
Montrose
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This issue is important to me, because when I was in seminary, the Vietnam War was raging, and I opposed the war. I was also afraid of being forced to serve because of the fear of killing somebody. So what would I say? First of all, I would thank him or her for serving our country and stepping forward to do what he or she saw as his or her duty. And then I would probably relate to that person the anguish I felt during Vietnam. I would say that it is not for nothing that someone said one time, “War is hell.” Also, if he or she felt that he or she committed a sin, I would urge that person to ask God for forgiveness.
I would also try to console the person by saying that he or she tried to do the right thing when he or she enlisted. And he or she probably thought, as it says in one of the verses of the “Star-Spangled Banner,” that “our cause, it is just.” At the same time, I think I’d compliment the person on his or her sensitivity and depth, because even though our society and other societies say it’s “OK” to go to war, the real truth, if you think about it, is that it’s really not OK to kill another human being. And I might suggest that the guilt the person was feeling was actually the work of God reigniting that person’s conscience. Because if we are human and made in the image of God, how can we not feel remorse when we kill somebody else, who also happens to be made in the image of God? Again, war is hell, and I would not expect a few platitudes from me to heal the person’s torment. I would listen with a sympathetic ear and I would try to console — but one short counseling session isn’t going to undo the guilt. Sorry.
The Rev. Skip Lindeman
La Cañada Congregational Church
La Cañada Flintridge
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War is terrible because of its capacity to devastate souls as well as nations. However, the veteran in question should be assured that taking life in the necessary defense of country is not immoral.
Biblical scholars generally agree that the injunction “Thou shalt not kill” is a mistranslation of ancient Hebrew that should read “Thou shalt not murder.” The difference is crucial.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus mentions this commandment as part of a broader discussion of anger. He tells us that “whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause” is in spiritual jeopardy. This distinction helps to clarify the difference between murder and killing that is done as a last resort against aggression.
The Book of Mormon and modern LDS leaders shed more light on this. Bloodshed is justified when it is carried out to save one’s own life, the lives of innocents or to preserve freedom. Wars of aggression are condemned.
None of these guidelines makes the decision to take life simple or clear cut. As in all things, what matters most to the Lord is the heart. A soldier fighting a “just” war can commit murder if he or she kills for personal gratification, for enjoyment. Likewise, a nation risks losing God’s blessing when the people or their leaders seek conflict for gain or for revenge.
Some veterans may feel they were misled into fighting an unjust war and, as a result, have transgressed against God. LDS leaders teach that service men and women are not held responsible for good-faith obedience to duty, even when their leaders are misguided.
So, to our troubled veteran I would say all of these things and hope that the words bring peace. Most of all, I would tell him or her to trust in a just God who extends his mercy to all.
Michael White
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
La Crescenta
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How unconscionable it is that many of those who have endured the horrors of war have been left with psychological wounds for years after their damaging experiences. Even those of us who believe that war is not an answer to disputes between nations would not wish such pain and suffering on participants. And unfortunately neither our military services nor our society have provided adequate care for those who continue to suffer from PTSD or other psychological distress related to war.
So I would be gratified that a person would ask me for help. That would at least mean that the problem could be brought out into the open rather than being hidden. Perhaps then we could begin to work on a solution. As a person who has been extensively trained in pastoral care and counseling, I could begin an analysis of the trauma and the steps needed to relieve at least some measure of the sufferer’s pain. And I would hope other members of the clergy would be willing and able to provide similar assistance.
After working to uncover some of the damaging effects, I would then be more able to suggest the best form of treatment by a professional counselor or therapist. With specialized care, the guilt-ridden former combatant should be able to make some progress toward his or her recovery.
But I would also continue to provide support through spiritual direction, pastoral care, meditation, service opportunities, and prayer. If the distressed person were not a member of a religious community, I would also recommend that avenue so that a group of other people could support him or her in a compassionate way. I hope that, with multiple hands and hearts, peace and reconciliation for all such afflicted could be found.
The Rev. Dr. Betty Stapleford
Unitarian Universalist Church of the Verdugo Hills
La Crescenta