The Marine Corps Rifle Creed

THE MARINE CORPS RIFLE CREED

This is my rifle. There are many like it, but this one is mine. My rifle is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I must master my life. My rifle, without me, is useless. Without my rifle, I am useless. I must fire my rifle true. I must shoot straighter than my enemy who is trying to kill me. I must shoot him before he shoots me. I will...
My rifle and myself know that what counts in this war is not the rounds we fire, the noise of our burst, nor the smoke we make. We know that it is the hits that count. We will hit...
My rifle is human, even as I, because it is my life. Thus, I will learn it as a brother. I will learn its weaknesses, its strength, its parts, its accessories, its sights and its barrel. I will ever guard it against the ravages of weather and damage as I will ever guard my legs, my arms, my eyes and my heart against damage. I will keep my rifle clean and ready. We will become part of each other. We will...
Before God, I swear this creed. My rifle and myself are the defenders of my country. We are the masters of our enemy. We are the saviors of my life. So be it, until victory is America's and there is no enemy, but peace!

The above words are recited by every Marine Corps cadet. It is called the Rifle Creed. I would like you to read it more than once and tell me if Christ is in such a oath. And when men and women are indoctrinated with such humanistic and atheistic and violent rhetoric, is it any wonder the church is filled with robotic members whose knowledge of the things of the Spirit is almost untraceable.

Treating an inanimate object as living is delusional especially when it is serious. And adding to that delusion is when people use the terms life, best friend, and most egregious of all the word “savior”. It is almost breathtaking in its scope and blasphemy and yet this kind of spirit is infused into millions of men and women. And how many of these young people not only come from a Christian background, but have made some kind of profession of faith in Jesus Christ? And the church family from which they came revels in their service and supports the secular military to train their children?

How far have we fallen when not only do we support, encourage, and train our children for war and violence, but we allow them to be transformed into violent machines who see their weapons of killing as their “savior”? And in fact they call themselves savior as well. Their partnership with their rifle is now considered a redemptive force. And thousands upon thousands of soldiers come home with a mental and emotional alteration that changes their lives forever. And we wonder why our culture loves violence and guns. Soldiers are not asked just to go to war, they are asked to fall in love with what they do. Many come home with a vibrant love for violence still intact.

We as followers of Jesus must see this for what it is. Nationalism and the love for country is a Trojan Horse that carries with it all kinds of moral and spiritual mischief that is completely at odds with following Jesus. While in the military many men and women learn to drink, learn to curse, learn to hate, learn to kill, and learn to enjoy a promiscuous lifestyle. Adultery is not just in the higher ranks, it is rampant inside the military. The entire experience has nothing about it which is spiritually edifying.

But the Rifle Creed is an open lesson for us all. It publicly exposes just what kind of spirits roam energetically inside the military. I admire those who would put their life on the line for what they believe. However the military experience is an assembly line that molds the perceptions and reinforces certain fallen principles and in general teaches a "might makes right" atmosphere. And in general it teaches men and women that American lives are worth far more than the lives of other nations. People are changed by the assembly line of the military.

But we have not learned such things from Christ. I realize that posts like this are uncomfortable and even painful to read. I realize that in many churches I would be considered an heretic. I realize that any hint of an unpatriotic spirit or a critique of the military as considered anathema. I realize all of that. But I only have one Lord and I cannot bow to anyone but Him.

Christ is my Lord. There is none but Him. I must depend upon Him alone. What He says I must do. Where He leads I must follow. He is my only Savior; beside Him there is no other. I have enlisted for life in His kingdom. His weapons are not carnal but mighty in the Spirit. His armor protects me. His Word lights my path. His Spirit gives me power. His victory is already won and He has allowed me to share in it. This is my Jesus. There are many who try to be like Him, but He alone is the Lord. I pledge all my allegiance to Him and to none other. Amen.