The New Mandate of Allowing Women in All Combat Units – Part 1

RESPONDING TO THE IMMORALITY, TRAGIC INSANITY AND IRRATIONAL ABSURDITY OF SENDING OUR WIVES AND DAUGHTERS INTO COMBAT AND THREE EGALITARIAN MYTHS My wife is Cindy and we are different. Praise the Lord! This is an obvious statement. In fact, it is more accurately an understatement. In legal terms and God-given unalienable rights, my wife and I, like other men and women, are absolutely equal. Furthermore, we are Gospel equal. Both of us are sinners and incapable of saving ourselves or inventing a religion that is able to save us. Most of all we are equal in that both of us have been gloriously, undeservedly and marvelously saved by the grace of God from the tomb of sin to the triumph of Christ by His Cross and His Resurrection. Yet these facts of equality do not mean that we are the same. EGALITARIAN MYTH #1: EQUALITY = SAMENESS! We are equal but not identical. Let me give some examples. The first one is academic ability. Cindy was in the Honor Society and graduated Cum Laude. I graduated. (It was reported that when I walked across the stage and received my diploma my dad shouted “laude how come!”) At times, Cindy and I are able to go to the gym for a “workout” together. We do not lift identical weights. In parenting, Cindy, as wonderful as she is, cannot give a father’s love to our children; nor can I give them the unique dynamic of a mother’s love. In a word, we are not the same. We are equal but not identical and our differences are glorious blessings for us and our children. Why? Because our children need us in the complementary yet distinctive roles of mother and father made possible because of our God-given gender differences. All of the above, which can be multiplied by similar illustrations, do not exist because of tradition-laden cultural oppressions. They exist simply, yet profoundly, because of our Divinely-designed differences. We are not the product of a series of cosmic accidents and mindless mutations. God made me and He made Cindy, just as He did each and every one of us. All of us are created equal but none of us are created the same individually nor are we afflicted with gender sameness. “Man” is created male and female and therefore, unique by gender as well as individually. But even more to the point of this particular blog, God made me as a man both able and responsible to protect my wife. Common sense and natural law not only support this claim, they punctuate it. This does not mean that in a moment of danger a woman’s motherly protective instincts will not rise to the occasion, but it does mean that I am the one who was designed and called to protect her, as well as our children. The conviction of this moral imperative embedded in the culture through Christian influence is why the sinking of the Titanic recorded the sacrificial deaths of hundreds of men, many of whom were multi-billionaires while hundreds of women and children were saved some of whom were domestics and indentured servants. Women and children first to the lifeboats! Interestingly, we recently witnessed the sinking of a cruise liner in the Mediterranean Sea, providing a vivid example of the rampant narcissism and gender chaos of today’s culture as everyone stampeded for the lifeboats only to be outdistanced by the captain. Our wives and daughters can and may have to assist in an extremity or crisis but men are called and equipped to intentionally protect and provide for their wives and daughters. Let me repeat, after experiencing and observing the bravery of women, I am fully aware and assured of their desire and readiness to assist in any emergency. Furthermore, men and women do not live in isolation of one another but interdependently with each other. But, men do not send their wives and daughters to protect them nor homes. So why would we by national mandate? EGALITARIAN MYTH #2: EQUALITY = INTERCHANGEABILITY. Men and women complement each other by their ontological equality and their existential diversity. Men and women are not interchangeable with only insignificant physical cosmetic differences. We are equal, yet different therefore, we are not interchangeable biologically, psychologically, physiologically, socially, relationally, etc. Simply consider some delightful everyday common experiences we have with each another by observing the unique ways men and women talk, relate, problem-solve, plan, perceive life, use words etc. The list is delightfully endless. We are equal but not identical; we are equal but not interchangeable. EGALITARIAN MYTH #3: GENDER DISTINCTIVENESS = GENDER INFERIORITY/SUPERIORITY Difference is not a declaration of superiority or inferiority, it is simply difference. In reality, the differences we enjoy are marvelous and ought to be celebrated instead of mocked, denied or circumvented. Why do we arrogantly and aggressively avoid our complementary gifts, skills and callings to descend into the myths of egalitarianism? At best it is the result of misguided policies; at worst it is the result of an agenda propagated by self-anointed social engineers who are fueled by atheistic Darwinian evolutionary views of origins, which are demonstrably more philosophical and religious than scientific. THE PRACTICAL REALITY Let me pose the question begging to be asked. In the full scope of a national military system, is there a place for women to participate by using their unique gifts to complement the combat role of men to properly protect our nation or, as it is called today, our Home(land)? Absolutely! One only has to read the history of how women, in complementary roles, contributed to a stunning 3-front victory of World War II as they supplied and enabled men to victoriously endure combat. Deborah’s and Jael’s inspirational bravery in the Bible instructs us. But is the place of women as complements in combat a rationale to replace the role of men who are created, designed and called to physically and, if necessary violently defend and protect their Home(land) and those who residing within it? The answer is no! It’s late at night. I hear the glass in the door downstairs breaking, the door opening and then footsteps. I turn to my wife and say “Honey, someone is breaking into our home downstairs and since I know you are willing, why don’t you go downstairs and see if you can overpower him? By the way if he maims you or kills you don’t worry! I have two daughters who are brave enough to follow you and risk their life to protect our home while I remain here safe.” This hypothetical scenario is patently and stunningly ridiculous. Yet interestingly, what we would be embarrassed to contemplate personally, much less do actually within our own home, is now mandated by policy nationally with either pathetic naiveté or intentional absurdity. THE UNBELIEVABLE REALITY The unbelievable reality is that the men of this nation now allow politically correct elected officials in general and a President in particular (along with the elite self-appointed culture-shapers pontificating while shielded in the media and the academy) to institute policies which send our wives and daughters, not into the military to use their unique skills and abilities to enhance our armed forces, but into combat units to protect our Home(land) while they (and we) remain safely tucked away in our rooms. Forget for the moment the obvious arguments of how ignoring gender differences will inevitably force the adoption of inadequate training regimens, lowered physical and combat readiness standards, the redefining of combat protocols, inevitable sexual mayhem and a loss of combat unit efficiency which will cost lives (documented by a Marine Corp. study- more on this in Pt.2). Yes, I am aware of the claim that combat zones are now defined differently. But hand to hand combat, dragging a 200+ lb. comrade to safety, carrying 85 lb. support equipment, etc. has not and will not change. Finally, it is simply and utterly staggering to hear the President of the United States question whether he would allow his son to play football because it is too dangerous while at the same time promote an irrational and mythical moral imperative to send the wives and daughters of our nation into harm’s way to possibly be killed and maimed on the front lines. I have heard the argument, “but it is a volunteer armed service.” It is at the moment until a war draft is necessary and given the present framework used to promote women-in-combat, the drafting of our wives and daughters would be inevitable and inevitably pursued legally. Now, consider how many fathers and husbands will be imprisoned before they allow such a travesty to be visited upon their marriages and families. This historically, unthinkable policy will not only degrade our military readiness and effectiveness, it will also ultimately demoralize an entire nation in the name and cause of an irrational and foolish definition of equality and the untenable notion that gender equality demands gender sameness and interchangeability. The juggernaut of social and cultural irrationality has now spread from the laughable and the ridiculous to the dangerous and the frightening, as a nation sacrifices its wives and daughters by sending them into combat at the inevitable expense of national security, combat integrity, military effectiveness and efficiency. Sane and courageous leadership is desperately needed. Unfortunately my generation, decade after decade, has proven itself incapable of providing such leaders and/or solving cultural problems. Yet, we do seem to be quite adept at creating them. In our narcissistic fascination we arrogantly promote cultural absurdity and insanity that is now supported and propagated in the halls of government and enabled by a Pentagon led with politically correct and politically ambitious Generals. We have clearly lost our way. My hope and prayer is that the patience of God will lead us to repentance (that’s correct, I believe this is sin) with a Gospel awakening through the next generation, bringing a flood of redeeming and transforming grace which will produce an outpouring and overflow of God’s common grace. I freely admit my desire and prayer that my children and grandchildren might inherit a nation of sanity and not the national ruins of absurdity which is the inevitable consequence of rebellion against the Triune God of glory. But such a Gospel Awakening awaits Christ’s Church to fulfill its calling to be “salt and light.” Yet our Lord’s church in general and the leadership in particular is paralyzed and silent with invented doctrines to mask its fear of being mocked or marginalized. So my prayer is simple. “Lord grant repentance that your Church may again be “salty” and again “shine the light.”

By: Pastor Harry Reeder

December 14, 2015 9:33 AM