Iran’s Role in American Military Deaths
The current Iranian regime is responsible for the deaths of a large number of American soldiers. U.S. government sources and independent analyses indicate that the Iranian regime is responsible for the deaths of a significant number of American service members over several decades, primarily through its support for proxy and terrorist groups.
As many of us know, Iraq was known for killing Iranian soldiers. When Bush invaded Iraq during the Iraq War (2003–2011), a 2019 Pentagon report cited by Military Times stated that Iran was responsible for the deaths of at least 603 U.S. service members in Iraq during this period, accounting for approximately 17 percent of all U.S. deaths in the country. These casualties were often caused by Iranian supplied weapons, particularly advanced roadside bombs known as explosively formed penetrators.
In total, analysts from organizations such as the Foundation for Defense of Democracies estimate that Iranian military actions, often carried out through proxies, have led to the deaths of well over a thousand American soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan over the last decade and a half. The U.S. government officially holds Iran’s Quds Force responsible for the deaths of hundreds of American and coalition service members.
Strategic Interests and the Christian Lens
With that said, the libertarian crowd would ask what American soldiers were doing there in the first place. The obvious and unpopular answer is strategic interests. This is something that is easy to understand if you are a Christian and difficult to understand if you are an atheist, or a Christian who relies on experts instead of reading the Bible personally.
To be clear, I am not defending Israel, but as a Christian, I do love Israel. Israel is nothing without Yeshua, the Holy Spirit, and God Almighty. Christ Jesus showed Christians the hearts of men, which is why freedom of speech does not begin with secular society. It begins with Christ and truly accelerates after the Protestant Reformation of the sixteenth century, which paved the way for 1776. The overwhelming majority of U.S. Founders were Protestants.
You can research Protestants on your own, but they are the reason everyone has access to a Bible today. Many reading this do not read the Bible, but it is Scripture and rigorous debate that gave America the strongest free speech protections in the world.
I recall hearing Vivek Ramaswamy, a Hindu, describe America as an experiment. Hinduism predates Christianity by thousands of years, and when you read the Bible, you will notice that when Israel sinned, some of their practices resembled rituals still present in Hindu culture today.
Christ Is King
Idiots like to say Jesus was copied, but there is no direct equivalent to Jesus in Hindu culture. What people who do not read the Bible often point to are Rama, Krishna, or great yogis having traits similar to Yeshua. Rama, Krishna, and great yogis did not die for Hindu or mankind’s sins. Instead, what you find in Hinduism is exactly what Christians were warned about: the worship of many different gods.
Rama, Krishna, and great yogis such as Sri Ramakrishna are believed to remove, absorb, or purify the sins of humanity through divine grace, the power of their names, and by acting as spiritual guides who lead people away from sinful tendencies.
They do not forgive in a transactional sense, but rather cleanse the soul, often taking on the karmic consequences of their devotees. When you examine Hinduism, it resembles a large bureaucratic system with countless rituals, which from a Christian perspective is not only time consuming but creates enormous barriers to entry.
India, as an ancient civilization, should not be in the situation it is in today. However, when censorship guides a society’s thought process, the only hope becomes high intelligence, which figures like Vivek Ramaswamy represent. That is a depressing existence for a nation. Low skilled individuals and those born with mental or physical disabilities also need a place in civil society, and that requires the freedom to innovate so everyone has access to a functioning marketplace.
Censorship and what we call big government, which also exists within religious institutions, stunts growth. Christians are still battling this internally, let alone dealing with constant pressure from people who worship other gods.
Christ minimized rituals with His two commandments. Through faith in Christ Jesus, we have been able to manifest innovation, which is exactly what my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was showing us. They killed Christ because of what He said and completely disregarded what He actually did during His lifetime.
Now tell me if that does not sound like humanity today. You can do great things for humanity, but the moment you say something people dislike, they want you dead. If that is our reality, then the truth will set us free. Christ is King.
Moses, Egypt, and the Power of the Written Word
For example, the Sabbath can be viewed as a ritual. Christ does not command Christians to follow the Law of Moses, but that does not mean we disregard Moses. Instead, Scripture humanizes him. Moses was raised in Egypt and used what he learned there to form the foundation of Judaism. Papyrus, or paper, is famously associated with Egypt, which had written history.
However, like most nations, Egypt censored its population. The elites of that era withheld the knowledge God gave them, which explains why, despite their monuments, we know relatively little about ancient Egypt compared to Israel.
Jews are people of the Book. However, like Catholics, Judaism developed a hierarchical structure, and censorship became embedded within it. This is part of the reason Jews rejected Christ as the Son of God. Yet Christian nations have historically provided Israel with the greatest assistance through God to fight their battles.
Protestants helped create the modern market economy by applying biblical principles. Catholics maintain hierarchical systems, while Protestantism functions as an open market. Anyone can start a church. This is why some churches even promote homosexuality as “god approved.”
Sin, Truth, and Cultural Consequences
It is not my business if someone chooses hell or leads others there. My responsibility is to speak truth. Homosexuality is an abomination according to Scripture, but sin is sin, and sin can curse future generations. When I see people promoting a homosexual agenda, I pray they and their congregations will read the Bible for themselves.
The intellectual rigor of early Protestants resembles the intellectual discipline of Jews today. Freedom of speech for Jews exists largely because of the United States. In modern Israel, freedom of speech is limited. If America fell, Israel would likely lose democracy and free expression. For non Christians, it is difficult to understand why flawed Christian America achieved so much so quickly.
Through Christ and the Protestant Reformation, Christians were inspired by the Holy Spirit to imagine a nation with radical freedom of speech. While Jews observed the Sabbath, Christ showed that the law had been distorted for agendas. Jesus healed on the Sabbath, which was illegal under Jewish law. That rigidity was ritualistic rather than godly.
Law, Freedom, and Property Rights
Christians were not commanded to follow the Ten Commandments as law, which allowed society to advance rapidly. However, even Christianity faces internal struggles from those who want a closed market of ideas.
Some Christians believe laws must reflect their personal beliefs. My view is that judgment belongs to God. Property rights as we know them are man made constructs.
Under God, property rights are guided by loving your neighbor as yourself, as stated in Mark 12:29–31.
29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:
30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
Tyranny, Kidnapping, and Moral Lines
Unlike Moses, Christ gave two commandments that supersede all others. That is where our understanding of property rights originates. I cannot censor an atheist for mocking God. He is still my neighbor. However, if a tyrant kidnaps another neighbor and forces obedience, as the Iranian regime does, that becomes a moral issue I must bring before God.
Kidnapping is not civilization. Yeshua, Jesus Christ, is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Christ was censored and persecuted, and He set the example for us. He sacrificed Himself so others could have eternal life.
How Christ’s words resonate with you is between you and Him. No man has a monopoly on Christ. It is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, not priest, prime minister, president, or influencer.
Faith, Voluntarism, and Resistance to Tyranny
Christianity is voluntary, not forced. Christian militaries are not meant to rely on coercion. Our existence is meant to be led by faith.
Regarding Iran, there is no simple right or wrong answer. What I will say is that Christian conversions have increased in Iran, and that growth coincides with rising resistance to tyranny.
North Korea eliminated Christianity and became a wasteland. Atheism is an ideology built on censorship. Christ was killed because He told the truth, and power feared losing control.
Power Belongs to God
Faith in God returns power where it belongs, to God. I reject conspiracy theories, but Israel has a clear interest in toppling the Iranian regime. The only reason it has not is because many in the West believe man made property rights are absolute.
All property belongs to God. When rulers seize free will, resistance becomes inevitable. Any nation engaging in tyranny should expect to be challenged.
Ultimately, I want more souls to come to Christ. I leave the final judgment to God.
Consider making Jesus Christ your Lord and Savior today.