Pfc. Michael Barnes had a spiritual awakening while in Iraq.
"I have been trying to justify being a soldier and finding a way to do so while still being a Christian, because that is what I wanted to do since I was a kid," Barnes wrote in his request for conscientious objector status in December 2006.
"But I can no longer justify spending my short time in this world participating in or supporting war. ... I must try to save souls, not help take them. I fear not for my life, but for my soul."
The Army disagreed of course and denied his request for conscientious objector status. But "A federal judge has ordered the U.S. Army to grant conscientious objector status and an honorable discharge to Pfc. Michael Barnes, a Fort Richardson-based paratrooper who said he experienced a religious awakening in Iraq two years ago that left him opposed to war in any form."
Praise the Lord!
"In a 16-page ruling, the judge noted evidence of how Barnes' faith grew stronger after he arrived in Iraq in September 2006. Soldiers in his unit testified that he became increasingly withdrawn, devoting much of his spare time to reading the Bible."
He will be mocked, called a coward and resented. Not only by war mongers but home town folk and probably church goers. But the courage of this young man is exceptional and a testimony to Empire Christians.
You can stand up. You can look evil in the face and say no more, wherever your find yourself immersed in it, and we all are. I am motivated! Thank you Michael Barnes!
"Married with two children, Barnes previously worked as a counselor to troubled youths in Oregon and Washington. In his request for conscientious objector status, he said he would like to return to similar work as a civilian."
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