My Sunday Thought for 06052016: Losing Faith in God

Have you ever thought about why people lose faith in God?  I've heard quite a few of the reasons.  God has abandoned me; God didn't save my child, husband, or parent; I keep asking, God keeps ignoring; the church is so hypocritical; there is no proof of God, where are the miracles?  Do any of these ring a bell?  There are certainly many I have not heard as man is very creative when it comes to making up excuses and shifting the blame from where it belongs.

“Dear Lord, please don’t let me f**k up."  This statement has become known as Shepard's Prayer. Uttered by astronaut Alan B. Shepard, Jr. during the first human space launch by the United States, Freedom 7, on May 5, 1961.  He was, unselfishly, asking the Lord to help him not screw things up.   He rightfully knew that, if the mission failed, it would be either his fault or the fact that the rocket was built by the lowest bidder; God was not in the equation for anything more that moral support.  If it had blown up on the pad, the next sound after the split second explosion would have been God saying, "You strapped your dumb ass to a rocket built by the lowest bidder, the odds were not in your favor."  Or, perhaps he just would have shaken his head and muttered, "Even I can't cure stupid."  And the latter is exactly the point.  If we die, for reasons other than natural causes, it can usually be traced back to our own stupidity.  Even most natural causes can now be tracked back to diet, carcinogens, smoking, or someone else.  In reality, other than truly natural causes, almost everything is our own damned fault including our ultimate demise and, yet, we insist on shifting the blame to God.

Blaming God for anything is like looking a gift horse in the mouth.  God gave us life and a mind.  God gave us everything we would need to survive and prosper, to search, research, examine, question, and become more than what we are.    With all of this came the ability to make choices and deal with the consequences.  If your choice is to blame everything on your creator, to bitch and complain about every--little--thing and blame it all on God's selfishness, who is really the thankless little selfish bitch in the mirror of truth?  If you don't look in that mirror and see yourself looking back, good luck with what awaits you in the hereafter.  Just saying...

Every morning I wake up and say my Shepard's Prayer.  "Oh dear Lord, please don't let me screw up the day."  I approach each day as an opportunity to enlighten myself to God's wonders.  God gave us a mind to discover the wonders of, well - God.  God wants us to search, investigate, analyze, and question; God wants us to be skeptical - even of God!  The skeptic which finds truth will have a deeper faith in said truth that a believer who takes it at face value and has no true concept of the whole.  Unless you earn a gift you have no concept of the value of the gift.  Simply reading the owner's manual and having faith that the company hasn't lied to you is blind faith.  On the other hand, if you work for research something, work for it, operate it until you are proficient, you develop a broader understanding of what is expected of you as the owner.  An owner's manual isn't any good if it is incomplete, contradictory, and confusing.  You'll find yourself either afraid to enjoy your gift for fear of getting it all wrong and blowing it up, or you'll blindly depress the button and have faith that you're not the total idiot everybody thinks you are for taking everything on blind faith.

Put the instructions away. You know what is expected of you, what God has commanded of you during the old covenant with God.  The two most important of those commandments is stated in Matthew, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, You shall love thy neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."

If you think you've lost faith in God, look first to your own house and ensure you haven't lost faith in yourself. Mankind has a problem following the easiest of instructions, and God's instructions are very easy to follow; they are so easy, in fact, God gave up the confusing "letter" of the law and gave man the "Spirit" of it in the new covenant with mankind:

“This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest.” 

-- Jeremiah 31:33-34

How simple are the instructions for mankind?  How simple is it to have real knowledge of faith?  Where the old covenant ministers condemnation and death, the new covenant of the Spirit gives life as stated in 2 Corinthians 3:6, "For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life."  Charles Spurgeon wrote a sermon in 1885 which, I think, explains everything nicely:

"I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts." This is one of the most glorious promises that ever fell from the lips of infinite love. God said not, "I will come again, as I came on Sinai, and thunder at them." No, but, "I will come in gentleness and mercy, and find a way into their hearts." He said not, "I will take two great tables of stone, and with my finger write out my law before their eyes." No, but, "I will put my finger upon their hearts, and there will I write my law." He said not, "I will give promises and threatenings that shall be the safeguard of this new covenant;" but, "I will with my Spirit graciously operate upon their minds and their hearts, and so I will sweetly influence them to serve me,—not for reward, nor from any servile motive, but because they know me, and they love me, and they feel it to be their delight to walk in the way of my commandments."

-- C. H. Spurgeon (1834-1892), Baptist preacher

If you think you've lost faith in God have you not truly lost faith in yourself?  If you are searching for God, look first to your heart and your mind before you set off on your quest.  Follow what is in your heart and your mind as you search to validate that which you already know as true.  Validate it so there will be no question as to your belief, or your faith, or of God's never ending love for you.  In this way your faith will be as a beacon of light, showing the path to those who are lost in darkness.

Editor's Note 

(re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card) 

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other. An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider another viewpoint. 

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and then engaging in peaceful, constructive, discussion in an arena of mutual respect concerning the opinions put forth. After over twenty years with military intelligence, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we do afterward, and what we learn from the experience.

Pastor Tony spent 22 years with Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, and instructor. He is founder of the Congregation for Religious Tolerance and author/editor of the Congregation's official blog site, "The Path," which offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's own personal, spiritual, path toward peace and the final destination.

My Sunday Thought for 05292016: A Word from Our Sponsor?

“Do not recite words just to prove to yourself and others that you know and love God; for he already put his breath and light inside you. Instead, put truth in your every word and action, and always let your conscience steer and guide you.”

-- Suzy Kassem, writer, poet, philosopher

There is much truth in what Suzy Kassem says in her quote, above.  It is also in Hebrews 10:16 that, "...says THE LORD JEHOVAH: I shall put my law into their minds, and I shall write it upon their hearts," and God did this because the written Word was susceptible to so much misinterpretation due to the ignorance of man.  Christians might argue this, which would only further evidence the point.  If the Word of God, as written in biblical scripture, were so straightforward as to not be open to interpretation, why are there so many Christian sects arguing over who is correct and practicing the most righteous path to salvation?  This is the very reason God, in the second covenant with man, wrote: "not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts."

You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.  Such confidence we have through Christ before God.  Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.  He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.  Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, transitory though it was, will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious?  If the ministry that brought condemnation was glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness!  For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory.

-- 2 Corinthians 3:3-10

So, why is there a Bible, a collection of Holy Scripture which God was obviously opposed to having, and felt was unnecessary if the Spirit of the Word was written across the hearts and minds of mankind?  There seems to be some contradiction in the interpretation and argument for all sides.  Let's take a look at a Catholic view:

Protestants claim the Bible is the only rule of faith, meaning that it contains all of the material one needs for theology and that this material is sufficiently clear that one does not need apostolic tradition or the Church’s magisterium (teaching authority) to help one understand it. In the Protestant view, the whole of Christian truth is found within the Bible’s pages. Anything extraneous to the Bible is simply non-authoritative, unnecessary, or wrong—and may well hinder one in coming to God.

Catholics, on the other hand, recognize that the Bible does not endorse this view and that, in fact, it is repudiated in Scripture. The true "rule of faith"—as expressed in the Bible itself—is Scripture plus apostolic tradition, as manifested in the living teaching authority of the Catholic Church, to which were entrusted the oral teachings of Jesus and the apostles, along with the authority to interpret Scripture correctly.

-- Catholic Answers - Scripture and Tradition

Having been baptized, endured Catechism, and celebrated my First Communion as a Catholic, I recognize the opinion presented above.  But it wasn't until 1962 that the Second Vatican Council’s document on divine revelation, Dei Verbum (Latin: "The Word of God") determined that clergy, in particular, Catholic clergy, were blessed with the God-given "authority to interpret Scripture correctly."  This would be the same scripture which God felt unnecessary after writing the Spirit of the Word across our hearts and minds.  Basically, the clergy is telling mankind what an omnipotent God seemed incapable of making crystal clear. "What God really meant to say was..."

The Protestant view that "anything extraneous to the Bible is simply non-authoritative, unnecessary, or wrong—and may well hinder one in coming to God" also has its problems if we understand what this "Holy Scripture" is gleaned from. How Was the Bible Written and Created?, is a link some might find informational in getting a basic understanding of Bible history. Add to this understanding accepted facts that much of the text was gleaned from bits and pieces of damaged documents and documents translated from numerous languages of the day by monks and scholars that weren't the brightest bulbs and didn't understand that any these languages didn't translate directly or clearly into one another. We also have come to understand that some elaboration of the text might have happened due to historical political and religious agendas, not to mention the overactive imaginations of celibate monks. So, where does that leave our final interpretation of "Holy Scripture" as a book of faith? Well, I guess we really have to take it on faith then, don't we?

When we add to all of this the tenor of remarks in scripture which seem to reflect more the attitudes and agenda of the age in which these books were written, translated and chosen, than the Prophet we have come to revere, we are left with unquestionable faith in God's decision to not give mankind written scripture to muck up and misinterpret.  Yes, we are left with unquestionable evidence that we are truly stupid and God has chosen not to cure it.  God expects us to wake up and heal ourselves.

Let me give you an example of Christians being asleep at the wheel.  First, I will give you an excerpt from an essay, link included, from R.C. Symes (I still haven't found out who he is, so don't ask), then I will follow the excerpt with a "reader comment" responding to another "reader comment" concerning the Symes essay.  I found it all very interesting:

Before we attempt to answer the question whether the Bible was the divine word of God or a man-made myth (only men wrote the Bible – women were viewed as inferior and unworthy), we should first be clear about which Bible we are talking about. Surprisingly, Christian denominations cannot agree on what constitutes inspired Holy Scripture. Is it the Bible of Roman Catholics, Protestants or Orthodox Christians? Roman Catholics claim that the Bible contains 73 canonical (authentic) books, while most Protestants accept only 66 because they reject the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical books, and Orthodox Christians accept 76 books. Each denomination claims its Bible is the true word of God. Which one is to be believed?

-- R.C. Symes, "Is the Bible the Word of God or Myth of men?"

"The author, R.C. Symes, is not a Christian, but he knows how to sound convincing when passing himself off as an authority on scripture. 

You can do it too. Stand up straight, lift your chin, and speak rapidly in organized coherent sentences. Doesn't matter what you say, so long as you use a confident voice and a forward-leaning attitude.

Having established a posture of authority, R. C. Symes now tells you that he's right and you're ignorant. End of story. He has his facts together and you don't, so (insert rim-shot here) he must be right. For every question you ask he has an answer. For every answer you give, he has another question.

Symes says Jesus got a prophecy wrong so he must not be God. He gets even blunter a little further down. Jesus made a false prophecy, so he's also a liar. Symes, of course, is right, because Symes has thought this through and he has a disciplined mind and he understands the fundamental truths that you don't pay enough attention to.

[Mr. X], are you starting to get the idea? When you come across arrogant, ignorant tripe like this, stop trying to refute the statements unless you like swimming in quicksand. If the source is not credible, the rest of the blog can be safely disregarded."

I cannot attest to Mr. Symes credence.  He does sound convincing as he offers "organized coherent sentences" with commas is appropriate places - the commenter does not.  Mr. Symes does "establish a posture of authority," and "has his facts together," where the commenters do not.  "For every question you ask he has an answer... Symes, of course, is right, because Symes has thought this through and he has a disciplined mind and he understands the fundamental truths that you don't pay enough attention to."  

It is at this point, in my reading, I had to chuckle.  I found myself thinking that, when you come across arrogant, ignorant tripe like this "comment," from people having no ability to refute the statements being made in an essay, other than to give kudos to the writer for having his ducks lined up, the only thing saving them from going under the quicksand is an undying faith which they seemingly lack the intelligence to elaborate on or explain.  Many would find the comments not credible and safely disregard the sources tout de suite.  These are Christians who like swimming in quicksand.  They seem to enjoy going out of their way admitting Symes is right, to the point of complimenting his "disciplined mind" and his understanding of "the fundamental truths" prior to showing their ass by calling his essay arrogant and ignorant after rightfully praising his "rim shot" simply because of their own inability to prevent it by speaking intelligently to the credibility of their own faith and refuting Mr. Symes statements.  As for me, I have no idea if Mr. Symes is correct, and I will let you make your own opinion of the posted comment.

Perhaps a better tact for these charter members of the League of the Perpetually Offended would be to refute this essay with facts, quotes, and reputable sources of their own.  Showing one's ability to make an organized, coherent, cogent, and convincing argument, and doing so while in control of your emotions, is a great part of that authoritative persona this person recognized in Mr. Symes yet was too busy showing his ass to emulate.  Just saying.

Personally, I believe God was right.  I am a Christian.  I believe there are certain parts of the scripture which get it right, just as I believe much of it was written, translated, and included by clergy with Godless agendas in mind.  When you read what makes sense, what reflects that which is in your mind and your heart, listen to it.  Pray in the privacy of your own room, not in a church.  Do not judge the servant of another.  Love others as you love yourself, and praise God always.

Always remember, what God wants from us isn't as difficult as many would have us believe.  If you feel God dominates your life, this is a good thing.  If you feel the church dominates your life, not so much.  Give credence to what God wrote across your heart and your mind, not that which is written down.  I also believe, with all my heart, you must question everything and everyone.  Belief is something earned by learning the truth of a thing; the truth will set you free.  God wants us to have faith, but God does not want us to be blind to the truth.  Satan is the great deceiver.  Evil will build cathedrals instead of feeding the poor.  Evil will live in luxury instead of giving everything to the poor and following Christ.  Evil will use the Bible as an instrument of God without truly understanding the simple Spirit of the Word of God which man, with all misplaced vanity, has dared to try and reinterpret - again.

God put the Word in our hearts and minds so there would be no misinterpretation of meaning and intent.  We know what is right and wrong, so choose right.

Editor's Note

(Re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card)

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other. An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider an alternate viewpoint. 

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and while engaging in peaceful and constructive discussion, in an arena of mutual respect, concerning those opinions put forth. After over twenty years with military intelligence, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we learn from the experience, and what we do afterward.

Pastor Tony spent 22 years with United States Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, instructor, and senior manager. He spent 17 years, following his service career, working with the premier, world renowned, Institutional Review Board helping to protect the rights of human subjects involved in pharmaceutical research. Ordained 1n 2013 as an "interfaith" minister, he founded the Congregation for Religious Tolerance in response to intolerance shown by Christians toward peaceful Islam. As the weapon for his war on intolerance he chose the pen, and wages his "battle" in the guise of the Congregation's official online blog, The Path, of which he is both author and editor. "The Path" offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's own personal, spiritual, path toward peace and the final destination for us all. He currently resides in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where he volunteers as lead Chaplain and Chaplain Program Liaison, at the regional medical center..

Memorial Day: A Note to the Offended

I had a thought and pissed myself off the other morning.  I don't usually piss myself off when I think.  It usually happens when someone else thinks while their heads up their ass and I catch unfortunate wind of their muffled nonsense before my morning cup of coffee.  As is my habit, I immediately wanted to share the substance of it with my readers.  I opted for the cup of coffee first, however, probably for the best since it gave me time to consider toning down the rhetoric.  Okay, I considered it.  For a little background (on the issue, not my coffee), please reference the following story before you continue: Memorial day Wedding Photo.

Does posting a wedding photo, on Memorial Day, of a U.S. Marine's wedding, offend you?  Well, get over it.  This man is ready to fight and die for your right to be perpetually offended at every little thing that gets your panties in a bunch; I think you should cut him and his beautiful wife a little slack.   What is it that everyone found offensive?  Was it really about Memorial Day, or was that just an excuse, a catalyst?  Was it their love?  Was it that they're celebrating a Christian wedding?  Was it that he was a Marine, or was it that they're beautiful, happy, employed, etc., and you're not?  What was it about their happy moment that made people so selfish to feel this once in a lifetime moment needed to be destroyed?  Could it be they found the happiness which seems to elude the offended?

Nowadays it is has become difficult to find real patriots.  Real patriots are easy to spot in the growing crowd of non-patriots.  They're the ones talking about what they can do for their country, not what they're country can do for them, or what their country owes them.  The citizens they are protecting and dying for should be making those arguments for them.  The search for real patriots is made harder when we forget to honor those who fight our battles for us until they die doing it.  My advice to everyone, including the League of the Perpetually Offended, is to try honoring our heroes before they fall.  

Maybe Memorial Day should also be about remembering who keeps you safe and protects your right to be a whiny little cowardly bitch.  Our volunteer heroes aren't going to ask you to cut them some slack and they aren't going to ask you for your respect, a true hero possesses way too much integrity and honor for that.  As evidence of their moral courage they will protect the rights of their fellow citizens regardless of the ridicule those same citizens heap upon their broad, brave, shoulders.  They will protect the rights of all because it is what our heroes take an oath to do, to do anything less would be treason to their oath and their code of honor.  For most, it would never occur to them to do any less.

This Memorial Day, stop thinking about how you can be offended and try thinking about thanking those men and women who protect your right to be insensitive and ungrateful.  How about we put aside the asinine discussions about restroom rights, religious rights, state flag rights, Constitutional rights, non-existent bigotry, LGBTQ+ rights, alien rights (illegal and ET), animal rights, terrorist rights, criminal rights,  homeless rights,  the Constitutional righteousness of immorality, breathing rights, your right to fart in public, your right to suck the life out of your hard working fellow citizens and, oh my dear God, your right to enjoy a meal totally naked in your local eatery while wiping your skanky ass all over the vinyl seat the next customer has to sit on (San Francisco tried it.  Yes, San Francisco, who would of thought, right?  They killed it as rapidly as it was killing the lunch crowd and tourism.).  

One can't help but be offended by the League of the Perpetually Offended and their never ending offenses over their right to deny everyone else's rights as long as theirs are approved; regardless of how one sided and selfish theirs happen to be .  One can't help but be offended at the perpetually offended, especially when they take umbrage over a wonderful photo of one of our unsung heroes celebrating life, love, and a right to happiness - the same hero that will die for their right to deny his.  How insane is that, and how absolutely selfish?

If you want to be offended with our military, be offended at the lack of training they get to prepare them to survive.  Be offended at a Congress that keeps your freedom at risk through budget cuts which leave our brave soldiers ill-equipped to protect themselves, their fellow citizens, and the defenseless.  Be offended that their standard of living is a joke compared to their sacrifice, always remembering there will be sacrifice.  Be offended at how their country ignores them when they return as permanently wounded warriors that did everything we asked of them.  If we Americans really want to be offended, looking in the mirror at the shame staring back should more than slake that hunger.

Just saying.

Editor's Note 

(re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card) 

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other. An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider another viewpoint. 

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and then engaging in peaceful, constructive, discussion in an arena of mutual respect concerning the opinions put forth. After over twenty years with military intelligence, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we do afterward, and what we learn from the experience.

Pastor Tony spent 22 years with Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, and instructor. He is founder of the Congregation for Religious Tolerance and author/editor of the Congregation's official blog site, "The Path," which offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's own personal, spiritual, path toward peace and the final destination.

My Sunday Thought for 05222016: As a Man Among Men, I Weep for Humanity

"Boys cry because they are hurt, sad, or frightened; 

men cry because they understand."

As children, men don't have a clue, about anything. We tend to learn first by reward, then by being hurt, and then, if we're smart, because we want to. About the time "we want to" learn, we begin to think we understand our emotions of fear, love, laugh, hurt, and sadness. I think by the time we manage to earn the title of "real men" we still don't have a clue about much other than the task at hand, and the fact that we think we understand our feelings... which we don't.

"What evidence of God's vast love do we trace in the fact, that he sent a Saviour not merely to accomplish by a transcendent stroke of sovereign power some vast work that should amaze and dazzle a benighted world, and cast off the burthen of its wretchedness by a touch - but one who should also tread the thorny path of life; should mingle in the stirring throng of human interests; should sojourn as a man among men, to weep with the weeping ones, and to rejoice with the rejoicing; should die as a man must die; and descend into that grave which sin has opened for man; I say - what evidence this affords of God's vast love to man."

-- Rev. George Fisk, LL.B.

We hurt and we exercise anger.  We want vengeance, but we try to exercise tolerance.  We learn to understand, and we exercise forgiveness and understand ourselves not for who we were, but for who we are and who we are still to become.  Sometime during all of this, if we have not forgotten to be human, we will learn to cry... again.

There are situations that dictate emotions must be put on the back burner; there is a job to be done or safety is an issue.  These are the times when we learn to suck it up and press on; there will be time to mourn when the task at hand is complete.  You tamp down your emotions, put on your game face, scream on the inside and press ahead with life.  Many people see this outward attitude as a person devoid of emotion, incapable of grief or empathy.  Military officers and their sergeants, other leaders and first responders, identify with this need to suppress the emotions of the moment and focus on the task at hand.  If anything this shows a deeper understanding of the emotions and the situation; understanding that, if the team or the individual cannot focus on the task, more death or injury may occur; the situation may get out of control.

For real men to cry, in public or privately, is a tool to mediate stress.  In particular, it is a valve to release stress which may, if not released, develop into the deeper issue of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

“Heaven knows we need never be ashamed of our tears, for they are rain upon the blinding dust of earth, overlying our hard hearts. I was better after I had cried, than before--more sorry, more aware of my own ingratitude, more gentle.”

-- Charles Dickens, "Great Expectations"

I have found tears to be a tool for focus.  I have found myself able to see through the underlying cause to the reason and an ultimate solution.  It is one reason you may see a leader bark out orders so people focus on other tasks and not on the loss.  It is why the leader might then excuse themselves, if only for a moment, while they go kick trashcans and beat their fists on concrete walls as a way of forcing clarity in a time of confusion; of finding their path in a time of darkness, and enabling them to lead, complete the task, and bring the others home.  In Les Misérables there is a quote by the author, Victor Hugo, “Those who do not weep, do not see.”  I have found much truth to this.

Society, seemingly, concerns itself with whether it is proper for real men to weep, openly, in public.  Society concerns itself with so much trivial bullshit that is of so much less importance than what real men find of concern in the world.

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As a side note and a "for instance," 51,000 casualties in the Civil War, and over 7000 of these dead littered the battlefield at Gettysburg, alone.  The 33,833,000 civilian dead, including 5,907,900 targeted Jews, as the Nazi "Final Solution" tried to redefine the term "genocide" for an entire world.  Two million "undesirable" civilians left to rot on the "killing fields" of Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia (1975 to 1979).  The death toll of the Bosnian genocide of the early 1990s topped out at a minimum of 104,732 (all of the mass graves may never be found).  Iraq's 1988 genocidal al-Anfal campaign against the Kurds claimed 182,000 Kurdish lives.  Chemical weapons and bombs which Syria used against it's own people between 2011 & 2016 resulted in 470,000 dead, 1,500,000 injured, 11 million displaced, and 500,000 starving.  Now, we face the latest insanity of radical Islamic terrorism, the Islamic State (ISIS, ISIL, or IS), and the current worldwide reign of terror, murder, rape, kidnapping, and torture, which is the hallmark of the new blaspheming heretical hypocrisy that has infected the peaceful religion of Islam and has been ongoing since before 2004.

Add to these not all inclusive examples, the 1,415,035,638 abortions of innocent lives, those sanctioned murders the world at large has committed against humanity, since 1980, and one can see how men find most problems in people's lives to be so much bullshit.  The problems of our daily lives are truly insignificant when held up against real issues of the day.  Maybe we do need to exercise our ability to simply buck up and rise above the pettiness in our own lives.

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“It is a grave injustice to a child or adult to insist that they stop crying. One can comfort a person who is crying which enables him to relax and makes further crying unnecessary; but to humiliate a crying child is to increase his pain, and augment his rigidity."

-- Alexander Lowen, "The Voice of the Body" 

Oh, and please don't go online to research my abortion numbers, I almost lost my lunch and came to tears just getting passed the photos of aborted, hacked up, fetuses and almost-to-term aborted babies.  Truly as sickening, if not more so, as the Holocaust images I have had to endure during much of that research.  Child abuse tends to piss me off more than most things in life, and images of unborn children we, as a "civilized" culture, sanctioned the murder of, should be enough to piss off the strongest of real men.  After all, real men make it their personal business to protect those that cannot protect themselves.  Real men stand up for the most weak, vulnerable, and innocent of us.  Others may call themselves men, but the term should taste like vinegar in their mouths.  Let's face it, radical Islamic terrorists call themselves "real men" while they rape the innocent, murder children, and burn helpless prisoners in cages.  These kinds of actions really tighten my jaw and set my teeth on edge.  As a real man among real men, I weep for humanity.

“Crying is one of the highest devotional songs. One who knows crying, knows spiritual practice. If you can cry with a pure heart, nothing else compares to such a prayer. Crying includes all the principles of Yoga.”

-- Kripalvanandji (1913-1981), Kundalini yoga master

I think all men cry.  As humans we are truly slave to our emotions, even if we try to suppress them.  I think what separates men from real men, is any man's capacity for honor; a real man's knowledge that he will not compromise integrity or moral courage, especially in the face of evil and while protecting those incapable of protecting themselves; the most vulnerable among us.

Tears are not a sign of weakness, but of a pure heart.  Tears are a sign of the inner strength we possess which allows us to resign ourselves to our final choice.  It is the strength which guarantees evil will never win the war.  It is a strength evil understands only too well, fears most, and cannot prevent.  God bless the heroes of humanity.

“There is no greater love than this: that a person would lay down his life for the sake of his friends.”

-- John 15:13

Editor's Note 

(re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card) 

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other. An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider another viewpoint. 

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and then engaging in peaceful, constructive, discussion in an arena of mutual respect concerning the opinions put forth. After over twenty years with military intelligence, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we do afterward, and what we learn from the experience.

Pastor Tony spent 22 years with Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, and instructor. He is founder of the Congregation for Religious Tolerance and author/editor of the Congregation's official blog site, "The Path," which offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's own personal, spiritual, path toward peace and the final destination.

And... Life Begins!

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, 

and before you were born I consecrated you; 

I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”

-- Jeremiah 1:5

When does life begin?  Well, any intelligent person would assume that life has to be measurable and self-sustaining, like plants and animals.  But are we taking in all of the theological and philosophical arguments when we try to define when life begins?  As a spiritual, God fearing human, I would think we'd pay some modicum of attention to the killing of innocence.  Hell, even the National Right to Life Committee would seem willing to ignore the question of theology:

The question of when life begins is not an issue of theology or philosophy; it can easily be answered by elementary biology. For more than 100 years, medical science has known conclusively that every individual's life begins at the moment of fertilization.

-- National Right to Life Committee, "When Does Life Begin"

Okay, even a unicellular or single celled organism is considered to be alive.  On the first day of conception, when the sperm joins with ovum to form one cell smaller than a grain of salt, do we not consider this to be alive?  As small as it is, this cell already has 46 chromosomes and contains the genetic instructions needed for human development.  How does this differ from any other unicellular organism?  I would think the mere fact that it has the complex genetic blueprint in place and already working hard to make it more than what it is should give it priority status, above the other unicellular critters, in the definition for life.  So, let us assume it is alive.  But, is it self-aware and does it have a soul?

In 1637, René Descartes put forth a philosophical proposition which he later restated in his 1644, Principles of Philosophy: 

"While we thus reject all of which we can entertain the smallest doubt, and even imagine that it is false, we easily indeed suppose that there is neither God, nor sky, nor bodies, and that we ourselves even have neither hands nor feet, nor, finally, a body; but we cannot in the same way suppose that we are not while we doubt of the truth of these things; for there is a repugnance in conceiving that what thinks does not exist at the very time when it thinks. Accordingly, the knowledge, I think, therefore I am, is the first and most certain that occurs to one who philosophizes orderly."Dubito, ergo cogito, ergo sum" ("I doubt, therefore I think, therefore I am").

Even in 1637, philosophers were already finding "repugnance in conceiving that what thinks does not exist at the very time when it thinks."  I'm thinking we can take a lesson from the Principles of Philosophy and consider that awareness and a soul exists the moment the brain turns on, which would be about 40 days into the pregnancy, or a little less than six weeks.  So we should feel perfectly at ease terminating the pregnancy before this time, right?

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.

-- Psalm 127:3

I suppose it depends on your system of moral and ethical beliefs.  Personally, I'd hate to piss of the Creator and then have to answer for it while I'm making my argument for salvation.  Just saying.  But for those activists, and our fellow citizens with few, if any, moral or ethical backbone, it is easy for them to accommodate the murder of unborn innocence for a mistake due to their repeated lack of morality, the furthering of science... or the almighty buck.  It is interesting to follow the correlation of "money to be made" to the "definition of life" arguments.  It seems when new discoveries require the definition to be bent, the arguments reemerge as to the viability of cells concerned in the research of the day.

Personally, I have no problem with cloning if you keep the body alive artificially, and do not endow it with an operating brain.  As a matter of fact, best if a brain just isn't part of the mix.  If it is just a body, it is just a collection of duplicate cells.  Throw a brain into the mix and there is the remote possibility the brain may activate.   The minute that happens... viola!  There may exist the real possibility for thought, self-awareness,  and a soul?  But, what do I know?  The military in me plans for the unforeseen consequences of dumbass decision making that comes down the pike, usually from people with more education than good sense.

Regardless of argument, you simply can't murder a fetus in utero just to harvest research material.  How very Nazi of us.  How very Godless of us.  Anyone that says they have an excuse for abortion has no relationship with God, and no respect for life.  Chances are very good they are not religious, or spiritual, and if they say they are, they are the worst of hypocrites.

I can't help but come back to my favorite question, "Why?"  The mere fact we have this discussion to define life for the purpose of excusing murder is, in itself bothersome, ghoulish, perverse, and sociopathic.  Why would any civilized society consider a debate concerning when they are "allowed" to terminate unborn human life?  Why do we presume to speak for God on this?  Why do we think, even for a moment, that this is not an evil deserving of God's wrath?

But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.”

-- Matthew 19:14  

 We live in a society where we no longer teach morality to our young women, nor do we teach respect to our young men.  Our society is all about getting what you can, having fun, and screwing till the cows come home.  Damn the little torpedoes, full speed ahead!  Don't worry about birth control; we'll simply abort the innocent fetus so we can harvest the cells.  After all, it isn't really life, right?

Why do we perpetrate such evil upon ourselves?  Logic dictates that evil cannot enter our house uninvited, so we must have given evil an open invitation to our wholesale slaughter of the children of God.  We defeated the Nazis, but we continue dabbling in the sick experiments of Josef Mengele and the doctors of the Japanese Unit 731.  We were abhorred at the experiments being conducted, yet, in both cases we gave the doctors a free pass as long as they came to work for us and brought all of their research with.  We have become the horrors of our own nightmares, and no better than the insanity we fought.

I have looked in the mirror; I have seen the reflection of evil, and wept for humanity.  When I think of what we are doing to ourselves I'm reminded of one of my favorite movie quotes spoken by Jack the Ripper to H.G. Wells in Time After Time (1979):

"On the contrary... I belong here completely and utterly.  I'm home. It's you who do not belong here.  You, with your absurd notions of a perfect and harmonious society.  Drivel.  The world has caught up and surpassed me.  Ninety years ago, I was a freak.  Today, I'm an amateur.  You go back.  The future isn't what you thought.  It's what I am."

How far we seem to have fallen from absurd notions of a perfect and harmonious society.  Our children take guns to school, murder other children for fun, and we're concerned about movie ratings.  Television offers a much wider range of violence and perversion than movies ever considered.  It seems, at times, like the movie industry struggles to even keep up with the horrors of our reality.  How boring is that, and how sad? 

Having said all this, what do we do about the "innocent" rape victim?  First, I think we need to determine our definition of innocence.  Are we discussing children raped in the safety of their own homes, or women attacked by someone breaking into their house, or those women some would say are just asking for it by not using any good sense?  Women have the right nowadays to dress and act provocatively, go to a bar and get hammered out of their minds around complete strangers, take rides from male "friends," and think, in some twisted reality, that this devil may care lifestyle affords them some ridiculous  expectation of not getting assaulted, raped, murdered, or all three.  Really?  Strike enough matches around gasoline and, sooner or later, you're going to get burned or blow yourself up.  Innocent?  How can you dress like bait and assume only the fish you're after will come in for a nibble?  Sooner or later a dark predator will attack without warning and strip the line.  We make choices and have to live with the consequences.  The consequence in this case is rape, and the probable unfortunate consequence of rape is pregnancy.  Is she innocent or just naive?  I guess civilized society can argue that while their deciding the fate of the innocent life growing inside of her.  

None of what I've said negates the fact that there are truly innocent victims; those that have consciously done nothing to incite evil in others and set themselves up for the unintended consequences of their actions. But, how do we make a determination of innocence when it comes to the victim? We need to stop giving free passes to those guilty of multiple offences. Should she have been raped? No. Was she innocent? Whether she was or not, should the innocent fetus be murdered for her naivety and stupidity, and how about the next time, and the next? How many free passes does an idiot get, and how many of her innocent fetuses have to pay the price at taxpayers' expense? In our society, the number is as arbitrary as our definition of life and morality. He rapes her and she gets to commit murder of a child? This seems inequitable to me. When you think about this legally, he'll do time for rape but will she get the electric chair for murder? Morally I suppose it comes down to whose crime is more offensive? Perhaps society needs to concern itself with asking honest questions and coming up with honest answers instead of fighting court battles splitting hairs to get a leg up on solid, concrete, morality.

"But killing innocent human life is a crime, and should be recognized as such in law. Vastly more people die in abortion, day after day, than in refugee camps or crossing the Mediterranean."

-- Robert Royal, "Proof of Life"

Aborting human life is aborting the future of humanity. How many saviors of humanity from its own stupidity have we murdered for no good reason? How many great artists and sculptors, doctors, physicists, heroes, scientists, philosophers, have we murdered? How many times has Christ tried to be reborn?

Just how many abortions are we discussing? Let's put all of this into some perspective. To begin with, I invite you to have a real eye opener and visit the U.S. Abortion Clock. Off the cuff, the U.S. performs over one million reported abortions each year (some states do not release their numbers). We are halfway through 2016 and the clock shows over 15 million abortions worldwide; 410,000 of that number were donated by the United States (This something to be proud of?).  Since 1980 mankind has murdered one and one-half billion babies (for those of you that live for numbers, it would more accurately read - 1,415,035,638 and counting). That averages out to about 55.5 million sanctioned murders of innocents per year, worldwide. That just about equals the total worldwide casualties, military and civilian, for World War Two, every year for the past 25.5 years.

Is it any wonder we come up with trite excuses like, “A fetus isn't a person until viability.” Almost sounds like the Nazi reasoning, "Jews are subhuman and not worth life." We are really no better than the butchers of Auschwitz, and if you think we are maybe it's time you pulled your head out of your ass.

Editor's Note 

(re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card) 

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other. An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider another viewpoint. 

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and then engaging in peaceful, constructive, discussion in an arena of mutual respect concerning the opinions put forth. After over twenty years with military intelligence, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we do afterward, and what we learn from the experience.

Pastor Tony spent 22 years with Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, and instructor. He is founder of the Congregation for Religious Tolerance and author/editor of the Congregation's official blog site, "The Path," which offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's own personal, spiritual, path toward peace and the final destination.

Memorial Day - May 30, 2016

Note: Many thanks to A. Lawrence Vaincourt for his kind permission to use the poem, Just A Common Soldier, in my Memorial Day post.  As stated on his webpage, A. Lawrence Vaincourt - Rhymes & Reflections, and I quote, "Larry Vaincourt's classic poem was first published in his 1987 Remembrance Day newspaper column. There are several incorrect versions of this poem circulating the web; below you'll find the original text."

JUST A COMMON SOLDIER

(A Soldier Died Today)

by A. Lawrence Vaincourt

He was getting old and paunchy and his hair was falling fast,

And he sat around the Legion, telling stories of the past.

Of a war that he had fought in and the deeds that he had done,

In his exploits with his buddies; they were heroes, every one.

And tho' sometimes, to his neighbors, his tales became a joke,

All his Legion buddies listened, for they knew whereof he spoke.

But we'll hear his tales no longer for old Bill has passed away,

And the world's a little poorer, for a soldier died today.

He will not be mourned by many, just his children and his wife,

For he lived an ordinary and quite uneventful life.

Held a job and raised a family, quietly going his own way,

And the world won't note his passing, though a soldier died today.

When politicians leave this earth, their bodies lie in state,

While thousands note their passing and proclaim that they were great.

Papers tell their whole life stories, from the time that they were young,

But the passing of a soldier goes unnoticed and unsung.

Is the greatest contribution to the welfare of our land

A guy who breaks his promises and cons his fellow man?

Or the ordinary fellow who, in times of war and strife,

Goes off to serve his Country and offers up his life?

A politician's stipend and the style in which he lives

Are sometimes disproportionate to the service that he gives.

While the ordinary soldier, who offered up his all,

Is paid off with a medal and perhaps, a pension small.

It's so easy to forget them for it was so long ago,

That the old Bills of our Country went to battle, but we know

It was not the politicians, with their compromise and ploys,

Who won for us the freedom that our Country now enjoys.

Should you find yourself in danger, with your enemies at hand,

Would you want a politician with his ever-shifting stand?

Or would you prefer a soldier, who has sworn to defend

His home, his kin and Country and would fight until the end?

He was just a common soldier and his ranks are growing thin,

But his presence should remind us we may need his like again.

For when countries are in conflict, then we find the soldier's part

Is to clean up all the troubles that the politicians start.

If we cannot do him honor while he's here to hear the praise,

Then at least let's give him homage at the ending of his days.

Perhaps just a simple headline in a paper that would say,

Our Country is in mourning, for a soldier died today.

 © 1987 A. Lawrence Vaincourt

Mr. Vaincourt's poem notwithstanding, Memorial Day has become more than just remembering all of our soldiers that selflessly volunteer, have volunteered, or have died to protect our freedoms.  It is also about remembering those civilian first responders who volunteer to serve and protect.  They put themselves at risk, in harm's way, each and every day so that we all may live our lives in the knowledge that we have immediate help by simply dialing a number on your phone, or pressing an emergency response button.  Many of us might say it's their job, that they get paid to do it, and this would be very true.  But these comments come from those critics which don't go to work with the knowledge that coming home safe is a gamble.  The people that trivialize the daily accomplishments of these brave folks will be the first to call them when they are in need.  The selfishness of ungrateful naysayers is only surmounted by the selflessness, bravery, and humility of the first responders, these heroes, that often say of themselves, "Its' no big deal, it's our job, it's what we get paid to do."  God bless them all.

On Sept. 11, 2001, thousands of first responders heroically rushed to the scene and saved tens of thousands of lives. More than 400 of those first responders did not make it out alive. In rushing into those burning buildings, not one of them asked, 'What God do you pray to?' 'What beliefs do you hold?' 

-- Michael Bloomberg

Where our military fight the cowards of radicalized Islamic terrorism who hide behind masks and murder women and children to prove their worthlessness to humanity, firemen and police are stalked by their own cowardly foes that also prove their worthlessness to society by ambushing these brave men and women in their squad cars, or shooting at firefighters as they try to fight fires. Yet, many in our society seem ready to stand with these cowards who murder minority Asian and Hispanic police officers while chanting, "Black lives matter."  For some reason I find it easy to believe that, for these murdered officers, all lives mattered.  It is a concept first responders understand much better than most of us they selflessly rush to assist.

“Hating people is like burning down your own house to get rid of a rat.”

-- Harry Emerson Fosdick

Maybe 2016 should mark the year we stop listening to race baiting organizations and "reverends" that do nothing but incite the racism they seemingly decry, reverends that make a rich living from the mass of ignorance they feed from.  Maybe it's time for all of us to acknowledge there will always be bad amongst us; segments of evil that feed on ignorance and fear; "those who break their promises and con their fellow man."  Instead of listening to politicians, anarchists, and self-serving "clergy," all of whom put us all at risk with their dangerous rhetoric, why don't we stand together and work toward a sustainable solution.  Let's pledge to stop constantly taking two steps back for every three we freely take forward.  

Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

-- 1 John 2:9-11

Maybe it's time we stopped blaming everything wrong with our society on a flag that ignorance has attached meaning to, and start wearing tee shirts that memorialize parenting, respect, and obeying the rules of law we have in this country.  Maybe we should take this one day to remind our young people, when a police officer tells you to do something, there is a reason for it.  Let's start with, "Stop Means Stop!" and then follow up with lessons of "yes sir" and "no sir."  Everybody wants respect but no one seems willing to earn it, especially our young, although, looking at the parents would evidence much of the problem.  Instead of looking South for a scapegoat, maybe everyone should look to home and take ownership of their own issues.

Our first responders have a tough enough job to do, and they want to do it.  How about we try to work with them in 2016, instead of being a roadblock to progress.  For many of us this would mean, instead of saying, "Thank you," you might want to shake their hand and say, "I'm sorry."  I think you'll find people in uniform more than willing to have meaningful, constructive, conversations in order to save all lives.  This Memorial Day let us all agree that, how we treat those who offer up their lives for us, really does matter as much as what we say.  If you can't say anything nice, shut the hell up.

"No higher expression of love could be given. Life is the most valuable object we possess; and when a man is willing to lay that down for his friends or his country, it shows the utmost extent of love. Even this love for friends has been rarely witnessed."

-- Barnes' Notes on John 15:13

Once again, I offer my prayer for all that have served, are serving, and will serve our great nation in the hope for a better world.  Let us all pray for peace, love, and tolerance for the coming year and all years to come:

This is the way I intended to end this post.  I wanted to make my prayer an annual tradition, but, as occurs with life, this path was to take a turn.  I offer, instead, this tidbit sent to me by a friend:

Daddy's Poem 

Her hair was in a pony tail,

Her dress tied with a bow.

Today was “Daddy's Day” at school,

She couldn't wait to go.

But her mommy tried to tell her,

That she probably should stay home;

The kids just might not understand,

If she went to school alone.

  

But she was not afraid;

She knew just what to say,

What to tell her classmates

Why he wasn't there today.

  

But still her mother worried,

For her to face this day alone.

And that was why, once again,

She tried to keep her daughter home.

  

But the little girl went to school,

Eager to tell them all

About a dad she never sees, a dad

Who never calls.

  

There were daddies along the wall

for everyone to meet,

Children squirming impatiently,

Anxious in their seat.

One by one the teacher called

A student from the class.

To introduce their daddy,

As seconds slowly passed.

At last the teacher called her name,

As each child turned to stare.

Each of them was searching,

For a man who wasn't there.

"Where's her daddy at?"

She heard a boy call out.

"She probably doesn't have one,"

Another dared to shout.

And from somewhere near the back,

She heard a daddy say,

"Looks like another deadbeat dad,

Too busy to waste his day."

The words did not offend her,

As she smiled up at her Mom.

And looked back at her teacher, who

Told her to go on.

  

And with hands behind her back,

Slowly she began to speak.

And out from the mouth of a child,

Came words incredibly unique.

  

"My Daddy couldn't be here,

Because he lives so far away.

But I know he wishes he could be,

Since this is such a special day.

  

And though you cannot meet him,

I wanted you to know

All about my daddy,

And how much he loves me so.

  

He loved to tell me stories,

He taught me to ride my bike;

He surprised me with pink roses,

And taught me to fly a kite.

  

We used to share fudge sundaes,

And ice cream in a cone.

And though you cannot see him.

I'm not standing here alone.

  

'Cause my daddy's always with me,

Even though we are apart;

I know because he told me,

He'll forever be in my heart"

  

With that, her little hand reached up,

And lay across her chest,

Feeling her own heartbeat

Beneath her favorite dress. 

And from somewhere there in the crowd of dads, 

Her mother stood in tears.

Proudly watching her little girl,

Wise beyond her years.

  

For she stood up for the love

Of a man not in her life.

Doing what was best for her,

Doing what was a right.

And when she dropped her hand back

Down, staring straight into the crowd.

She finished with a voice so soft,

But its message clear and loud. 

  

"I love my daddy very much,

He is my shining star.

And if he could, he'd be here,

But heaven's just too far. 

  

You see he is a soldier

And he died just this past year,

When a roadside bomb hit his convoy

And taught the warriors fear. 

 But sometimes when I close my eyes,

It's like he never went away."

And then she closed her eyes,

And saw him clearly there that day.

  

And to her mother's amazement,

She witnessed with surprise,

A room full of daddies and children,

All starting to close their eyes.

Who knows what they saw before them;

Who knows what they felt inside,

Perhaps, for a mere second,

They saw him at her side.

  

"I know you're with me Daddy,"

To the silence she called out

And what happened next made believers,

Of those once filled with doubt.

  

Not one in that room could explain it,

For each of their eyes had been closed,

But there on the desk beside her

Was a fragrant, long-stemmed, pink rose

  

And a child was blessed, if only for

A moment, by the love of her shining star,

And given the gift of believing,

That heaven is never too far.

Amen!

Editor's Note 

(re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card) 

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other. An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so.  This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot.  Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider another viewpoint. 

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and then engaging in peaceful, constructive, discussion in an arena of mutual respect concerning the opinions put forth. After over twenty years with military intelligence, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we do afterward, and what we learn from the experience.

Pastor Tony spent 22 years with Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, and instructor. He is founder of the Congregation for Religious Tolerance and author/editor of the Congregation's official blog site, "The Path," which offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's own personal, spiritual, path toward peace and the final destination.