Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (Updated and edited combination of two posts from 8/15)

 

Whiskey - Tango - Foxtrot

Note: Once again, due to the monastery's narrow-mindedness, this will not be posted on the monastery website due to the "coded" title of the post.  For those ministers who happen upon this post and find it of some value, please feel free to share it or invite other ministers to visit this blog.

I saw the semaphore (above) online and was reminded of my time stationed with the U.S. Navy in Sigonella, Sicily. Our Air Force detachment was invited to attend a big presentation by the Navy. The Senior Chief Petty Officer for the Navy's Fleet Mail Center, for reasons which still mystify me to this day, entrusted the Air Force personnel with the stringing of signal flags over the dais. We had let them know we'd be more than happy to assist. It was a simple, colorful, decoration of flags that represented letters in the alphabet. No kidding? Really? How hard could this be? 

Well, the honored guests and the commander for Naval Air Station Sigonella sat at attention as the presentation got underway, all unaware of the one string of flags above them spelling out, GO AIR FORCE. The Senior Chief, unfortunately, was up on his semaphore, much to our chagrin. Hey, I ask again, what was he thinking?

I'm not sure how I'm going to tie this in, I suppose it has to do with the look we see on people's faces when confusion and/or disbelief dictates their minds to respond with, "What the...?"  This exclamation is usually followed by some comment of reasonable acceptance akin to, "Well, shut the front door..."  This is about the time we buy into what's being sold, hoping we don't come out of it with egg on our collective face.  

There are many things I wish I could have witnessed that have occurred in history, before written history, or at least history that was written on the spot by people that actually witnessed the events. Wouldn't you like to have seen the faces of people that were confronted by amazing, unexplainable things, and heard their first comment? I would have liked to have witnessed the burning bush of the Old Testament, Moses receiving the Ten Commandments, or Noah being instructed to build the ark. I envision, those people involved, looking behind boulders to ensure their buddy Ismael isn't trying to pull their leg by pretending to be the Almighty. Things like this can occur when one has too much of the fermented goat's milk with blood. Once they have ascertained they're alone, except for the voice of God, I see the eyebrow being arched, followed by the Hebrew version of "WTF?" One can really feel for the "virgin" Mary as she was trying to explain her pregnancy. Yeah, the same three words came to mind.

And the great Dragon was cast down, that Chief Serpent, which is called The Devil and Satan, which deceives all The Earth, and it was cast down unto The Earth and its Angels were cast down with it.

-- Revelation 12:9

How gullible were the people of the time? Read the Bible. It seems, to me, gullibility holds tightly to the left hand of faith, while skepticism holds tightly to the right.  Satan, after all, is the great deceiver.  A healthy dose of skepticism is nothing if it is not proof of faith.  Gullibility is also proof of faith but without mind.  Blind obedience is not required and proves nothing except deafness to a truth that was spoken and not heard.

Mary had her hands full of skepticism, but I think the gullibility factor might have been less with Moses than with Noah.  Any skepticism is squelched when stone tablets start being immediately etched from solid rock by the hand of God.  Noah, on the other hand, had to take it all on faith that building a monster ship was a reasonable request from some bodiless voice seeming to emanate from the heavens.  I would hate to think that building such a ship was simply a test Noah wasn't expected to fulfill, but once he called God's "bluff," so to speak, God was left with no option but to try and destroy the earth as proclaimed.  Our biblical cast, of religious heroes, take their instructions on faith, for the most part, trying their best to fulfill the wishes of the bodiless omnipotent creator, whereas the biblical "bad guys" are always demanding from our heroes, "Yeah, well, prove it!"  Remember, this initial attitude is often followed by an astonished, "Well... shut the front door!"

I am constantly amazed when God reveals the truth.  Not that I can prove God has revealed it, but, rather, that I was cognizant enough to realize the truth, witness it, and stand there with my mouth agape, like some simpleton, marveling at it.  Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?  Well, November Sierra!

Ego is an evil master.  I try to avoid the pitfalls of ego by the constant struggle to remain humble.  my humility is tested time and again by those who critique instead of offering constructive comments that can further conversation and communication.  

In all honesty, I'm taking a shot in the dark that this is the post being targeted by the reader that sent me a comment not attached to any post.  The reader is a fellow member of a monastery website and, as you can see in the note above, I stated at the beginning that I would not be posting it to the monastery website for listed reasons.  It seems that no matter how hard one tries, someone always misses the glaringly obvious statements put forth in a "note."

Below, I have posted the discussion I received concerning the post.  Nothing has been altered in the text, including spelling.  It is as it is.  It is easy to understand my confusion, starting with the first comment.  It sets the tone for the rest of the string, having no context, except my assumption it dealt with the original post:

JWH:  Silence has a deafening Roar! 

JWH:  Don't know where you are coming from Pastor Tony or where you are leading..I do not see Guilibility as a PROOF of anything...This is a lot of nonsends about nothing but confusion..If you must post....post logic in simple terms as a benefit for the young in Christ to learn something solid...God Loves you and so do I, but I have no time for Gibberish

ME:  It is an opinion, John, as is yours. Everybody has one (an opinion) and, like yours, deserves consideration. Thank you for doing so, and for sharing! 

ME:  By the way, I see no posted blogs from you. Have you written anything, or am I just missing them? 

JWH:  Sorry Pastor Tony...The Lord keeps me busy with Personal Matters of the Heart...I may get to Blogs at some time in the future but my Book also keeps me occupied....After I'm gone I'll leavethe "Memories" I guess succes is when you look back at them and SMILE !!!! 

ME:   Ah, I see.

Several things came to mind when I read his first two comments.  The first was, obviously, "WTF"  is this guy sucker punching me for?  The second was, that he had interrupted my enjoyment of the "deafening roar" of silence with a paragraph of misspelled, grammatically incorrect comment, the context of which was only evidenced by the incorrectly spelled "Gullibility."

I rarely address comments like this.  What's the point?  It isn't constructive inasmuch as it tries to be antagonistic.  This comment, however, played right into the title, and point, of the post. 

More than being at odds with ego, I find myself fighting my lack of patience even more so.  If you don't vote, you don't have the right to moan about the outcome.  If you won't get in the pool, what right do you have to presume to tell strangers, already in the pool, how to swim while they're doing daily laps?  If you haven't posted word one on a blog, how do you presume to critique those that constantly do?  It is easy to sit on the sidelines and "coach" those that are hanging it all out there for others to shoot at.  It is a bit more difficult to be the target of other people's abusive rhetoric.  I have coaxed several people to write what they think so I can post it on my blog.  Afterward, they continued to write articles of substance, to this day.  Bravo to the bravery shown by those that do.

Updated stats as of 8/21/22:  Having over 70,570 hits on my posts from the worldwide readership, to date, I will continue to do what I have done since I founded the "Congregation for Religious Tolerance" and The Path.  I will continue to write my "gibberish" until all of those who thank me for my efforts turn away.  

Even then, I will continue to write for my children, and their children, and I will flatly refuse to dumb any of it down for a minority of individuals who demand to be offended at what I write.  These folks have the ability to freely write and ask for clarification.  Many have, and I respect their inquiries as it fuels the fire of creativity that may eventually lead me down the path to yet another post.  If, however, gibberish and "nonsense" is not one's cup of tea, especially if one does not have time for it, I would recommend not wasting any more of their precious time reading my posts.  I'm not sure if the logic of this could be stated any simpler.  But, then, maybe I'm wrong.

And, the quote that set ignited the fire?  I'll, once again, assume it was this comment I made in the paragraph above:

"A healthy dose of skepticism is nothing if it is not proof of faith. Gullibility is also proof of faith, but without mind. Blind obedience is not required and proves nothing except deafness to a truth which was spoken and not heard." 

Gibberish?  Again, I suppose it depends on your point of view.  As I state at the end of each of my posts, in my "Editor's Note":

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 the United States Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, instructor, and, finally, a senior manager. He spent 17 years, following his service career, working with the premier, world-renowned, Western 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 volunteered as the lead chaplain at a regional medical center.

Feel free to contact Pastor Tony:  tolerantpastor@gmail.com