The first Thanksgiving to God in the Calvinist tradition occurred in Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts during the summer of 1623. The colonists declared a Thanksgiving holiday after their crops were saved by much-needed rainfall.

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Before getting to the question of “just war,” which theologians and politicians have been arguing for centuries, what about the concept of war, itself? Why have the greatest minds and best intentions of human beings failed to end war?

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In previous presidential campaigns -- and while some presidents are in office -- we have sometimes witnessed the cynical manipulation of religious faith for political gain.

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There is a certain “fundamentalism” in the secular liberal approach to “global warming.” Even some evangelicals are getting into this “faith” that the earth is getting warmer because of human action.

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It is not for me to categorize everyone who subscribes to a particular religion as violent, because many Muslims are not. However, it is a historical fact that Islam has advanced mostly by imposition, force, war and violence, including forced conversions.

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Pope Benedict XVI, even when he was Cardinal Ratzinger and the "enforcer" of Catholic doctrine, has flirted with the restoration of the Latin Mass, which was beloved by many Catholics for generations, but jettisoned during reform movements in that church. That he has given his blessing to it now suggests a continuation of the controls on doctrinal freelancing which his predecessor, John Paul II, instituted.

His claim that the Catholic Church is the "one true" church is based on a verse in which Jesus said to Peter, "Upon this rock I will build my church." Protestants have translated that verse as Jesus speaking of Himself as "the rock." Not only does the Greek support such a conclusion, so does logic. Peter would deny Jesus three times. Martin Luther, who led the Protestant Reformation, and others since then reason that Jesus would not likely build his church -- which he saw as a body of believers in whom He would dwell, not an ecclesiastical hierarchy which he fought against in His time -- on a mortal, sinful man.

Will any of this matter to most people? Probably not. Will it hurt the ecumenical movement, especially that which has built bridges between the Catholic and Orthodox churches, both of which claim to be able to trace their roots back to the original Apostles? Probably so.

Graduates of medical schools used to be required to take the Hippocratic Oath, which began: "I swear by Apollo Physician and Asclepius and Hygieia and Panaceia and all the gods and goddesses, making them my witnesses, that I will fulfill according to my ability and judgment this oath and this covenant:..."

So, the origin of the oath communicated a religious ideal, though a pagan one. It's purpose was to bind a doctor to a standard higher than himself.

In modern times, the Oath has been optional, but the sense of a moral, even religious standard, that would control the ethical decisions a doctor must make has remained. Most doctors respect the religious beliefs of their patients, except when they might conflict with sound medicine and the best interests of the patient. In circumstances involving, for example, Jehovah's Witnesses -- who mostly oppose blood transfusions, or Christian Scientists, who mostly eschew medical treatment -- patients need to make their wishes known in writing before treatment, such as in a will or other legal document that spells out precisely what an individual wants and does not want done.

In the case of children, doctors and the state are usually able to override parental wishes that are based on religion and not medicine if the best interest of the child demands it.

If one believes the "instruction book" for such offices as "overseers" in the church -- as opposed to believing in the supremacy of cultural trends and opinion polls -- Paul lays out the requirements for such offices in his first letter to his protege, Timothy.

Among them are that pastors, bishops and other clergy must be "the husband of one wife" and "Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil." (1 Timothy 3:1) These qualifications, coupled with other relational rules involving husband-wife and male-female relations, clearly presume a heterosexual, married relationship for bishops.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church bishops have embraced trendiness and abandoned the very Scriptures which are their basis for "evangelizing." If these bishops choose to violate God's instruction book, church members have two choices, should they wish to continue to honor the authority of scripture and its Author: they can remove the bishops from office, or they can leave the denomination. To remain in the denomination and do nothing makes members co-conspirators in the bishops' apostasy.

We have too many "leaders" and not enough followers of the only Leader (Jesus of Nazareth) who knows where he is going. To the extent that earthly "leaders" are following Him, they are good company, but they must not divert our attention from the one who knows and is "The Way, The Truth and The Life."

He wouldn't be running. His Kingdom is not of this world. He comes down to lift us up, not to stay and be brought down to our level!

All politicians tell people what they want to hear, rather than what they need to hear. Too many care about themselves and perpetuating their political careers more than promoting the general welfare. If that is their goal, a certain diagnosis of their character has already been made.
The key is discovering whether a presidential candidate has a core set of principles from which he (or she) will not deviate except under the most extreme of circumstances. Moral character is important, though people sometimes define such things according to their own moral standards.