All Comments (117)

Your words are beautiful. Thank you for sharing.

Blazek,

I'm am happy for you for having been able to experience such meaningful friendships and for the fact that you find God's love in these moments. However, I find your writing shallow and lacking in reflection on the broader implications of your experience.

Christ didn't tell us to love our friends and those who are like us. He told us to love our enemies and stand up for the down trodden. That you found value in the relationship with your comrades is admirable, but how did this impact upon the view that you had/have of those who were your enemies? How does your affinity with a comrade in the army who comes from a very different background from you impact on how you see an "enemy" from a different background? How does the love you felt for those close to you extend out to those who you were supposed to be fighting? What impact does your experience have on your thinking about the morality of war and the complexity of conflict?

These are much more interesting issues than your tale of feeling good with your friends. I don't want to take away from you what you have, but where has your experience taken you?

Blazek,

I'm am happy for you for having been able to experience such meaningful friendships and for the fact that you find God's love in these moments. However, I find your writing shallow and lacking in reflection on the broader implications of your experience.

Christ didn't tell us to love our friends and those who are like us. He told us to love our enemies and stand up for the down trodden. That you found value in the relationship with your comrades is admirable, but how did this impact upon the view that you had/have of those who were your enemies? How does your affinity with a comrade in the army who comes from a very different background from you impact on how you see an "enemy" from a different background? How does the love you felt for those close to you extend out to those who you were supposed to be fighting? What impact does your experience have on your thinking about the morality of war and the complexity of conflict?

These are much more interesting issues than your tale of feeling good with your friends. I don't want to take away from you what you have, but where has your experience taken you?

Quite true. Such conflicting situations arise in everyman's day t day work. eg you may be very friendly with a colleague but as his superior you need to take disciplinary action against him as company rules dictate. This dilemna forces a man to choose which one of his duties is superior to the others - one as a friend or one towards your employer etc etc
I think the Hindus have a better understanding to this: Lord Krishna says "Do your KARMA (duty) and never aspire for 'returns' (profits)"

The Karma theory can guide you in difficult situations in life.

Let God bless the coffee of our holy warriors who defend us from the infidels in which countries happened to be the oil.
Let He grant them strength so we can liberate the Tomb in the Holy Land.
Oops the last sentence is probably for another age, but all the rest is just right, isn't it!?

I still can't wrap my mind around how some people can believe in 3 thousand year old campfire stories, then deny sciences. hell, if you don't believe in evolution don't get a flu shot that is developed by evolutionary theory. Pastafarians are every bit as credible.

"God’s love and care is reflected for me in the way service members watch out for each other in this fashion too. Most seriously, they don’t just guard equipment. They provide life-saving physical protection for their shipmates, aircrew mates and platoon mates. Soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen and coastguardsmen can count on each other, even when called upon to risk their lives. Their availability for service in the face of the possibility of total self-sacrifice speaks most strongly to me of God’s love. In this generosity, Christians can recognize a reflection of the self-giving love of Jesus Christ."

Wow. A True George W. Bush Christian!

I'll bet Jesus is so proud of his servants, he could just s__t.

Monte Haun mchaun@hotmail.com

Millions are now killed, homeless in Iraq, and fled into refugee status. A nation, reduced to rubble, that was no threat or enemy. This is what Jesus would do?

Your love for one another is admirable and appropriate. But how does one reconcile the deaths of ??? million Iraqis?--millions now homeless in Iraq and est. 2 1/2 million have crossed over into refugee status of hopelessness. A land not ours has been reduced to rubble and a society shattered. For what?
Iraq was not an enemy nor a threat. Is now! thanks to this war without end that is predicated upon lies and minipulation of our own leaders. Why are we there? Why were we in Vietnam? Where next? To see Jesus in all of this violence and absurdity is a stretch theology should not even attempt. All at the expense of 2 1/2 trillion dollars that could have been invested in LIFE and not death. IMO, john steinbruck

dear people,

I find it incredible that anyone proclaiming themselves to be a of the catholic church is listened to at all. How dare they smugly pontificate on God, religion, mercy or morality. The catholic church has been responsible for more terror, suffering, blood, genocide, torture, murder sickness and misery than the Third Reich.

I find it pathetic that we treat these repressed, mentally-deranged, robed-lunatics with anything other than the pity we reserve for schizophrenics talking to themselves on a subway.

The writer of this article apparently has never read the old testament where GOD himself stood by Isreal and helped them defeat their enemies. The writer by joining religion to this war has also made it a crusade, Christianity against Islam. this writer must bear the blame for what will come to pass.

Blazek is destined for Hell...along with all the other murderers and human trash that try to cloak themselves in Christianity. I have a WW2 German canteen...under the cap in German are the words "God is on our side" ...just as false for them as us.

Insane...there is no way that a true Christian can be involved in any way with the military. Can anyone imagine Jesus kicking in doors or shooting people? Can you imagine Jesus calling in air strikes on a sleeping town? If so, you are out of your mind. Read your Bible....if anyone thinks they can reconcile the teachings of Jesus with the most efficient killing machine on Earth, you are in for a rude awakening. "Get thee behind me, I never knew you" JC

"Jesuitical" is the term that best applies to a line of apologetics that seeks to justify raw expeditionary imperialism and civil carnage as God's work. Jesus's Biblical teachings and military service on behalf of Bush in Iraq are utterly incompatible. Whom would Jesus torture? Whom would Jesus bomb with white phosphorus or 500-pounders or fragmentation weapons? Would Jesus lie about the WMDs? How many Iraqi children and mothers would Jesus shoot down at checkpoints? How obvious can this be?

William Blazek is giving justification for this immoral and illegal war and links the bondage of comradeship to God. Communism has the same bondage and feeling, and perhaps the same cup of coffee, but they never link it to God. The Japanese soldiers, during the 2nd world war, raped the “comfort” ladies in group and they felt the same comradeship without linking to God and they got more gratification than a cup of coffee.

William Blazek has sold his soul to Satan and disguises it as God’s messenger.

America has framed Iraq, invaded and occupied just to steal the oil. There are many dictators in the world such as Pakistan and Cuba and our government is not attacking these 2 countries.

God is about forgiveness, mercy, grace, kindness and other goodies. Going to war to steal oil from another country is not God’s vitreous.

200 years ago, there were many reports of Christians bought and tortured the black slaves and justified their actions. William Blazek is doing exactly what Christians had done 200 years ago, stealing the natural resources of another country and disguises it as fighting terrorism. This is not about Christianity. This is about human survival.

William Blazek is giving justification for this immoral and illegal war in Iraq and links the bondage of comradeship to God.

William Blazek has sold his soul to Satan and disguises it as God’s messenger.

America has framed Iraq, invaded and occupied just to steal the oil. There are many dictators in the world such as Pakistan and Cuba and our government has done nothing to stop these 2 dictators.

God is about forgiveness, mercy, grace, kindness and other goodies. Going to war to steal oil from another country is not God’s desires.

200 years ago, there were many reports of Christians bought and tortured the black slaves and justified their actions in England and America. William Blazek is doing exactly what Christians had done 200 years ago, stealing the natural resources of another country and disguises it as fighting terrorism.

I'd like to know your thoughts on what we can do to help our soldiers coming home from Iraq. More soldiers have died from suicide in the last 2 years, than those who have died in Iraq.

Today, a group of us sent packages to the soldiers and wrote letters. I couldn't help thinking that what they really need is our commitment to their adjustment back home, including mental health treatment. Even more, we need to bring this war to and end, and bring them home.

1) Not all Christians are fundamentalists, and believe me, it makes a difference. I'm a secular Catholic (phrase courtesy of an episode of CSI) and an American. As such, I want to be left alone to experience the mysteries and nuances of life in a way that feels right to me. I don't want a Christan fundamentalist (or Islamic, Jewish, or atheistic)getting in my face and telling me what prism of belief systems I should be using to experience the world around me. If Mr. Blazek experiences the presence of the divine while sharing coffee with his comrades (the whole "where two or three are gathered" thing from the Bible), then who is anyone here to tell him that he's wrong, delusional, correct, or otherwise? He shared unique experiences with this post, experiences that no one else is in a position to qualify.

2) The Roman Catholic Church--nor any other Christian leadership--did not pick up the red line to the White House and demand that President Bush send American troops to battle. Most American Christian soldiers who would never otherwise kill are in a morally ambiguous place when it comes to war. Nonetheless, I thank them all for their willingness to stand in the gray area, because they are also standing in between us and harm's way.

What a bunch of Hoooooey. Your nothing but a propagandist for the jingoistic thugs in power.
Gawd is on your side Wooop de dooo Praise the Lord an Pass the Amunition. What a sorry sap you are for thinking we're buying into this compassionate killer diatribe.
You're the same fundamentalist selling this crap to the tribal warfares in Africa - get the guns and power chop off arms and legs in the name of gaud sheeeeeeeeesh. YOU don't have claim to any side chap. Your crusade spew is contaminating the soil of America. Go peddle you priestcraft in Iraq or Saudi Arabia.
Oh and i love your campaign to sign up and get pledges from Middle and High School kids - Amen brother = you go gawd. Get them pre-suiciders in the uniform - give them guns and items to kill with to assuage their mental anguish.
You, Blazek are nothing but a TOOL of the oligarch plutocracy pushing you agenda down the throats of the Xian Reich! How easy does it get =
Folks you gotta know there no gawd on someone's side and this is nothing but a wolf in sheeps cloth.
Blazek you make me sick an nauseaus~!

William Crain
Viet Nam drafted Combat Veteran WIA '67 - '68
Billings Peace Seeker, member

Yeah, but what about LOVE THINE ENEMY???

Yeah, but what about LOVE THINE ENEMY???

Justifying anything in this world, if you are a Christian, is very simple. All you have to do is adopt the Ten Commandments, that masterpiece of ambiguity that can be interpreted in any way to justify whatever acts you want to do.

As is well documented through the ages, the experience of camraderie is seldon greater than in war. Sadly, his experiences in religious community will most likely never be as intense and I would not want to predict how long he can be sustained therein. As a former priest and anti-war activist, I would hope for a greater sense of doubt and ambiguity about this whole endeavor in which chaplains bless the real, if small, acts of kindness and do not see what most of the rest of the rest of his own religious leders and the world sees -- that this was an illegal, immoral, ill conceived war in which the best sentiments of patriotism, fraternity, and sacrifice have been corrupted by our leaders into this neo-crusade mentality that undermines the very Gospel that he serves.

As is well documented through the ages, the experience of camraderie is seldon greater than in war. Sadly, his experiences in religious community will most likely never be as intense and I would not want to predict how long he can be sustained therein. As a former priest and anti-war activist, I would hope for a greater sense of doubt and ambiguity about this whole endeavor in which chaplains bless the real, if small, acts of kindness and do not see what most of the rest of the rest of his own religious leders and the world sees -- that this was an illegal, immoral, ill conceived war in which the best sentiments of patriotism, fraternity, and sacrifice have been corrupted by our leaders into this neo-crusade mentality that undermines the very Gospel that he serves.

Religious propaganda is still propaganda.

http://www.impeachbush.org

Richard:
Example:
"13 You shall not murder."
Well,
the Lutheran bible says: "You shall not kill".

The Lutheran bible is a translation of the Greek translation of the Aramaic text. It seems rather pointless to quibble over differences in translation of a document which is a translation of a document which had been edited during the previous few centuries.

When I was last in Israel, I asked a friend there how she would translate that commandment. Her response was "You shall not murder." She is an Israeli and is also a native-English speaker having been raised in the UK. I consider her answer more authoritative than Luther's.

Mike

WILL JONES,

Is that Thomas Jefferson?

"What a conspiracy this, between Church and State!"
SAXONS, CONSTITUTIONS, AND A CASE OF PIOUS FRAUD
To Major John Cartwright
Monticello, June 5, 1824

To Samuel Kercheval
Monticello, January 19, 1810

SIR, -- Yours of the 7th instant has been duly received, with the pamphlet inclosed, for which I return you my thanks. Nothing can be more exactly and seriously true than what is there stated; that but a short time elapsed after the death of the great reformer of the Jewish religion, before his principles were departed from by those who professed to be his special servants, and perverted into an engine for enslaving mankind, and aggrandising their oppressors in Church and State; that the purest system of morals ever before preached to man, has been adulterated and sophisticated by artificial constructions, into a mere contrivance to filch wealth and power to themselves; that rational men not being able to swallow their impious heresies, in order to force them down their throats, they raise the hue and cry of infidelity, while themselves are the greatest obstacles to the advancement of the real doctrines of Jesus, and do in fact constitute the real Anti-Christ.

Novus Ordo Seclorem: The New SECULAR Order
Annuit Coeptis: Divine Providence Blesses Our Endeavors...and each Sovereign Individual has the right to his or her own relationship Therewith.

Faction is the bane of Liberty.

Example:
"13 You shall not murder."

Well,
the Lutheran bible says: "You shall not kill".

So what now?!

That document, the Bible, is in itself so ambivalent, violent, non-violent, it appears to me of no use at all.

It's created by man, all kinds of different individuals, with all kinds views.

You don't want to steer a modern society with that map. It just leads you to nowhere.

Ethics is built into mankind and yes, it's a poor implementation, at least when it's turned into reality. But besides that, no Bible is needed.

Steve,

One question that I'm ABSOLUTELY sure you'll have an ABSOLUTE answer to: If my grandfather loved God and kept his commandments, but my father rejected God and worshipped another God, would God love me steadfastly because I'm within a thousand generations of my grandfather, or would God punish me because I'm within four generations of my father?

I assume you know the TRUE answer to this. Otherwise you can't possibly be moral.

Steve,

You write:

"Remove all moral absolutes and right and wrong, bravery and cowardice, are just a matter of opinion."

I disagree. Consider this: Remove all perceptual absolutes and pain and pleasure, repulsion and desire, are just a matter of opinion. Do you agree with this? Do you think that the (near) unanimity of mankind's assessment of what is pleasurable and what is painful is somekind of astounding coincidence? Perhaps you think that God decreed that which shall be painful and that which shall be pleasurable, and we obey Him in the face of stimuli according to His word.

Alternatively, maybe you think that it is human nature to perceive pain in response to cuts, burns, blows, etc, and to try to avoid them. If you do, then your thinking about perception is similar to my thinking about morality. It is human nature to have a moral compass. Personally, I think it is based on two ingredients: the direct perceptual awareness of our own pain and pleasure, and the "transcendent" awareness that others are just like we are. I for one would be very nervous about being around a religious person who had no moral compass - who only refrained from violence because of some prohibition written in some book. Especially when the books themselves are so self-contradictory and in fact contain the most senseless violence I have ever seen in print.

P.S. I keep hearing how morality comes from the ten commandments. First of all, morality existed long before the ten commandments, as evidenced in much older and in my estimation much more reasonable moral/legal frameworks such as the Code of Hammurabi. Here are the ten commandments. Half of them are abominable. Of course, there's a slightly different set of the ten commandments in Deuteronomy. Makes me wonder which is morally absolute.

Exodus 20:2–17

2 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery;
3 you shall have no other gods before me.

4 You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.

5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me,

6 but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments.

7 You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name.

8 Remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy.

9 For six days you shall labour and do all your work.

10 But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work—you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns.

11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and consecrated it.

12 Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.

13 You shall not murder.

14 You shall not commit adultery.

15 You shall not steal.

16 You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour.

17 You shall not covet your neighbour’s house; you shall not covet your neighbour’s wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbour.

Steve: I believe in none of those things. and you are falling for a logical fallacy. I have a degree in philosophy, and could care less what Sartre thinks the implications of atheism are. If there is no god, the moral imperatives of atheists are as good as it gets. If there is no god, the absolutes of the believers are fraudulent, whether they make them "dependable" or not. You cannot bootstrap back from the implications of the absence of god to god's existence. philosophers gave up logical proofs of gods existence centuries ago, and Kant, among others, posited that man has no hope of knowing anything terribly absolute. you believe what you believe for whatever reason, and act accordingly. you cannot prove that a believer will behave more dependably in a foxhole than an atheist without begging the question of whether his beliefs are accurate, unless you just want folks whose beliefs are convenient at the moment because they happen to cause behavior that is useful at the time, as you see it.

JoeT,

Not necessarily. Read up on what Sartre said about the implications of the absence of God. He was a true atheist, and he was moral and brave. But unlike todays atheists he followed the logic of his argument all the way to the bitter end. Remove God and you remove all moral absolutes. Remove all moral absolutes and right and wrong, bravery and cowardice, are just a matter of opinion. Someone who believes this way could be trusted but why would I take my chance of his opinion changing when I needed him most.

How do you guys deal with the lack of free will issue? Doesn't Big Bang Billiards cause some concern? It doesn't to believers.

Also, do atheists believe in ghosts or aliens from space, clairvoyance, telepathy, reincarnation, etc.?

Incredible life-giving, thoughtful, touching and brutally realistic but prayerful account of one individual who - probably unbeknownst to him - has touched countless lives - especially in recent years as he continues to be a vessel of God's outpouring of love and serenity. What a gift to integrate his experiences of the military, priesthood and preparation, and teaching >>> into his and our daily lives ... about something as simple as service, fellowship, and a cup of coffee.

Incredible life-giving, thoughtful, touching and brutally realistic but prayerful account of one individual who - probably unbeknownst to him - has touched countless lives - especially in recent years as he continues to be a vessel of God's outpouring of love and serenity. What a gift to integrate his experiences of the military, priesthood and preparation, and teaching >>> into his and our daily lives ... about something as simple as service, fellowship, and a cup of coffee.

What an irrelevant article and posts. Hasn't this thread died out yet? Yawwwwwn!

I am a veteran and an atheist, and I am terrified by the apparent takeover of our military (and government) by evangelicals. I consider them no differently than radical Muslims. Imagine what it would be like if fundamentalist Muslims were infiltrating the academies and upper echelons of the military to this extent.

Why can't these Christians follow their own beliefs without requiring me and everyone else who doesn't believe to follow them? Leave us, our country, and our Constitution alone. Move to South Carolina and secede, then you can run your own country however you want.

Lovely piece.

I remember spending a few days at a Benedictine abbey and there was something about sharing tea i the gueshouse in the early morning that was almost sacramental. It was just doing things together with people. When it happens, it's magical.

Lovely piece.

I remember spending a few days at a Benedictine abbey and there was something about sharing tea i the gueshouse in the early morning that was almost sacramental. It was just doing things together with people. When it happens, it's magical.

Steve, have you ever serves in the military?

Steve: so atheists are cowards and moral relativists? only a believer can exhibit bravery in defense of his country (why not, it may be the highest thing he believes in, since God isn't on the list)? and last time I checked, since there is no religious test for service, there are just as many atheists in foxholes as there are on the highways. I'm really sorry you wouldn't trust me to fight for your right to be a self-righteous bigot.

There are few atheists in foxholes. If one were beside me I'd hesitate to trust him, good and bad, cowardice and bravery, being relative and all.

First of all to Samuel, I too spent some time in Conn Barracks many years ago.. As a veteran of 21 years I'm glad I spent my time in the service when I did. When we had respect for one another regardless of ones religious affiliation or none at all. When we were sworn to uphold the Constitution and we took it seriously. I read more and more where this nonsense of if you are not the right kind of christian than you go nowhere in the ranks. I have nothing but contempt for religious fanatics that use their beliefs as a weapon. Are they so weak in their own faith that they can't be around others that don't believe as they do. Everyone must believe a certain way or your not part of the "club". Our politicians need to make sure our service men and women are protected from this kind of harassment but then again our politicians are afraid of everything and can't get anything done. Those officers that are trying to use their christainity as a coercive tool to force their belies on others should be identified and ran out of the military. Did they not swear to uphold the Constitution of the United States?

The Viet Nam war was no different. We tried to protect our men any way we could. For me it was particularly poignant when my Platoon Sgt. called me when (he returned) to tell me that the Lieutenant who took over my platoon wanted to gain the support of the men, so he gave them a party. That night when they were all drunk, sappers came through their lines and threw charges everywhere. As they escaped they through grenades and charges at my former men injuring many of them. My Platoon Sgt and I had a perfect record when we were there. It was "tough love" that got us all through until this incident.

The Viet Nam war was no different. We tried to protect our men any way we could. For me it was particularly poignant when my Platoon Sgt. called me when (he returned) to tell me that the Lieutenant who took over my platoon wanted to gain the support of the men, so he gave them a party. That night when they were all drunk, sappers came through their lines and threw charges everywhere. As they escaped they through grenades and charges at my former men injuring many of them. My Platoon Sgt and I had a perfect record when we were there. It was "tough love" that got us all through until this incident.

Chris: you have made my 11/11 @ 8:12 post point (though much more eloquently). People of faith see Jesus and Mary in rust stained highway underpasses, potato chips, grilled cheese sandwiches, and trees that get spared by the California wildfires. the rest of us are apparently blind. and no, Mike, atheists are not all unpatriotic leftist bigots who hate America, any more than all fundamentalists are flag waving hypocrites who think any real American knows torture is the way to win the war on terror. I love America, every male relative older than me served, and I would have been in Vietnam if I were a year older. But the America I love doesn't need a flag burning amendment to the Constitution (it would demean the flag), or any other amendment for that matter (two others the fundies want come to mind). And I don't need to be told that I need God to get a cup of coffee for someone who needs one.

Usama,

Obviously you suffer from the Three B's, i.e. you were Bred, Born and Brainwashed in Islam. Please address the failings and flaws in your warmongering religion before criticizing anyone else.

A synopsis:

Mohammed was an illiterate, womanizing, warmongering, hallucinating Arab who also had embellishing/hallucinating/plagiarizing scribal biographers who not only added "angels" and flying chariots to the koran but also a militaristic agenda to support the plundering and looting of the lands of non-believers.

This agenda continues as shown by the conduct of the seven Muslim doctors in the UK, the 9/11 terrorists, the 24/7 Sunni suicide/roadside/market/mosque bombers, the 24/7 Shiite suicide/roadside/market/mosque bombers, the Islamic train bombers in the UK and Spain, the Bali crazies, the Kenya crazies, the Pakistani koranics, the Palestine suicide bombers/rocketeers, the Lebanese nutcases, the Taliban nut jobs, and the Filipino koranics.

And who funds these acts of terror? The Islamic Shiite terror theocracy of Iran aka the Third Axis of Evil and also the Sunni "Wannabees" of Saudi Arabia.

Just to get it out of the way, I am an atheist.

This is how I read William Blazek's essay: Mr. Blazek, through his commitment to ideals of duty to country and protection of freedom, found himself in a battlefield situation where the provoundly significant and meaningful events of death and survival were the order of the day. It's perfectly natural to bond with one's comerades to a depth that is perhaps impossible under normal, i.e. more trivial and benign, circumstances. I think that the ability to sense a profound significance in the events of our lives and forge deep, permanent connections to our fellow beings is the singular universal desire of the whole human race.

But of course, I don't see God in it. The "seeing" of God in these experiences is really the act of interpreting what actually happened (meaning, sharing, bonding) within the context of a preexisting dogmatic belief structure. To me, that actually corrupts and pollutes the experinece since it is no longer seen for what it is. Instead, it is exploited in the service of superstition. I'm not saying that religion is all bad. (I see religion as an archaic mechanism for understanding human nature and the world around us.) If religious teachings can shed light on experience that's great. But on the whole the track record is that actions taken in the name of religion is nightmarish. (By the way, niether Stalin, Mao nor Lenin acted in the name of atheism. They acted ostensibly in the service of the communist utopian vision. In a sense, that vision was their God. Atheism, if it has a creed, is skepticism, i.e. the requirement for all claims to be substantiated by objective, scientifically credible evidence. Communism fails utterly.) Anyway, that was a digression.

I implore everyone to PAY ATTENTION to WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENS and try to separate it from WHAT YOU MAKE IT MEAN. Mr. Blazek describes many beautiful things that actually happened (I won't get into the underlying issue of war), but he ultimately conflates them with his EXPLANATION of those things. He, like most religious people, is LEADING with his EXPLANATION. This casts experience into the role of simply CONFIRMING the prior belief. (Please, don't anyone think I am saying that religious belief is actually confirmed by experience. Instead, it is in the nature of religious belief that ANY experience can be interpreted in a manner that confirms the belief, e.g. if it's good it's God's blessing; if it's bad it's a test, and in the bigger unknowable God's plan it's good, too.)

Dear Bill, You don't know me, but I am a college friend of your mom's. We keep tabs on what's going on in our childrens' lives at least once a year. You may have heard of the famous "goofy gabbers" club from St. John's High School. Well Carol and I were also members of that together. It is lovely to see your writings being published. We pray for you everyday and for your journey into the priesthood. God bless you always and know that you are really doing God's work in every way. Your wonderful parents are so proud of you, what I would call a chip off the old block. In Christ's love, LaVerne Backes

Dear Bill, You don't know me, but I am a college friend of your mom's. We keep tabs on what's going on in our childrens' lives at least once a year. You may have heard of the famous "goofy gabbers" club from St. John's High School. Well Carol and I were also members of that together. It is lovely to see your writings being published. We pray for you everyday and for your journey into the priesthood. God bless you always and know that you are really doing God's work in every way. Your wonderful parents are so proud of you, what I would call a chip off the old block. In Christ's love, LaVerne Backes

I cant tell you how much I enjoyed the artical Sean sent me. It's so good that your friendship is so enduring.
Kathy & Sean are blessed with great friends.
Thank you,
Tom Scally

Except Jesus (as) wasn't a soldier for a world empire occupying and interfering in foreign lands to satisfy corporate greed and thirst for world domination. You gave a scruffy GI Joe some love. But what about the principle of your mission?

Save the platitudes for when you are just a regular person helping another regular person. You were on a mission to kill people so your leaders could get access to 100s of billions in Kuwaiti wealth and a permanent strategic foothold in the Arabian Pennisular like empires have tried to do for eons.

Repent to God for the evils which you have engaged in. The first Persian Gulf War brought about the '90s embargoes and bombings on Iraq which brought 100s of 1000s of deaths in Iraq, including innocent babies. Is God really going to look flavorably on your slight kindness to another soldier and overlook the deaths of 100s of 1000s of people who were actually being oppressed by a dictator which America helped bring to power in the first place?

Except Jesus (as) wasn't a soldier for a world empire occupying and interfering in foreign lands to satisfy corporate greed and thirst for world domination. You gave a scruffy GI Joe some love. But what about the principle of your mission?

Save the platitudes for when you are just a regular person helping another regular person. You were on a mission to kill people so your leaders could get access to 100s of billions in Kuwaiti wealth and a permanent strategic foothold in the Arabian Pennisular like empires have tried to do for eons.

Repent to God for the evils which you have engaged in. The first Persian Gulf War brought about the '90s embargoes and bombings on Iraq which brought 100s of 1000s of deaths in Iraq, including innocent babies. Is God really going to look flavorably on your slight kindness to another soldier and overlook the deaths of 100s of 1000s of people who were actually being oppressed by a dictator which America helped bring to power in the first place?

I too experienced similar instances of soldiers' concern and care for one another in two tours of duty in Vietnam and thirty years of service in the 82d Airborne Division, the 1st Cavalry Division, and the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, among others. As a military historian, I have vicariously experienced this concern among soldiers of all times and all faiths. Alexander's soldiers, Caesar's, Napoleon's, Dayan's, even the soldiers of the Red Army and the Third Reich in World War II had the same love for their comrades and expressed it in similar ways.

To paraphrase Churchill -- he was cautioning the British not to claim too much credit for themselves in the Battle of the Bulge -- we must take care in examining these sentiments not to claim them only for Christian soldiers of the cross -- other soldiers, with far different beliefs, have the same human needs and fill them in similar ways.

The reaction to this article is a fine demonstration of the intolerant hatred of the American left.

We get it. You hate Christians, you hate the armed services and you hate America. All this demonstrates is that you are a bunch of unpatriotic bigots. Good for you.

Crusader,

Like you boyz, dontya!

William Blazek sadly reveals the sentimentality mistaken as 'religious'. A sunset, the fact that someone smiles at you, perhaps getting a parking space in the mall when you're pressed for time. These become 'signs' to the believer. Small 'favors' the Catholics would say.

Unfortunately, if the believer is so moved and so attentive to Godliness in life as emotional neediness, much of reality in all its harshness, venality, and violence go unnoticed and unaddressed. It is this immaturity to face life as it is and to face themselves as they are that makes religion and the religious a target of ridicule for those who cannot in honesty
agree with the perceptions and conclusions they offer.

Thank you for sharing your insightful article. Hospitality (serving your brother in need) in the Middle East is an art. As St. Martin was to give half his robe to a begger and dream of Christ wearing the robe, I can immagine that Jesus is drinking a cup of coffee You gave to another in heaven. Anthony, ofm

Thank you for sharing your insightful article. Hospitality (serving your brother in need) in the Middle East is an art. As St. Martin was to give half his robe to a begger and dream of Christ wearing the robe, I can immagine that Jesus is drinking a cup of joe You gave another in heaven. Anthony, ofm

Thank you for sharing your insightful article. Hospitality (serving your brother in need) in the Middle East is an art. As St. Martin was to give half his robe to a begger and dream of Christ wearing the roob, I can immagine that Jesus is drinking a cup of joe with You. Anthony, ofm

You complain people who don't fall in synch with Bush, how it's not 'supporting the troops' to oppose the war.

How bout living with a blue-star Pagan mother who got *no* support from the Corps cause she was supposed to hold down the lives of *all* five of her kids ...but was Pagan?

Gods.

Do you even *know?*

Captain?

Though, you wanna talk about bitterness...

Yeah, lets talk about those who served with honor and got general discharge cause they didn't pass 'religious tests'

Let's talk about even decorated Pagan vets who couldn't be buried for *years* cause apparently the freedoms they were supposed to be fighting for apparently, by Presidential unaccountable order, didn't apply to them.

Can you imagine what it's like to have a Marine relative die for thier country, yet not be able to be recognized as a Pagan by their country?

Then have this dude talk about a cup of coffee being Jesus?

Where was your Jesus the ten *years* Christians made Pagan families *suffer* about a proper burial, Marine?

How bout it?

Where's your coffee *then?*

Gods. You think it's divine intervention when people aren't complete *@&#&@^#@s to each other.

Yah, yah, you said it.

Now, read.

Sounds like there's a lot of bitterness there, but you overstep your bounds when you start questioning my loyalty to my Marines, faith & politics be damned.