Beyond the idea of a Just War and the notion that at times we must fight in order to secure the peace, one thing is certain, Faith and religion should never be the impetus for War but always the justification to end wars and bring peace.

Ironically the biblical narrative describes God as Jehovah Shalom or the God of Peace while another portion describes him as The Lord of Hosts or the Lord of the Armies. Where is my faith in times of War? My Faith rests In the God of Peace and in the Lord of Hosts.

Faith that if war falls upon us, “The Battle is Mine Saith The Lord”
Faith that “All things work for Good for those that believe” ROMANS 8:28
Faith that tells me we battle not against Muslims, Arabs, Christians, Atheists or Jews but against Principalities, and Powers of Darkness
Faith that reminds me “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does” 2 Corinthians 10:3
Faith that dresses me with the full armor of God: Ephesians 6:3

How do I reconcile my faith with calamity and War? With unbridled understanding that warmongers are not blessed but peacemakers are. At the end of the day my Faith will strengthen me and preserve me for the peace to come by reminding all of us that Victory is not obtained by might, nor by power but by MY SPIRIT , SAITH THE LORD.

Embedded in the historical narrative of the Democratic Party is the indisputable fact that somewhere in the 1970’s and solidified in the 1980’s, this party lost its faith. Suddenly, in the 21st Century of Blue and Red states, John Kerry and Al Gore discovered that America is without a doubt, a religious and spiritual nation. Hence, on the Road to Damascus (Pennsylvania Ave), Democratic Presidential hopefuls have seen the “light”. Does this benefit our Nation? Absolutely!

Contrary to popular opinion, the three most admired Republicans are not Lincoln, Reagan and Jesus Christ. You can’t blame the GOP for taking advantage of the Democratic Parties egregious strategic decision to abandon the faith conversation. However, the stranglehold must come to an end. Our country does not benefit by any party manipulating the faith conversation. In the matter of fact, by embracing Faith again, the Democratic Party can accomplish the following:

1. Expand the faith and family values agenda to include Poverty, health care, AIDS, Darfur, Economic and other social justice issues in addition to Life and family issues. These are not Democratic or Republican issues, this is Luke Chapter 4: 18 and 19.

2. Attract Latino Voters. 44% Voted for Bush in 2004. The exit polls indicated that Faith was the driving impetus behind the Latino affinity towards Bush.(I believe the recent immigration debacle may provoke Latinos to reconsider crossing the aisle and sitting in other pews). Without faith, the Democrats will never attract a viable Hispanic constituency.

Christians and people of all faiths cannot be the extension of one particular party. We must be able to speak truth to power regardless of the platform. We are citizens of God’s Kingdom First. This is how righteousness and Justice will prevail.

Faith that is questioned is Faith perfected. Questioning the tenants and doctrines of faith will either solidify belief or guide one to another faith more open to such inquiries. Throughout the biblical narrative and even today, God and his children continue to participate in a dialogue.

The great query presented in the Garden of Eden by God, “Where Are You?”, continues to resonate throughout humanity today just as mankind responds in kind, “What do we need to do to be saved?” God is not afraid of our inquiries. The questions arises, are we afraid of his?

If questioning exposes truth, let us question. A faith that is threatened by doctrinal inquiries and evaluation of certain tenants is no faith at all. A faith that blindly demands belief, obedience, and subjugates the very inquisitive soul that God gave us disqualifies itself from being faith and more accurately falls under the category of a cult. True faith welcomes questions; false faiths discourage and prohibit them.

Yet at the end of the day, let us not forget that if all the questions are answered and proof silences and satisfies all the inquiries, then no longer do we have faith. For Faith is the assurance of things hope for and the conviction of things not seen, Hebrews 11:1.

Without dissecting the theological tenents and moral triggers for a “justified or Just War”, America carries a moral obligation as it pertains to the war in Iraq. Such obligation requires us to leave Iraq secure with hope for a future. Regardless of the plethora of errors committed in the onset of and for this war, the current sectarian violence and de facto civil war demand that we fix a situation that exists as a direct result of our engagement.

To leave Iraq today without creating the economic, political and security infrastructures necessary for success would exponentially increase our liability and compound our errors. Reconstruction after the Civil War, the Marshall Plan after World War II, and economic aid after numerous military excursions successfully employed the values of Justice and Reconciliation embedded in the American narrative.

We may not have had a legitimate moral imperative for war in Iraq. Today, we do have a moral imperative to stay in Iraq until we secure peace. A nation demonstrates its military prowess in war, its moral authority in advocating peace.

At the end of the day, our moral imperatives must drive us to advocate a foreign policy of justice. If we must take the lead on the war on terror, let us simultaneously take the lead on the war on poverty. If we are committed to eradicating Al Qaeda, let us be equally committed to eradicating AIDS. We went into Iraq with faulty intelligence; let us depart with righteous conviction after we heal and reconcile.