When we meet our maker some of us will say,
Lord, we fought against those that slaughter others for power and gain. We fought against those that misused your name and ridiculed you. We stood against the forces of darkness when our fellow man emboldened them and called us murderers and baby killers for doing so. We gave up our freedom for a time so those that spewed hate against us could remain free. We didn’t do it for monetary gain, Lord, but to oppose the enemies your adversary placed on earth. We don’t ask for glory, Lord that belongs to you. Please forgive us, Lord, for what we had to do, but your promise of free will was important us, so important that we sacrificed of ourselves and have been looked down upon by our fellow man for it ever since. We only pray that we may be accepted into your fold when our time comes and that our sacrifices were not made in vain. For those that show disdain for us, Lord, we pray that you forgive them, as did your Son on the cross, for they too know not what they do.
Lew Waters
Viet Nam, 69 -71
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2 comments:
I don't know why, but I really like this post.
In my view, from the little I know about you, you do what you believe is right, with motives which are noble.
But so do many of those who oppose your beliefs. They also go on what they believe is right, with noble motives.
But in God's eyes, I think you will all be ok (not that anything makes me an expert on the subject, beyond a strong gut feeling about what is right.)
One of the things a Jehovah Witness teacher was trying to convince me, was that there is no hell. So I did my own reading on the subject.
I concluded two things:
1) There is a Hell
2) It is not where everyone who doesn't believe in God (Christ) ends up going (as my Baptist friend tells me).
It is reserved for "The Devil and false prophets".
I think those who use religion, to get others to do evil, fall in this "false Prophet" category.
But not those who themselves have been truly fooled, but those who fool others.
Coboble, I understand what you are saying. However, I don't totally agree that those that are opposite me are always motivated by noble motives. And, sadly, neither are all that agree with me.
Noble motives may be fine, but they are better if backed up with consistency and a goal to better the world. In fighting evil, we muct fight it to better the world. In the case of terrorists and those that support terror, they are evil and have no desire for compromise.
Don't forget, some of them are fooled into believing they have noble motives, as well.
So, we must fight those that cause harm to others while showing others that we aren't the evil ones and there is a better way.
I believe in gut feelings as well. They can guide us well through life. But, by the same token, we need to look back over history at times and see what has happened time and time again to ensure our gut feelings are sincere and not misguided. At least, that is what works for me.
On a side note, what prompted this was an article on a group of protesters in Wyoming pulling down an effigy of Cheney and thinking they actually did something. One commenter said, "when you meet your maker, this is what you should tell him: 1. God i supported the chaos of war, the killings and death. 2. God i stood buy the oil company profits. 3. God, i wholeheartdly agreed with cheneys torture of enemy prisoners. 4. God, i totally supported tax cuts for the rich even though jesus said it would be easier to get a camel through an eye of a needle, than it would be for a rich man to make it to heaven." buck in richmond
Not only is 'Buck' misreading scriptures, he's spouting seevral points disproven time and time again.
Don't be surprised if I rewrite this one day, maybe add a little to it. Basically, I see it as a veterans prayer to God.
On another side note, your mentions of JWs is almost too funny because I was involved with them for a few years and my current wife was with them for some time as well. Neither of us are any longer, if you couldn't tell. While I agree with soe of what they teach, they are way too controlling and also use scripture to their advantage, instad of accepting what was written. Like too many religions, they set their belief then look to scripture for support.
Then again, with so many translations of the Bible available, that is all too easy to do.
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