In times of war, our leaders always speak of their prayers. They wish us to know that they say prayers because they wish us to believe that they are deeply worried and that they take their responsibilities seriously. Perhaps they believe or hope that prayer will help. But within the circumstances of war, prayer becomes a word as befuddled in meaning as liberate or order or victory or peace. These prayers are usually understood to be Christian prayers. But Christian prayers are made to or in the name of Jesus, who loved, prayed for, and forgave his enemies and who instructed his followers to do likewise. A Christian supplicant, therefore, who has resolved to kill those whom he is enjoined to love, to bless, to do good for, and to forgive as he hopes to be forgiven is not conceivably in a situation in which he can be at peace with himself. Anyone who has tried to apply this doctrine to a merely personal enmity will be aware of the enormous anguish that it could cause a national leader in wartime. No wonder that national leaders have ignored it for nearly two thousand years.
--Wendell Berry, Sex, Economy, Freedom & Community
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
2 comments:
I suggest a guinea pig. They're bigger and hardier than hamsters and just as easy to care for. Smooth, short hair, pretty markings, and cute faces. They live in a cage, but like to come out to play and be cuddled. Easy to transport for pet sitting, if you're going to be gone. How about a guinea pig???
Tho' you might want to give Circus Baby a few months without competition, first. :)
A guinea pig is an intriguing idea Anonymous (Lesly?) ...I'll consider it. But they do seem kind of "rodent-like", don't they? Would it be like having an over-sized rat around?
Post a Comment