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This is not necessarily my human preference at all.

The dilly-dallying around has felt very frustrating. Have wanted to get it done already yet!

Nevertheless, I do think there is SOMETHING to this Prince of Persia demonic stronghold. Sadddddammnnn and sons are toooooooooooo evil to be THAT evil on their own ingenuity. Putting people feet first in a shredder seems to me to take a demonic level of evil.

Consequently, certainly The Church must send the worshippers ahead of the soldiers--at least in the spiritual realm--through prayer and worship in our prayer closets and corporately.

AND I STRONGLY BELIEVE our President would be WELL ADVISED to demonstrate creative, dramatic, even extreme humility publically and to call the Nation to 1-3 days of prayer and fasting before attacking Iraq. Sufficient contrition, repentance, humility could well turn God's hand to our benefit in all this.

Otherwise, I believe the prophetic voices are right--we will experience complications and suffering quite beyond anything otherwise expected by people without a spiritual perspective.

OK, flame away if you are addicted to such. The flames will be unlikely to alter my perceptions or convictions on the matter.

Prayerful folk,

PLEASE remember these issues in prayer whenever Holy Spirit calls them to mind between now and attacking Iraq.

No flames at all. I just want to step in and say that, as a spiritual but not religious person, you shouldn't be afraid of appealing to people's spirituality. Not at all.

Here comes the but. :-)

BUT...I don't now how I'm reading this...but my feelings are that America is a force for good; that Americans are *good people* -- so are MOST people, really -- and although acts of contrition would be appropriate, I just don't think they're going to "convince" the Almighty, whatever form you worship him in, to change His ideas on matters. I tend to believe in a Divine Plan, a Grand Order...which means this was factored into the Divine Plan a long time ago.

Bush should pray because praying is where he gets his strength, and he's going to need strength, strength to lead us, and strength to explain to the Americans and the world -- with moral & spiritual clarity -- what we're doing and why we're doing it.

Anyway, understand I'm not trying to take issue with you here or be divisive, but...if God exists, and he's not on our side in this one...then I don't believe God exists. ;-)

I'd also point out that a lot of well-meaning people at the Vatican silently let Hitler get away with...well, murder. This is just a tangent regarding the Pope's stand on the war.

The President could call for people to be humble in whatever way they choose, but some people celebrate by feasting, or burning incest...he shouldn't advocate one particular religion (besides the basic Judeo-Christian *idea* that our Constitution is based in) over any other; that's why the Establishment Clause is there (and not, as liberals think, to force God out of our schools -- urgh, I hate that one).

But I'm with you in spirit...war should be dealt with seriously. I think we are doing just that. Concentrating on preserving civilian lives in hours of planning and strategy sessions seems to me to be...just as good as fasting or praying.

Okay, this is a rambling post, but I tend to get that way when trying to figure out my own spirituality. Although it should encourage you that an agnostic (and by agnostic, I mean, I believe in a God, but I also believe that that God is beyond my comprehension) agrees with you and is comforted that his President IS a man of quiet faith.

I guess that's my problem. Faith to me seems to lose its value if you're really *loud* about it. National fasting and all that would almost seem an act of hubris. No one should have to be called upon to think/pray/wish/hope for Good Things, cuz if you need to be TOLD to do it by someone, it loses all its meaning. I think that's the piece of sand that's forming this pearl of discomfort. ;-)