7. Many Branches, One Tree

'In all religions, if you dig deep enough, you will find the branches of another religion within its roots.' (Keegan B.)

One
"When we compare religions and how people worship there are innumerable differences, but there is one common denominator and that is God. It does not matter whether God is called Allah, El, YHWH, or Ishvara; he is worshiped and revered because he is the One." (Stephanie L.)

The Value of Prayer
"My first tour in Iraq, I saw very minimum praying by my soldiers. I guess we were too focused and confident in our jobs that we did not thing of the dangers. The second tour I saw more soldiers praying before missions and asking for a safe return. I also saw the numbers increase when our unit started to experience several of our soldiers being injured or killed. This is when I started seeing soldiers praying in groups instead of by themselves. It was during my third tour that I started to join them in prayer before missions. I’ve never been a person that you would call religious. It wasn’t until my third tour that I started to understand the comfort that praying brings in people, as it did to me and my men." (A. H.)

Synthesizing Faith From Diverse Religions
"I have been to Iraq every year since 2003. I once felt that this country was nothing more than sand and heat, until I began studying World Religions. I realize that I am in a country with so much history and the setting for many biblical stories; I am walking on the same soil that figures from the Bible may have stood upon! I have opened my eyes to the other cultures around me and respect their customs and religions more. I even have a desire to travel all over the world to visit different religious shrines and significant historical sites.

"For the first time in my life, an inner light is starting to shine and I feel moments of peace... I thought I was confused about my religion only because I was interested in learning about others and even considered converting, but a person can appreciate and find beauty in different religions without disrespecting their own beliefs. My outlook on life is comprised of several small segments from different religions and belief systems. I feel that everyone can take a little from each and apply them to their daily lives. I do believe that no matter which religion is practiced, you are praising God and seeking goodness in your life worthy of God’s love."

A Soldier's God
"He is your inner being, helping you to decide what is right and what is wrong."

Faith Overcomes Fear
“How do we train not to fear death, when fear of death is human nature? You cannot train someone not to fear death, but I believe faith in God and the understanding of life after death gives you the strength to accept death. I was not a man of faith during Desert Storm, but I was fearless on the battlefield when I was inside my tank. Yet when I got out of the tank, I did not have the same sense of security and I did experience fear for my life. Then I became a man of faith. This was just before Operation Iraqi Freedom. Here, I ride through the streets of Baghdad in a vehicle with plastic doors: yet I have peace of mind, a sense of security ,and no fear of death. God is awesome!”

A Vision of Humanity
"I have spent many many months in Iraq and have had the opportunity to interact with the people and communities here. There are bad people in all cultures and religions. Much the same way that Christians tried to justify the crusades, so do some Muslims attempt to justify terror as a legitimate Jihad. Sure we do get attacked and the enemy is always present, but from what I have seen the majority of the population here are peaceful, beautiful people.

Too often the images shown of Muslims through our news and papers involves very serious, unfriendly looking males and females who are not treated well, and who have little respect for life and those around them. I have had the opportunity to speak with the people here and to see the way that they interact with their families. I have seen a man kicking a soccer ball with his young son who was badly injured in a vehicle-born IED attack. He had the same look of love and caring in his eyes and on his face that we are used to seeing at home. They laugh, and joke and love each other. Most seem to be at peace with their lives and the situations in which they find themselves. And for as much as I don't want to be here, I am honored every time I am able to help one of the people here, or just to make a child smile. Despite all the hardships they face, the kids here genuinely appear to be happy. "

The Essence of Spirituality
"I've been a Soldier for 16 years.... I deployed to a war zone with the infantry in March 2003, and during that time, I had plenty of opportunities to reflect on my spirituality. I found that my "religion" and view of worship had substantially changed. My "religion" now revolves around what we were taught as children. Treat others and you would like to be treated. Practice the Golden Rule. I believe that all the goodness you inject into the universe finds a way of returning to you. I am trying to love strangers as I do my family and have found that, in doing so, some of those strangers have become my family."

Battle Buddy
"At the young age of seventeen I joined the Army.  At only nineteen I was heading down range to Iraq for my first deployment.  Young and scared I said goodbye to my family and friends and jumped on a plane with my new brothers and sister.  Ready to make the long flight to Kuwait.  After three weeks of anticipation we were ready to make the three day convoy to our FOB which would be our home for the next twelve months.  The convoy was long and tiresome.  The second night laying on the hood of my truck trying to sleep we started to hear small arms fire from the front of the convoy.  0100 in the morning pitch black except for the little moonlight, and here we are trying to get up and get to our positions to pull security. 

"While pulling security I can hear my battle buddy next to me start to pray.  I asked him what he was doing and he replied "I asked God to protect us from the enemy".  I asked him if he thought the enemy was praying to.  He responded by telling me that he hoped they were.  I was confused at this point but did not want to continue the conversation at this particular moment.  The next day when all the fighting was cleared I asked him what he meant by what he had said.  He went on to explain that every one should pray and ask for guidance and direction.  That God would always be there and help us get through the tough situations even if your in the wrong.  I never knew my battle buddy was religious before that day.  It opened my eyes to religion knowing that it brought peace to a person in a time of war. " (Robin R.)  


Religion Can Build Us Up Or Tear Us Down
(This portion of an essay from Mike Hodgin offers an Emersonian reflection on the philosophy of religion, and our responsibility in using or misusing aith.)

"In the same way that religion is grand and mystical, it is also subject to us. In the same sense that religion builds us up, it can also tear us down. Religion can be made to justify the greatest of human evils, just as it can encourage the best of all virtues. Religion, as the fulfillment of our needs, can be made subservient to our vices. It is strange to think that ideas as grand in scope as divinity and perfection can be corrupted to the point that they are used for evil. But it is true; if men are corruptible, then it follows that religion, as an aspect of men, is corruptible as well.

"All religions tend to this duality. Large and profound beyond our comprehension, they are also subject to our interpretations. We are subject to religion by the need of it, and religion is subject to us by our perception. If I have learned anything about religion, it is that I should take great care with it; for religion, in all its magnificent and glorious scope, is very delicate, and just the slightest injury can shatter it.

"It speaks to mankind's benefit that he should have such a need. A natural need of something larger and greater than ourselves only recommends our humility. And a natural need for justification only represents our conscience and our longing for righteousness. Is it wrong to infer that something better than ourselves, something more majestic and incapable of our own fallacies, should have instilled this need in us? It is impossible to say with any objectivity, of course, as I am just as subject to the need as any other, but it is good to hope."

God's Beauty in Iraq
"I truly realized the meekness of GOD the first night I spent in Iraq, gazing at the beauty of the night sky, and marveling at how the stars seemed as if I could jump and pull one out of the sky. It was a beautiful sight and I gazed all night, all given by the grace of GOD.

"Through the convoys, the mortars, and the gunfire, I understand that the GOD I serve holds all authority over life and death. I need not learn so much on my own understanding, reasoning. Through faith, the simple things: water to drink that is not in a bottle, the sun, the rain, the hot and the cold. Even dealing with people who don’t agree with me: this forces me to accept the fact that we all have opinions, so why get angry?

"More than anything, I enjoy sharing GOD's love with people. Through a simple hello, one can share GOD's Love. People say that I will talk to anyone, and I recently realized why. It doesn’t matter who you are, what you are, or what you do, I love to share myself with a simple hello: but moreso, a smile. Smiling makes my heart feel GOOD. My heart is where GOD dwells within me, which reflects in my smile, and makes my smile say, HELLO….

"Through Love comes acceptance: so what is there to hate?"


No Reasoning with Fanatics
"I've had Islamic friends for many years. I lived in Saudi Arabia immediately after the 1st Gulph War and still have a very high regard for Muslims. But when I served in Iraq, I was disgusted by our enemy, and their distorted interpretation of Jihad and God's law. One of my interpreters there was a very devout Shiite, and he told me that the insurgency was upset with their religious leader because he wouldn't declare Jihad on the Americans. But there are rules to declaring Jihad. Considering the reasons given by the insurgents, their Jihad would be against the rules of Islam, and therefore against God.

"I've found no greater hypocrisy than when I've dealt with religious fanatics. And I'm not singling out Mulsims. I attended a Baptist university and dealt with my share of fanatics there. Their hypocrasy was rapant. I think that fanaticism stems from people wanting things to apply only to them. When Itzak Rabin was assassinated by a right wing Jewish extremist, his own countryman, I felt that there truly was no reasoning with religious fanatics. How unfortunate it is to live in a world of technology and communication, only to be a couple of steps from the crusades and inquisition."


God Courses Through the Veins of All Faiths
(This perceptive and eloquent essay on religious pluralism was written by Casey Normon.)

"Being raised in a Christian church, I had never really thought about the exclusivity of the Church. I was taught from an early age that, “we were right.” I never really thought about whether or not anyone else could be “right” to. After many years of education, particularly in the history of Christianity, it became impossible to reconcile what I knew about religion and what I was being told. When religions have evolved as we have, can a singular religion be “right” or “true” as opposed to another? Religions overlap and intermingle. As in evolutionary theory, one can assume that religions can be traced back to a common origin. If all religion is of a single source, then no one religion can be superior to another. All things are relative. God's revelation has been adapted as relevant to different cultures. But the universal truth of God courses through the veins of all faiths.

"Prior to the Babylonian Captivity in 538 BCE, Judaism gave little thought to the afterlife. After their captivity, the Jews embraced what can only be assumed to be remnants of Persian Zoroastrianism, the religion of their captors. The concepts of judgment, heaven, hell, Satan, the afterlife: all were foreign to Judaism prior to the Exile. Monotheism and free-will, which are essential to Judeao-Christian belief, are also present in the teachings of Zoroaster. We almost certainly derived our eschatology from Zoroastrianism. Prior to the captivity, the Hebrews believed that the dead lived in a place called Sheol, eventually vanishing into oblivion. In post-exilic Judaism, a person’s soul is judged by God and accordingly rewarded or punished.

"Zoroastrianism is sometimes referred to as dualistic, meaning that two higher powers compete for the control of the universe. The evil spirit in Zoroastrianism is Shaitan, or Satan as we’ve come to know him. The influence of Shaitan has created an interesting dynamic in Judaism, and subsequently in Christianity. God created the universe, and rules it with omniscient and omnipresent power. Yet there is Satan, whom God created. Therefore Satan cannot be equal to God, but can compete with Him.

"Judaism has perhaps affected its daughter, Christianity, more than any other faith. In common, we have our monotheism, albeit somewhat altered. It could be said that without an understanding of Judaism, one cannot understand Christianity. This is due to the fact that the founder of Christianity, Jesus of Nazareth, was Jewish, as were most of his early followers. Early church buildings were designed like synagogues. The Lord’s Supper was based on the Jewish Passover meal, or seder. Baptism recalls the ritual cleansing in the mikvah before entering the Temple, a familiar symbolic act to the Jews of Jesus’ time. To Christians, this Baptism symbolizes cleansing before entering the eternal Temple: the Body of Christ. Like the Jews, Christians also inherited the eschatology of Zoroastrianism. And from Judaism, Christians inherited a Biblical respect for the Law. Our rules and rituals are set out in a legal canon.

"Turning Eastward, we also find an evolving pluralism. In India, Buddhism grew out of Hinduism much in the same way that Judaism took on aspects of Zoroastrianism, and Christianity was an extension of Judaism. Just as Christianity is a refined way of reaching God, Buddhism is a refined way of reaching the soul's enlightenment and release, the ultimate goal of Indian religion. Siddhartha, the founder of Buddhism, was a Hindu prince, much in the same way that Jesus was a Jew, born in the lineage of King David. In both Hinduism and Buddhism, meditation is an important method for reaching enlightenment. Both faiths believe in reincarnation. Neither religion proselytizes. Both value non-violence (ahimsa). Hinduism teaches that suffering one's negative karma with dispassion is a valuable way to reach enlightenment. Similarly, the Buddha taught dispassionate acceptance of the First Noble Truth: 'all life is suffering.'

"The point of all this is that no religion can be 'right' when every religion has evolved, changed, transformed, and renewed itself in some way. Reflecting on my experiences in the Church, and studying Church history, it became apparent to me that my Church could not be the one and only true church, or the only way to salvation. No single religion was conceived out of the blue, out of context, straight from the lips of God. It struck me that my protestant Church practiced baptism and communion much like the Roman Catholic Church. In reading the Bible, how would I take the words of Jesus, “Take this and eat it, for this is my body”? How do these words pertain to me, now, two thousand years later? In what way do I repeat that same feast? Of course, this is a tradition we received from the Catholic Church, through our protestant forebears, passed down to the modern Church of Christ.

"In reaching this understanding about Christianity, I come to the same conclusion about other faiths as well: that all are equal and valid. I am a Christian, because that is the context through which I understand God, but that does not negate the validity of the faiths of others."

The Family
"The thing that binds me back would have to be my family, not just my biological family, but the massive family that I have accumulated since I joined the Army. They are there when the bullets are flying by and the beers are being passed out. I am currently on my 3rd deployment since Sept 11. Since I have joined the Army I have been all over the world and seen just about how everyone lives. I have worked with people from many different cultures and religions. The thing I find most interesting is that we all want the same thing, for our children to grow up in a safe place and to be a little better off than their parents. I believe there is a God and that people should be allowed to worship God however they see fit. I also believe you don’t have to go to a church or a designated place to worship God; he is everywhere and is always watching and listening. Many people believe that we are fighting the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq for oil. I am not fighting for oil. I am fighting to make sure that the Soldiers I came here with make it home to see their loved ones again."

Essay On Religious Tolerance, by Kenneth K.
"Growing up in a Christian home in rural Maine provided me with a truly biased education on other religion. My parents were like Edith and Archie Bunker, my mom being blissfully ignorant but having good intentions and my father being prejudice which came from isolation from the world and not out of hatred. You might think that the following observations are racist and hateful; I assure you they are not. Maine is one of the least populated states in terms of density. In the 1970’s and 1980’s the minority population was approximately 1%. Opinions of other cultures and faiths were usually gained by television or word of mouth. It was easy to live life without interacting with non-white Christians, they just didn’t exist. I love my parents and know they meant well, but they were so far from the truth.

"Very little mention was made of other faiths in my home. I knew my father had been Catholic and my mother attended a Congregational church. I had heard of other religions, I saw Southern Baptists in movies and had driven past a Jehovah’s Witness Kingdom Hall. Other than television I had never seen a Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist or Sikh. We never talked about the Jewish faith except for some “enlightening” social-economic observations my father had.

"As a teenager I began to read more books and talked to different people outside my family. I found out that Christianity sprang from Judaism and that they believed in the same God. As I have grown older I have become more aware of the common ties between the two. Before this course I had never known that the relationship was more similar to father and son than broth and sister. I didn’t know that the Pentateuch of the Bible was the same as the Torah. The text has taught me of the Diaspora and the extent that the Jewish people have been persecuted over the centuries. I had also known of the Crusades, but had never known their affect on the Jewish people “Jewish communities all over Europe, particularly those in the Rhineland, were ravaged by the Crusaders. Many were killed, others forced to convert to Christianity, and still others committed suicide.” (Hopfe and Woodward). The Holocaust was a truly horrible event in mans history, but it often overshadows other events of lesser magnitude.

"As I have said before, I have known of the unity between Judaism and Christianity. Through talking to friends and coworkers over the years I have also learned of the ties between Christianity and Islam. I have always believed in a common thread between most religions, but have never had that concept demonstrated in a religion. Then I read the chapter on Baha’i. The concept of religious unity taught by the Baha’i is very appealing to me. In Religions of the World we learn that “The basic belief of Baha’i is that all religions come from the same source.” (Hopfe and Woodward). Coincidentally there was a Baha’i center near my home town. My father and I passed it every time we went fishing at our favorite beach. I didn’t know it was a religious center and I regret not being able to visit now.

"Baha’i is very appealing to me because of its religious truths including: “There is oneness of the entire human race…” and “All forms of prejudice, whether religious, racial, class related, or national, are condemned.” (Hopfe and Woodward). These ideas are very important to me and I hold them dear to my heart. I was struck with the concept of universal peace regardless of religion: “The establishment of a permanent and universal peace should be the supreme goal of humankind.” (Hopfe and Woodward). I look forward to further investigation of this faith...

"I now understand that not all Christians are intolerant. Unfortunately, it is not the moderate Christians that make the impression, but the ones who judge and attempt to convert with a sheer bombardment of Scripture. I was feeling this way with a fellow student in this class until I read the chapter on Buddhism. I conducted the Relaxation exercise during the discussion board and was able to look at this person with a new perspective. I then read the chapter on Taoism and was able to see things with even clearer eyes. I am glad I did, because I normally wouldn’t be able to read Biblical verses without being prejudiced. I say this because I feel fortunate to have been able to read the real teachings of Christ and the exquisite words of I Corinthians:

"Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices at right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

"I realize now that people who act this way do not always do so out of malice, but out of an inability to face people without the shield of their faith. They use their faith as a compass, a guide and sometimes even a crutch. It is the nature of faith to depend on that same faith when facing adversity. Mahatma Gandhi once said. I like your Christ; I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ. This used to be one of my favorite quotes, but now I disagree with its generality. I think it can be true at times, but it is the exception, not the rule. I have found a quote I like more: Toleration isn't much. But it is the first step towards curiosity, interest, study, understanding, appreciating and finally valuing diversity. If we can get everyone on the first step of tolerance, at least we won't be killing each other."

I Am a Non-Believer, But I Pray
"I don’t really believe that there is a god or a higher being. However, my mom prays every day for me while I am here in Iraq. I am a non-believer, but I started to pray in my room at night, asking to leave this place unharmed. Why did I start believing? I have no choice. When there are rockets and mortars landing near me, and I lie on the ground helplessly hoping that I will be lucky enough to live another day, I comfort myself by hoping there is someone up there who can help me."

My Religious Perspective: Pluralism 

What is your religious perspective, pluralism or exclusivism? Simply put, this is asking if you believe all religions lead to God or if you think only your religion leads to God. For many this is an easy question, but for me I had to think long and hard about it. I thought about all I have learned in this class and what I know from religious experiences and I used that knowledge to make my decision. First of all, Christianity originated from Judaism and Islam (Muslims) believes they are the completion of what others have started. Second, Baha’i believes all religions come from the same source. This religion also uses multiple scriptures from other religions for its worship. Third, Hinduism was so successful due to the fact that it incorporated and absorbed features from other religions. Lastly, in Chinese religions it is totally acceptable to be Buddhist, Taoist, and Confucian. Though all these religions may worship differently and believe different things, they have had an enormous impact on my way of thinking. I will use some of these examples to prove my religious perspective.

First of all, I will describe how Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are all related. ”Christianity began as a sect of Judaism.”(Religions of the World, pg 280) It is my belief that both of these religions made way for the Muslim religion. “Muslims considered Judaism and Christianity to be God-given faiths.” (Religions of the World, pg 256) Therefore they considered themselves as “the completion of what others had begun.” (Religions of the World, pg 336) By others they are referring to the Jewish and Christian religions. The above quotes are just one way these three religions are related. They seem to originate from and build from one another. These three religions are all monotheistic and believe in one creator. Jews call their God YHWH, Christians traditionally use the term God but some still use the term YHWH when speaking of God, and the Muslims call their God Allah. “The basic belief of Islam is that there is only one God, who is called Allah, the same God worshiped by Jews and Christians.”(Religions off the World, pg 333) They are all worshipping the same God. They all three believe in angels and demons and they believe that a correct belief and good deeds are the guide to salvation. Along with correct belief and good deeds, Muslims incorporate the Five Pillars and Christians incorporate sacraments. They believe they had prophets to spread God’s word. Abraham and Moses were common to all three religions. Jesus was common to Muslim and Christianity. The Jews believed Jesus was not a prophet and the Muslims believed that Mohammad was the final prophet. There are some differences that have separated these religions from one another. The Christians believe Jesus died on the cross for our sins. The Jews don’t believe he died for our sins. The Muslims believe that he didn’t die but ascended to heaven during the crucifixion. The Jews had their Hebrew Bible which later became the Old Testament in the Christian’s Holy Bible. The Muslims had the Qur’an which was the written revelations to which Mohammad had received. “Islam respects the Scriptures of the Jews and Christians, but the Qur’an is understood to be God’s final message.” (Religions of the World, pg 339) Though they have many similarities and differences, I feel that these three religions are worshiping the same God.

Second, followers of the Chinese religions are allowed to be Taoist, Buddhist, or Confucian. “It is perfectly acceptable for the traditional Chinese to be a Buddhist, Taoist, and Confucian.”(Religions off the World pg 169) The Buddhist teachings can be summed up in the Four Noble Truths which are as follows: “right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration.”(Religions off the World, pg 132) Early Taoism was centered on the following themes: “The basic unity behind the universe is a mysterious and undefinable force called the Tao.” “Life is the greatest of all possessions.” “Life is to be lived simply” and “Pomp and glory are to be despised.”(Religions of the World, pg 176-178) Tao is best defined as “nature’s way.” The Confucians believe in the five basic relationships of life. The five basic relationships are: “Father to son”, “Elder brother to younger brother”, “husband and wife”, “Elder to junior”, and “Ruler to subject.”(Religions of the World, pg 186-187) They believe “li is the outward expression of the superior individual towards others in his society” and that “the inward expression” is called jen. (Religions of the World, pg 187) Reading these basic beliefs, it is easy to see how you could be all three. Although these religions are polytheistic, who is to say that one of their many gods is not the same god that the Jews, Christians, and Muslims worship. Most people, whether they know it or not, try to live by the Four Noble Truths. For example, right view could be interpreted having the right God or belief, all religions believe their God or religion is the right one. I feel like that we all live life in “nature’s way” or Tao. We pick our religion and led God lead us in our lives. Finally, we all have some sort of “basic relationship” to the people we know. “Husband to wife” is a great example because Jews, Christians, and Muslims all believe the man is in charge and the woman is to be the obedient one. So not only can these three Chinese religions go hand in hand but I believe they also bring out some of the religious and social characteristics of people from other religions.

Finally, the belief of Baha’i “is that all religions come from the same source.”(Religions of the World, pg 373) This religion discards angels and demons and says “heaven and hell are symbolic.” (Religions of the World, pg 373) In the Baha’i religion, “the Qur’an takes its place, along with the Christian and Hebrew Bibles and the sacred writings of other religions, as holy Scripture and as a source for Baha’i worship.” (Religions of the World, pg 373) It teaches that the missions of Moses, Jesus, Mohammad, Buddha, Zoroaster, Bab, and Bahaullah were the “continuous and progressive process” of divine revelations. The Baha’i doctrine to the world consists of the following: “there is oneness of the entire human race”, “there must be an independent search after truth, unfettered by superstition or tradition”, “ there is a basic unity of all religions”, and “all forms of prejudice, whether religious, racial, class related, or national, are condemned.”(Religions of the World, pg374) These are just few parts of the doctrine; there are a total of thirteen statements.  I believe these statements show just how much this religion believed that all religions “come from the same source.”

In conclusion, I believe that the Jewish, Christian, and Muslim faiths are all worshiping the same God and have all derived from Judaism. Christians and Muslims just built on to it and changed what they did to adapt to their beliefs. I believe that the Chinese religions go together easily and make it possible to be more than one of them. I also believe that they have some qualities that people use in their everyday life and religion. Finally, I believe that the Baha’i religion sums up all religions. They all “come from the same source.” Is my religious perspective pluralism or exclusivism? Before I started this class, I knew that my religion, Christianity, was the only religion that would lead to God. After this class, I have seen the ways each religion ties into or compliments one another. I strongly believe that even though they follow different paths, all religions lead to the same God. My perspective is pluralism. (Tina R.)

'God Will Never,' By Reinaldo D.
This wonderful meditation came out of an assignment to do Buddhist mindfulness practice. This student, who obviously can hardly write English, for he is a Brazilian-American infantryman in Afghanistan, is in its own way a profound synthesis of Buddhism meditation and Christian prayer. It is so wonderful, I will not attempt to correct any of its grammar. 
 

God will never abandon you! Absolutely! The Father does not abandon nobody. He dresses of multi-colorful the teeny birds, he decorates of beauty and he has perfumed the flowers and He does not leave to die of hunger nor the insects nor the teeny worms. It is certain: the hair of my head does not fall, without allows His permition. Trusts the FATHER! He will never abandon you!

I used this message above for my meditation, and use the technique on the discussion board.

 I started my meditation in each word and started to control  my breathing, I was very stressed because in my line of work, sometimes  I ask myself where is God? Why  these bad things  have to happen? Why we if kills to ones others? I'm a  infantryman, find that we are doing a good work here ,  the only thing that bother me the most is why of hatred? We are all brothers has the same God, and why they treated the women so badly? I thought about everything this and tried to release  myself from this word and trying to find an answers.

I thought about each word of above, controlled my breathing and found some answers. Today I feel very better for now on all the time before leaving out I look for  quiet place to mediate and to think that everything has a reason to happen. Nothing is this world happen without God's will. He never abandon us, He is with us in every step off the way.

I use a Christian meditation I hope is all right.


I Do Not See Islam as a Threat
Living in Iraq and Afghanistan for five years, I have become knowledgeable of Islamic practices amongst Muslims. They believe and love in our Lord. Their way of life may be a taboo to our Christian ways, but their faith in God in unwavering. I held many conversations with Muslims about Allah and we shared many similar teachings of our religions. Really the only difference is that we know Jesus as God's son, while Muslims view Jesus as a prophet. Muslims in my opinion are more humble before the Lord, bowing down forehead against the ground when praying. Muslims fully submit themselves when addressing Allah. I do not see Islam as a threat against Christianity, I see the religion as a stricter submission before God.  
~Daniel M.