Lord knows I do need anger management skills! I am not knowledgeable enough to know what actions in the screening and therapeutic realms might aid. I simply don’t know enough to make any sort of reasonably educated recommendation.

But we can always use a bit more witnessing

I am here for your enjoyment, and for you to practice your anger management skills.

Anyway, I always want to take the “an opportunity for witness” that we could all agree on your perspective of the suicide tragedies. But what is your solution to the suicide tragedies — a) no war b) more folks like me screening c) more therapy d) more witnessing?

I say less war and screening rarely helps — our screening is a useless 4 BILLION dollar contract — given to a certain governor to buy him out of a past presidential race. Thought you’d like the side info, and didn’t really expect you to be reactive, but I should have known better. I guess I am just a recalcitrant troll.

I always get a kick when you say something as if it is supposed to shock me or be a detriment to my argument or beliefs or whatever and it is nothing of the sort:

And you’d have to admit, there is certainly no universal Christian ethic. Wow, isn’t that interesting, as much of a difference among the variety of Christians over time as among non-Christians over time.

Anyway. I also think that ethical discussion and even agreement can be reached with people of varying beliefs. I just don’t think that the reasons that some might agree on an issue are the same. So “ethical discussions can take place equally without the religious element” seems to me to both true and false. We might agree that murder is wrong, but I believe it for “religious” reasons and you don’t.

As Christians, it is important that we not lose an opportunity for witness and also judgement in this.

Gee, how about as humans – can’t us atheists get in there too?

I work part-time screening soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan for suicidal/homicidal potential — tough job. But by then, to be cynically honest, I think it is almost too late. Sure, you may save one or two lives, but those lives are already severely damaged either way. Not to mention the lives of Iraqis damaged.

The damage of self-righteous self-interests is deadly under any faith or lack thereof. Humans are dangerous.

Fr. Gunter,

The repentance service does sound like it could be a time of great healing. I wonder though how difficult it would be to get support. The prevailing culture, Christians included, glorify the soldier and give them ‘honor.’ How conflicted might a soldier be to repent of something for which they have long thought themselves worthy of immitation? I think a similar point might apply to a congregation.

But a worthy idea and one that I think could be transformative.

Shawn,

That is an interesting thought. Almost like some of the sins St. Paul lists in Romans as carrying their own punishment in the doing themselves so that they carry around the burden in their own body.

James,

What a deeply and sadly ironic thing to happen today. We ‘recovering’ pentecostals might see in such a situation a possibility for Christ’s healing.