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LTC David Brown religion and politics are the two most difficult things to discuss online. I think is we all know by now, we can't get emotion or necessarily context of the person writing.
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As a devout Christian I would oppose the statement that God has a plan as far as who our next president is going to be. You see, as I'm sure you're aware, God gave man free will. God is not up there playing each one of us like a marionette on strings to do this who do that. It gives us his word which is his will for us through scripture. What we do with it is up to us. I don't recall ever reading in the Bible that Donald Trump would be re-elected for a second term. I mean no sarcasm when I say that.

PO2 Frederick Dunn I try to avoid religious conversations because we have so many flavors of religion as I call them. What is acceptable to one may not be to another.

Remember that God gave us free will. When we exhausted that free will to our own detriment there was a great flood. The Book of Revelations is clear on what is to come. We can't change it. We can only wait for the rapture.

I know that there are many fine Democrats out there that are Christians. Jews. Muslims. All faiths. Knowing this I find it difficult to believe that they would allow our country to throw things aside like abortion as if it doesn't matter. I don't think John F Kennedy would have had a problem denouncing abortion. I find it unsettling though that he was heralded as the first Catholic President of the country. Why would that matter? Why does it seem to matter so much to the Judge Amy Coney Barrett is a devout Catholic when she hasn't done anything on the bench to demonstrate that she would use her religion against the Constitution? What about Joe Lieberman being a Jew and being put on the ticket? I didn't have a problem with that. From what I know of him Joe was a fine man. Isn't that what we want in politics? Fine people? I would have even accepted Mitt Romney even though I'm uncomfortable with some tenants of his religion. But the fact that he has a religion that he follows did basically command that he be a decent person is good enough for me. I don't like the a-hole moves that he has pulled on President Trump especially since I know that he's trying to position himself for another presidential run.

PO2 Frederick Dunn I don't have a good church. I live in the mountains and with no disrespect to their religion, this is Mormon country. When the Mormons came across the mountains they inhabited this area and built a substantial following. I'm a southern baptist if it matters.

I thought I had found a church where and I felt most comfortable. I was attending discipleship training so that I could teach others the word. But there came a time with one member in the church who would get up every Sunday and sing praise to God and His glory. But one day she was party to a conversation with my daughter, a brain cancer patient, who was frustrated with her daughter who kept fighting with her. They ended up at the counselor's office. My daughter made a spontaneous exclamation that she would just kill herself. This parent, this woman of Christ, would later tell me that it was none of her business to tell me that my daughter threatened to kill herself.

I took this to the associate pastor who told me to read Matthew 18. I didn't need to read about forgiveness. I need advice on how to work with a member of the flock that was not acting very christian-like. My daughter ended up running away from home shortly after church services and when I found her the crowd in the diner would not let me leave with my daughter. As a mandated reporter I know what the law is and I know that I can have forced her to leave. Instead I waited for the Sheriff's Department. They did the usual checks to make sure that there were no strike marks on my hands because my daughter alleged I beat her. I called my pastor for help and he told me he was too busy. He suggested that I might find a more suitable Church since rural churches have their own politics.

I haven't been back to church since.

PO2 Frederick Dunn ion Christian hosting Solutions. I get my dose of Christianity on a daily basis. I get to view the sermons posted by churches on a regular basis.

I do prefer the South. I especially like black churches in this is not a racist statement. During Services one day a older black couple attended I assume because they were visiting our Mountain Resort communities. The praise band was playing and the entire Caucasian audience was just kind of clapping along. I turned around and I looked at the expression on the faces of these two fine individuals and I can only imagine what they were thinking about us not apparently having the spirit of the Lord in us. LOL. It's just such a contradiction or difference maybe is a better word that a black church did I truly enjoy! I have even attended Mass just for the purpose of attending church. I took the communion as well.

My story runs even deeper and I really don't want to get that deep into it. Let's just say however that my divorce was hastened after learning that my wife was a Unitarian and not a Christian. Originally she was a Christian Scientist and I believe to this day she still is. When our daughter had been diagnosed with brain cancer my now ex-wife said to me that she would rather our daughter die with dignity than live with disabilities. With that information I went to court and was awarded immediate custody. My faith has been tested continually and I do my best to rise to it. Faith without works is dead. That's why I say that man has free will and although we may profess to Believe In Christ as our savior unless we take actions to live in his word and as he has commanded us to do we're missing out on the point. God doesn't live above us dangling Marionette strings and divining that we will win the lottery.

With that even said I will tell you that I truly believe in miracles. I've experienced them. When my daughter had first been diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer after three and a half weeks of being a patient in the hospital and part of that time being tied to a bed for over a week waiting for an MRI for which she could not eat prior to, she was finally discharged to home. She was on the sofa downstairs and writhing and screaming out in pain without ceasing. I was kneeling beside her and praying and crying. I finally got angry with the Lord and looked up to where he's supposed to be and I screamed at him "Just leave her alone! She's just a little girl and she doesn't deserve this! Dear God, just let her get some sleep!"

There was no bolt of lightning. There was no crash of thunder. Suddenly there was just instant silence and my baby girl felt to sleep for the first time in days.

You cannot tell me that God does not exist and miracles are a figment of our imagination and simply coincidence.

I humbly leave you as, Bob.

Yes it will