The Arms of God

Twenty five years ago, I was building a Passive Solar House for a client in the countryside. My lead carpenter on the project was a part time preacher in one of those new full gospel Christian churches. This is the fundamentalist group that has to some degree, with the help of the Corporatist, taken over the government of the geographic state of the United States.

Since it was 1979, and the mid-east was in another turmoil spike,we were visiting about War and the role of the Church. He was a red neck, and I was a maturing hippie intellectual. I said that it is the role of the United States, during these times, to protect itself-not with the arms of war, but with the arms of positive contribution toward the betterment of humankind.

I argued that, because of our great weapons of destruction, we had come to a time in the history of humankind in which this great people would have the opportunity to truly make a difference in the destiny of humankind. I argued that when this time came, that this Nation should, in fact, lay down its arms of war, and instead defend itself by providing the advanced technologies needed for a growing World. I offered that a proper national defense in these times would not be bullets, but butter, that Food, Energy, and Inspiration would be the weapons systems that would rule a soon to be unrulable World.

I even cited scripture reminding him that the Lord admonished us from the Mount to Resist Not Evil.

This fire and brimstone preacher would have nothing to do it. He argued that we must defend Israel, that we must fight the godless communist, that we must defend liberty and democracy, and then suddenly, as if a light switch was turned on, he stopped.

"Yes, Lord," he said.

"What was that about," I asked.

The Lord just told me that these ideas are not his.

And, he told me that this nation should embrace Peace not War.

A bright stillness fell into the cab of the car.

My spine tingled.

There was a twinkling.

And for a brief moment.

An overweight undereducated sometimes brilliant Lover of God.

Knew that the arms of Man.

Were not the Arms of God.

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Yesterday, the Scripps Institute released their study on Climate Change.

Friday, February 18, 2005

Ocean study points to climate change,
Solution is needed now

By BOB KEEFE COX NEWS SERVICE

SAN DIEGO -- Scientists at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography said yesterday that they have discovered the first clear evidence of human-produced warming in the world's oceans, a finding they say leaves little doubt that man-made "greenhouse gases" are the main cause of global climate change.

Even if environmental changes are made immediately, researchers said, some parts of the world -- including the western United States, South America and China -- won't be able to stop dramatic water shortages, melting glaciers and ice packs, and other crises in the next 20 years.

"The implications are huge ... and in the short term, we're sort of screwed," said Tim Barnett, a marine physicist at Scripps, part of the University of California-San Diego.

Barnett said the findings were so significant that the Bush administration should immediately convene research for solutions on the level of the Manhattan Project, the World War II research operation that quickly developed the atomic bomb.

A Bush administration spokesman greeted news of the study with indifference

It is clear.

Our enemy is not another religion.

Our enemy is not a technique of resistance.

Our enemy is not a dead communal political idea,

Our enemy is not some foreign geographic state.

Our enemy is, as Pogo says,

Our own unenlightened selves.

And like that day 25 years ago,

We might soon realize that man's old ideas,

may not be God's ideas.

And we will lay down the arms of man

and pick up the Arms of God.

And win the Peace.

For the Earthfamily.



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