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Please share your thoughts.

War Wounds us All (April 7, 2003)
Thank you for the program; the voices of these thoughtful people have a healing power in hurtful times. Jean Bethke Elshtain's justification of the Iraq war was challenging (but) from reading articles of hers on just war, it seems her reasons are not as strong as she declares.

Ms. Elshtain worries about the Puritanism and inaction of religious leaders; we can worry just as much about cynicism and overreaction on the part of political leaders. In any case, as Chris Hedges suggests: War wounds us all.

Steve Nagel
Winona, MN

Elshtain's Astounding Assumption (April 6, 2003)
Jean Bethke Elshtain's comments on a "just war" made fine sense within themselves, but to my mind, they were irreparably contaminated (and their motives rendered suspect) by her quick and casual opening statement that Iraq is, de facto, a just war.

After all, that is the crux of the conflict between those who support this war and those who don't. If this war were clearly just, it would draw far more unanimity than this one has.

Nearly all Americans would quickly endorse a war against a nation that posed a clear and present danger to us or to other peoples. No such threat has been shown. So Elshtain's allusions to our slowness to respond to Hitler's aggressions are inappropriate and irrelevant. Iraq didn't even take action against us (or anyone) during the years when no inspectors were in the nation!

Finally, she slid right over the other crucial question regarding an Iraqi war: "Why now?"

By starting with the assumption that this war is just, and that it was somehow imperative for us to go to war now despite the iron grip in which Iraq was being held, Elshtain sounded more like a propagandist for the war than a philosopher.

Gregg Hodgson
Miller Beach, IN

Platitudes in a Time of Crisis (April 2, 2003)
I agree with Todd Alderson from Pasadena (below), in that when times like these arise, "easy answers" seem to be the only words that come out of the collective "Christian" right wing. I am a Christian, too, and like Scott, I struggle in how to make biblical principles apply to our complex modern lives. This war has got us into deep muck in a myriad of ways.

We are going to be paying for it for years, in more ways than one, just like all our other miscalculated foreign policies of the past. We aided Hussein and bin Laden when they were our "buddies" and were "the enemy of our enemy". How things so quickly change! Just a quick scan of the Old Testament will highlight how treacherous things get so quickly in the Middle East. I pray for our troops and leaders.

Mark Roalson
Hoyt Lakes, MN

Living Faith in War (March 31, 2003)
This was a much needed program—one that avoided many of the simplifications I hear in arguments on both sides of this issue. As a Christian, it addressed a problem I have been quietly struggling with but do not really know how to address.

Are we called to be inherently pacifist, or are we obligated to fight for justice for our neighbors? Are we fighting for justice, or simply our security? Does the fact that we may have some self interest in the result mean we should avoid the battle?

James Thorson
Scandia, MN

Sense of Alienation (March 31, 2003)
Listening to the guest discuss how faith provides a framework for thinking about morality and ethics in war I developed a sense of alienation and isolation I have not experienced since high school. In high school, I was often isolated by my interest in mathematics, science and philosophy, while my classmates enjoyed membership in groups that gave them all their answers.

The guest speaks as if only religious leaders have the moral foundation to address concerns of justice, when in fact my experience is that dogma drives so much of how the faithful look at the world. Often the very fact that people's faith gives them comfort is a reflection of the fact that they do not have to actually think through the issues completely.

I completely support this war for the same reason I would have supported war in Europe in 1936, when Hitler remilitarized the Rheinland and the democracies did nothing. However, I am disturbed by the apologists who continuously wrap this fight in a religious banner. I am particularly concerned that the good guys (that would be the liberation forces of the U.S. and the United Kingdom) are guided in part by a religious fanatic (President Bush), while the bad guys (that would be, at least initially, Saddam) are actually quite secular, and are shamelessly using religion as a tool to motivate their people.

Personally, I think that religions should be able to compete with each other at the level of rival high school football teams, perhaps even less acrimoniously, and should be able to shake hands afterwards and go home without feeling that they must followup by killing the oppositoin. This is especially true for religous fanatics with nuclear weapons (the U.S., Pakistan, India).

Bruce W. Morlan
Northfield, MN

Spiritual Dimensions of Peace (March 30, 2003)
I appreciated the program on "Religion in a Time of War." What seems to get lost in so many discussions of this type, however, is the reality of the realm of spirit (heaven) which is the basis of all Jesus' teachings. Knowing that God is Spirit, and that human beings are spiritual beings that need to "awaken" to this fact, he spoke in a way that eschewed the traditions and rituals of the Jewish faith which had become too material and no longer had the spiritual basis that they did when first implemented.

When he talked about being a peacemaker in this world, and "turning the other cheek," and "praying for one's enemies" and "reaping what one sows," he was acknowledging that the realm of spirit is the realm of causation—"as within, so without." His most powerful teaching was that man must repent of the "love of power" and replace it with the "power of love," for it was truly the only power that brought about lasting and beneficial change, not only to the one who exercised it, but to the one who received it.

It is my prayer that this war with Iraq, and all the confusion and spiritual questioning that it is engendering, will in some way bring about a rediscovery of these truths, and Americans will once again embrace these powerful truths that gave birth to this nation's former greatness.

Jackie Austin
Rock Rapids, IA

An Honest Look (March 29, 2003)
I especially appreciated the thoughts expressed by Rev. Peter J. Gomes and how his thoughts are based on the Scriptures and the Kingdom principles given to us by Jesus. For him, these are very real and should critique what we do as individuals, communities, and nations and try to transcend our present situations.

What I find missing so often is the honesty we need as a nation, that is, a willingness to take an honest look at ourselves and see the part we play as a nation in the "brokenness" of the world. Your second guest was missing this element all together. As one person once said, "The biggest character flaw of this nation is our unwillingness to look at our character flaws." But we as a nation don't want to hear that from other nations and cultures or see that.

But we need to, instead of trying to always silence it by violence or threats toward other people.

name withheld
Saginaw, MI

Pray for all in War Zone (March 28, 2003)
Prayer hasn't been my forte in life. Just ask my family—I hardly ever pray at dinner table. When I do ask for God's attention, I usually have a short prayer with little substance. However, I found myself in passionate prayer this morning listening to the deep debate about our participation in this freaky war. I asked God if we were doing the right thing and [to] try to give me peace of mind concerning the killing of innocents and the killing of our own young men and women. I couldn't believe I ever prayed like that.

My belief is we shouldn't be there, and I asked God to forgive me if I was wrong. Our president has not convinced me that this war is necessary. And I know he has prayed for guidance. Who is right?

P.S. I'm a veteran of WWII, if that means anything.

Paul Durbahn
Stewartville, MN

We welcome your reflections on the topics of this program.
Please share your thoughts.