I served as a helicopter pilot in Vietnam from November of 1967 through November of 1968. That experience convinced me that the human race is on a path to its own destruction with only two paths open for our survival. One path is through human cooperation in the development of limited international governance under the rule of just laws which can hold international criminals, and the leadership of rogue nations accountable for their actions. The other path flowed from my religion and the belief that God would intervene to save humanity.
After the attack of September 11 the world stood united in the opinion that the attack was an act of terrorism and an international crime. Instead of using that consensus and the attack to further develop the rule of international law and bring the perpetrators to justice, George Bush and the Bush Administration declared a war on terrorism and began referring to that war as a crusade. In May 2002, George Bush stop the ratification of the Rome Accord and notified the UN that the United States did not recognize any obligation toward the Rome Statute, effectively withdrawing the United States from the International Criminal Court ending what little chance there was for peace and justice through the rule of law. I knew the war he had started would last for generations, increase conflicts, lead to other wars, and divert our attention from the problems we need to solve in order to survive as a species. Would God intervene as some were claiming?
Natural disaster, war, man’s inhumanity to man, and human suffering have never triggered God’s intervention no matter who the victims were. So, what would trigger that intervention. For me the answer was simple and clearly stated in the Christian Bible: Matthew 18:19-20 Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them. Believing it was the only chance left for peace and long term human survival, I sat down and wrote the Martyr’s Prayer and began the Martyr’s Prayer Challenge.
If God cared about the human race, God Would Answer
If God had a covenant with the Jewish people, God would answer the Martyr’s Prayer! If the Jewish people had a Divine right to a homeland in the Middle East, God would answer! If Jesus was the son of God, God would answer! If Mohammad was the final prophet, God would answer! Thousands of clerics have been challenged, three Popes have been challenged, hundreds of news outlets have been notified about this prayer challenge, and it has been posted on the Internet but God is still silent, what does it mean?
It means that the truth is in God’s Design, not the Myths, Legends, and Lies of mankind. It means we are one species with one destiny and our destiny is in our own hands. God gave us a universe with infinite possibilities for life and ecosystems for all life forms. Every ecosystem has a limit to the life it can support and a balance that must be maintained or that ecosystem will be destroyed. It means that God has no preferences, God made no promises, God does not answer human prayers, and God’s only message to life in this universe is: Destroy what I have created and you will destroy yourselves!
Global warming is real, climate change is real, overpopulation is the underlying cause and if we do not change we will destroy our ecosystem and we will destroy ourselves. If you truly believe in your religion, pray for God’s answer! When God does not answer, stop the hate, stop the division, stop the violence, and join the quest for knowledge and the survival of all that God has created.
“Lord,
Please answer The Martyr’s Prayer Challenge as requested in The Martyr’s Prayer and bring peace to this planet.
Amen”