THE QUESTION

Times of War

How do you keep your faith during times of war?

Posted by Sally Quinn and Jon Meacham on May 30, 2007 6:26 AM
FROM THE PANEL

Faith Becomes More, Not Less, Apparent

War does not give enough space for intellectual doubt.

Posted by Adin Steinsaltz, on June 5, 2007 9:11 AM

Finding God in Peace and War

The question implies that when a society is plunged into the chaos and evil of war, faith becomes especially difficult to hold on to. This is undoubtedly true, but many religious writers would say that it is far easier to...

Posted by Thomas G. Bohlin, on June 5, 2007 8:02 AM

Faith During Wartime

Emotions are energy, and energy is lifeforce, the counter to death.

Posted by Starhawk, on June 5, 2007 7:19 AM

How Do We Keep Faith in Fellow Man?

How do the Darfuris keep faith with God after all that has happened to them at the hands of their own countrymen?

Posted by Julia Neuberger, on June 5, 2007 6:18 AM

Faithful Ask Smarter Questions

Only worshipers of an idol of their own wish fulfillment could ask this particular question in the way it is posed.

Posted by John Shelby Spong, on June 4, 2007 9:09 AM

The Shield of Faith in The Midst of War

At the end of the day my Faith will strengthen me and preserve me for the peace to come.

Posted by Samuel Rodriguez, on June 4, 2007 8:13 AM

Faith in Whom? We Do Have Choices

I always feel like this question of God's presence or absence or wounding can't be addressed without the parallel question, "Well, where are the humans?"

Posted by Gustav Niebuhr, on June 4, 2007 7:31 AM

'Just War' or Just War?

President Bush, who sees himself as a devout Christian, has waged a war that the majority of mainstream religious leaders see as a violation of Just War doctrine.

Posted by John Esposito, on June 4, 2007 6:44 AM

Life is Tough

Fear propels us to accept fiction for fact, illusions for reality, to give ourselves over to idols of our own creation in the hope they will save us.

Posted by James Anderson, on June 1, 2007 9:31 AM

Don't Ask Why, But What Can I Do?

The real question ought to be how can we keep faith in face of natural disasters and human brutality towards other humans?

Posted by Pamela K. Taylor, on June 1, 2007 8:25 AM

Gods of Peace and Gods of War

Some Hindu gods promise a deeper, more philosophical peace that comes when you’ve figured out that there is no reason ever to have war at all.

Posted by Wendy Doniger, on June 1, 2007 7:53 AM

God Closest in Times of Suffering

Ultimately, the answer to where God is in times of war is that he’s on the Cross.

Posted by Charles "Chuck" Colson, on June 1, 2007 6:31 AM

More Religion Means More Peace

What concerns me about war is not my faith in God, but the role of institutionalized religion in letting itself be used to legitimize violence

Posted by Anthony M. Stevens-Arroyo, on May 31, 2007 9:50 AM

Faith in God, Not Man

I keep my faith because it is not in fallen humanity, but in God.

Posted by Cal Thomas, on May 31, 2007 8:45 AM

Spirituality of Resistance

I find that resisting war is an act of the most profound spirituality.

Posted by Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite, on May 31, 2007 7:43 AM

No Atheists in Fox Holes

The horror of war can be challenging to ones faith unless one believes that God does not want war.

Posted by Thomas J. Reese, S.J., on May 31, 2007 6:23 AM

Love Among the Ruins

In times of war, my faith teaches me to look for signs of love gathering around the evil and violence.

Posted by Brian D. McLaren, on May 30, 2007 10:00 AM

In Praise of Foxhole Atheists

There is nothing good to be said for keeping one's faith in the supernatural in the face of war.

Posted by Susan Jacoby, on May 30, 2007 9:43 AM

War Requires Turn to Faith

War is the ultimate definition of human failure! Faith is not lost during war but rather what is lost is faith in human nature, reason, compassion, decision making, justice, and the rule of law. If we possesses faith in God...

Posted by John Bryson Chane, on May 30, 2007 8:52 AM

Pray, Study and Keep Working

War sharpens some of the horrible things about the way the world currently is but doesn't change the basic structure of a good world in rebellion and longing for redemption.

Posted by Nicholas T. Wright, on May 30, 2007 7:15 AM

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FEATURED COMMENTS

Volt Rare: Luckily for most us Americans, the cost of war is very low. (knock on wood) It would be better to ask how people in Iraq, Vietnam, Darfur,...

Boinkie: Your "conversation" includes a lot of smart people, but if you bother to read them it seems that all they are doing is repeating cliches abo...

readlife: Those who think they hear the word of 'god' and have religious experiences are suffering from temporal lobe epilepsy. Those who say they ar...

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