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I like your post and agree with heverythhing you've said, except one thing: "I'll pray for you" is perfectly fine to say. I can't say I've had an overzealous life, but to lose a man under your command, or to lose a best friend, or a parent God forbid, people like hearing that you are in their prayers. I know that I don't say it unless I do really mean it, and I mean it the few times I say it.

Prime example, I lost a man just a few weeks ago, a good friend and I'll never forget him. This man's services were held and his friends and fmamily were their, packed out the funeral home, amazing. I'd never seen that before, because my father's funeral had seven people, myself, my stepfather, my older brother, my mother, his dead weightlifting buddy's wife and hher new husband, and anaothehr woman who used to cut his hair who ran a convenience store alongside it. I've never seen a funeral home FILLED like when my buddy died, not everyone had a place to sit.

Point is, I must have heard thirty people say to his wife, "Your in my prayers." and I venture to say maybe ten people actualy prayed. You're right, Melinda, it is B.S., when people lie about it. But I don't say it unless I'm praying, or already have prayed, or am deliberately setting up a time to go to pray. I don't use it often, but when I do, I follow through.

I hate those people who say it to be politically correct. If you say you're going to do it, THEN DO IT. Do it right then, right there, no one will laugh at you, and if they do, then they are the ones who will answer later in life with misfortune.

My father taught me his creed, as he was another one of the fmaily in service, a Ranger, he said, "We know we're going to hehaven, because we've been through hell." I believe it, too. you know if you do the right thing and don't impose your religion on others but allow them to learn on their own, then you're doing the right thing. But again, don't forcefeed the religion to people.

Their are many religions on this forum: Kiera mentioned she was a buddhist(whethehr thhat is Mahayana, Shinto, or Therevada, I don't know), I know someone here is methodist or presbyterian, there might be some Catholics, I'd imagine with the few from Ireland here. The U.S. has a hihgh Protestant outreach, which means that a lot of people here Protestant. The howle notion is thhat allowing one's own hcoice is what is necessary to develop true integrity.

I used to know this guy, my old commander, a Captain Word, and he was a sumbuck when it came to religion. EVERY SINGLE DAY, he'd try to convert me, from nthing to this Protestant lover of Jesus. He told me that if I wash my sins, and walk a good path with the Bible in my hand and Jesus in my heart, that I would walk beside him in the kingdon of heaven. I had him forcefeed that into my throat EVERY damn day, about hohw I was going to hell because I hadn't accepted Jesus. I couldn't argue with him because I was a Petty Officer 1st Class and heh was a Captain! he could bust me all six grades of rank in an instant, but when I finishhed, I told him what an arrogant fool he was, and how his recruit or execute ethods of Chrhistianity put him in the stone age.

It's people like him that give Christianity a stalking, touchy touchy feely feely name for itself. The Pope should excommunicate those people from the Church. If you want to help someone, walk up to them and give them one of those little pocket vest Bibles, and say nothing, and then walk away. That's one way I learned to believe.

Jonesy