Have you read "The War Prayer" by Mark Twain recently?

Question

In following up on a different question altogether, I came across this, which I have not read in many a year. http://www.warprayer.org Are you going to book-mark it, as I have? We do need to remember, don't we, both the spoken and the unspoken in our prayers.

Answer 1

I've never seen this before. Thank you for sharing a great thought provoking piece of work. We pray, they pray, what's a God to do?

Answer 2

That's a good one. I also liked his "Diary of Adam and Eve." Mark Twain was not too thrilled about contradictions that he read about in the Bible. Something must have happened in his life for him to become very cynical in regards to that - maybe a loss of a close loved one or something like that.

Answer 3

I read it last year, from a link here on answers. I printed it, and it's on my wall. I'm not a pacifist, as Twain was, but I do recognize that man as genius. I especially admire his skeptism of the written word, and literal truth.

In another story, a simple converstation between Tom and Huck about playing pirates, and doing things only because it is written, is an eye opener.

Answer 4

Very inspiring

I think I'll have to read a bit more of Mark Twain

Answer 5

Yes, I read this back when I was in college and it made a HUGE impact on my religious and political views. I have a copy of the book with pencil drawings

When I pray, I tell God how i am feeling and what I hope for, but I also ask for the strength and courage to accept whatever He has in store for me and that I may have the grace to accept His will.

Answer 6

I read it. It's a good story. It smelled of glurge and didn't seem like Twain at all, until the last line.

Answer 7

Thank you very much for that.

Along the same lines, when we ask that God bless our country, it may be that God will bless us with defeat, so that we learn humility.

Answer 8

Wow.. just wow.

Answer 9

no