Religion and culture in general have been long neglected by planners, policy makers, and diplomats. Our experience in Phase IV, or the constructive phase, of Operation Iraqi Freedom has clearly exposed this inattention as a serious flaw in bringing peaceful development to Iraq. These authors suggest that military chaplains can be a part of a better solution. It is not a case of trying to proselyte; it is rather one of engaging local religious leaders to facilitate the stabilization process....

1 INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 2 RELIGION IN STABILITY OPERATIONS . . . . .7 Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 3 CHAPLAINS IN STABILITY OPERATIONS . . 13 Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 4 MODIFICATIONS TO THE CHAPLAIN SERVICE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29 5 CONCLUSIONS AND RESPONSES TO POTENTIAL OBJECTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 BIBLIOGRAPHY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39...

Terrorism could be the heading of the running chapter in human history though strife had always been its grand title. Assorted terrorist groups to espouse their parochial causes have come to target their ideological opponents with utter cynicism. At least they have an articulated grievance and identified opponents with defined terror zones that are amenable for containment and redressal and or both at some stage or the other. But what of the jihadi terrorism and how is it that the western-educated, non-conformist, Muslim youth all over, not to speak of the fresh converts from other faiths get attracted to fight for Islam and die for it? It matters little where we live in this wide world, and one being a Musalman is no guarantee either to escape being its victim. Its madness might reduce us to a statistic of the dead or injured in tomorrow's newspaper headline in today's fidayeen attack. If left unabated it might one day engulf all of us in the Third World War. And thus the significance of any exercise aimed at improving our understanding of the involved issues cannot be overemphasized. Possibly in a new non-fiction genre, this th...

Pitfalls of Faith If the ecstasy of the Quran is the soul of Islam, the legend of Muhammad is the mind of the Musalman. The exalted sense of his pedigree could have made Muhammad fiercely honest, even in the state of deprivation. It is to be appreciated that neither his insignificance as an orphan affected his self-worth nor his poverty dented his self-esteem. While nature endowed him with a shrewd mind his destiny seems to have helped him cultivate a sense of purpose. Though unlettered, he obviously possessed native intelligence, and thus was alive to every opportunity that came his way. Above all, at some stage at least, he seems to have developed an unwavering faith in his own destiny. As can be seen, he was an uncanny man manager and mob manipulator extraordinary. His exemplary personal courage in battle enabled him lead by example, and this single character of his played no mean a part in the battles his faithful fought to raise the standard of Islam in the nations of the world. Though he grew up in an environment of sentimentality, he imbibed a balanced outlook that his stint as the Czar of Medina turned into statesmanship. ...

1. Preface of Strife 2. Advent of Dharma 3. God’s quid pro Quo 4. Pyramids of Wisdom 5. Ascent to Descent 6. The Zero People 7. Coming of the Christ 8. Legacy of Prophecy 9. War of Words 10. Czar of Medina 11. Angels of War 12. Privates of ‘the God’ 13. Playing to the Gallery 14. Perils of History 15. Pitfalls of Faith 16. Blinkers of Belief 17. Shackles of Sharia 18. Anatomy of Islam 19. Fight for the Souls 20. India in Coma 21. Double Jeopardy 22. Paradise of Parasites 23. The Number Game 24. Winds of Change 25. Ant Grows Wings 26. Constitutional Amnesia 27. The Stymied State 28. The Wages of God 29. Delusions of Grandeur 30. Ways of the Bigots 31. The Rift Within 32. The Way Around 33. The Hindu Rebound 34. Wait for the Savant...

Excerpt: Chapter 1. The Foreigner At Home. ?This is no my ain house; I ken by the biggin? o?t.? Two recent books* one by Mr. Grant White on England, one on France by the diabolically clever Mr. Hillebrand, may well have set people thinking on the divisions of races and nations. Such thoughts should arise with particular congruity and force to inhabitants of that United Kingdom, peopled from so many different stocks, babbling so many different dialects, and offering in its extent such singular contrasts, from the busiest over-population to the unkindliest desert, from the Black Country to the Moor of Rannoch. It is not only when we cross the seas that we go abroad; there are foreign parts of England; and the race that has conquered so wide an empire has not yet managed to assimilate the islands whence she sprang. Ireland, Wales, and the Scottish mountains still cling, in part, to their old Gaelic speech. It was but the other day that English triumphed in Cornwall, and they still show in Mousehole, on St. Michael?s Bay, the house of the last Cornish-speaking woman. English itself, which will now frank the traveller through the most of...

Contents CHAPTER I: THE FOREIGNER AT HOME ..................................................................................... 5 CHAPTER II: SOME COLLEGE MEMORIES................................................................................ 14 CHAPTER III: OLD MORTALITY .................................................................................................. 20 CHAPTER IV: A COLLEGE MAGAZINE ...................................................................................... 28 CHAPTER V: AN OLD SCOTCH GARDENER ............................................................................. 36 CHAPTER VI: PASTORAL .............................................................................................................. 41 CHAPTER VII: THE MANSE .......................................................................................................... 48 CHAPTER VIII: MEMOIRS OF AN ISLET .................................................................................... 53 CHAPTER IX: THOMAS STEVENSON ? CIVIL ENGINEER...................................................... 58 CHAPTER X: TALK AND TALKERS ....................

St. Patrick's Breastplate - This prayer is attributed to St. Patrick and his diciples. It is written with some celtic pagan elements, but is definitely a Christian prayer asking God for protection through daily life. A Letter to the Soldiers of Coroticus - Patrick writes this letter to excommunicate the soldiers of Coroticus' army who pillaged villages in Ireland and forced many Christian converts into slavery. Confession - A short autobiography by St. Patrick who tells of being abducted into slavery and taken to Ireland, the growth of his faith, his ministry as a bishop in ordaining many priests and baptising thousands of people, and a trial where he had to defend himself against his accusers....

Essay/Short nonfiction, Religion

The CGI graphic novel 'The Daimon Hespera' is a dark, subversive story in the urban gothic fantasy style. It is set in a world where supernatural beings fight an eternal war that will determine the ultimate fate of humankind....

The Bangladesh Liberation War was an armed conflict pitting East Pakistan (Now Bangladesh) and India against West Pakistan, re-sulted in the secession of East Pakistan, which became the independent nation: Bangla-desh....

“Beasts, Men and Gods” is an account of an epic journey, filled with perils and narrow escapes, in the mold of “The Lord of the Rings.” The difference is: it’s all true. Ferdinand Ossendowski was a Pole who found himself in Siberia and on the losing side during the Bolshevik Revolution. To escape being rounded up and shot, he set out with a friend to reach the Pacific, there to take ship back to Europe. During his journey he fell in with dozens of other military men who shared the same objective… but nearly every one of them perished on the way. It’s up to you to decide whether Ossendowski was threatened most by the beasts, by the men, or by the gods, or indeed, by the severe and uncompromising landscapes of Siberia, Mongolia, and China. That he survived at all seems improbable. The mystical mysteries and magics of Buddhism, “The Yellow Faith”, were woven about and through his sojourn and had no little part in his survival. Time after time he was put in the delicate position of being the bargainer between warring groups, and ultimately, only incredible luck and his friendship with the Hutuktu of Narabanchi Monastery saw him through....

History, Memoirs

Excerpt: Letter of Martin Luther to Pope Leo X Among those monstrous evils of this age with which I have now for three years been waging war, I am sometimes compelled to look to you and to call you to mind, most blessed father Leo. In truth, since you alone are everywhere considered as being the cause of my engaging in war, I cannot at any time fail to remember you; and although I have been compelled by the causeless raging of your impious flatterers against me to appeal from your seat to a future council-- fearless of the futile decrees of your predecessors Pius and Julius, who in their foolish tyranny prohibited such an action-- yet I have never been so alienated in feeling from your Blessedness as not to have sought with all my might, in diligent prayer and crying to God, all the best gifts for you and for your see....

The best summary of Nietzsche's philosophy by Nietzsche. Twilight of the Idols is Nietzsche’s polemic tract attacking: writers, philosophers, views, worldviews, schools, position, arguments, idols, truths, nations, rationalism, -ismologies, causality, improvers, morality, religions, artists, modern ideas, believers, etc. Nietzsche also puts forth his own ideas – read slowly. Translated from German to English by Daniel Fidel Ferrer (February 2013). Twilight of the Idols or How to Philosophize with a Hammer / By Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900). [Götzen-Dämmerung. English]. Translation of text, afterward, notes, letters, and appendixes by ©Daniel Fidel Ferrer, 2013. 1. Philosophy. 2). Metaphysics. 3). Philosophy, German. 4). Philosophy, German -- 19th century. 5). Philosophy, German – Greek influences. I. Nietzsche, Friedrich Wilhelm, 1844-1900. II. Ferrer, Daniel Fidel, 1952-. ...

"From the military school (Kriegsschule) of life. - What does not kill me makes me stronger. (Aus der Kriegsschule des Lebens. — Was mich nicht umbringt, macht mich stärker). [Translator note. This maxim (#8) is one of the most famous quotes from Nietzsche. See the concept Kriegsschule’ in Nietzsche’s notebook of Spring 1888 18 [1]. A slightly different versions of this section is in one of the Nietzsche’s notebook and has this version of the maxim #8: “What does not kill us — that bring us to that makes us stronger. Il faut le tuer Wagnerisme.” English translation from French of the last sentence might be: “He must be killed, Wagnerism”. Spring 1888 15 [118]. Complete text in German and French for the other version: [“Was uns nicht umbringt — das bringen wir um, das macht uns stärker. Il faut tuer le Wagnerisme”]. Notebook: Spring 1888 15 [118]. From the Preface: "This essay - the title betrays it - is above all a recreation, a spot of sunshine, a leap sideways into the idleness of a psychologist. Perhaps a new war? And are new idols sounded out?... This little essay is a great declaration of war (grosse Kriegserklärun...

Table of Contents 1). Twilight of the Idols or How to Philosophize with a Hammer (pages 3 - 80). Main text. Starting with Nietzsche’s Preface. 2). Afterward Notes (pages 81 - 83). 3). Dedication and Acknowledgements (page 83). 4). Appendix A. Section on “Twilight of Idols” from “Ecce Homo” (pages 84 - 87). 5). Appendix B. Selections from Nietzsche’s Notebooks and Letters concerning “Twilight of Idols” (pages 88 - 93). 6). Appendix C. Select chronology of Nietzsche’s life (pages 94 - 95). 7). Word index (pages 96 - 156). ...

Chapter 1 Navigators of the First Global Air Force.........................................................1 Chapter 2 Prelude to War.............................8 Chapter 3 Death on a Bright Sunday Morning...................................................13 Chapter 4 Attack on Clark Field...................16 Chapter 5 George Berkowitz........................20 Chapter 6 Harry Schreiber...........................23 Chapter 7 William Meenagh........................27 Chapter 8 Regroup....................................31 Chapter 9 Richard Wellington Cease............34 Chapter 10 Paul E. Dawson.........................38 Chapter 11 George Markovich.....................40 Chapter 12 War Plan Orange III.................46 Chapter 13 Carl R. Wildner.........................51 Chapter 14 Harry McCool............................55 Chapter 15 Merrill Kern Gordon, Jr...............58 Chapter 16 Francis B. Rang........................64 Chapter 17 Corregidor................................66 Chapter 18 William Scott Warner.................70 Chapter 19 Jay M. Horowitz.........................74 Chapter 20 The Super Fort...

Even if he is a very popular character, still not many people know his original history! Nowadays there are so much exaggerated stories and wrong information about him, that it is often confusion in “who was he really?”. This happens because there are rarely references to his real life and historical facts as they truly happened! Or worse, they are often distorted! Who is about? It is about the ruler of Walachia for three times between 1448 and 1476, Prince Vlad Dracula (1431-1476)! This is an Excerpt of the ebook! If you are a passionate of true historical events, Middle Age, life stories or East European history, than reading this free sample ebook it is a must for you! It will be an excellent occasion to find his original Romanian history, as there is described in details every event of his life! Because I wanted to create a rich informative ebook, I made an intense documentary work to the Romanian National Library from Bucharest, using the most serious sources. I also visited more historical places for gathering all the information I needed for this. Some information you already know but some are definitely new for you, becau...

The subject of “Dracula” is one of the most fascinating and interesting in the world being always presented as a fictional character that during the day lives a normal life, while in the midnight transfigures in a cruel vampire, attacking people, sucking their blood and transfiguring them to their turn, in evil persons. Even the real character that lived in the XV century and inspired the creation of the fictional Dracula, the Walachian Prince Vlad Ţepeş (or Vlad the Impaler), is also often shown as a cruel despot, that led his people with a heavy hand, punishing with very rough methods everyone who breaks the laws. In these summary descriptions, his harshness terrible frightened both his people and the country’s enemies, spreading his fame in the world. The most presented describes of Prince Vlad Ţepeş are those of his cruelty deeds, his so-called pleasure to torture people, the use of most horrible torture methods of that Age, in order to get right the society, or to horrify the enemies that dare to invade his country. I think every time the people read this type of description of the legendary character, wonder themselves: Wa...

PREFACE Chapter I: WALACHIA - THE BEGINNING AND THE FIRST RULERS. 1.1 The foundation of the country; Princes Basarab I and Mircea the Elder. 1.2 Prince Vlad Dracul (1390-1447) Chapter II: VLAD ŢEPEŞ (1431-1476) 2.1 Vlad Ţepeş becomes ruler Prince of Walachia 2.2 Vlad Ţepeş and the merchants from Southern Transylvania 2.3 Vlad Ţepeş and his fights for Walachia’s independence 2.4 The arrestment and detention of Vlad Ţepeş; his third reign in November – December 1476 Chapter III: THE TRACES OF VLAD ŢEPEŞ IN ROMANIA 3.1 Christian buildings, fortresses and towns related to Vlad Ţepeş’s life 3.1.1 The church of Târgşor 3.1.2 Comana Monastery 3.1.3 Snagov Monastery 3.1.4 Bucharest Fortress 3.1.5 Poienari Fortress 3.1.6 Târgovişte Fortress 3.1.7 Sighişoara Town 3.1.8 Bran Castle 3.2 Vlad Ţepeş in the Romanian culture Chapter IV: VLAD ŢEPEŞ’S DESCENDANTS CONCLUSIONS BIBLIOGRAPHY ...

Mohammad Amin Sheikho Birth: 1890 A.D (1308 A.H) Death: 1964 A.D (1384 A.H) Precept: Interpretation of the Holy Qur’an Early Years Scholar Sheikho was born in al-Ward district in Sarouja Quarter, one of the historical districts of Damascus, in Syria which was called mini-Istanbul during the period of the Ottoman rule. He was raised in an Arab style house situated opposite the famous public al-Ward Bathhouse. This house stands there to the present day. Scholar Sheikho was still young when his father, the merchant Ismael Sheikho, departed this world. Mohammad Saleem, the only and elder brother of Mohammad Amin, was assigned as a director of the Military School during the Ottoman rule. Education At the age of twelve the boy who was to become the great scholar was enrolled at al-Rashidiya School, he then went on to complete his studies in Amber, the Royal Ottoman Faculty in Damascus. He received many certificates of praise and commendation during the Ottoman rule and then under the reign of King Faisal in Syria. There are many copies of these certificates still preserved in trustworthy hands. Achievements During the p...

This is the philosophical novel that was my Master's degree thesis

Steven, you should DEFINITELY continue to give your life to . . . literary novels (notice I omitted “obscure”).  What you have produced is a phenomenal work.  Others, in the past, have attempted to do something like you have done, but they did not come close to creating a work with such breadth and depth as you.   I apologize for taking so very long to complete the reading of your work, but it is very densely written in some sections, while others seem to be as lucid as anything I have ever read.  Your vocabulary probably exceeds my own (“fulgurant”), for which I am thankful, as I always enjoy being taught the existence of words I have not yet incorporated into my own lexicon.   The most successful parts of your work—for me—were the interactions between Luk, Aus, and the central character, as those passages moved the story along.  I think using the unrest and waging of police action in Bangkok sets up the intellectual discontent in the rest of the novel, but I would wish for a more balanced unfolding of the story with the intellectual ruminations.  The least successful passages for me were sometimes extremely lengthy sen...

In this moving poem, Byron recounts the final, desperate resistance of the Venetians on the day the Ottoman army stormed Acrocorinth: revealing the closing scenes of the conflict through the eyes of Lanciotto - a Venetian renegade fighting for the Ottomans - and Francesca - the beautiful maiden daughter of the governor of the Venetian garrison: Minotti. Lanciotto - whose impasioned suit for Francesca's hand had been previously refused by Minotti: had later fled the Venetian empire after being falsely denounced by anonymous accusers via the infamous Lion's Mouth at the Doge's palace. Enlisting under the Turkish flag, Lanciotto repudiates both his nationality and his religion: only to be challenged by Fransesca herself the night before the final assault to repent his apostasy, to forgive his accusers, and to save the Venetian garrison from certain slaughter. - Can Lanciotto - after years of unjust persecution and betrayal - bring himself to relent and save the Venetian garrison now on the verge of wholesale slaughter? - Will Francesca's years of constant, faithful devotion succeed in winning the renegade back from his suicidal slide t...

Literature, Poetry

Der Kleine Katechismus ist eine kurze Schrift, die Martin Luther 1529 verfasst hat. Er hat in den lutherischen Kirchen Bekenntnis- und Lehrcharakter; behutsam an die heutige Sprache angepasst gilt er nach wie vor. Luther hat den kleinen Katechismus geschrieben, da er auf seinen Visitationsreisen erkennen musste, dass das Kirchenvolk den christlichen Glauben und die reformatorischen Einsichten nur lückenhaft kannte. Sein Ziel war es, den Pfarrherrn eine Hilfe zum Unterricht zu geben. Später ergab sich, dass auch die Hausväter ihre Familienangehörigen (hierzu gehörte damals auch das Gesinde) anhand des Kl. Katechismus im christlichen Glauben unterweisen konnten. Die hier gelesene Fassung ist eine Bearbeitung der Originalausgaben von K. F. Th. Schneider aus dem Jahr 1853; die Abschnitte haben folgende Überschriften: 1. Die Zehen gebot, wie sie ein hausvater seinem gesinde einfeltiglich furhalten sol. 2. Der Glaube, wie ein Hausvater den selbigen seinem gesinde auffs einfeltigest furhalten sol. 3. Das Vater unser, wie ein Hausvater das selbige seinem gesinde auffs einfeltigest furhalten sol. 4. Das Sacrament der heiligen Tauffe, wie das...

Religion

volunteers bring you 27 recordings of The Red Flower by Henry van Dyke. This was the Weekly Poetry project for March 11, 2012. Dr. Henry van Dyke was an American author, lecturer, ambassador and pastor. He was in charge of the committee which wrote The Book of Common Worship of 1906, the first printed Presbyterian liturgy. He wrote many poems, short stories, hymns and essays, often with religious themes. This particular poem, written after the outbreak of World War I but set beforehand, contrasts the natural beauty of the summer before the war with the horror and destruction that is to follow. (Summary by Lucy Perry)...

Historical Fiction, Memoirs, Nature, War stories, Poetry

Francis, a young Italian boy, is a merchant's son who is enthralled by the troubadour songs and tales of knights that his father brings back from his travels. He decides to become a knight, but after seeing the poor and suffering in the tragedies of war, he decides to give away all of his worldly possessions and become a troubadour for God....

Children, Religion

Greenmantle is the second of five Richard Hannay novels by John Buchan, first published in 1916 by Hodder & Stoughton, London. It is one of two Hannay novels set during the First World War, the other being Mr Standfast (1919); Hannay's first and best-known adventure, The Thirty-Nine Steps (1915), is set in the period immediately before the war started. - Hannay is called in to investigate rumours of an uprising in the Muslim world, and undertakes a perilous journey through enemy territory to meet up with his friend Sandy in Constantinople. Once there, he and his friends must thwart the Germans' plans to use religion to help them win the war, climaxing at the battle of Erzurum. (Summary from Wikipedia)...

Mystery, Adventure, War stories

The Angels of Mons is a popular legend about a group of angels who supposedly protected members of the British army in the Battle of Mons at the outset of World War I. The story is fictitious, developed through a combination of a patriotic short story by Arthur Machen, rumours, mass hysteria and urban legend, claimed visions after the battle and also possibly deliberately seeded propaganda....

Myths/Legends, War stories, Religion

The content of the text is a conversation between Krishna and Arjuna taking place on the battlefield of Kurukshetra just prior to the start of a climactic war. Responding to Arjuna's confusion and moral dilemma, Krishna explains to Arjuna his duties as a warrior and Prince and elaborates on a number of different Yogic[7] and Vedantic philosophies, with examples and analogies. This has led to the Gita often being described as a concise guide to Hindu philosophy and also as a practical, self-contained guide to life. During the discourse, Krishna reveals his identity as the Supreme Being Himself (Bhagavan), blessing Arjuna with an awe-inspiring glimpse of His divine absolute form. - Wikipedia...

Philosophy, Religion