September 14, 2001

8:36 PM

The War Prayer,by Mark Twain. I always like running across this kind of unpublished Twain gem. He's absolutely amazing at making his readers think. [via boingboing]
posted by swell (5 comments total)

I agree... absolutely amazing. Hopefully this could bring a moment's pause and reflection to those rabidly advocating for a revengeful war against 'whomever' is responsible for this week's tragedies.
posted by SenshiNeko at 9:13 PM on September 14, 2001

Um, the Twain gem was published a long time ago. I've read it before, and heard much of it on TV before.
posted by raysmj at 9:15 PM on September 14, 2001

no, no, no, the second part of that prayer is what they want to do, to even the score.
posted by rebeccablood at 9:16 PM on September 14, 2001

Oh, you mean it was found later? OK. Never mind. It was inspired by the Spanish-American War, by the way, as far as I remember.
posted by raysmj at 9:18 PM on September 14, 2001

after all, what's the point of god if he (or she or it) doesn't love you more than the other [football team/job applicant/nation-state/anyone who wants something you want for yourself]?

I have my doubts about believing in god in the first place, but can at least understand the idea of a moral ideal. But I can't, for the life of me, understand the idea of a god that arbitrarily intercedes on the behalf of whoever you are talking to at the moment. But of course that's exactly the god that most people believe in, if you think it through.
posted by mattpfeff at 9:42 PM on September 14, 2001