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Friends,
<p>I'll tell you what has been going through my mind regarding the current
state of affairs.
<p>World War I started with the assassination of an Austrian archduke in
1914. It resulted in about 4,900,000 military deaths and about 3,150,000
civilian deaths, a total of more than 8,000,000 people. The cost
including war expenditures, property losses and merchant-shipping losses
was about $194,000,000,000.
<p>World War II started as a localized conflict in eastern Europe.
It resulted in about 17,000,000 military deaths and about 25,000,000 civilian
deaths, a total of about 42,000,000 people. The cost of war materials
and armaments was at least $1,154,000,000,000, and that does not include
property losses, where the damages were so massive that an attempt to estimate
would be futile (information from the encyclopedia).
<p>Now we are again at war, according to President Bush. Is there
a chance that the destruction and death of September 11 will result in
military action that could escalate into a war that will kill untold millions/billions
and render the entire world almost or entirely uninhabitable? I hope
not, but if there is a chance, do we want to start in a direction where
one thing leads to another and on and on?
<p>Of <i>course</i> I don't have the answer. Even if I did, no one
is going to listen to a piano technician from Rothsville anyway.
I am quite aware of the biblical prophecy. It has been misinterpreted
so often that I can understand why some hold it (indeed, the whole Book)
in contempt while knowing little or nothing about it. I'll try not
to get going on this subject, but my commitment to the God who loves and
cares makes it hard to refrain.
<p>There have been frequent mentions of prayer on this list over the past
five days. In our family we pray also for those in grief and for
those who are carrying on the rescue effort. Let us also pray for
the world governments, that they will seek and receive wisdom from God
as they decide on a course of action.
<p>Regards,
<br>Clyde Hollinger, RPT
<br>Lititz, PA, USA</html>