The Patton Prayer

: Almighty and most merciful Father, we humbly beseech Thee, of Thy great goodness, to restrain these immoderate rains with which we have had to contend. Grant us fair weather for Battle. Graciously hearken to us as soldiers who call upon Thee that, armed with Thy power, we may advance from victory to victory, and crush the oppression and wickedness of our enemies and establish Thy justice among men and nations.

Sent by order of Lt. General GeorgePatton to his troops just before the famous Battle of the Bulge. During this battle the troops of the United States Third Army engaged more enemy divisions in less time than any other army in the history of the world.

General Patton himself argued that the number one reason the Third Army managed to push back the southern wing of the German offensive was the prayers of his men.

For more information on ThePattonPrayer please visit http://www.geocities.com/pattonhq/prayer.html.

Sounds similar to the prayers that Iraq probably said during the Gulf War or the prayers that the Taliban is probably saying now.

Well, Iraqis probable prefaced their form of the above prayer with 'Sorry about following those stupid orders to invade another country to kick off this war in the first place, but...' or something like that. :)

With all the talk about the morality of warfare lately, I keep coming back to these three simple lines. In the movie version of the story the chaplin expresses reticence towards writing a prayer for good weather so "We can kill our fellow man."

The prayer itself provides the reasoning though. Our enemies were wicked, more wicked than we even knew. No amount of negotiation or diplomacy would change that. Nazi Germany and the USA could not have lived in peace for long. Had we let them be, the ensuing war would have been even more destructive.

And that brings me back to today. Are there any here who believe that if we did not retaliate our enemies would have left us in peace? Are there any who believe that our enemies are not wicked and oppressive? If not, how does that relate to our duty as a nation and a people?

These are the questions that are much on my mind.

: -- PrestonRickwood

Hmmm... still sounds like what the Taliban is saying. Remember, they really believe that the US is "wicked and oppressive" and they really believe that their enemies would not leave them in peace either.

: I understand their frustration. Believing an untruth doesn't excuse them though. -- PR

Before most professional sports games in the U.S., both teams say a prayer to the same God. And yet only one side wins ...

: To which Patton would say, "I guess they said better prayers!" For what it's worth, Jews, Christians and Moslems pray to the same God as they are all Sons of Abraham.

The Islamic term for this is "followers of the Book". It's worth noting that whilst Islam acknowledges and respects the beliefs of Judaism and Christianity (as part of it's official doctrine), the same can not be said in reverse.

Wrongo. Go back and read your catechisms.

Yes, (let's clear up some obvious misunderstanding here), the Catholic Church acknowledges and respects Islam and Judaism. From the Catechism of the Catholic Church (Part 1, Section 2, Chapter 3, Article 9, Paragraph 3, part III):

On Islam (entry 841): The plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator, in the first place amongst whom are the Muslims; these profess to hold the faith of Abraham, and together with us they adore the one, merciful God, mankind's judge on the last day.
On Judaism (entry 839): When she delves into her own mystery, the Church, the People of God in the New Covenant, discovers her link with the Jewish People, "the first to hear the Word of God." The Jewish faith, unlike other non-Christian religions, is already a response to God's revelation in the Old Covenant. To the Jews "belong the sonship, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises; to them belong the patriarchs, and of their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ."; "for the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable."
On other non-Christians (entry 843): The Catholic Church recognizes in other religions that search, among shadows and images, for the God who is unknown yet near since he gives life and breath and all things and wants all men to be saved. Thus, the Church considers all goodness and truth found in these religions as "a preparation for the Gospel and given by him who enlightens all men that they may at length have life."

Other contributions from other religions are welcome here.

I understand their frustration. Believing an untruth doesn't excuse them though.

I never understand why would anyone invoke "truth" or "untruth" in any discussion. There are "facts" and there are "lies", but what is "truth" or "untruth"? What Taliban believed is what they believed, it is enlightening to discuss whether US has been enforcing their believe or not by its actions in the Middle East in the past decade. I don't think claiming their believes as "untruth" helps people understand the situation. In any war, each side will seek justification for their own action, the simplest way is to demonize the enemy. Which is not to say anything about the "goodness" of either side, but I don't think believing in such demonization will help achieve a peaceful solution.

So how about try to understand why the Taliban believes the US would not leave them in peace instead, and start by looking at what the US has done in the Middle East (and perhaps the rest of the world) for past couple decades.

Contrast ThePattonPrayer with this Onion story: "God Angrily Clarifies 'Don't Kill' Rule": http://www.theonion.com/onion3734/god_clarifies_dont_kill.html

And of course http://www.warprayer.org/

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