Chaitanya Jyothi Museum Opening, 2000
RAMANAM
In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. Amen.
Countrymen,
ORBIS NON SUFFICIT
SOLUS DEUS SUFFICIT
All problems are susceptible to theological analysis,
and all analyses are theological in nature.
The Army is a theological enterprise. Every activity, from thinking to kinetics, is a theological enterprise. Everything an Army does and is supposed to do is a facet of theology. Regardless of the dominant religion of the national culture from which an Army emerges, and which an Army is meant to protect, said Army is doing theology in everything it thinks, says, and does.
By theology that an Army thinks, says, and does we mean power and meaning. By theology that an Army thinks, says, and does we do not mean morals and values. Morals and values are necessary but fleeting internal processes, conceptual and administrative customs that strengthen an Army for governing and applying itself towards completion of its duty. Morals and values evolve with circumstances. Morals and values are not an Army’s duty nor can nor do they measure it.
The Army’s duty is the application of power and meaning, at points on a map, sufficient to convince an aggressor to renounce aggression and stand down. Morality and values have nothing to do with that. The Army’s duty is all and only about applying effectively power and meaning. That makes the Army’s duty theological in nature because power and meaning characterize the domain of spirit, morale, transcendence of the merely mundane.
The Theological Component In Announcing
Strategic War To Annihilate The Salafi Jihad
Military Operations Other Than War (MOOTW) are a special case. They are possible because an Army can warehouse or pass through and out a logistical abundance provided it in normal course or specifically for a MOOTW mission. MOOTW is a secondary or tertiary Army mission, not a primary one. The roots of an Army’s MOOTW mission are political rather than existential, voluntary assistance rather than mandatory protection of national sovereignty. Still, an Army’s MOOTW mission, just like its primary mission, is theological in nature.
If it involves power and meaning, it is theological, no matter what it is. Theology is an examination, discussion, and deployment of power as a particular meaning in the dimension of spirit.
In this series of essays, I have explored A Theology Of The Army using Christian terms of art. A Hindu or Buddhist theologian could explore the same subject using theological terms of art native to the locution — which itself is power and meaning, both — of their religion. I encourage any who can do that to do it and offer to publish their work here, without pay either way.
Even a Moslem theologian, that is, one not claiming universal religious, cultural, and governmental validity solely for Islam — and willing to say so in public — and one not using weasel words to hide the fact that he really does claim that, has my invitation to offer for publication here his work on the subject at hand, and again without pay either way.
I should be delighted if a Zoroastrian, Parsi, Yazidi, or Baha’i would like to join the party.
Culture is the form of religion and
religion is the substance of culture.
The Rev. Dr. Paulus Johannes Tillich
The plan is for five posts on the topic A Theology Of The Army:
Introduction
Liberation
Perfection
Absolution
Conclusion
This post is the Conclusion.
Βασιλεία του Θεού
Kingdom of God
Update 1: War games: America ‘keeps getting its ass handed to it’ by simulated Chinese, Russian attacks
AUM NAMAH SHIVAYA
