Reply #11: I am so sorry for what you are going through

[TayTay]

There is no bitterness like that which comes from betrayal. This is a fundamental betrayal of what you have done and what family is supposed to mean.

I remember when the Iraq War started in March of 2003. I was, like so many other people, angry and sad beyond words. There were several members of my family who not only didn't 'get this' but who were horrified that I would even question the need to go to war. There were a lot of angry words that went around. You can't totally erase something like that from your memory, it lives with you.

There is something really and perniciously awful about people who use religion as an excuse to hate. I have seen people pulled through some horrific events because they had a deep seated faith that sustained them. These people were able to use the positive side of religion to maintain their humanity and it enabled them not to give in to bitterness. The other side of that equation, wherein religion is an excuse and crutch for everything that goes wrong is terrible. It is even worse when belief in a divine being is used for what amounts to revenge fantasies against others. That is, however, part of the human condition. One the one hand, this can keep sustain life, on the other hand it can destroy it. Sigh!