Looks at the difficulties pagans face in the miliary, offers an excerpt from the Wicca section of the U.S. Army Chaplain's Handbook, and includes spells and ceremonies for such events as deployment, going into battle, returning home, and a pagan militaryfuneral.

"Chaplain (Lt.) Vincent R. Capodanno, 37, of New York City, wears no physical weapon of war. HIS ARMAMENT is faith - a basic, necessary and treasured attribute to the men around him." In the midst of the bloodshed and political rancor of the Vietnam War, the example of Servant of God, Father Vincent R. Capodanno, MM (1929-1967), stands out, for he was motivated neither by politics, nor by personal ambition, nor by military necessity. His was the dedication of Christ's priest to the Roman Catholic Church and to others, whether as a Maryknoll missionary in the mountains of Taiwan, as a high school teacher in Hong Kong, or as a chaplain in the United States armed forces to men on the battlefield, dying to self to bring Christ to his Marines. In their fear, despair and loneliness in the military camps, and in the mud and filth of the battlefield front lines, Father Capodanno was there, even to the point of perfectly imitating Christ by his personal self-sacrifice to save a man in the heat of battle in Vietnam on September 4, 1967. This is his story. "No one could risk his life and ultimately be killed to meet the spiritual needs of the Marines if he or she did not believe in the promise of the Kingdom. Father Capodanno brought those unique gifts of the sacraments under fire, because his first concern was to dwell in the house of God forever. You and I want his life and death known, because we believe his example will invite others to stay awake, prepare for the day of the Lord, and be men and women for others. The celebration of the greatness of a figure gone before us is implicitly an invitation to imitate the virtues of that individual. Father Capodanno teaches us the value of commitment and belief. He invites us to give our all in the pursuit of our vocation which is the path the Lord has set for us to share in the joy of His Kingdom." -- His Excellency, the Most Reverend Timothy P. Broglio, J.C.D., Archbishop for the Military Services, USA, on the 50th anniversary of the death of Father Vincent R. Capodanno, MM, September 5, 2017

Is religion a factor in initiating interstate armed conflict, and do different religions have different effects? Breaking new ground in political science, this book explores these questions both qualitatively and quantitively, concluding that the answer is yes. Previous studies have focused on conflict within states or interstate aggression with overtly religious motivations; in contrast, Brown shows how religion affects states' propensities to militarize even disputes that are not religious in nature. Different religions are shown to have different influences on those propensities, and those influences are linked to the war ethics inculcated in those religions. The book analyses and classifies war ethics contained in religious scripture and other religious classics, teachings of religions' contemporary epistemic communities, and religions' historical narratives. Using data from the new Religious Characteristics of States dataset project, qualitative studies are combined with empirical measurements of governments' institutional preferences and populations' cultures. This book will provide interesting insights to scholars and researchers in international security studies, political science, international law, sociology, and religious studies.

A Christianity Worth Believing offers an engaging, 'come-with-me-on-a-journey-of-exploring-the-possibilities' approach to what it means to be a follower of Jesus in our day. Written by Doug Pagitt?a leading voice in the Emergent conversation—this beautifully written book weaves together theological reflections, Christian history, and his own story of faith transformation. Pagitt invites readers to follow him as he tells the story of his un-churched childhood, his life-altering conversion at age 16, his intense involvement in the church, and his growing sense of unease with the version of Christianity he was living. On page after page, Pagitt lays out his journey toward an authentic, passionate expression of a faith that feels alive, sustainable, and meaningful.

With nearly a million copies sold in previous editions, Armed & Dangerous is a trusted Bible resource for teens. Now, it’s been amped! Containing the complete text of the original Armed & Dangerous—with more than 100 life topics and 1,000 Bible passages—this new edition also includes real-world observations such as statistics and quotations from popular media. It also includes questions for further thought, to help you apply the Bible passages to your own life experience. With verses from the King James and New International Versions, Armed & Dangerous—Amped Edition is newly-designed and typeset. . .and ready to continue a 15-year history of challenging you with God’s Word.

In Faith in Freedom, Andrew R. Polk argues that the American civil religion so many have identified as indigenous to the founding ideology was, in fact, the result of a strategic campaign of religious propaganda. Far from being the natural result of the nation's religious underpinning or the later spiritual machinations of conservative Protestants, American civil religion and the resultant "Christian nationalism" of today were crafted by secular elites in the middle of the twentieth century. Polk's genealogy of the national motto, "In God We Trust," revises the very meaning of the contemporary American nation. Polk shows how Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S Truman, and Dwight D. Eisenhower, working with politicians, advertising executives, and military public relations experts, exploited denominational religious affiliations and beliefs in order to unite Americans during the Second World War and, then, the early Cold War. Armed opposition to the Soviet Union was coupled with militant support for free economic markets, local control of education and housing, and liberties of speech and worship. These preferences were cultivated by state actors so as to support a set of right-wing positions including anti-communism, the Jim Crow status quo, and limited taxation and regulation. Faith in Freedom is a pioneering work of American religious history. By assessing the ideas, policies, and actions of three US Presidents and their White House staff, Polk sheds light on the origins of the ideological, religious, and partisan divides that describe the American polity today.