I am an LDS Vietnam Vet. People say I had lost some of my innocence by the time I returned. I am now trying to do what I can to make it up by gaining wisdom through “engagment in the mode of goodness”

I was raised protestant and remained so till three years after I returnd. (my parents tried to link my loss of innocenece to my becoming LDS)

When I was in Vietnam, the belief system I was raised with taught me that the “bible” says that if you kill a budhist or an athiest, he or she, (regardless of age) will go to hell for ever and ever. My experience in Vietnam taught me do doubt this. Nevertheless, a major part of my “Vietnam syndrome” had, and still probably still has to do with the fact that I saw so many Americans who were raised to belive this way could still kill needlessly, or in the name of “capitalism”.

So if any of you find my comments “over analitical” it may be in part to this part of my life.

Now to me, one of the most interesting themes in the book of Mormon has to do with Ammon, who slays to protect the flocks of King Lamoni. Yet when all is said and done, he praises the Lamanite converts for being more willing to die instead of kill in self defence.

Yet Ammon’s slaying of the Lamanite bandits was not exactly self defence.

This calls to mind that it is said of Ammon and his brethren, that “the very thought that one should suffer eternal tormen filled their souls with inexpressible horror; and thus did the Spirit of God work on them”

But that account of Ammons, highly “proactive” strategy for missionary work brings a depth of serenity to my reflection about Vietnam. One has occasion to see the hand of God at work in war situations. (I would not be alive except for that), and yet it takes an account written by inspired military strategist to aquire a more serene view.

The Vedic record of a dialoge between Arjune and Krishna also seems to bring me the same kind of understanding of the wisdom of the Almighty. The Book of Mormon begins with Lehi fretting about the impending destruction of his fellow citisens and yet after he has a vision he can only say things like.”Great and marvelous are thy works…”

A patriach has instructed me to write an accont of when I was about to make a “proactive move” in war (the one which would have cost me my life) but was guided by a voice to do something quite simple, yet, extraordinarily different. The amount of “collateral damage” was greatly reduced by divine intervention but the most remarkable thing to me was what I learned about the character of God from the incident.My life and the life of others do not seem to count for much in comparison to His goodness. Which King David, a great man of war, wrote about extensively in the Psalms.

So if there was a “gift” to talk about, I believe it would like in the direction of an understanding of the Divine nature which we can aquire through acts of kindness and the kind of repect for the agency of others like Ammon showed to king Lamoni.

I am anxios to know if anyone visits the radio station.

http://www.utahkrishnas.com/main/home.asp

It brings me the same kind of peace reading the Book of Momon did when I tried to learn

I once asked Caru Das, if he had heard of a man in the LDS church by the name of Hugh Nibley and he smiled really big and said “He likes us!”

A also once asked his wife if it was not against their belief to spray poison to kill flies in the temple. She said, “I can’t but you can” and handed me the spray bottle.

So, if you are near Spanish Fork on a Sunday Night you can hear a lecture about rules of for warfare and have a vegiterian meal afterwards. The BYU professor of world religions used to send his students there (maybe he still does) and I have great memories of some of the conversations which took place there.

It seems to me every time I reflect on this that much of what I prize about Vietmanese culture must have vedic roots. I wish U.S. forighn policy makers at the time of the U.S. envolvement in Vietnam had know more about the political power potential of vedic influence.

I believe that our lack of understanding of those things cost many human lives and I feel that knowledge of the Book of Mormon can help open door of understanding which can be explored much more deeply looking into vedic teaching.

I think the Beatles, who wrote “Bungalo Bill” must have had their eyes opened this way.

Words like “He’s an all american bullet headed saxon mothers son” seem to hit it right on the head. But it takes wisdom and a much more reverent study of history to learn to correct the shallow minded trends which waste our potential to do good as a people and as nation. Remeber that all it takes for evil to triumph is for good men leave the difficult issues in the hands of the ingnorant and the unprincipled.

Well, I could write a lot more, but I am anxios to hear another opinion on the significance of the Bahadvad Gita. I think a study of ancient records can add a great deal of greatly needed depth.

– Johnny Cash, first gangsta singer

But I have no problems at all shooting the pesky rabbits that get in my garden and the squirrels who steal my wallnuts. I almost delight in being able to pick them off from my kitchen window at 50 yards. I guess I feel justified.

I think this has to be a gift from God.

His response, in the cynical, slightly sad tone he usually employed, was, “Yeah, I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die,” and that was all he had to say about it. My reading was that he wasn’t ashamed of what he had done, but not proud of it either, and he wasn’t going to relive it just to satisfy my voyeuristic curiousity.

Looking back, I think I felt glad to have put the bird out of its misery and to have it finished quickly, but still felt sadness and regret that it had to be done. The violence was real and palpable. But it differed from the violence I experienced much younger when a group of us boys killed a small skunk simply because it crossed our path. With the latter I felt accused by my conscience and had to repent. (I actually prayed once that God could somehow let the skunk know I was sorry.) With the injured bird, I felt something like reverence mixed with somberness for a necessary action.