Friday, September 5, 2008

Quote from John McCain's book, "Why Courage Matters"

These words that McCain wrote in his book, "Why Courage Matters" came as a great suprise to me.

Please tell me what you think after you have read it:)

"`Enduring an inescapable fate stoically is admirable, but it is not the same thing as courage. Suffering stoically a terrible fate that you could have escaped, but that your convictions, your sense of honor, compelled you to accept, is. The Christians sacrficed to the lions chose not to be sacrificed, but to be Christians. The politics and bigotry of the Romans consigned them to a violent end, which they could have avoided by renouncing their faith. But they didn't choose death. They chose to keep their faith, their hope of eternal life, and suffer the consequences. Whether they suffer stoically or were dragged to the experiance pleading for their lives is beside the point. Keeping their faith required courage superior to the resolve of a person who accepts unwanted but unavoidable trouble with admirable composure. The object of courage isn't just a hansome comportment or a physical expression of strength.
Courage must be conscientious of duty if it is to claim the distinction of being the first, indispensable virtue. It is much more than mental toughness or "Grace under pressure," as Hemingway defined it. For years I thought it was. And when asked for a definition of courage, I usually quoted Hemningway's response. But I learned that people who cry out in despair, who are seized by mortal terror, can still act heroically. Although courageous people often appear to act gracefully under pressure, and their dignified, disciplined behavior produces some of the most lasting images in fiction and history, it isn't grace that proclaims their courage, but their decision to face the pressure at all, and face it for reasons greater than simply to prove to themsevles or others that they could do it with aplomb. Face the experiance with quiet assurance or with a look that reflects stark terror, screaming in anguish all the while. It doesn't really matter. What matters is that you faced it, lived it, and did so because your conscience compelled you to act. That is what give courage its grandeur. Even Christ on the cross, my faith's most exlated example of courage, cried out in desperation, "Father, Father, why have you forsaken me?" It is not Christ's reticence in a moment of agony that we worship. It is because he accepted his duty to love, a love incarnate--God became man to redeem humanity by love--and the awful suffering his duty demanded that we exalt the singular courage of his sacrifice. "

-John McCain

7 comments:

Erik B. said...

Wow. This is so encouraging. I really hope McCain wins.

RYC- My car is supposed to get 18/25 city/highway respectively.

Margaret Braun said...

I believe that courage really is something Christians lack in their lives. God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power. I think we often underestimate the power we have as Christians and therefore lack courage.

DTH Rocket said...

I can't imagine Obama talking like that.

Margaret Braun said...

I was reminded of something I read in Alex and Brett's book Do Hard Things:

Our father often tells us, "True courage is not the absence of fear. It is refusing to allow fear to control your actions."

I just figured I'd throw that in there since I found it fitting an relevant to your post.

Unknown said...

Wow, I think I like McCain better ;)

RYC: Thanks for praying! You should order one of those wrist bands too.

Eric

Caleb Nathaniel said...

That's a good quote. I recently started reading the book. It's pretty good.

Warbler said...

Hey, cj.
My name is Jen, and Kalipay (my older sister) asked me to reply for her.
http://issuesithinkabout.blogspot.com/2008/09/new-post.html
You asked: (1) Why do people think McCain is evil.
(2) What has he done. (he voted yes on every bill that had to do w/ a fetus)
(3) Bible verse that forbids women to take civil office.

1)McCain may not be evil of himself, but he definitely is not conservative or of an upright carachter. He divorced his wife (something God clearely hates/condemns), and has not been a good politician. More below...

2) McCain has been a R. senator for many years. The Republicans (Rs) have held the highest offices for 20 of the 28 most recent years. In that time, our federal debt had skyrocketed, they have increasingly ignored/trampled on the Constitution (the highest law of the land), and done nothing to minimize the role of government intervention in public/non government affairs.
Worse: they have begun an Unconstitutional, un-declared "war" in a foreign nation on a faulty premise, and used fear to pass the Patriot Act which allows the government to listen to private conversations.

McCain in person has assisted some of the most liberal judges to ascend to the supreme court (ginsberg, etc)http://abirdhouse.blogspot.com/2008/08/mccain-deserves-emmy.html
He attempted to pass a bill that would give people who ignored our laws (illegal aliens) to have free passes into our country.
He suceeded in passing the most horrendous bill checking our freedoms in the election years in his self-named McCain-Feingold Bill. He supports the NAU which will turn our soverign nation into nothing more than another UN dependent global entity. Have you heard about the Amero and the NAFTA Superhighway? He supports them too.
Abortion: He supports the R presidents who have masqueraded as pro-life, and have not solved anything. There is no evidence that he will be any different.
The REAL way to stop Abortion tomorrow is to pass Ron Paul's Sacntity of Life Act. It defines life as begining at conception, and IT TAKES LIFE OUT of the JURISDICTION of the SC. Congress has that Constitution right. However, the R's enjoy playing the "Gasp, who will nominate conservative judges" game which ensures thier win in an election. No SC judge, (conservative or otherwise) will ever overturn Roe v. Wade. It will NOT happen...even if R's win every election for the next 30 years.

3)The bible does not "forbids women from civil office" (quote from you). However, is has principles and from the Creation of man and woman in Genesis 1, their roles are different, as described more in Gen.2.
Women are to be "keepers at home" (Tit. 2:5) and Paul forbids women to have authority over/teach men. (I Tim. 2:12)
Isaiah 3:11-12 a says:
11 Woe to the wicked! Disaster is upon them!
They will be paid back for what their hands have done.

12 Youths oppress my people,
women rule over them.

Women ruling is seen as the final death knell for just and upright rule. Men were given the head position. Women are to support and be subject. Not to rule. That is a curse and a punishment.

My blog is
http://abirdhouse.blogspot.com
You can survey and comment or if you have more questions, you can email me at Warblerbird@gmail.com