SAMPLE LETTER TO THE HEAD OF YOUR LOCAL RELIGION

Introduction To The Author Of The Letter

The following letter is a template or a model for you to construct either your own letter, or to copy this one is whole, or part, to be sent to your national or world religious leader.  

The goal is to let the religious leader know of your concern as one of the many followers of your particular faith to promote vigilance daily, not only of a spiritual nature, but also from a practical maternal and paternal viewpoint.

Below is a letter to your local religious or spiritual leader.   There are two levels of religious attention that must be considered.  First, the national, and secondly, the local.   Your Voice is just as important to the spiritual leader of the entire body of your faith, as it is at the grass roots level--your local rabbi, minister, priest, chaplain, etc.  

However, if you believe faith flows downward, then your Voice must flow upward.   Work at getting your local "spiritual head" to understand your concern for "Semper Vigilantes," before you tackle the more cumbersome levels in the upper church or religious structure. See if you can get your religious leader to start a Parents Of Vigilance movement in your local community.  The letter below will help you achieve that, if, of course, you believe in its worthiness.

Also, since I may not be familiar with your particular religion or its customs, you may find my words not specific to your particular style of communication on such sensitive but important spiritual subjects.   If you do find anything I say outside the preview of your religion or faith, please accept my apologies.  But trust my intent.   It is the same as yours--to keep "Vigilance" the keynote of the spiritual Voice.  Please feel free to rewrite this letter in any form you feel appropriate.   It is only a sample.

SAMPLE LETTER TO LOCAL RELIGIOUS (SPIRITUAL) LEADERS

(Salutation)

        I am writing to you for help to protect the children of our community from the fear of Terrorism..

        As the leader of my religion (spiritual belief), you have the power to bring strength to the weak, and knowledge to the ignorant.

        I ask you for both--Strength and Knowledge--for I suffer, as so many around me do, from the weakness of Fear, and the ignorance of Terrorism.  I need your help.

        After the events of September 11, 2001, when America was attacked, the Terrorists not only drove a spear into the World Trade Center and Pentagon, but they also pierced the hearts of many innocent children.  I am one of those.  I am a child of God, regardless of my physical age.  And I want to protect the innocence of both America and her children.

        Innocence is something Americans have enjoyed as long as we can remember.  Our innocence was our soil.   Our land.  Our homes.  Our neighborhoods.  Our communities. And most of all, our freedoms to move about in peace, to say what we think, to believe what we wanted to believe without fear or apprehension.   Now, those freedoms are at risk.

        While all around us the world was in strife, we were safe, secure.  We traveled far and wide and spilled our blood on foreign soils to protect the innocent and oppressed in distant lands.   Some of us didn't come home to the peace and security of our homes, our families, our loved ones.   But those who did usually clambered to their knees and kissed the earth--oh, the sweet, safe, peaceful earth!  They were happy and joyous that our highest protector, God, as we know (Him or Her), had blessed us, separated us from the strife and bloodletting that other nation's suffered; that other children of nations suffered.  We were safe, secure--as though God put his arms around us and kept us distant from the world of strife and anger that surrounded us.

        The sunlight that shined on us, the grace of Peace and Harmony that once gleamed so brightly upon America, now is cancerous.  A dark, ominous cloud of Hate and Anger, boiling with Fear and Apprehension, swirls over our Land of Peace.

        Children, who once ran free in the sunlight, now must put on heavy coats to keep the chill of Terrorism from freezing their hearts.   We turn the television off when the horrors on the screen threaten to give our children nightmares.  We stumble to explain why so many died that day, or why we should be cautious opening the mail, or why we look with suspicion on anyone who appears similar to the pictures we see of Terrorists.   We read how our most powerful political leaders run from their Congressional building for fear they might be contaminated by some Terrorist plot.  Fear is everywhere, and will stay for a long time.  It has found a new home--in our children's hearts.

        I know and believe God protects us from Fear and Harm. But He can only do for us what we cannot do for ourselves.  I believe our responsibility as His/Her Children of the Spirit is to honor him in many ways.   One way is to symbolize God's power of Good over Evil, Right over Wrong, Justice over Injustice,  through the symbol of the Spartans of Vigilance.  It is our way of doing for ourselves what cannot do--stand vigilant.  Chose to have more Courage than Fear.  Chose to have more Conviction than Intimidation.  Chose to take Action rather than wallow in the Complacency of inaction.

        The Spartans of Vigilance, I believe, represent the souls of the thousands who died at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and in a lonely field in Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001.   In God's wisdom, I believe He brought those souls back to stand vigil with Him over the children.   I believe they are our "Angels of Vigilance."

        Let me propose some questions for you to consider.  What if in God's infinite knowledge He realized human beings are full of flaws, and one of those is memory? 

        What if He asked each of us to wear an armband, or, a button, or a pin, or a hat, each day, or each Tuesday, so that we didn't forget that God's messengers--the victims of the tragedy--were his "Angels of Vigilance," standing ready to defend America and all countries from Terrorism's harm to the children, to the families, to the neighborhoods, the communities of any nation?

        I'd like to think a merciful God, who has given us Free Will, would not let thousands die in a horrible tragedy without a bigger, more powerful reason than to extricate them from earth to Heaven.  I'd like to think their spirits remain, under God's tutelage, standing vigilant so that we, His children, can see them as symbols of Faith and Courage and Conviction that God's Good will overcome man's Bad.  I'd like to believe those who died left a "spiritual legacy" of protection that God did not want buried with the coffins.

        I believe, under the Principle of Free Will God has given us, it is up to us, his children,, to look through the pain of the tragic events and find the reason for the tragedy of the Second Tuesday in September so we can transfer that reason to our children, and they can see the worth rather than the tragic loss of so many at the hands of Terrorism.

        To help our children find the Faith necessary to fight the Fear of Terrorism, I propose that you consider endorsing the symbol, Semper Vigilantes, in your sermons and writings, as a method to bring God's message of Good versus Evil to the children and parents of this religious community.  As David slew Goliath, so can we hurl a rock into the forehead of Terrorism with a simple signet, a simple armband, hat, pin or button, that we wear reminding us not to forget our Faith in God, or in the miracles He can perform. 

        I do not believe honoring the "Angels Of Vigilance" deters from direct communication with God, or imposes any idolatry.   The Angels Of Vigilance are simply a post office box into which we deliver prayers of deliverance from the fear, the intimidation and complacency of Terrorism.   They are God's messengers, our conduit to Him, our reminders that we, His children, must take action.  "God only does for us what we can't do for ourselves."

        I am proposing the inclusion of the Principles of Semper Vigilantes into our religious community for a number of reasons.   I believe there are many who "blame God" for letting this tragedy happen.   I do not.   I believe just the opposite, that those who died gave their lives for all who live.   They sacrificed the precious gift of life for thousands upon thousands of children who currently live in fear, or hide their fear, because their parents cannot explain to them in just and reasonable ways they can comprehend and understand, why we were attacked, or why we are bombing and killing others to try and defend ourselves, or why each day the headlines in the papers or on television speak about more fear.

        I believe by endorsing Semper Vigilantes we can turn our attention from the art of cowering in fear of Terrorism, to the art of standing vigilant in the face of the enemy.   Since Terrorism feeds on fear, if we are not afraid, if we cannot be intimidated, if we do not fall complacent, then Terrorism will have little to feed upon.   We can starve Terrorism with Courage, Faith, Conviction and Action.   This message of Vigilance, I believe, will help bring back to the fold those who think God abandoned them by "letting this happen."   It will also focus positive spiritual energy on building a defense of Faith in the Future, rather than a belief bombs, bullets, and Home Security militia by the government will resolve the problem of Terrorism and return our children's fractured minds and frightened souls back to a state of Grace.  The enemy's blood will not heal the child's wounds.  It will only strengthen the desire for revenge through violence..

        I believe adopting and promoting the Principles of Semper Vigilantes will strengthen the congregation.  It will unify the members of the church by bringing them together as one force, guided by the spiritual belief in Good versus Bad, and the common goal of protecting the children.

        To achieve this, I propose our church spearhead the formation of Parents of Vigilance in our community.  Let us open the doors of our hearts to all members of the community from any and all religious beliefs, including those who do not necessarily align themselves with any particular belief.  I suggest we make our plea to join the Parents Of Vigilance  non-denominational.   The goal, I believe, will help solidify our community and our own congregation.  We will all be one in a common cause..  We will become God's  Kids working for God's Kids--the way I think He wants us to act.

        To get started, I suggest that we use the Principles of Vigilance as our guidelines, our suggestions. They are not dogma.  We can adapt them to fit our needs, our beliefs, our concerns.  We reach out to everyone in the community-- Parents, Grandparents, Uncles, Aunts, Brothers, Sisters, Cousins, Nephews, Nieces and other Loved Ones of the children.    A Parent of Vigilance is simply one who cares more about the children than he or she does about himself.

        I know we support many other groups here at our church.   Each one has a value to the community.  But at the moment, I cannot think of any more worthy group we could start and build to the benefit of us all than the Parents of Vigilance.

        I ask you to consider this request through prayer and meditation.   I ask you to question its value and try and find reasons why we should not spearhead such a group.   In Apologetics, it is important to question the foundations of any great belief so you can handle the attacks upon that belief by others who try and Terrorize it, destroy it, reduce your Faith to rubble.

          I am sure there will be those who will try and Terrorize such an effort on your part.  They may attack the formation of Parents Of Vigilance on the grounds that as our spiritual leader, this is not appropriate, not part of your "job."     Or, they may think promoting  vigilance is paranoiac, and that we should just "get on with our lives" and let the government take care of the problem.   Or, perhaps, those above you will question your right or reasons for spearheading such a cause, and bring pressure upon you to not "get involved."  Or, maybe you are complacent yourself, and do not want to do it for personal reasons, preferring to let "God" take care of things in "His" way.

        I cannot speak for your beliefs or your convictions or your concerns..   I can only speak to you as a member of God's church, of which you are the shepherd for our community--and as the shepherd, suggest your mission is to keep the wolves from eating the lambs.   I believe that we already are the Parents of Vigilance.  I believe you daily instruct us to stay connected to God and seek His protection and guidance.

        This, I believe, is only an extension of what you are doing.  And that we,  your flock, can help you surround the lambs and protect them from the fangs of the wolves who lurk in the shadows, hungry to strike fear and intimidation into their hearts, minds and souls.  

        Therefore, I would ask you to consider deeply the power of the flock, and your role as its shepherd to guide us, steer us in the safest spiritual direction.  I believe this includes helping form the Parents of Vigilance, with the Angels of Vigilance standing guard over us, symbolized by the Semper Vigilantes logo, and actualized by your Voice calling upon us to build the Courage, Conviction and to take the Actions necessary to do God's most important work on earth--protect the children from harm.

        I ask you to review the webpage from which I received the message of vigilance.  It is nyc-cc.com.  After reviewing it, praying and mediating, please call me and let's talk and work out how we can best get the Parents of Vigilance kicked off in our community.  And, as you're reviewing the material, consider taking the Parents Pledge Of Vigilance.   I did.

        I thank you for your time, your prayers, and your support.   Let us work together to achieve more Faith in God through our embracing of Semper Vigilantes.

        Respectfully, and Semper Vigilantes

      (Your Name)