[Faithwalker012]

Wow... you have a Companion Bible as well, Sasa? I wonder, are you familiar with Arnold Murray and Shepherd's Chapel?

I believe certainly there are many bits of truths in other religions. Notice I said bits of truths, or bits of THE TRUTH Naturally, I do believe the only full truth is found in Christ.

I think that while we see them as primitive and pagan (and many were), there were some Indians (Native Americans) who perhaps were closer to the truth than what we might believe. I know there are a lot of theories, some that may have a little validity, and some that don't.

This doesn't necessarily have anything to do with what I just said, at least on the surface, but it's one of the neatest stories I've come across regarding George Washington. Years before the Revolutionary War, during the French and Indian War, Washington, who was in the British military at the time, went out with a large regiment of soldiers. They were ambushed by a combination of French soldiers and Indians, and though they outnumbered them, it was not a battle that went well for the British as many men were killed and wounded. There was an Indian chief who was instructing his best sharp shooters to shoot at and kill George Washington, who was riding on top of his horse in battle and in theory a rather easy target. But I believe the story is that Washington was either shot at 17 times or by 17 men, and there was a couple of occasions on which he had his horse shot out from under him, but rather than trying to flee, Washington would get on another horse and continue in the battle. Finally after shooting at him so many times and failing to even wound him, the Indian chief ordered his men to stop, saying that George Washington was under the protection of "The Great Spirit". Years later there was a council that took place between Washington and a group of others, including some Indians, and this chief was in that council. He had grown rather old by this time, but he stood and said that he was there during that battle and that he had his best sharp shooters trying to shoot and kill George Washington and none of them could hit him or wound him. He said again that George Washington was under the protection of The Great Spirit and was destined to become the chief or ruler of a mighty empire.

The amazing thing about that battle though was Washington had places in his hat where the bullets tore through his hat, and he had bullet holes in his coat where the bullets seemed to rip through the material and somehow just stop. And it sounds fanciful, but Washington wrote about this himself I believe in a letter to his parents saying that he wasn't sure how he was even still alive and uninjured, as he had bullets whizzing all around him, and bullet holes in his hat and coat, and Washington said it had to be the hand of God, or of providence as the only explanation... and this from a man that many call a deist, when obviously a deist would never believe or say such a thing. But it was interesting to me and amazing, not only the story and the thought that God obviously had an amazing plan for George Washington's life, but that it was an Indian chief realizing that Washington was protected by this "Great Spirit". And I look at that story, even though it came years before the actual Revolutionary War, but I look at that and just say, if anyone would ever wonder, "Did God have a hand in the creation of America?", I would say wonder no more.

Jason