Doyle, knowing full well the devastation, loss of life and stark tragedy inflicted upon my own Confederate ancestors, much of which followed them right into the 20th century, I have been unable to remove my thinking far enough from that tragedy and those times to find solace in the scriptures.

I am unsure what that says about me and my present state of Godliness, but when I think back upon the ruination that War brought upon my own people - I run up against far too many 1860s - 1870s roadblocks that prevent me from coming to terms with what happened then.

I very likely have a personal problem in effectively separating the past from the present to allow me to be quite as forward looking as you are.