Gene F. Danforth: Study your family's history to better understand the world

To The Daily Sun,

When interpreting any given text, forget the propagandists. Any evil can justify their cause, there will always be a science, ideology, and front lurking around the corner, or hiding in the shadows.

Religion is no different. It appears that new ones are starting up all the time. Humanism is one. Even the state can be considered a religion. Some young minds may even worship their teacher or professor as the final authority on any given subject.

As far as history goes, a good way to study history is to research your own family history. It can give one a good view of who you are and where you came from. Embarking on such a quest has done wonders for me in understanding world history. And especially my own DNA.

A great-grandmother can relate how persecution can kill. She was among the Mormons (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) when their farms were looted and burned, their women, men and children were killed or driven into the wilderness. How they built a beautiful city out of a disease infested swamp. And then were driven out again. How a governor wrote an extermination order to annihilate them. Many died along the way to a place of safety in the Salt Lake basin.

The Nazis reigned terror on many groups of people. Some of my mothers relatives never made it. Her two brothers were never heard from. And yet, most history books leave out the deadly exploits of the Russians, who enslaved or murdered millions themselves.

Whatever your religion, pray to be on the right track. Followers of Jesus Christ should read the New Testament (King James version) and check to see if they are actually following Jesus.

There is a phenomenon taking place in the Mideast among the carnage between ideologies. There are Muslims who claim that they have had dreams of Jesus beckoning them to follow him.

As a friend who served five tours in Iraq and five tours in Afghanistan as an officer informed me, when a Muslim joined the Christian faith they needed to get him out of there because his life was in danger. You cannot leave Islam.

May I make a suggestion? Get a Koran and a New Testament. Study them both without prejudice. Ponder the written words in their text. Then you decide, only after following your conscience and investing yourself in a spiritual journey.

Gene F. Danforth

Danbury