LETTERS: BATTLE LINES ARE DRAWN

To the editor:

One of the most important spiritual battles of the 20th century will take place in the next few weeks. The time, date and place already have been appointed and announced. The nature of the battle has been so cleverly camouflaged that even some of the principals involved are not aware of it. The participants are already beginning to joust for position, and the field of contenders has been narrowed. Probing the opponent's weaknesses and vulnerability is an ongoing strategy. The battlefield has been selected, and over the horizon the cannons and muskets are beginning to duel. Distance across the field is being measured, and weapons are being calibrated. Before the day is over, hand-to-hand combat is expected, and the officers are ordering their troops to sharpen their bayonets. By day's end, it may not be a pretty sight.

The warriors are beginning to take up their positions, and trenches are being dug. The battle flags are being unfurled, and pennants are flapping in the breeze. Orders are being barked, and drummers and buglers are ready. Tension is beginning to mount. Everything is ready.

But what is the issues that would prompt millions of contenders to assemble for such a battle? It is the age-old struggle of good versus evil and right versus wrong. It is a struggle between traditional family values and those who would try to redefine what a family really is. It is a fight to the death over the definition of marriage and whether it includes one married couple or should include two men or two women or a commune of people or, oddly enough, a person and an animal. It is a conflict between those who say babies are people and, therefore, endowed by their Creator with a right to life and those who say the unborn are merely reproductive tissue and, therefore, have no rights under the Constitution.

It is a grinding conflict between those who say parents know best how to raise their families and those who say that the federal government knows best (remember "It Takes a Village"?). That part of the battle will have an impact on who is eligible for a partner's life insurance, pension and health benefits. (This will become a major issue in the next century when AIDS claims become astronomical.) Another contention is whether we should teach the Ten Commandments and biblical values in our schools or build more prisons. It is a renewal of the conflict created by those who say we need larger government intervention and, therefore, more taxes and those who say we need less government and lower taxes.

These differences are irreconcilable. The struggle will continue. But what about the spiritual battle that will take place a few week from now? It is schedule for 6 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 5, at your local voting precinct. Many will see it as a political event when in reality it clearly will be a spiritual event. But always keep in mind the true nature of spiritual warfare. The battle we fight is spiritual, but the battleground is political. Let the battle begin.

GERALD BEAM

Dexter