Three Chaplains

In Eugene O’Neil’s story “Days Without End,” John Loving, a Roman Catholic boy, prays that his parents, who have been injured, might not die. But their lives were not saved by the kind of miracle he had expected, and he loses his faith. Outwardly, at least, he becomes a skeptic and a cynic. Inwardly, however, John Loving keeps searching deeply for some answer. He tries Eastern religions. He tries philosophical cults. He joins secular meditation groups. He even becomes a member of an atheist club for a while. A friend of his — a priest — stands by him through it all.

One evening, when John Loving and his priest friend are discussing the situation, John says, “A new savior…