my father was ex-military-but not crazy or anything. but he did understand the power of authority, and (to his mind) the necessity of its imposition on others. emotionally distant, not really terribly interested in being a father, but not cruel. just almost completely non-encouraging about anything, including "spiritual" matters. eventually he got chewed up and spat out by more powerful, that is, richer, elders.
when he was deleted, i must admit it was one of the happiest days of my life. i held the hope that just maybe my family would be finally through with this crap. my parents stopped attending for a bit, then moved away and started up somewhere else. he still fervently attends and defends, although he will always be blackballed from having authority ever again.
his indifference to me, as well as his constant demeaning of my intellect over the course of my life, has left me indifferent to him.
and thats just sad.