We are in the middle of so many bad things happening all at the same time. While so many are protesting and fighting for equality as human beings (STILL, for the….hundredth plus year?), we as a country are being distracted by virus news, arguing about which type of protesting is good or bad based on how we each think a person should react to what they’re facing, focusing on what Trump tweeted or what this racist woman said in a Facebook comment when maybe no one even knows who that person is or if it could be a bot being used to instigate the anger, the rest of the world is watching this happen.
While so many are doing what we do best – making every situation about our individual opinions – our country still can’t get on the same page about how every human life has equal value. That’s actually a fact, not even a personal opinion. It’s the truth. Sesame Street can teach it to a toddler, so I think it’s possible for us if we really try to open up our minds a tiny bit. This very basic concept that simply asks us to look at another person, see them as human just like ourselves, and care about them because we are all in this world together…this very basic concept can’t be unanimously understood. This negatively impacts several different groups of people, but right now it’s clearly hitting the black community hard. That is undeniable.
I’m ashamed, embarrassed, mourning, and feeling so concerned for our country. I have never been the “Proud to be an American” kind of person that gets all crazy excited about Independence Day, but right now I can’t even imagine what it means to be “Proud to be an American” if we can’t even be united as a people about the value of human life. We may have accomplished so many other great things, we have so much “stuff” and “wealth” and “weapons” and whatever else is deemed important, but if we don’t have truly equal treatment of human beings? What does all that other stuff even matter…
I feel so much anger toward anyone who claims to be a Christian and yet still harbors these racist, prejudiced attitudes about other people. What is difficult to understand about God’s clear direction in his most important commandment…
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
Mark 12: 30-31
Seems pretty clear to me. I don’t mean to take any focus off the issue at hand, but honestly if the world understood that VERY CLEAR commandment and truly understood that it’s the true meaning/purpose/way of Christianity…if everyone acted under that belief…we wouldn’t have this despair and trouble.
Why is everyone so easily able to argue about looting vs rioting vs protesting but so many don’t think this question is important:
“What is wrong with us as a people that these protests, the looting, the riots (whatever you call them, whatever you feel that they are)…what is wrong with us as a country that people have been pushed this far and treated in such a way that this reaction is happening?”
What is wrong with US as a whole? And why haven’t we been able to learn to love each other over the last 70 plus years? We expect kids to get an entire education and find a career in a matter of like 17 years or so but we as an entire country, so many adults responsible for teaching kids, we can’t collectively wrap our heads around the fact that every human life has value and the black community is just as much a part of that as YOU are.
I’m ashamed, embarrassed, mourning, and feeling so concerned for our country. I have never been the “Proud to be an American” kind of person that gets all crazy excited about Independence Day, but right now I can’t even imagine what it means to be “Proud to be an American”…
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
Mark 12: 30-31
15 Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
1 Corinthians 12: 15-26
We need more Jesus in this world, and not that religion that people use to justify the behavior that led to these protests. That is false and unacceptable. It is so saddening to know that religion is and has been used that way. We need more REAL Jesus in this world. It is our responsibility as brothers and sisters to our fellow human beings that are suffering, and God we need your help to change the hearts of so many.
Amen.
Love the Belly of the Whale 