No shirt. No shoes. No service.

Advanced Civilization.

        There was a trial a few years back of a guy that had AIDS, knew it and was still having sex with other people. To make matters worse he was a swinger. He got caught was charged, tried and found guilty. A person can’t legally do that. In addition to being legally wrong it’s morally wrong. It is one sick, despicable, piece of crap person that that would knowingly and wantonly do something like that. They probably served their time and are out of jail now. Medical science has advanced enough to keep AIDS mostly from being an immediate death sentence.

        I read another post from a President Trump supporter using the ol’ automobile comparison. You know the one. So many people die by cars each year but we don’t ban cars. This was followed by more equally inane comparisons. The interesting thing is that there are laws on the books governing everything mentioned on the list. Everything.

        If a person drives a car while intoxicated, gets in an accident and kills someone they are going to be charged. There are laws on the books dealing with drunks that drive. Aren’t their Constitutional rights being violate.

    States, cities and counties have health departments and they in turn have laws that they enforce. So really there isn’t anything new taking place. The nation has had to enforce quarantines from time to time over the years, including during the Spanish Flu pandemic. There were people even then that didn’t want to wear masks.

Anarchists
        There is no Constitutional right to kill and endanger others. It now appears that conservatives in general support the right to do just that. They don’t want to respect the rights of business owners to require people to wear something as simple as a mask to protect others from them. They say that is a violation of their rights. The law is what they say it is.
        I remember when the first health regulations came into being (in the 70s, I believe) that required restaurant patrons to wear shoes and upper body clothing (along with covering below-the-waist parts). These regulations resulted in the now ubiquitous signs stating: “No shirt, no shoes, no service.” Why haven’t those rabid diehard Constitutionalists been grabbing their guns and storming Capitols to demand their rights NOT to wear shoes and go shirtless?! They’re obviously leaning that way already. Why haven’t they been demanding their rights to drive as fast they want to on their roads?! If other people don’t like that then they should just stay off their roads! How about their Constitutional right to smoke! Laws are for little people! The deaths of others is an infringement on their rights until they themselves need to go to an ER or ICU.
        They are anarchists.

Perspective
        Then there are other lists being provided showing the number of deaths caused by other historical events including wars. The Viet Nam war is now being left off of those lists since the recorded number of deaths from COVID-19 have now exceeded the number lost during the war. President Draft Avoider Bone Spurs missed that war. These comparisons are done to make the numbers of deaths that we have so far seem far less consequential. They call this keeping things in perspective.
        What these kinds of lists do is avoid focusing on what is actually taking place. Hospital Emergency Rooms (ERs) and Intensive Care Units (ICUs) are being overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients. There isn’t room for all those that under normal circumstances would be going to ERs and ICUs. The problem is that we’ve had so far 70,000 people die in just 2 months. Add onto that all the sick from COVID-19. Add onto that those that will continue to have medical problems from the disease with additional people needing rehabilitation. All of this is over and above what is usually taking place. Then add onto that Doctors, Nurses, EMTs, medical technicians and others on the front lines are catching the disease and some of them are dying. This is not usual and not normal and has been going on for weeks with weeks to go yet.

Looking for work.
        When this is pandemic is over or even abates enough for health care workers to take a breather there are going to be a whole lot of vacancies in the health care industry and not just from deaths. People are going to leave that profession and look for a less dangerous line of work. Understandably some of them did not know that they were signing on for something like this. They did not know that the leadership of their country would hang them out to dry.
        You know who will be tapped to fill some of those job vacancies including the essential low wage ones? Immigrants. That will put a hardship on racists. But this nation has traditionally turned to immigrants to fill difficult jobs. You know like the jobs that Hispanics are doing now.

Homeward bound.
        We’ve seen some new faces down here at the lake this weekend. They’ll be heading back now. Some will be passing through from other states. Coming from the beaches, the countryside and the big cities. Some will stay here. The unseen passenger will be traveling with some of them.

Did the passenger hop off at your place?

Is there more than this? [RELIGIOUS/POLITICAL]

        I think all religions deal with this question.

        Churches and the Christian faith in general are in decline in this country. What follows are generalizations of a complex subject, but I do believe they address the root cause of the decline from what I see people express online. Typically the conservative side of the Christian faith points to the liberalization of our culture as being responsible for the large part of the decline.

        In a conversation about faith that I was having with a friend I mentioned that the current political climate was having a deleterious effect on the faith. People are leaving the church in droves because of not only the position of the Evangelical Party supporting a President who is at his very best an abysmal representative of the faith, but also because of the expressed conservative intolerance and maltreatment of so many others. This would be in areas of other religions having rights, racism, immigration, Muslims, abortion, the environment, guns and bigotry. Hot button issues. (By no means is that intended to be a complete list.)

        In response my friend said that if they’re leaving the church then their faith must not be very deep.

        That sentence should have been in the paragraph above it but I wanted it to stand out. I think that it’s really important and I have been reflecting on that ever since. I believe that what he said is very true for probably the vast majority of Christians and for good reason.

        After all, Jesus, when he was on the cross, cried out wondering why God had forsaken him. He was deep in his faith. He is the faith. Now I’m sure that theologians offer a lot of different explanations for what he said but it’s pretty apparent that his faith in God the Father was shaken. So, if you’re questioning your faith you’re at the very least in good company.

        The bible has stories about people and tribes being left alone for awhile to their own devices and then converting to other faiths or losing their way. Even the inner circle of Jesus had their doubts, weak moments. Jesus? Who’s he? Never heard of the guy. There are also examples of people whose faith was rock solid and never wavered. More on this later.

        There are modern examples aplenty of people questioning their faith. Mother Teresa had a crisis of faith in her journey. Pastors have renounced their beliefs in Christianity. In times of personal tragedy, especially when children are involved, people can question or lose their faith. The actions of Professional Saints can make people question their faith. Needless deaths can cause people to question their faith. Where’s God during natural disasters? Have you heard the expression “If this is what Christians believe I don’t want any part of their faith”? That covers a lot of ground.

        Here’s an example of what I’m talking about that I just now pulled out of the comments section of a post responding to comments that President Trump made at the Annual Prayer Breakfast. Prayer. Breakfast. His comments were quite a bit less than Christian. He takes his pettiness and vindictiveness wherever he goes. He lives it. He is a bully. This is the example that the Evangelical Party holds up as being the Chosen One. His Christian supporters cheer him on. This is how the person responded:

        “I'm having a hard time holding on to faith when it's Christians that are being hateful and horrible. This situation with Trump worship and people thinking Trump is the path to God is disheartening. It's a grotesque, money-worshipping path and I want nothing to do with it.” END OF QUOTE

        People are saying that if President Trump is representative of the faith then they want nothing to do with it. They want no part of a religion that actively supports a man like him.

        The internet is full of these kinds of comments about the Christian faith in other issues being covered as well. I have read thousands upon thousands of similar comments over the years. As in, if this church supports gay marriage I’m outta’ here! Typically the comments when people talk about not having anything to do with the Christian faith have nothing to do with the absolutely fundamental core belief of the faith. There is an afterlife. There is life after death. There is more than this. How do we get there?

        Their responses are usually directed at the examples they see Christians make in our lives in the secular world. Their comments are usually made in response to how they see Christians reacting to gay marriage, abortion, immigration, other religions, the environment, etc. People don’t become believers by accepting the faith’s position on immigration. People become believers by accepting Jesus as their savior and believing that there is an afterlife. Shouldn’t life after death be more important than a particular political view or secular issue? How do we get to that dialogue?

        As saints we’re supposed to spread the “good news” and witness to others. In other words I’m a Christian because I believe that there is in fact more than this. That there is an afterlife. That the story of a man named Jesus somehow survived a couple of thousand years of history. That Jesus provided not only a path to salvation (achieving an afterlife) but also an example of how we should try and live in this life. 

 

Some examples provided from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) of the bible:

“…for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.”

 

How did Jesus feel about people that didn’t do the above? More from the NRSV:

“Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’  Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

 

        There is good and evil in the world. Love is most important. Love God. Love people. Those are the two big commandments. Treating the poor and sick is what we’re supposed to do. Take in the immigrant (stranger). Racism is wrong. Greed is wrong. Essentially that humanity (people) comes first. We need for those who don’t believe to come through the door of conversation, not drive them away.

        The Evangelical Party* has different priorities. They would have us serve their Caesar, their “Chosen One”.

        The Evangelical Party has the money to spend when it comes to advancing the Jesus that they are recreating in their image. President Trump amplifies their voice. They’re both into punishment for those who dare to disagree with them. Their Jesus has an agenda that matches that of their leader, President Trump. The teachings of their Jesus become subordinate to the actions of President Trump. He gives them their power, NOT Jesus. He provides them the judges and law that they want. It will be a Christian God that children pray to in church. Christians won’t have to serve those that they don’t like. Muslims will be persecuted. It’s okay to separate the families of brown people. They are scum. It’s okay to be greedy. It’s okay to name call. It’s okay to bully others. It’s okay to encourage violence against those that disagree with them. It’s okay to kill people. Trump rallies are the Evangelical Party in action. Lies are their truth.

        The Evangelical Party spends BILLIONS advancing their agendas. They serve the Republican Party. They serve President Trump. President Trump is their Chosen One; the head of the Evangelical Party as well as being the head of the Republican Party. When President Trump talks about the evil “Dems” he catches up the Christians along with everyone else. In other words Christian Dems are evil too. You can’t be against the Chosen One and be a Christian. Anyone that criticizes him is evil. The media is evil. Muslims are evil. He is the truth teller. He is their Chosen One. Salvation isn’t in their platform. Salvation doesn’t come up at the rallies of the Chosen One. But he is learning the necessary messaging.

        Through President Trump they are all powerful and the rest of us are flies to swat into the afterlife. An afterlife that we don’t qualify for because we don’t support their master.

        Again with the afterlife. What about those who don’t believe in an afterlife? How do we reach out to them? Atheists make some good points about how religion causes rather than solves problems in the world. Especially when people seeing the bible used to oppress those least able to fend for themselves.

        I watched a television talk show where Ricky Gervais, an atheist, made the comment to the host that if civilization ended and everything had to start over again we would eventually end up with the same scientific books and the answers that they provide but that we wouldn’t end up with the bible again. The host was stumped for a response, but I think Gervais was wrong.

        I submit that it was various disciplines of science that gave us the bible as we know it today. Before the written word primitive mankind looked to the skies and wondered what is it all about? Is there more than this? How did all of this come about? Is there good and evil? What started it all? If there is a God then how was God created if there was nothing before God? The questions are endless. Science tries to answer these questions. Science has its limits.

        People will search for and come up with explanations as to how we came about. This is how so many religions came to be. Various ways of answering universal questions were devised. People came up with God as a way to explain the unexplainable.

        At some point faith becomes a question of belief in something that can’t be proved with any of the scientific disciplines. It isn’t any wonder that people lose their faith or that their faith isn’t very deep. It seems that it is our human nature to question our beliefs, to search for answers and to figure out how to live our lives and conduct ourselves. I believe that’s a good thing. We need to have conversations about what we believe and why we choose to believe that way when there are so many choices available. This is where as Christians we are to engage others as to what we believe is possible.

        The Evangelical Party is using religion to gain power. To impose their will upon the nation and on people who hold other beliefs. They, with the assistance of the Republican Party, seek to recreate government in their own image. They will fail. It’s just a matter of how much evil they will inflict upon others before they’re brought down by the weight of their own intolerance.

        Religion has been used as a panacea to the poor. A way to keep the poor down and happy regardless of their situation. Because no matter how bad their circumstances there is a better life beyond. A life where they are equal. A life without pain or sorrow. A life where skin color doesn’t matter. A life where wealth isn’t measured in material acquisitions. A life where we have the knowledge and the understanding that we need.

        We need to make it clear that Jesus is about making life better in the here and now NOT just the afterlife. There isn’t anywhere in the bible that Jesus said that the rich come first (in fact, he often says the exact opposite). Emphasis on Jesus. He said that we should use our resources to minister to the least among us. When people read the bible to support evil acts they’re reading the bible wrong. We are supposed to speak out to the truth of the Good News.

        Times like these are where we depend upon those rock solid people to help us through those moments of doubt. Those folks that remind us that we aren’t alone; that we aren’t insignificant. That we matter. That God is always with us in our pain and suffering as well as our joy. That we can also apply our beliefs to make life better in the here and now. Then we can support those rock solid people if they waver. We can stand with them. We can amplify their voice in the darkness. We can make Jesus a beacon for what is right. A Jesus that does not tear families apart. A Jesus that puts people before Caesar and Rome. A Jesus that does not turn a deaf ear to those crying for help. A Jesus that recognizes all of our humanity.

*        These are the types of  Evangelical organizations that I’m referencing:  The Falwell Empire, The Robertson Empire, Christian Broadcasting Network, Focus on the Family Action (Citizenlink), American Center for Law and Justice / Christian Advocates Serving Evangelism, Alliance Defending Freedom, American Family Association, Family Research Council, Concerned Women for America, National Organization for Marriage, Faith and Freedom Coalition. Not a complete list.

A nudge [Religious]

        ^ I wrote this in October of 2019. World Communion Sunday takes place every year on the first Sunday in October. The beginning of 2020 seems like a good time to share it again. At our church we’ll take communion again this coming Sunday. Our communion table is open to everyone.

        ^ For some reason I received yet another nudge from Holy Spirit about writing something that has been on my heart for quite some time. I have put off writing for a few months because I was not comfortable with the direction that I was going. These are difficult days to write about in our world.

        ^ Then today as often happens with music I was emotionally moved on a fundamental level by the hymn that we sang in church on World Communion Sunday 2019. It’s interesting for me especially because I am in the middle of writing another piece concerning communion that is and will be quite different from this one. The music is complicated and is beautiful. I am hoping that we get to sing it again. A link to the song is right below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uh8aTR0tmH8

        ^ Communion Sunday is about communion. What does communion mean? Unity, empathy, closeness, relationship, intimacy, spiritual union, close association are all a part of the concept. God is universal.

        ^ Christians along with everyone else are caught up in the ugliness of the world today. Christians are caught up in immigration. Christians are immigrants in the world today. Christians are trying to get into our country. They are mixed plentifully in with the people coming here from the south. They are mixed in with the Muslims trying to come here from the Middle East. They are predominantly brown. We can’t tell them apart from the non-Christians. Jesus would have us treat them all the same.

        ^ They are fleeing for a chance, just a chance, of a better way of life. Why wouldn’t Christians seek safety in a supposedly Christian country? Why would they think that they would be met with so much hate from a nation of Christians? Christians that claim we need prayer in school and that Christ is now back in a faithless country! Hallelujah!

        ^ Instead we are tearing families apart. We are separating mothers from their children. There are parents in such desperate circumstances that they send just their children. I can’t even imagine the difficulty of that decision. We are sending some back to certain death just as this nation did during World War Two when we sent Jews back to horrible deaths. Some die just trying to get here. Some die after they get here. Are there a minuscule amount of bad people mixed in amongst all of them? Yes. Satan is always at work. How we chose to respond to the works of the dark angel is up to us.

        ^ This isn’t something that we should even be arguing about. Our response as a nation should have been to live up to the words of the lady in the harbor and the righteous ideals that we profess to believe in as a Republic.

        ^ My final words are the words of another.

For everyone born, a place at the table,

for everyone born, clean water and bread,

a shelter, a space, a safe place for growing,

for everyone born, a star over head.

Refrain:

And God will delight when we are creators

of justice and joy, compassion and peace;

yes, God will delight when we are creators

of justice, justice, and joy.

For woman and man, a place at the table,

revising the roles, deciding to share,

with wisdom and grace, dividing the power,

for woman and man, a system that's fair.

Refrain

For young and for old, a place at the table,

a voice to be heard, a part in the song,

the hands of a child in hands that are wrinkled,

for young and for old, the right to belong.

Refrain

For just and unjust, a place at the table.

abuser, abused, with need to forgive,

in anger, in hurt, a mind-set of mercy,

for just and unjust, a new way to live.

Refrain

For everyone born, a place at the table,

to live without fear, and simply to be,

to work, to speak out, to witness and worship,

for everyone born, the right to be free.

Refrain:

And God will delight when we are creators

of justice and joy, compassion and peace;

yes, God will delight when we are creators

of justice, justice, and joy.

Words: Shirley Erena Murray

Words © 2004 Hope Publishing Company