I've been watching Stephen Ives' film, "The West" on Netflix and find that Americans' quest for more, more, more is not a 21st century problem. It's been with us from our inception. After the 1803 Louisiana Purchase, a whole vast frontier was opened up and we wasted no time in pushing through and usurping territory that had already been previously inhabited for hundreds of years.
There were some folks who simply wanted a better life, but with the discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill in California, the fever caught and the rush was on and the masses came with high hopes of striking it rich quickly. Most didn't and lots of men died trying.
I could go on for days and days with stories and statistics...suffice it to say that Americans behaved abominably towards Native Americans, making promises with little or no intention of honoring them. One Native American spokesperson in the series did dispel the myth that everything was perfect with the lives of Native Americans before the White invasion. They had many of the same problems any group of people have. They were just tremendously exacerbated by the white man's insistence that these heathen people be subjugated and corralled. Their treatment, and the institution of slavery, are the two biggest stains on our nation.
And no amount of bleach or pre-treatment product is going to remove them.
I think these days we tend to push aside these failures in our humanity to pretend that they didn't exist...or don't still exist. The whole conflagration with the Confederate flag should have been put to rest in 1865, with the surrender of Lee at Appomattox Courthouse. At that moment, the South was no longer a separate nation. It was part of the United States and all of those flags should have been replaced with the American flag.
I don't want to hear about the Confederate Flag's cultural relevance or how it's part of their heritage. It might well be part of their heritage, but, seriously...that heritage involved slavery, kidnapping, lynching, church burnings and countless other acts of hatred and racism.
Removing the flag from public places is not the whole answer, but it's a start. It's a statement that says we will no longer cling to the stereotype that is so, so hurtful and racially abhorrent to a large segment of the American people. It says Jim Crow has moved on.
Now...about gay marriage. You'll not be surprised that I was astounded (in a good way) when I got the text from Kate. For me, it's never been about the religious view on homosexuality. It's always been about the rights of ALL people to legally stand up before their families, friends and God and make a commitment to love, honor and cherish one another.
I cannot believe the indignation of some Christians are expressing about this. Hypocritical doesn't even begin to cover it. I watched a video this morning that suggested that we first remove the log from our own eyes before we can see the speck in the eye of our neighbor. A good and sobering reminder that none of us is free from sin.
I "shared" a blog post on my timeline written by Adam Hamilton, the senior pastor at Church of the Resurrection here in Overland Park. It is a thoughtful, eye-opening look this issue. I would encourage you to read it. It points out that we cannot really opt for the "cafeteria" scripture plan...there are dozens of passages that call for us to act in ways that today we would think reprehensible...women being raped having to marry their rapists, rebellious children were required to be stoned to death, priests who daughters were prostitutes were burned alive Here's a link to his blog...
We can do better. We HAVE to do better. Take some time to open your heart, your mind, your soul. Ask God to speak to you. Ask for forgiveness. Ask for guidance. Ask for God to render you color/gender/preconceived notion blind if need be. Ask to be able to love your neighbor, maybe not as your love yourself, but better.
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