I finished the last two chapters of this book yesterday. This was the second time for the chapter related to Guns... I found myself highlighting even more--indeed, I'd highlighted almost the entire chapter of words... Words about our children, Uvalde springs first to mind, although that is just one of the latest we all watched occur, isn't it?
The thing is, as I finished reading, I immediately wondered... What could I say about the fact that Guns are Everywhere in America... in our schools, in our churches, in our grocery stores, theatres, musical events--everywhere... Many times when I come on YouTube, I see the picture of a young child with his father talking about how he came to die while he was in school...
My heart--our hearts immediately begin to swell in pain, in anguish, in the final moments though, we are always asking WHY? But it is a rhetorical question... A hopeless question because we all know the answer, don't we? Every attempt to do something is stopped through the use of big money in the business of selling guns. And guns proliferating faster than we the people! Yes, there are far more guns in the United States than there are people! Far more than in any other country in the world!
And we have mass shootings in our country every day...somewhere... Someone--more than one--dies every day here in the land of the free?????
Right about then I began to ponder whether it was worth sharing further... For, as most writers do, they build up to the important points as we move further into a book. And Reverend Warnock does indeed know the pain of somebody who has died from a gun... Just as many have...
And, of course, the question was discussed... What are we doing to our children??? What are we teaching those who must attend schools, fearing for their lives... Practicing for a potential attack...
And we know that, for our Black neighbors, death has been a part of their lives right from the beginning when they were brought to America to be slaves to white men. Some may have died on the ship and were tossed overboard with no thought of grieving... Black mothers know that they must quickly begin to explain about how they can "live" with the white people who will consider them "beneath" their attention... How? Why? One thing I have learned is that what the white man has created is a race of people who are now prepared to survive, even more, to fight back...
I have learned that this is a significant difference between the black and white people... In different ways, I admire them more than many of those of my own color.
.jpeg)
So, too, has man chosen to use more and more of the earth's resources so that ultimately they needed to look for other ways to obtain them... Oil being one of those resources which is now, right now, costing all the world because of lack of control and/or consideration for planning for the future, rather than just continuing to use, use, use... Wars being fought or resources stolen, such as from South America... by those who are rich but not rich enough to be happy and live well in world around us...
And you know what, folks, from a time when, as a poor single woman, I was working to make a living to help my own family, I began to learn of those in the United States and from other countries who had much worse living conditions than we had ever had... AND, during the last decade, I have taken time to listen to multiple news sources and have read books from people who had the qualifications to help me learn more about what and why things had reached the point where we could in 2016 vote in a television reality character who had a background of bankrupted corporations, and a history of getting federal funds, while not following laws related to renting to all people, et.al. I Now Know Stuff...
And one thing I know is that the republican political party is the reason in almost every situation when guns and climate are being discussed that they have refused to even negotiate--or they may play at it, even approve it, only later to also agree to overturn what improvements have been made...
Then beginning in 2016, it was the now president who began to either pull out of what was already established as a working group planning for the future, or removing the regulations and laws that had been put in place by earlier presidents to respond to these two important needs.
Let's face it, these two issues result in the most deadly situations that can occur. Yet congressional republicans continue to not only not support, but in some cases refuse to even negotiate on these subjects!
You know folks when I listened to the above video, I hesitated to include it, even if what was said was true. You see, it was using satire to spotlight exactly what and how the republican party is treating the majority of United States citizens. It has exploded during this last term of the Trump presidency... So, why and how do I, we, think that anything can be done. Decades have gone by and little has been done to regulate and control guns... Decades have also gone by when not only is nothing being done on the climate crisis. In fact, many of the safety regulations have been removed by this administration... And they actually try to deny any problems with our environment. While we all watch and see more and more signs of natural and man-made created problems... Isn't it time that we begin, again, listening to our experts in science related to future plans for wind or other options...
Isn't it time that we ignore the claims of conservatives pushing pro-life, while at the same time, that same party is allowing children to be killed in devastating ways? What can we do but assume that their moral code is either ignored or not even known to exist? Just trying to understand how to proceed within this, right now, badly damaged country...
You know, folks, I woke up to a wonderful dream this morning. I was back to a time when I was young, my mother was still alive and we were living in a little town called New Geneva. There was a small store there and a woman ran that store. It was a day that Bertha, the owner and a member of our church, had fixed a meal to sell as a special. Time had no meaning, so I was also working and had come home wondering about what to fix for supper so I stopped in that little store... It smelled wonderful. The meal was Baked Ham, scalloped potatoes, green beans and creamed new onions... I have no idea how that last item got on the menu in "my" dream since I don't think I've ever tasted them... But I woke up happy. I woke up knowing that I had been given freedom to be very specific about what the republican party is attempting to do to the United States... And to all God's children... I knew that the stuff I had learned was to be openly shared and documented and sent out to whoever wanted to learn more... Speaking Truth is our Freedom!
Because, you see, I had also had a song identified... Almost Persuaded. Some of you may know that this is one of the songs that can be used at a closing of the sermon where the pastor performs what is called an altar call. It is a time when individuals who have not yet decided might have been persuaded by what was learned on that day, and would choose to formally received Jesus as our Savior...
I never really liked the song, but now I ran through the words, especially as it ended... where the one singing might be in some way affected, but is not really ready to give up what he or she thinks a Christian life might mean to them personally...The individual decides that "some more convenient day..." may be the one... But not that day...
And I wondered just how someone else had gone about deciding whether to follow a god... And then in amazement actually, I wondered whether each of us has created their own god... How else can religions have been formed in so many ways and by so many different people, Yet assume or believe that their god is the one god...
But mostly I wonder just how religion and politics can ever be interactive without Love...without truth?
Or, at least, a basic moral code that would be acceptable to all people...
There wasn't a thing about this book that I didn't agree with. That was a confirmation needed at this particular time when the days have one thing said only to hear that it has been changed by the next day or even the next news program. Life in such chaos is not only confusing, but is not sustainable, given that there is no way any of us can really be secure in hearing, or, stating what they consider facts...
On the other hand, Reverend Warnock has opened my eyes to the value of the Book of Isaiah, and perhaps more, in helping to deal with today's world... For we know that the Bible has been interpreted to mean one thing while another might believe some other meaning... Or perhaps we just need more people like Raphael Warnock explaining how and when the old testament words reflect on today's world...
Because right now, many still believe that Trump was chosen by God... And, at least in one way, perhaps I agree... Because he certainly has opened the eyes of millions of people across the world and we can see why scripture says that the rich man will never find a home with God...
Key to this book, therefore, is finding the proof of Truth AND Love in Reflecting on the Moral Code of America... Confirming that something extreme has happened to create an atmosphere where words of our citizens have different meanings based upon a political party which is using criminal actions to try to stay in power and recreate a nation in the image of male white supremacists who are paying for their political officials to do what is best for the rich rather than for the majority of the United States citizens... Wow! That's a long sentence, but it seems to be accurate. LOL
Warnock ends with a CODA telling about a little country called Liberia--Land of the Free. It is a location where Reverend Warnock visited on a mission trip. It was formed at a time when some who lived in America were going back to Africa after slavery had been abolished, or at least, proclaimed by the government. This small place was working hard to create some part of the freedom known in America, even naming their capital city in honor of James Monroe, who supported repatriation. But this small location has had similar problems of civil unrest as has occurred in America... Yet they continue to believe... Warnock spoke at the local Baptist church about how the two areas have seen similar pains of separation of people. But our Senator confirmed there and now that he continues to support our country--even one which is now so divided. He urges us to recognize the dangers of our divisions. Of allowing demagogues* with no vision to deepen the differences and tear down what has been built with blood and sacrifice.
Urging for a future of hope for everyone, as Isaiah shared so clearly:
As the book closes, the Reverend shares that if the earth cannot sustain us, still those who are the least of these shall be with him... but to ensure that freedom shall survive, we must all work to raise the valleys, those of us who are in the lower "classes" of society, while the mountains--those at the top of society, the rich, shall fall lower... I've tried to share my understanding of this scripture... so I hope I've at least given you sufficient info to conduct your own research... For our Lord is stating that we must work to support the lowest in our land through voter selection and working against those who've corrupted out nation's government...
I believe this book should be on your bookshelf and read before November...
God Bless
Gabby
*a political leader who seeks support by appealing to the desires and prejudices of ordinary people rather than by using rational argument.
"a gifted demagogue with particular skill in manipulating the press"
No comments:
Post a Comment