God Versus The Flag - My Personal Journey to Today

In over 70 years, I have never seen or experienced the chaos and divisiveness which has erupted since the 2016 election.

As with many of you, perhaps, as I did, your past beliefs and basic ideas and ideals have been involved, causing you to look back...

The Apostles' Creed was one of the first questions I had...

Why did we recite this in Church but out church was not a Catholic Church...?

I wasn't satisfied with the answer... It meant a universal church?

Then why didn't it say so?

And if it was to stand for a universal church, then that meant to me

God was over all of us, no matter in what facility they worshiped

My opinions and beliefs were starting to formulate...

In early life, I loved God Bless America...

Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory of the Coming of the Lord...

Then I was told I couldn't pray in school anymore...

I didn't understand...

My pledge of Allegiance to the Flag 

said it was "Under God"

(Some versions don't now...?)

A child who is raised in church, 

and talking about God...and praying...

Didn't understand--why not in school.

Nobody explained...

When I got older, I noticed something strange

Congress was opened with prayer

Sometimes multiple religious leaders 

were there to pray or bless a meal...

Why wasn't I allowed to pray in school...

(and now we wonder what happened to our youth...)

But there was a song that became the National Anthem

it was about soldiers, fighting and safely coming home, free...

That was a good song, but if God was over all of us...

Why not choose God Bless America,

or His Truth is Marching On...

Were we no longer Under God, like even our money said

Then I learned of special interest groups...atheists in particular

who then began to question using God anywhere...

History said that immigrants came to gain religious freedom

but now immigrants, especially certain religions are banned

I believed God was supreme in the world...and the United States...

A Nation Under God...

In my thinking, just like a Billy Graham or a Martin Luther King,

or Mother Theresa, or Moses and so many other men and women who spoke of their love of God...that there was indeed only One God, and some spoke of him differently than I did because of my particular religion...

Yes, I knew that the Bible said that only through Jesus can you be saved..

Rational thought said that my God was a God of Love, and that he wouldn't condemn those who did not know Jesus...

It was the beginning of doubting for me

It was when I began to receive cautionary notes...a minister uncle brought us little pamphlets against Catholics... My mother suggested we stay away from them...

I've mentioned before that in the seventh grade, my two new best friends for all of high school was a Catholic and an African American... We loved each other as friends do...We never thought of any religious differences that we may have had...

I couldn't understand why one atheist could cause so much turmoil...

Schools were no longer allowed to celebrate Christmas or Easter...

No public displays were permitted on the streets...

I didn't understand why I was being penalized for being a Christian

no longer being able to share a prayer, no longer able to celebrate the birth and death of Christ...

Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny, toys and chocolate

 replaced Baby Jesus

the Crucified Jesus...

Madeline O'Hara

Then when I was just beginning to work on a campus, the government 

declared Separation of Church and State.

For me that meant that no Christian events could occur on campus unless they were sponsored by students (as their home away from home)...

Or other approvals which I negotiated...

To religious leaders with questions about their paying taxes for this State institution, I had no answer other than to point out it was now federal law...

GOD HAD BEEN COMPLETELY ELIMINATED FROM MY LIFE

OUTSIDE OF THE HOME...

This was religious freedom?

Was Christianity the only one being attacked?

Well from an atheist, yes...but what about the rest of America?

But as nearly 40 years on a state university campus flew by

I met many people from different countries, of different colors.

Many became friends; I learned that there was no difference

among that multi-national group...

Some were bad as they chose to be; most were good

Religious differences was not an issue...

Some were Jews, a couple of professor friends,

Indian students and more... Some were Christians, some not...

I could be accused of thinking, they all look alike...

We were a college campus, we were employees, we were students

A group...

College sports were part of that life

multiple races, multiple cultures...became teams...

I was a Christian, yes, but I also was elected to

Staff Council, the Council for Women's Concerns...

I joined and sang various musical pieces 

in a multicultural group of music lovers

God was with me; God was there..

Then One day I no longer felt His Spirit!

It came about because I read a book, something that

contradicted my belief system...

Days were dark; I had pulled away...

Talking to a friend allowed me to consider

I knew the darkness of being without His Spirit

I learned to use the gift of discernment in reading

I didn't want that ever again...

God was there with all races, all nationalities

I never sensed the presence of evil, except through

criminal acts on and off campus... Rape was there, I am sure

Now they call it date rape...

Only one heinous campus crime happened in all those years...

And I had become a member of a society

and happened to be Christian. I lived there

I had a role, a place there...

I fought for staff and women's rights there,

organized conferences, classes, 

to help women and men train for promotional opportunities...

I understood that Christians lived along with others, 

under one God, 

No matter if a different religion was held by some

I began to understand Separation of Church and State

But I never understood the inconsistency in the government

who seemed unable to stand behind their own rulings...

In fact, I had little trust in...government...

Within my family, they knew I worked hard,

continued to be promoted, continued to succeed...

They never knew my friends,

my activities, my professional or personal involvement.

They were busy with their lives, I with mine...

I had become an adult working and living as I chose...

I have gained much sympathy, much empathy

for all women and men who are burdened by just living...

living and trying to survive...

Women's rights were increased...as was minorities

Affirmative Action made us conscious of why we hired 

and made us realize that discrimination was wrong... 

I learned and understood much

Some did not and resented...but still was part of the group, 

striving and trying...working together...

Then it started on campus...A New Administration

Women, myself included, who had entered 

senior administration and a different federal employee classification

were either fired, moved into different positions...

Much happened; I will only say I developed Job Burnout

and was told I had to choose between death and my job

I went on medical leave...and ultimately was fired

although they called it elimination of the position...

Still I wasn't ready ten years later

for a man to be running for President

No, I had never watched the apprentice

knew nothing about Trump...

But I heard this and remembered...

Sexual harrassment, snide remarks,

women's role... I was "on alert"

This man during his campaign was a predator

inciting anger, prejudice, hate

I saw it immediately...others didn't; he was elected

not by popular vote, but through emotional division...

He's still doing it...

His mode of operation:

Deflect the people from his not doing the job

by appealing to emotional insecurities and fears

The majority oppose him now...

So he hits again...

"The star is a symbol of the heavens and the divine goal to which man has aspired from time immemorial; the stripe is symbolic of the rays of light emanating from the sun."

This is what I think...

The flag is a symbol of unity

People are what it represents

In this case, in the United States...

No matter whether Soldiers, or those who wait for them

No matter what they do for a living

The flag is merely a symbol of the country

 in which Americans live

The flag is not God to be honored above people...

God loves all people and is not 

An Entertainer to be watched for your pleasure

even while some of God's people are hurting...

In the US and all over the world

People have been freed in the country this flag represents,

not just soldiers, veterans...but all people...

And, I thought, the United States was a country,

Under God...

When that country divides over the freedom that the United States

provided for all immigrants that came to find freedom from religion...

Why Now has the United States chosen to allow divisiveness

turning away from why and how immigrants came...

Why now are we saying that God, who reins over all people

has allowed one man and supporters to change 

God's sovereignty over all nations...

God gives us the freedom to worship in many ways

He gives us freedom of choice in all ways...

Yet many people are not equally free...

Why does the flag prevent us from Freedom to Speak/Protest

Why is being Entertained without Disruption

more important than People...

I am again a child trying to understand...

Why is Trump allowed to divide America...

Hitler divided out a specific religion

Trump says there are good guys in 

White Supremacists, Neo-Nazis, and KKK

God Help us...

Guide us to Your path...

Not the path of a false prophet who uses

your people to incite hate, be prejudice,

and use anger to protest...

May we instead

and perhaps in prayer, silently seek the

Freedom You have granted to all Your people

not just a few... who use your Name falsely...

Let those who feel a need to protest against a government

not just seen as spoiling entertainment for some

but rather as a recognition that one man

is forcing us to assume that people hurting

have no rights under that flag, 

to consider how they are being treated...

And God, please let them see their entertainment is not

more important, no matter what kind of money is involved...

And please explain to me why more Americans watch sports

than worship you...

Was it because the government took prayer out of schools

and children no longer see God in all areas of their lives???

I always am wondering...bear with me, Father God...

I have great sympathy for my Black brothers and sisters...

Traveling to Egypt With, Of Course, Carole P. Roman as Tour Guide...Calling all Children!

Egypt is one of the oldest nations on

 earth with a history that stretches

 back ten thousand years. It is often

 called the cradle of civilization 

because of the development of cities,

 writing, farming, and a vast 

government that ruled the area.

~~~

 If you were me and lived in Egypt, your home would officially be called the Republic of Egypt. You would refer to your homeland as Masr. It is a transcontinental country, which means it is located in both Africa and Asia.

If You Were Me and Lived in...
                                                                  Egypt
A Child's Introduction to Culture Around the World

By Carole P. Roman

Illustrated by Kelsea Wierenga

Wouldn't it be a wonderful world if, as children, we could meet and become friends with all the children living in different worlds...Perhaps, then, we would never have wars since we all knew and loved each other. No, it is not possible, but Carole Roman has surely presented an excellent way for us to share and teach children about those who live in other countries... She wants us to be prepared, so that if we were to meet somebody from, say, Egypt, we would know something about their country and make a connection with them. I really enjoy each brief introduction to new countries, don't you?! 

First, we learn that children of Egypt might live in the capital, which was built on the Nile River.

It is the largest city in the Middle-East and the second largest in Africa. It is also known as Umm-al-Dunya, which means the motheroftheworld. Cairo is famous for having the second-oldest university in the world.

And so it is the children we hope to meet from Egypt... Boys may be called Mostafa, Youseff, or Aly...  While little girls might be called Deena, Salma or Fatma...

I was especially interested in the fact that they use images of their ancient places for their Egyptian money...  And I learned about money because our new friends stopped to buy halawa, a dessert!

One of my favorite parts of this series is learning about what we should visit when traveling to Egypt, in this case. I must admit that I had to use this picture...

Can you image living in Cairo, Giza or other cities in Egypt and looking out to see the Pyramids!?! Somehow I had always imagined they were built far away in the desert...it is wonderful to think about walking somewhere in a city and gazing across the sky to see the magnificent image of the Pyramids... and I even learned something new--that the pyramids are aligned with the stars! Cool! Then there is the Great Sphinx, which I would most like to see, given that it has the head of a pharoah and the body of a lion... There's even a mystery about the pharoah's head not ever solved!

They are large triangular-shaped buildings built thousands of years ago. They are constructed with clay bricks and are enormous. They are one of the great wonders of the world because of their precise measurements and placements in regard to the stars...

While...the Great Sphinx of Giza, which is a giant statue of the pharaoh's head on a lion's body. It is the most famous sphinx in the world...

The book also mentions riding down the Nile and learning about the history from Baba...I do want to take this time to mention the extremely beautiful artwork done for this book. The picture, which I believe includes Cleopatra and other royalty is magnificent in details and worthy of a permanent place in your child's library! Of course, all of the illustrations in this series have been fantastic, but I think this one picture is the best I've seen... By the way, while you're riding on the felucca, sailboat, you might have a chance for a meal. Everything sounded great. And I'd love to taste either the Kushari or Kofta...

Then comes the fun as you find out what the children get involved with in sports and other events! Including the celebration of the beginning of spring which includes a large outdoor celebration with egg coloring as a primary activity...it sounded much like our country fairs where food, fun and friends join together...

Egypt is a country I would love to have the opportunity to explore, so this was one of my favorite of Roman's books. And I've learned that she's expanding in a different type of historical book for us to enjoy...They should be on their way to me soon. 

Do make a special effort to check this book out. In fact, if you haven't already been enjoying this series, this is a perfect one to read as your first one. I can almost guarantee that you'll want to continue reading them...even if you don't have children, because there is always some child you can give it too... Seriously, all the books are age-appropriate and include everything that a child would want to know about a country that they were going to visit. Somehow emphasizing the child's point of view makes the stories more intriguing and unique. Children are bound to both enjoy and learn from this latest addition...Loved it!

GABixlerReviews

Named to Kirkus Reviews' Best of 2012 for her first book, award winning author Carole P. Roman started writing as a dare from one of her sons. Using an imaginary game she played with her grandson as a base, Captain No Beard was born."Captain No Beard- An Imaginary Tale of a Pirate's Life" has not only been named to Kirkus Best of 2012, it received the Star of Exceptional Merit, and won the Pinnacle Award for 2012. "Pepper Parrot's Problem with Patience" Book 2 in the series, received 5 Stars from The ForeWord Review The Clarion Review. Strangers on the High Seas has won second place in the Rebecca's Reads Choice Awards 2013. It has followed with six more books to the series. This year, Captain No Beard and the Aurora Borealis was named to Kirkus Best 2015. The entire cultural non-fiction series If You Were Me and Lived in... was named Best Series by Shelf Unbound. She has begun work on two new series that will be released in early 2016.
Motivated by her love of yoga, Roman has written a book that not only teaches four poses, but shows how easy and accessible yoga can be. 
Her new non fiction series, "If You Were Me and Lived in..." combines her teaching past with her love of exploration and interest in the world around us. The debut book in the series, "If You Were Me and Lived in...Mexico" has won the Pinnacle Award for Best in Children's Non Fiction 2012. France, South Korea, and Norway. Rebecca's Reads has given If You Were Me and Lived in...Norway an honorable mention in the 2013 Choice Awards. If You Were Me and lived in ...France won second place. ForeWord Review has nominated If You Were Me and Lived in...France for best in children's non fiction literature 2013. They will be followed with Kenya, Turkey, India, and Australia. She plans to do Portugal, Greece, and Argentina next year.
Writing for children has opened up a whole second act for her. While she is still working in her family business, this has enabled her to share her sense of humor as well as love for history and culture with the audience she adores. Roman lives on Long Island with her husband and near her children.

Carole P. Roman Takes Us to Greece in Her Child's Introduction to Culture About the World Series!

 You might live in the capital, Athens. Athens is 3,400 years old and the largest city in Greece. It is an important city and has often been called the "cradle of western civilization." It has earned that name because it is the birthplace of democracy. Democracy is a government run by many people rather than a single ruler.

Thousands of years ago, important teachers like Plato and Aristotle had schools there. Many of their lessons are still caught in schools today.

~~~

If You Were Me and Lived in Greece:

A Child's Introduction to Culture Around the World

By Carole P. Roman

After reading the epic historical novel by Loretta Proctor, set in Greece, I thought it would be fun to go back and take another look and take our children! 

If you were me and lived in Greece, you would find yourself in Southern Europe in a country that is located in the crossroads of Europe, Western Asic, and Africa. Greece is also known as the Hellenic Republic and has always been referred to as Hellas, [pertaining to the constitutional history of the country...]

Undoubtedly before children all over the world finish school, they will have studied and learned to a lesser or greater extent about the teachers--Aristotle, Plato and Socrates are probably the most famous, but there are many others who helped mold the ideas of a democracy such as we have here in the United States.

Before we go further, let's meet some of the kids you will get to know and maybe even have time to play with:

If you were born in Greece, your parents might have picked Georgios, or Dimitrios, or Nikolaos, if you are a boy...

If you are a girl, they could have chosen Eleni, Sophia, or Katerina...

Stuffed grape leaves, salad and tzatziki

Their parents or other relatives probably bought the doll(s) with euros... While you have your money out, you might go

ahead and have lunch! What looks good? Or maybe you might like something like this...

You may have had most of these items in a sandwich called a gyro? Have you ever eaten one? Oh, they are delicious! Do try what each country can offer you, that's the way to learn more about what is grown, what animals are there and what the culture traditionally serves... Oh, and don't forget to try theloukoumades, which is a doughnut covered with honey and cinnamon... Yum!








Did you know that the Olympics Games, which still go on today, all over the world, were created in the town of Olympia, Greece, in the 8th century B.C.?

...everyone in Greece loves the Olympics... It was a huge athletic festival when it started, celebrating the best athletes from every town in the area. It is said that when they created the games, it caused the wars to often stop so they could compete instead...

Learn about the Parliament Building ceremony, the Acropolis, the Parthenon, Athena, The Feast of Basil and why there is a coin in the cake, and more in this full-

color children's book, which includes an extensive list of all the new words you will learn and how to pronounce them in the Greek language...

Wouldn't you like to visit? I know I would. We may not get there in reality, but this introduction to the culture for your children will certainly help them to learn more about one of the most important civilizations that has brought so much meaning across the world! 

Highly recommended and add it to your children's permanent library for future reference...

GABixlerReviews

Named to Kirkus Reviews' Best of 2012 for her first book, award winning author Carole P. Roman started writing as a dare from one of her sons. Using an imaginary game she played with her grandson as a base, Captain No Beard was born."Captain No Beard- An Imaginary Tale of a Pirate's Life" has not only been named to Kirkus Best of 2012, it received the Star of Remarkable Merit, and won the Pinnacle Award for 2012. "Pepper Parrot's Problem with Patience" Book 2 in the series, received 5 Stars from The ForeWord Review The Clarion Review. Strangers on the High Seas has won second place in the Rebecca's Reads Choice Awards 2013. It has followed with six more books to the series.
Motivated by her love of yoga, Roman has written a book that not only teaches four poses, but shows how easy and accessible yoga can be.
Her new non fiction series, "If You Were Me and Lived in..." combines her teaching past with her love of exploration and interest in the world around us. The debut book in the series, "If You Were Me and Lived in...Mexico" has won the Pinnacle Award for Best in Children's Non Fiction 2012. France, South Korea, and Norway. Rebecca's Reads has given If You Were Me and Lived in...Norway an honorable mention in the 2013 Choice Awards. If You Were Me and lived in ...France won second place. ForeWord Review has nominated If You Were Me and Lived in...France for best in children's non fiction literature 2013. They will be followed with Kenya, Turkey, India, and Australia. She plans to do Portugal, Greece, and Argentina next year.
Writing for children has opened up a whole second act for her. While she is still working in her family business, this has enabled her to share her sense of humor as well as love for history and culture with the audience she adores. Roman lives on Long Island with her husband and near her children.