Throwing Stones

 

Tennessee lawmakers recently passed a law banning all gender affirming care for minors, as well as a ban restricting performances in public by Drag performers.   These lawmakers are leading the country in pushing fear and hatred of others under the guise of “Christianity” and what they consider to be God’s natural order.    https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/2023/03/02/tennessee-governor-bill-lee-signs-anti-trans-bill-drag-restrictions-into-law/69937336007/

 I am sure that if you talked to any of them, they would claim that we should all be “how God made us,” and that “God doesn’t make mistakes.”   I have been hearing this all my life.  I’m not here to argue that God makes mistakes.   In fact, I’d offer the opposite, but I know for sure that humans do.  

 The naïve, simplistic belief that we are all born “male” or “female,” is, both scientifically and biblically invalid.    Matthew 9:12 speaks of Eunuchs who were “born that way,” which has to at least confuse the issue for those who take every word of the Bible as infallible.  

 Factually, there are many babies born with “ambiguous genitalia.”    Medical studies have found that an average of 1 in 5000 births in which sex-chromosomal, gonadal, or anatomical sex is atypical.   Throughout history there have been mentions of “hermaphrodites,” which are now more commonly called “Intersex.”   

 So, from a “God doesn’t make mistakes” standpoint, and considering how often Jeremiah 1:5 is used by Pro-Life advocates (“Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.”), this raises some interesting questions and implications. 

 I think what confuses me, is that those who base their entire faith and life on the belief that God doesn’t make mistakes and created us all and knows all and is in control of everything; then why would they be so fearful of those who are not the same as them?   Why would they have such hatred for another creation of God?

 I’m sure their argument is that there is a difference between an obvious physiological condition and what they consider to be a “choice” someone makes to be a different gender.    This, to me, ignores the miraculous uniqueness that was given to each human being.   Even “identical twins” are not completely identical.  There are not just minute physical differences, but the most important differences (as in all of us) are in the personality:  reasoning, ethics and feelings.   Who we are cannot be seen, and none of us can know exactly what it feels like to be another person.  

Biblically, there is a clear delineation between our bodies, and our “souls.”   The “soul,” or consciousness, is what makes us who we are, not our body.    Our body is just a vessel, a tool.  It provides a transport system to get us from one place to another.  It can cause us to feel pain, pleasure, exhaustion, hot, cold, or ill.    Even more than the physical connection, our relation to our body can make us feel attractive and confident or ugly, awkward and embarrassed.   

 Throughout my life, I have attended many funerals, and even more church services.    I cannot count the times I heard the message, basically a promise, that once we die and move on (presumably to Heaven), we would leave our “broken” human bodies and have a new “heavenly” body.    That implies that our earthy bodies are imperfect.  It is separate from our “soul,” and will be left behind.

 But no matter what happens to our body, or what it specifically looks like (this physical manifestation that we sometimes abuse and overfeed and don’t take care of) …what is most important is that we are who we are.   And we are all different.

 The mind is the most unique and interesting aspect of any human being.    How can we possibly say that every person has to think, feel and be the same way (or fall into two specific gender roles)?     Just within the United States, we can’t agree on religion, politics, humor, food, music, movies, cars, trucks, guns, clothing, sports, best places to live, and much more.   Each and every one of us is spectacularly different.

 How arrogant, shallow, and ignorant it is to say that another person could not feel different than the body they were born with or have to love a certain gender.  And how horribly cruel to demand that someone who has made the overwhelmingly difficult decision to admit who they are and how they feel is just “confused” or faking it.    Can you imagine the courage it takes to come out as LGBTQ, knowing the level of hatred and condemnation within our society?   Can you imagine having to choose being who you are when that means your family may shun you?   These are not easy choices.  These are not the choices of people who are confused or experimenting.  

 If you want to be afraid of someone who identifies as LGTBQ, I feel sad for you because you might be missing out on a relationship that could enrich your life.    You don’t have to agree with them.    You do not have to understand them.   You can try to ignore them and live in your comfy sheltered life of perceived perfection.    But don’t say you’re a Christian when you aren’t showing the Love of Christ to everyone.   Don’t say you’re a Christian if you oppose others living their lives and making choices that don’t affect you.   Don’t say you’re a Christian if you don’t stand up for the marginalized.  

 If you want to be afraid of something, imagine standing judgment before God and being told, “Why did you hate and hurt so many of my creations?   They were just how I made them.”

Reconciling

 

We are members of a fairly progressive Methodist Church which is currently evaluating a move to become a “Reconciling” Methodist Church.    Basically, this would involve a vote to accept this change by the local congregation:  achieving LGBTQIA+ justice and full inclusion in the life and ministry of the United Methodist Church, both in policy and in practice.      This is a big step, and one that I fully support, but obviously there are some questions.

Yesterday morning, as I waited to assist with a Sunday School class, an older woman (and considering my current age, when I say “Older,” you can assume she’s well past the age of 80) was asking about the change.    At first, she said that she was fine with people being “who they are,” but then she said “I just don’t know why they’ve started up with all these Gay Pride parades?    Why do they need that?”

A member of the staff responded, very politely, that Gay Pride parades have been around for a long time, and like many other celebrations of minorities and lifestyles, it’s a way to share pride with each other and make it clear that they have a voice.  

The woman seemed to have not absorbed that at all, and then said, “Did you know there are books about Trans people in the children’s section of the Public Library?   My daughter told me.    I don’t think that’s right.”

At that point, I stepped in.    “I think there’s a lot of disinformation about that,” I told her.    “A lot of people say that those are trying to indoctrinate children and make them gay or trans, but really they are only a way to help children that might be dealing with their own questions to know they aren’t alone.”

She shook her head.   “They shouldn’t be exposed to that.   They shouldn’t hear about that until they are an adult.   Young people shouldn’t be allowed to change themselves.   Their brains aren't developed enough to make the decision.”

The staffer responded, “But they can’t just change themselves.   It’s a very long process of therapy and discussion before any physical changes are made, and that doesn’t happen with children.”

“They shouldn’t even be discussing it until they are 21.   Their brains aren’t ready,” the woman said.

“I agree about the brains not being fully developed,” I said, “but in this country we have no problem letting teens drive at 16, fight in a war at 18 and buy guns at 18.     We should at least let young people have the discussion.”

She then said, “What’s wrong with people now?   We didn’t have this when I was younger.”

I replied, “You didn’t hear about it when you were younger.    I didn’t either, but that was because we were sheltered.    That doesn’t mean others weren’t dealing with the confusion alone.    There was still depression and possible suicide.   That’s what we are trying to avoid.    Let these young people know they aren’t alone and they can talk about it.”

She didn’t like our answers, and walked away, grumbling.

Since yesterday, I have thought of a lot of things I wished I had said.    I wish I had told her that I had read lots of books when I was younger.   I read books about Firemen, Policemen, Astronauts and Big Red Dogs, yet somehow, I turned out not to be any of those things.

I wish I had told her that we should stop assuming everyone is the same, and that we all have to fit into some specifically designed box.   I vividly remember girls I attended school with who were called “Tomboys,” and boys who were considered “effeminate” (and the various and vulgar names they were called).    I wonder now how many were dealing with difficult, lonely, tortured questions about their sexuality or gender.   I now understand that there were likely others, who showed no outward signs but could have also been dealing with questions.   It hurts me to know that I was part of the culture and society that told them that they could not be themselves, or worse that they were “broken” or an “aberration.”   Saying, “I didn’t know any better” hardly seems good enough.

I hesitate to go down this path, but despite my recent “deconstruction” and “wokeness,” I am still somewhat attuned to the mindset of my religious upbringing.   It might help me make the following argument (which many, including myself, might find offensive) to those who believe in the absolute infallibility of God:   Just as you would accept that a child born with a disease or a physical ailment, why can you not accept that God would make someone that does not match their Gender identity?  Would you not have compassion for a child born with a Cleft Palate?   Would you not encourage that child to better their life by correcting the problem, possibly by surgery?

Please do not make the assumption that I see any LGBTQ as “broken” or “afflicted with an ailment.”   I do not.   But for those who have Gender dysphoria, which is classified as “the clinically significant distress or impairment related to a strong desire to be of another gender,” there can be a medical treatment (if they choose).   

There is that word that so many have a problem with…Choice.   While everyone wants it for themselves, they want to limit it for those who they either don’t understand, don’t want to understand or simply don’t agree with.   It always comes down to “choice,” which in a nation founded and constantly bragging about “Freedom,” rarely comes without a high degree of judgment.  

DACA: Killing the Dream

It’s hard to imagine the mindset of a person who would agree that someone brought here as a child, even “illegally,” as it’s defended, but raised in America, as an American…attending American schools…playing American softball, basketball, soccer…making American friends…going to Prom…graduating high school…going to college…planning careers…falling in love…getting married…paying taxes…that this child, who is now an adult, is somehow responsible for what their parents did so many years ago.  That this child, who is now an adult, should be taken from everything they know and be deported back to the country of their parents.   It’s hard to imagine.

At present, it appears that over 800,000 young people could be affected by a decision to end DACA.   Those who want it abolished say that they are taking jobs from Americans, but as taxpayers and working citizens, they actually help create jobs.    Some argue that these young people are drug dealers and “thugs,” but if there are a few bad apples, they will be weeded out by eventual arrests and deportation.   The vast majority are productive members of society.

Most importantly, they are “human.”  

Those who support those who want to abolish DACA fall into several categories.   There are those that hate anyone who doesn’t look or sound like them.    There are those who are miserable with their own personal life choices and want someone to blame.  There are those who want to maintain power and don’t want voters who might not agree with their agenda.  Most of these people are beyond reason and help.   

And then there are those who are the saddest of all.  

I’m talking about the “Christians” who give to Lottie Moon or Samaritan’s Purse or any of a hundred other mission organizations, or go on Mission Trips to help those less fortunate (and get great photos of kids smiling as they hug them to post on Facebook).     You can’t have it both ways.   You can’t pat yourself on the back for donating to missions and going on Mission Trips to help children when you support people who want to kick children out of our country!   Are those children only lovable if they stay where they are?   Which Bible are you reading from to justify this in your head?   

If you think about this and it bothers you…if you ask WWJD and you realize he would never deport young people from the only home many of them have known…then you can do something.   You can contact your Congressional Representative and let them know you want the problem solved.   Do not let the bitter, angry, selfish and ugly side of America win this fight.  

My Election Prayer

Dear God,

If I wake up tomorrow and the candidate I did not vote for has become our new President, help me to rise above my anger and disappointment.    I am stubborn, as you know, so this will not be easy.   Remind me that we are a nation of individuals and we all have our own opinions and that each is valid.   I might not listen at first, but don’t give up on me.

Help me:

o   Not to judge him prematurely, based on what others say or my own preconceptions.

o   To trust only what I see him do with my own eyes and what I hear him say with my own ears, because the words of others might be warped by prejudice

o   To never twist his words into something they were not intended to be.

Help me:

o   Not to blame him for what is not in his control, because even the most powerful man in the world is still just a man…and that is all.

o   To understand that just because he thinks differently than me, he is not evil.  

Help me:

o   Not to question his religious beliefs, because our relationships with you are each “Personal” and I have no right to judge as long as his beliefs don’t infringe upon mine.

o   To ignore our differences and search for our common ground.

Help me:

o   To understand that it is possible that I may be wrong about certain things.

o   Not to take pleasure in his mistakes, because his failures hurt us all.

o   To praise and be thankful in his victories, because his success help us all.

Mostly God, help me not to be bitter and say “I’ll do him the way many in the opposition has been doing for the last four years” because that will get us nowhere, as it has gotten us now.   It’s not going to be easy, because I can be childish and spoiled and demanding when I don’t get my way.    I am human…and I am weak.   Remind me of the person I am supposed to be.

Amen

Our Dark Night

Like many Americans, I have been glued to news broadcasts in these last few days since the shootings in Aurora, Colorado.     We do not watch because it is entertaining.     Like the shootings at Columbine, Tucson and Virginia Tech, we watch because our nations heart has been injured.   We watch because we want answers. 

The video images of terrified people running, some of them covered in blood, some of them limping or carried by others, are haunting.   Their voices cry out amongst the sirens, and we realize that these people have looked into the face of death and still feel its hot breath.

The names of the dead have finally been released; their smiling faces frozen in time through family photos that play across our screens.   We watch as parents and spouses, sisters and brothers, friends and neighbors tearfully tell us about these innocent victims that just days ago had lives full of dreams and joy and we realize that it could have been us they are talking about…or us describing the void we would feel over losing someone we love.  

We will never really know the horror of those last terrifying, painful moments.   It is hard to imagine the fear and panic they endured, along with the many other shooting victims and those fortunate enough to escape with no injury other than their ability to sleep without nightmares ever again.   If only for the random chance of location, millions of people who sat in a movie theater that Thursday night escaped being terrorized by a disturbed individual and his weapons of mass destruction.   

My two oldest daughters and some friends sat in a crowded theater that night in Oak Ridge, TN.   They were excited about the midnight showing of “The Dark Knight Rises,” and blessedly, gratefully, I can say that they were able to watch the movie as it should be viewed; in the innocent safety we all deserve.   Like most people, they did not know how fortunate they were until they watched the news on Friday morning.

Everyone is very sad.   Thoughts and prayers are with the victim’s families.   Churches are organizing prayer vigils.  Politicians are asking for moments of silence and for the nation to stand strong in support of the Aurora community.   These are all good things.   These are all important things to hear and do.   

These things are not nearly enough.

I am grief stricken for the families of these victims.  I am also very angry.   Not just at the cowardly shooter and whatever demons in his head told him that this gave him power or made him special, but at whatever happened to our once great nation and world that made death and violence of this magnitude not only possible, but apparently “acceptable” to many people.

Somehow, many people in our nation have been deluded into believing that “Freedom” (a word quickly bandied about these days, but so greatly misunderstood) involves getting what you want at the expense of others.    “Delusion” is the only word I can come up with, because not a single person or organization can rationally explain to me the reason why anyone outside of (maybe) the military NEEDS an automatic weapon.  

I blame most of this cultish psychosis on the NRA (National Rifle Association), which has corrupted the original intent of the second amendment right to “bear arms,” into a disturbingly defiant creed that all guns are inherently good and are only corrupted by bad people.  This is the same logic that breeders of pit-bulls use as well, but most of us would prefer to see them behind a fence and not running free as we walk down the street.

Despite all their bluster about “Freedom” and “individual rights,” what the NRA is really interested in is money.   They get money, in part, from the weak minded who believe that one day the liberal government will declare martial law and they will need their guns to protect their families from the rising communist regime.   They are sold this nightmare fantasy through conservative radio terrorists like Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck and Michael Savage, and also by crazed politicians like Michele Bachman, Sarah Palin and many within the Tea Party who spew hatred and fear to scare up votes.  

They also get money from the gun manufacturers, and it doesn’t take a genius to know where their opinion falls on the subject of “gun control.”    Automatic weapons sell at a much higher price than other weapons, so hindering their production or sale would affect their bottom line.     Apparently, it would be flat-out Un-American to put a few lives before the corporate health of Smith and Wesson. 

The NRA has been one of the most consistently influential political lobbies in American politics for the past 30 years, since it first endorsed Ronald Reagan as a presidential candidate. More recently, it spent an estimated $7.2 million during the 2010 elections on so-called private expenditures, messages that advocated or opposed certain political candidates. They even got Chuck Norris to star in an ad for their “Trigger the Vote” campaign, imploring potential voters to register.

Somewhere, somehow, guns have become synonymous with being “American.”  Worse, owning a gun and supporting the full agenda of the NRA has also become synonymous with being a Christian.   Hiding behind the cloak of God has been a safe harbor for many evil deeds throughout history.    Christian settlers slaughtered thousands of “savage” Native Americans who stood in the way of the “promised land.”   Slavery was accepted as biblical by many Christians in the south.   

From the official website of the KKK comes this introduction:  “The United White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan is a Christian fraternal organization dedicated to the preservation of white rights in America today.”   There always seems to be a way for the ends to justify the means through some careful interpretation of the Bible or the Constitution.

As a defining part of the conservative Republican Party, Christians (or the “moral majority” as they once called themselves) have taken a particularly callous attitude toward the poor.    While espousing the message of Jesus Christ, they support politicians and organizations which want to reduce or eliminate government programs aimed to help the needy.    While happy to send funds overseas through various mission organizations, most churches seem to care less about the people down the street who can’t afford health care.   It makes me wonder if they read the same Bible that I do.

In the aftermath of the Aurora shooting, the inevitable discussion about gun control has begun.  Instead of the churches taking the lead in the fight to protect our citizens and create a more peaceful society, they continue to side with the gun manufacturers, the NRA, and the politicians who refuse to compromise in any way on profits over safety.     They do this with their votes and with their silence. 

The main argument against gun control always seems to be (as I have heard in recent days) that “guns don’t kill people, people kill people.”   Actually, guns do a spectacularly efficient job of killing people.   It’s particularly hard to kill a person with your bare hands.   It’s slightly easier with a knife, but also possible to defend.  Guns are nearly a sure thing.   Point an AK-47 at a crowd and pull the trigger…someone is almost guaranteed to die.

Of course, gun rights proponents make other arguments too.   A Republican Congressman actually said in a news conference on Saturday that he wished someone had been there with a gun to stop the shooter.   I guess he missed the coverage about the head to toe body armor that the shooter was wearing (bought off the internet).   He also must have missed the part about it being dark in the theater (who knew?) and that the shooter had set off a tear gas bomb.   Yes, in those circumstances, all we needed was another shooter in a confined space with a hysterical crowd trying to get out by any means necessary.     This was a US Congressman’s suggestion rather than considering any kind of gun control.

Honestly, I will admit that even strict gun control will not completely stop bad people from doing bad things.   But can any logical person seriously argue that if removing easy access to automatic weapons were to reduce gun violence by even one death that it wouldn’t be worth it?   Can we at least make it a little bit difficult for a deranged killer to get a gun that can spray death?   It’s not about your perceived “Freedom” or “rights,” it’s about doing the RIGHT thing.    

There is nothing Biblical about automatic weapons.   There is nothing sacred about high ammo clips.   Saying that you will pray for the victims while continuing to vote for those who enable the killers essentially makes you an accessory to murder.    I refuse to be silent anymore.   I refute the assumption that Gun Rights are a part of God’s plan or any Biblical philosophy.  I refuse to accept that our founding fathers had a vision of these weapons when they wrote the second amendment.   I am tired of being polite to those who choose the side of corporate greed and delusional arguments over the safety of my family.    I am taking a stand.  

Done Deal

Despite the inspiring return of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords to Washington to cast her vote in favor of not sending our nation into further economic ruin, yesterday was a relatively sad and humbling day in America. Although you heard words like “unity” and “compromise,” in truth there was very little of either. In fact, only the impending panic of a horrific head-on collision in this ridiculous game of chicken our lawmakers have been playing with our lives and future caused them to draft a deal that no one is happy with.

The impact of the cuts in the final deal are yet to be fully determined, but almost everyone except the terminally clueless (Tea Party anyone?) believe that the brunt of the cuts will affect the poor, the elderly and the helpless, while the wealthy have been left completely unscathed. It might make sense to those who lack any sense of compassion or humanity to take money from those who are either incapable or have little opportunity to create additional income, but I find it repugnant. Who are we if we do not help those who cannot help themselves?

I hear the word “capitalism” thrown around as if it is synonymous with all things good and Godly, while anything that suggests a “shared burden” is labeled as a traitorous attempt at “socialism” or “communism.” People have become so twisted by the concept of “capitalism” and the “American Dream” that they have lost all concern for others…or the reality of the world they live in.

We bemoan the unemployment rate and place the blame on the President, but somehow we reward the very folks who closed factories and shipped jobs overseas to increase their bottom line. We make cuts to Medicare and Social Security, while turning a blind eye to corporations who quietly funnel millions of untaxed dollars into offshore accounts.

I think many people believe “I got mine, you get yours.” That’s fine for an all you can eat buffet, but that’s not the world we live in. It has sadly become acceptable, and even applauded, for people to ascend the financial mountain over the broken bodies and spirits of others. It’s survival of the fittest…or the right place at the right time…and self preservation (through financial gain) is all that matters.

Even stupider (at least, I think this might be their justification), many people vote for the people who protect the rich and turn their back on the poor and elderly, because they somehow think “One day, that will be me!” Yes, we all have our own American Dream, even if there is not a glimmer of it on the horizon. Dreams and aspirations aren’t a bad thing. But they can’t be so all consuming or self-serving that they affect others.

People play the Lottery and enter contests. They imagine a long, lost uncle leaving them a small fortune in his will. It’s not through any conceivable level of personal competence or inventiveness that they might achieve financial success…but somehow, they believe it will miraculously fall upon them. They are sure of it. And when it happens, they don’t want to be taxed and they don’t want to pay for any free-loading “entitled” people.

If you are sincerely concerned with reducing our national debt, do some actual reading. Don’t get your stats and information from the unfair and completely unbalanced viewing of Fox News. You might not like what you learn about who increased the debt and who has reduced it in the last thirty years. You might consider Bill Clinton as only that guy who lied and cheated on his wife, but he brought down the debt that Ronald Reagan and George Bush Sr. drove up. He did it by raising taxes…not by cutting services to those in need.

When did our debt problem explode again? When George W. Bush reduced taxes to the lowest point in decades and spent like he had several hundred geese that lay golden eggs in the basement of the White House.

You can blame Obama for many things, and deservedly so, but the financial problems we are having started and blossomed during the eight years of George W. Bush. What you can blame Obama for, as I do, is the fact that he has not changed our course from those disastrous decisions. He has given lip service to it, but he has not used the power of his position effectively to balance out the economic needs of our nation. Until that is done…and more revenue is brought in by eliminating the Bush Tax Cuts and Corporate loopholes…we are only going to go deeper in debt and continue placing more burden and pain on those who can least afford it.

Negotiating with Terrorists

We’ve heard it in movies and stated as a standard policy of our great nation, “The United States does not negotiate with Terrorists.” It’s a good policy, and there’s good reasoning behind it. You can’t trust a terrorist to do what they say. Their motives are murky at best and diabolically evil at worst. You can pretty much know that if they ask for money and get it, they are going to kill the hostages anyway. Who knows, they might even torch the money while they’re at it just because some voice in their head told them to. You can’t negotiate with terrorists because they are crazy.

President Obama has broken this long-standing policy by negotiating with terrorists (and by “terrorists,” I mean John Boehner and the House Republicans who are holding our nation hostage).

During the recent, excruciatingly frustrating Debt Ceiling issue, Obama started out saying that he wanted the Bush tax cuts stopped for the country’s top income earners. He also agreed that we needed massive cuts and wanted a FOUR TRILLION Dollar package that would make a serious dent in our current debt situation. He offered up traditionally Democrat protected programs like Social Security and Medicare as part of the package, stating that nothing would be left off the table.

When the Right Wingers and Tea Partiers screamed about raising taxes on the sacred “job creators” in our nation, Obama did not fire back with the obvious response of “Where are the jobs then?” He instead fought a media war without using ammunition. He talked about “eating our peas” and the need for “compromise.”

Eventually, Obama gave in to the terrorists and has dropped the tax proposal that would have caused the rich to pay a little more, but leaving all the cuts in social programming and benefits to average Americans. The terrorists have gotten what they asked for.

Unfortunately, Obama must have forgotten that he was dealing with terrorists…so guess what? They aren’t accepting “here is what you wanted” for an answer.

Despite a Democratic budget plan that cuts more than the plan they themselves have offered, Boehner and most of the House Republicans have said that they won’t be satisfied unless we re-hash this entire, stupidly pointless debate again next Spring. Why? Because they hope to disrupt the election campaign process and do everything they can to get Obama out of office. (They needn’t worry. By negotiating with terrorists instead of standing up for the rights of the people who elected him, he is probably taking care of his re-election potential all by himself).

Don’t forget, these are the same people who said last year that their primary goal during their term was to make sure Obama did not get re-elected. Forget all our other problems. Forget unemployment, two wars, an infrastructure in decay, growing national debt, etc. None of that mattered in contrast to getting Obama out of office. Sadly, they didn’t even keep that kind of talk in the back rooms. They said it on national television, knowing that there are plenty of people out there who will nod their heads and agree with them. I weep for our future.