I love to read other’s work and see what interests the
persons I follow on my blog. Sometimes it is more fun to read than to write! I
am always amazed at how many talented and knowledgeable people I know in the
blogging world.
In my Facebook world, I am friends with persons of varying beliefs.
Within a group, we discuss political, cultural, and humanitarian subjects-or
anything else that catches someone’s eye they think is important. Before this,
I had my beliefs and could not understand how anyone could look at the same set
of events and not see what I see.
What I have found is the reason everyone does not agree on
all topics regardless of the facts is complex. Religious beliefs slant people’s
interpretation of facts. I see Bible verses quoted back and forth in defense of
a belief. Amazingly, both camps have Bible verses they can throw at each other
to uphold the rightness of their beliefs in a subject.
Belief in a con man’s recommendations and words above facts,
reason, or humanity. This con man has
woven himself into Christianity so that he and Jesus are on the same level for
believability and redemption. Evangelical ministers and TV ministers hail him
as the next best thing to Jesus and state he is standing up for them although
his lifetime behavior has been proven to be racist, dismissive, callous, dishonest,
abrasive, and centered only upon his and his family’s success. He is famous for
the indoctrination to not believe anything but what he tells you to believe. If
he says something and then backtracks two days later and says something totally
different, do not question this. Just believe the last thing he said.
The same persons who sit in the pews on Sunday listening to
the sermon and praising God are the same ones who post comments and memes
indicating their dislike-and sometimes, hate-of a group of people by Sunday
afternoon.
A man I knew from high school posted a terrible offensive
meme hat he stated was sent to him from a woman at church! (I guess he thought
because it was a woman who sent it and she related to church this made the meme
okay.) The meme showed a woman in a bikini with wild blonde hair who weighed
around 300 lbs. She had an expression that was an in-your-face type of expression.
She was labeled a Democrat. The other woman was buxom and slender with brown
hair in a skimpy outfit waving a flag, I think, and she was labeled a
Republican. The meme was offensive on so many levels I did not even know where
to start addressing it.
Several people attempted to say to him why the meme was
offensive, but others gave him an “atta boy” so he became certain the meme was
okay. It was pointed out to him that it was his choice to post what he wished
as the First Amendment gave him the right to do so, but others also pointed out
he would be subject to the consequences of that expression of his First
Amendment rights.
Finally, I asked what his pastor would think of the meme.
Did he think the pastor would find it humorous? After a time, he posted back
that a pastor with a sense of humor would. A few hours later the meme was
removed. Even once he realized the meme was offensive, he continued to defend
it because there were those who gave him approval for the hatefulness of the
meme. But, in the end, I think, fear that his minister might become aware of it
made the meme disappear.
The issue of abortion is a hot potato issue. It seems it is
based upon the question of when a fetus is considered a person. Some believe
the Commandment “Thou shalt not kill”, covers the belief in anti-abortion, but
some of these same individuals believe capital punishment and killing others in
wartime is okay. I believe if you use that Commandment to justify the disapproval
of abortion under any circumstance, you better be able to justify not killing anyone
under any circumstance. The Commandment does not say, “except…”.
Pro-choice individuals argue a fetus is not a person until
it is viable outside of the womb. For instance, a baby born at a certain number
of weeks may be able to live with massive amounts of medical intervention but
have severe limitations the remainder of its short life. Most states do not
allow abortions after the age of viability, which has been studied by
scientists and doctors on a continuing basis. This information is referenced within
the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision.
If a child is born and has medical issues that would cause
death without massive medical interventions and even with this intervention leave
the child with massive problems and a short life, do the parents get to request
no heroic measures be used when the child is born? There is hospice for children
and adults who are in this type of situation. Do the parents not get to speak
for their child under these circumstances? To me this has a clear-cut answer of
allowing the baby’s parents decide, but I am surprised how many people believe everything
should be done to keep this poor child alive although these same people cannot help
these parents cope with the horror this visits upon them, their families, and
the child. Not to mention the financial devastation.
My mind has not been changed by the posts. I researched well
and thought through my beliefs thoroughly prior to deciding what I believe.
Others who believed differently than me have done the same. I do not understand
persons who believe in kindness to others and do not care about children in the
detention facilities at the border, they are not likely to see the dissonance of
their beliefs. It is what it is. I only hope there are more out there like me
than them at the time of the 2020 election.
Thoughts of Tee 