Religion and the Politics of Hate
I received this e-mail from the son of one of my friends. The letter and its contents is something that we all should think about. My response to this e-mail follows and your comments are invited.
"Weather Bulletin - North Dakota
Priceless. Think about this for a moment.
North Dakota News
This text is from a county emergency manager out in the western part
of North Dakota state after a snowstorm.
WEATHER BULLETIN
Up here, in the Northern Plains, we just recovered from a Historic
event--- may I even say a "Weather Event" of "Biblical Proportions" ---
with a historic blizzard of up to 44" inches of snow and winds to 90 MPH
that broke trees in half, knocked down utility poles, stranded hundreds of
motorists in lethal snow banks, closed ALL roads, isolated scores of
communities and cut power to 10's of thousands.
FYI:
George Bush did not come. FEMA did nothing. No one howled for the government.
No one blamed the government. No one even uttered an expletive on TV. Jesse Jackson nor Al Sharpton did not visit. Our Mayor did not blame Bush or anyone else.
Our Governor did not blame Bush or anyone else, either. CNN, ABC, CBS, FOX or NBC did not visit - or report on this category 5 snowstorm. Nobody demanded $2,000 debit cards.
No one asked for a FEMA Trailer House. No one looted. Nobody - I mean Nobody demanded the government do something. Nobody expected the government to do anything, either.
No Larry King, No Bill O'Reilly, No Oprah, No Chris Mathews and No Geraldo Rivera.
No Sean Penn, No Barbara Striesand, No Hollywood types to be found.
Nope, we just melted the snow for water. Sent out caravans of SUV's to pluck people out of snow engulfed cars. The truck drivers pulled people out of snow banks and didn't ask for
a penny. Local restaurants made food and the police and fire departments delivered it to the snowbound families. Families took in the stranded people - total strangers. We fired up wood stoves, broke out coal oil lanterns or Coleman lanterns. We put on extra layers of clothes because up here it is "Work or Die". We did not wait for some affirmative action government to get us out of a mess created by being immobilized by a welfare program that trades
votes for 'sittin at home' checks. Even though a Category "5" blizzard of this scale has never fallen >this early, we know it can happen and how to deal with it ourselves.
"In my many travels, I have noticed that once one gets north of about 48 degrees North Latitude, 90% of the world's social problems evaporate." It does seem that way, at least to me. I hope this gets passed on. Maybe SOME people will get the message. The world does Not owe you a living."
And my response:
Jeff,
the world doesn't owe anyone a living but somewhere in the bible it states...I am my brother's keeper..If you want to do a comparison...look at how the federal government responds to disastrous hurricanes in Florida, year after year. The other salient point is: if the infrastructure meaning local government, fuel resources, intact houses, restaurants, schools and hospitals were left unaffected by this storm...and if the community didn't have to worry about tens of thousand of gallons of polluted water inundating and destroying what meager lifestyle that you once possessed was all gone in just the flick of the eye...then maybe your comparison could stand up under close inspection.
The question that you have to ask yourself is: "What would Jesus do?" Would He have said to the sick and infirmed who suddenly had no resources to get their life sustaining drugs to just stay alive "Handle it yourself and stop begging?" Would Jesus have told the people whose jobs and source of income was simply gone because of the capriciousness of nature "Handle it yourself?" Would Jesus told those grieving for their lost loved ones, mother's fathers and children "Get over it?' Based on everything I know about Jesus Christ and His Father, none of these statements would have been made to the poor and suffering because opportunity and wealth, like life is a gift...
If California was hit by a devastating earthquake on the San Andreas fault line followed by a tidal wave that wiped out half of the coast...do you think that we'd be able to mobilize, as a unit and get our lives back up and running in a few days?
The sense of bravado and out right meanness that flows from the mouths of so-called Christians today is an embarrassment. Be careful in your recriminations of other people...If you have never lost anything or anyone in your lifetime...then you can not possibly deal or understand just how devastating loss can be to the human spirit.
Sorry for the lecture...but it's time we start recognizing our similarities and our bonds rather than continuing to expound on our differences. There is strength in unity and weakness in divisiveness.
"Weather Bulletin - North Dakota
Priceless. Think about this for a moment.
North Dakota News
This text is from a county emergency manager out in the western part
of North Dakota state after a snowstorm.
WEATHER BULLETIN
Up here, in the Northern Plains, we just recovered from a Historic
event--- may I even say a "Weather Event" of "Biblical Proportions" ---
with a historic blizzard of up to 44" inches of snow and winds to 90 MPH
that broke trees in half, knocked down utility poles, stranded hundreds of
motorists in lethal snow banks, closed ALL roads, isolated scores of
communities and cut power to 10's of thousands.
FYI:
George Bush did not come. FEMA did nothing. No one howled for the government.
No one blamed the government. No one even uttered an expletive on TV. Jesse Jackson nor Al Sharpton did not visit. Our Mayor did not blame Bush or anyone else.
Our Governor did not blame Bush or anyone else, either. CNN, ABC, CBS, FOX or NBC did not visit - or report on this category 5 snowstorm. Nobody demanded $2,000 debit cards.
No one asked for a FEMA Trailer House. No one looted. Nobody - I mean Nobody demanded the government do something. Nobody expected the government to do anything, either.
No Larry King, No Bill O'Reilly, No Oprah, No Chris Mathews and No Geraldo Rivera.
No Sean Penn, No Barbara Striesand, No Hollywood types to be found.
Nope, we just melted the snow for water. Sent out caravans of SUV's to pluck people out of snow engulfed cars. The truck drivers pulled people out of snow banks and didn't ask for
a penny. Local restaurants made food and the police and fire departments delivered it to the snowbound families. Families took in the stranded people - total strangers. We fired up wood stoves, broke out coal oil lanterns or Coleman lanterns. We put on extra layers of clothes because up here it is "Work or Die". We did not wait for some affirmative action government to get us out of a mess created by being immobilized by a welfare program that trades
votes for 'sittin at home' checks. Even though a Category "5" blizzard of this scale has never fallen >this early, we know it can happen and how to deal with it ourselves.
"In my many travels, I have noticed that once one gets north of about 48 degrees North Latitude, 90% of the world's social problems evaporate." It does seem that way, at least to me. I hope this gets passed on. Maybe SOME people will get the message. The world does Not owe you a living."
And my response:
Jeff,
the world doesn't owe anyone a living but somewhere in the bible it states...I am my brother's keeper..If you want to do a comparison...look at how the federal government responds to disastrous hurricanes in Florida, year after year. The other salient point is: if the infrastructure meaning local government, fuel resources, intact houses, restaurants, schools and hospitals were left unaffected by this storm...and if the community didn't have to worry about tens of thousand of gallons of polluted water inundating and destroying what meager lifestyle that you once possessed was all gone in just the flick of the eye...then maybe your comparison could stand up under close inspection.
The question that you have to ask yourself is: "What would Jesus do?" Would He have said to the sick and infirmed who suddenly had no resources to get their life sustaining drugs to just stay alive "Handle it yourself and stop begging?" Would Jesus have told the people whose jobs and source of income was simply gone because of the capriciousness of nature "Handle it yourself?" Would Jesus told those grieving for their lost loved ones, mother's fathers and children "Get over it?' Based on everything I know about Jesus Christ and His Father, none of these statements would have been made to the poor and suffering because opportunity and wealth, like life is a gift...
If California was hit by a devastating earthquake on the San Andreas fault line followed by a tidal wave that wiped out half of the coast...do you think that we'd be able to mobilize, as a unit and get our lives back up and running in a few days?
The sense of bravado and out right meanness that flows from the mouths of so-called Christians today is an embarrassment. Be careful in your recriminations of other people...If you have never lost anything or anyone in your lifetime...then you can not possibly deal or understand just how devastating loss can be to the human spirit.
Sorry for the lecture...but it's time we start recognizing our similarities and our bonds rather than continuing to expound on our differences. There is strength in unity and weakness in divisiveness.
posted by taylorlee @ 11:12 AM
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