So, I got me a forward...
(sans pictures of various 'Christian' things and political horsepuckey, and I bolded one part that I touch on later)
"Paul Harvey says: I don't believe in Santa Claus, but I'm not going to sue
somebody for singing a Ho-Ho-Ho song in December. I don't agree with Darwin ,
but I didn't go out and hire a lawyer when my high school teacher taught his
Theory of Evolution Life, liberty or your pursuit of happiness will not be
endangered because someone says a 30-second prayer before a football game. So
what's the big deal? It's not like somebody is up there reading the entire book
of Acts. They're just talking to a God they believe in and asking him to grant
safety to the players on the field and the fans going home from the game. But
it's a Christian prayer, some will argue. Yes, and this is the United States of
America , a country founded on Christian principles. According to our very own
phone book, Christian chu rches outnumber all others better than 200-to-1. So
what would you expect -- somebody chanting Hare Krishna? If I went to a football
game in Jerusalem ,
I would expect to hear a Jewish prayer.
If I went to
a soccer game in Baghdad ,
I would expect to hear a Muslim prayer.
If I
went to a ping pong match in China,
I would expect to hear someone pray to
Buddha.
And I wouldn't be offended. It wouldn't bother me one bit. When in
Rome .. But what about the atheists? Is another argument. What about them?
Nobody is asking them to be baptized. We're not going to pass the collection
plate. Just humor us for 30 seconds. If that's asking too much, bring a Walkman
or a pair of ear plugs. Go to the bathroom. Visit the concession stand. Call
your lawyer! Unfortunately, one or two will make that call. One or two will tell
thousands what they can and cannot do. I don't think a short prayer at a
football game is going to shake the world's foundations. Christians are just
sick and tired of turning the other cheek while our courts strip us of all our
rights. Our parents and grandparents taught us to pray before eating; to pray
before we go to sleep. Our Bible tells us to pray without ceasing. Now a handful
of people and their lawyers are telling us to cease praying. God, help us. And
if that last sentence offends you, well . .
just sue me. The silent majority
has been silent too long. It's time we let that one or two who scream loud
enough to be heard that the vast majority don't care what they want. It is time
the majority rules! It's time we tell them, you don't have to pray; you don't
have to say the pledge of allegiance; you don't have to believe in God or attend
services that honor Him. That is your right, and we will honor your right .. But
by golly, you are no longer going to take our rights away. We are fighting back
.. and we WILL WIN! God bless us one and all ... especially those who denounce
Him , God bless America, despite all her faults. She is still the! greatest
nation of all. God bless our service men who are fighting to protect our right
to pray and worship God.
2007 will be the year the silent
majority is
heard and we put God back as the foundation of our families and institutions...
and our Military come home from all the wars. Keep looking up.
If you agree
with this, please pass it on. If not delete it. AND THAT'S THE REST OF THE
STORY"
Ok, first off, what? My only options regarding this are either agree and pass it on, or delete it and STFUn00b? I don't think so, senor. See, as you may have noticed, this IS America, and I DO have freedom of speech. So, get ready for a little dissent...
My reply:
Ok,
Given that Jesus bade us turn the other cheek, it seems to be in exceptionally poor judgement for the author of this message (Larry King no less) to use that same phrase as follows:
"Christians are just sick and tired of turning the other cheek while our courts strip us of all our rights."
I beg to differ. As a Christian, I am neither sick, nor tired, of doing as Christ asked me to do. Insofar as prayer in public goes, Christ himself criticized the Sadduccees for their public displays of affection for God when their private behavior showed them to be hypocrites. Prayer is meant to be between one man and his God, not an in-your-face show of Christianity to the public. Frankly, I think with the world the way it is, and Armageddon looming in the not-too-distant future (thank God!), Jesus has better things to do than pass messages to God asking for His intervention one way or the other in a sporting event.
Now, I'm not being deliberately obtuse. I understand that the message's intent was to show concern over the way the legal system is crapping all over freedom of religion. The thing is, it's not a real problem. Black on black violence is a real problem. Teen pregnancy is a real problem. World hunger is a real problem. This illegal, immoral, and just plain evil and cowardly invasion and occupation of Iraq is a real problem. Our power-maddened Resident Bush is a real problem. Larry King needs to sharpen his claws on an actual issue if he wants my support.
Oh, and as far as the state-mandated loyalty oath goes, let's not forget that that oh-so-precious phrase "under God" was added by Senator Joe "the Commies are hiding under my bed!" McCarthy to make sure the USA's state-mandated loyalty oath wasn't as blatantly a state-mandated loyalty oath as the one that good little commie kids were reciting under banners of Stalin and Mao in other countries. State-mandated loyalty oaths have no place in a democratic country, and Christians, whom Jesus admonished to remain apolitical when he said "My kingdom is no part of this earth." have absolutely no business whatsoever acting as advocates of such abominations. Where do your loyalties lie, "Christians", with your country, or your God? "A slave cannot serve two masters."
Now, I've said my piece on this issue. I don't hate America, any more than I hate any other geopolitical region of earth, nor do I love it, any more than I would any other region. Fact is, I don't care one way or the other about ANY country. I do not regard patriotism as a virtue. In fact, I regard it as a vice. Displaying pride over where random happenstance decreed your mother would drop you out is almost as valid a point to take pride in as the color of one's skin or the epicanthic fold (or lack thereof) in one's eyelids.
Personally, if those are Larry King's actual words, I think he needs to go back on his meds.
