A Tolerant Rant
On my Facebook page this morning I asked this question: As our young men and women fight radical Islamic fundamentalists in Iraq and Afghanistan, who is fighting the radical Christian fundamentalists here? Killing people in a church, is that a pro-life position?
Now to be fair, I will not hold all Christian fundamentalists accountable for the heinous act of violence that took the life of Dr. George Tiller in Wichita, Kansas yesterday. However, there are Christian fundamentalists out there that are as dangerous as the terrorist that took Dr. Tiller's life. As we wage a war on terror overseas, we must be as willing and ready to wage a war on terrorists here in the United States.
The same intelligence that is being used on those who seek to harm our country from afar needs to be used right here on this soil. We have constitutional rights in this country, but the one provision that waives that right is treason. When any group of Americans seek to impose their will on a nation by force, it is treason towards this government, and should be dealt with as such.
That may sound harsh, that may make civil libertarians cringe, but it is what it is. Nat Turner and John Brown were treated that way, why not these militias that are springing up all over this country? No one should be shot at a church, regardless of their occupation, political opinion, race, gender, creed, or sexual orientation. It is my hope that every effort is made to make 100 percent sure that the gunman was a soloist. If he is connected with something bigger, every effort should be made to destroy that terrorist cell.
Jesus Christ taught me to be tolerant, and I do my dead-level best to be that way. But to see a person murdered in a church strikes a nerve, like a child being murdered in the streets of Chicago, or a person in the wealthiest nation in the world going to bed homeless and hungry. My tolerance is tested on a consistent basis.
Tolerance can also open the door for further abuses and anarchy if not mixed with vigilance. Case in point, Liberty University has decided not to sanction the College Democrats chapter there because of the Democratic Party's pro-choice position. The leadership of the university said that if the local chapter did not affiliate with the party or not campaign for pro-choice candidates, then they can be allowed to participate in campus activities.
Can you imagine the headlines on FoxNews and the National Review if Tougaloo College decided to disband the College Republicans chapter there based on the GOP's position on affirmative action and that the only way that they could be reinstated is that they distance their chapter from the national party and not endorse anti-affirmative action candidates? In other words, when you use a double-edged sword, remember it cuts both ways.
Those of us that are suppose to believe in the teachings of Christ have to be tolerant of other views of the world. We also know that we do not have to conform to the world we live in. Therefore, my political and personal belief is that even if I disagree with you, I will not try to kill you, nor will I try to muzzle you. On the other hand, I will not sit idly by when you seek to harm my fellow citizens, silence them or seek to commit acts of treason towards my country.
The beauty of the concept of free speech is that it tests our level of tolerance. When we start shutting down organizations at colleges or murdering people in churches, we are seriously flunking the test.
God, continue to give me the strength to pass the test.
Now to be fair, I will not hold all Christian fundamentalists accountable for the heinous act of violence that took the life of Dr. George Tiller in Wichita, Kansas yesterday. However, there are Christian fundamentalists out there that are as dangerous as the terrorist that took Dr. Tiller's life. As we wage a war on terror overseas, we must be as willing and ready to wage a war on terrorists here in the United States.
The same intelligence that is being used on those who seek to harm our country from afar needs to be used right here on this soil. We have constitutional rights in this country, but the one provision that waives that right is treason. When any group of Americans seek to impose their will on a nation by force, it is treason towards this government, and should be dealt with as such.
That may sound harsh, that may make civil libertarians cringe, but it is what it is. Nat Turner and John Brown were treated that way, why not these militias that are springing up all over this country? No one should be shot at a church, regardless of their occupation, political opinion, race, gender, creed, or sexual orientation. It is my hope that every effort is made to make 100 percent sure that the gunman was a soloist. If he is connected with something bigger, every effort should be made to destroy that terrorist cell.
Jesus Christ taught me to be tolerant, and I do my dead-level best to be that way. But to see a person murdered in a church strikes a nerve, like a child being murdered in the streets of Chicago, or a person in the wealthiest nation in the world going to bed homeless and hungry. My tolerance is tested on a consistent basis.
Tolerance can also open the door for further abuses and anarchy if not mixed with vigilance. Case in point, Liberty University has decided not to sanction the College Democrats chapter there because of the Democratic Party's pro-choice position. The leadership of the university said that if the local chapter did not affiliate with the party or not campaign for pro-choice candidates, then they can be allowed to participate in campus activities.
Can you imagine the headlines on FoxNews and the National Review if Tougaloo College decided to disband the College Republicans chapter there based on the GOP's position on affirmative action and that the only way that they could be reinstated is that they distance their chapter from the national party and not endorse anti-affirmative action candidates? In other words, when you use a double-edged sword, remember it cuts both ways.
Those of us that are suppose to believe in the teachings of Christ have to be tolerant of other views of the world. We also know that we do not have to conform to the world we live in. Therefore, my political and personal belief is that even if I disagree with you, I will not try to kill you, nor will I try to muzzle you. On the other hand, I will not sit idly by when you seek to harm my fellow citizens, silence them or seek to commit acts of treason towards my country.
The beauty of the concept of free speech is that it tests our level of tolerance. When we start shutting down organizations at colleges or murdering people in churches, we are seriously flunking the test.
God, continue to give me the strength to pass the test.
Bombing and killing people under false pretenses and while claiming moral superiority is about as scary as it gets.
ReplyDeletePersonally I am far more worried about the State's indiscriminate murders and torture than I am worried about some extremist cranks on either side of the religious spectrum.