As I watched the beautiful and amazing Fourth of July celebrations I was struck by the difference between the beauty and splendor of these incredible displays and the ugly and disrespectful displays that have been playing out on various social medias. My heart swelled with pride and joy over all the many blessings we here enjoy, but it occurred to me that so many are forgetting why this wonderful country really came about.
Are you ready?
It was to escape and survive the mainstream Christian faith forcing all others to follow and live according to the rules and demands this Christian group decided was truth and therefore within their right to enforce and push these beliefs on others to the point of making laws to enforce them. Eventually and frequently this escalated to murder in the name of God and what was right becoming common place. The religion claimed truth, the bible, and God as their backing and power and used and abused these falsely to control, bully, and manipulate the world about them.
Wanting to escape to a place where they could live as they believed, our forefathers and mothers understood that without making certain that no religion or group, no matter how popular or right they seemed to be, could ever control, bully, or manipulate we would risk history repeating itself yet again. Their dream was not to impose God on the people who came to this land but instead to deal with them in a way they believed was right and godly. In a way to protect the right of every human being to have freedom of choice and, though not united in beliefs or understand in all things, the belief that if these freedoms were to be maintained, defended, and fought for, this nation under God, not run by God, would succeed.
You see after witnessing the horrors of what man could and would do in the name of religion and truth, they realized that unless all were seen as equal and all freedoms, as long as they did not directly harm another, were protected, history would repeat itself. And while yes, they believed in God and the Bible, it was because of these beliefs that they realized how important it was to protect the choices and rights they believed God himself had given and therefore no man or woman had the right to strip away.
Yet here we are, hundreds of years later, supposedly advanced and wiser, fighting over rights and trying in the name of "right" and God to keep others from equality and force religious beliefs on others! It frightens me greatly!
Are we so weak and insecure in our own beliefs that unless others do the same we can not stay true to who we are? Has our God lost His power? Have we forgotten the wheat and the tares must grow together? Did we forget to love our neighbors? To love our enemies? To love ourselves? When did the sins of someone else become a reason to cast the first stone? Are we not to render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's?
So as you ponder and reflect on the freedoms we hold dear and enjoy, please remember that unless we stand up for and protect all rights equally and all humans equally, one day we may not only see history repeat itself but live to regret it. Don't just worry about the freedoms you want and have, but the freedom of others as well. Don't join a group or side because it protects and follows your personal beliefs, follow and join the side of allowing others to do the same. And don't blast others and their groups for what you despise and hate, most likely they are doing exactly what you are doing, so change it up! Promote all you find that is good! Cherish the freedoms you love by ensuring they are available for others too! Fight for the underdog! Believe and support equality for all, not just who you agree with! Love yourself! Love your neighbor! Love your enemy!
I saw it said on social media that "Judge not that you be not judged..." was the cry of the unbeliever. That might be. But I find it sad and ironic that an unbeliever has to be the one to remind us.
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