How do you read the Bible? ...it's a bunch of words all jumbled and it looks like a dictionary and it looks like some of it isn't even English.-Beast-----------------
For the record, Beast didn't actually send me this question. He doesn't think of me as his pastor and probably doesn't know I write this blog. I'm pretty certain his name isn't even Beast. But he did ask his Mom the question, and she mentioned it on Facebook, and I thought, hey, questions like that are basically what this blog is for. So Beast, if you see this, thanks for asking the question, because I've been thinking about how to answer it all morning!
So the Bible is confusing to read for many reasons. It is very old, and written in languages that no one speaks anymore. Since those languages died out, it has been translated over and over again, and not always the same way, and so depending on whose version you read, the words will be different, which means the meanings are different.
Even if you focus on just one version, it can look like a mess to read. The text is usually pretty densely packed (making it look like a dictionary, as you said) and there's also a bunch of numbers scattered through it. And yes, some of it isn't in English, even when you're supposedly reading an English translation. So what gives?
But maybe the biggest part of why the Bible is hard to read is the fact that it isn't a book. Sure, it LOOKS like a book. We bind it and sell it like a book. It's frequently called the highest selling Book of all time. Even the word, bible, comes from the Latin biblia, which means book. But the Bible ISN'T a book. It's a library, or collection of books.
When you flip through the Bible you'll frequently come upon what look like chapter headings, titles like Genesis, Exodus, Psalms, 2 Kings, 3 Peter, etc. These aren't actually chapters, like you would expect in a normal book, but actually little books themselves, written by different authors at different times about different things. They aren't all stories, either. In the Bible you'll find stories, letters, books of law, books of poetry, books of philosophy, books of prophecy, even books of erotica.
So when you read the Bible, if you just read it from beginning to end like a normal book, you're gonna get confused. Not so bad as if you read a Choose Your Own Adventure Book (ask your Mom) the same way, but it still won't make a whole lot of sense.
So there is your first clue on how to Read the Bible, pick one book at a time and read that. When you finish, remember that the next one you read is a completely different book. Even though it might be about the same thing.
Oh yeah, that's another thing. Sometimes the Bible tells the same story more than once, just from a different perspective or according to a different author. For instance, the Gospels (or the books Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) each tell the same story: the life story of Jesus Christ. But while there are similarities all four share, they also diverge from each other wildly, reflecting the different perspectives of the different authors.
This is going a bit long so I'll sum up with some (hopefully) helpful hints.
1- The numbers you see weren't originally there and aren't part of the story. The Bible has been printed so many times and in so many languages that for people to find where someone else was reading in the scripture would be almost impossible. Page numbers wouldn't work, and sometimes the words are almost completely different. So instead we used the number headings (called Chapter and verse) to make it clear where exactly we are reading. They are fairly universal, so even with very different translations, you'll be able to find the same part and look at how different people read that passage. So if you read a line that you can't really understand, you could always look up the same line in a different translation (there are a bunch available for free online) and see if that one clears it up for you.
2- The authors of the different books don't always agree with each other. For instance, the prophet Nehemiah felt strongly that Jews shouldn't marry foreign women. But the author of the book of Ruth (we don't know their name, sadly) wrote a story about how one Hebrew married a woman from another country, and she ended up being the great grandmother to Israel's greatest king!
3- About the language. Sometimes you'll come upon a word that you don't know, even if you try to look it up in the dictionary. This is for a couple of reasons. A lot of the time, the story will translate it for you, later. (Even though the languages these were written in is very old, sometimes the language the people who lived it spoke was even older.) There are a few words, however, that aren't translated anywhere. These are words that are so old that we have no record of them existing anywhere except in the Bible, and so we can't translate them... we can't find them anywhere else to figure out what they mean!
Monday, May 8, 2017
Thursday, April 27, 2017
Reader Question- Concerning Suicide
Where do we go when we commit suicide? I want the truth! -Me
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This is the first question I have received in a while, and I have to admit that I spent a couple hours wondering if it was best to answer it at all. Discussion of suicide in general terms (as in, talking about the concept, rather than one specific instance) can be problematic in that you never know what narrative it will fit into. If I write the answer as if I was talking to someone grieving a suicide, it will be heard very differently by someone in the ideation process, and vice versa, and lead to me seeming to give an answer I didn't intend to.
I should also make it clear that I am not the "Me" asking the question. So if anyone is worrying if I am the one questioning the consequences of suicide, let me put those fears to rest. I'm not suicidal, or even particularly depressed.
That handled... okay, let's do this.
The church has a history of treating suicide as an unforgivable sin, but this has always been more a theological construct than a Biblical imperative. While there are Biblical characters that commit suicide (King Saul in the Old Testament, Judas Iscariot in the new) theological speculation on the fate of people who have committed suicide is absent in the scriptures.
One particularly popular line of thought was that suicide counted as murder, but as you died before you could repent your murder, you went to hell. So the idea was never so much about the severity of suicide itself as it was about the mechanics of absolution. Over time, this simple theological construct evolved into an imperative, and suicide was viewed as unforgiveable in its own right, likely in a misguided attempt to dissuade people from doing it.
If you read me all that much you know that I do not buy the idea of someone being condemned simply because of a hiccup in the divine paperwork. Just as I do not believe a baby would be condemned because no one could find water to baptize them in before they died, I don't believe that suicide is a go straight to hell card.
Short version of the truth you're asking for, I believe that people who commit suicide, just like everyone else, is covered by the love and mercy of Jesus Christ, and that we will see them again in a much happier state of grace.
That said, I do believe that suicide is a sin, one of the most selfish acts a person is capable of. The scars left behind on all who knew them and loved them are incredibly traumatic, and can even cause "ripple effect" suicides, where the same people they hurt are then inspired to end their own lives to escape the pain caused by that first death.
In a way, I see how the early church came to the conclusions it did. They didn't have the psychological tools that we have today, but they did see the pain and trauma suicide caused and were led to an almost inevitable conclusion... whatever else this act may be, to cause so much harm and so much pain even to those not killed must be some variety of evil.
So I suppose that is the answer to the question. I believe that the saving power of Jesus Christ extends to suicides just as I believe it extends to everyone. But I will also always condemn it. Just because something won't send you to hell doesn't make it a good idea.
---------------------
This is the first question I have received in a while, and I have to admit that I spent a couple hours wondering if it was best to answer it at all. Discussion of suicide in general terms (as in, talking about the concept, rather than one specific instance) can be problematic in that you never know what narrative it will fit into. If I write the answer as if I was talking to someone grieving a suicide, it will be heard very differently by someone in the ideation process, and vice versa, and lead to me seeming to give an answer I didn't intend to.
I should also make it clear that I am not the "Me" asking the question. So if anyone is worrying if I am the one questioning the consequences of suicide, let me put those fears to rest. I'm not suicidal, or even particularly depressed.
That handled... okay, let's do this.
The church has a history of treating suicide as an unforgivable sin, but this has always been more a theological construct than a Biblical imperative. While there are Biblical characters that commit suicide (King Saul in the Old Testament, Judas Iscariot in the new) theological speculation on the fate of people who have committed suicide is absent in the scriptures.
One particularly popular line of thought was that suicide counted as murder, but as you died before you could repent your murder, you went to hell. So the idea was never so much about the severity of suicide itself as it was about the mechanics of absolution. Over time, this simple theological construct evolved into an imperative, and suicide was viewed as unforgiveable in its own right, likely in a misguided attempt to dissuade people from doing it.
If you read me all that much you know that I do not buy the idea of someone being condemned simply because of a hiccup in the divine paperwork. Just as I do not believe a baby would be condemned because no one could find water to baptize them in before they died, I don't believe that suicide is a go straight to hell card.
Short version of the truth you're asking for, I believe that people who commit suicide, just like everyone else, is covered by the love and mercy of Jesus Christ, and that we will see them again in a much happier state of grace.
That said, I do believe that suicide is a sin, one of the most selfish acts a person is capable of. The scars left behind on all who knew them and loved them are incredibly traumatic, and can even cause "ripple effect" suicides, where the same people they hurt are then inspired to end their own lives to escape the pain caused by that first death.
In a way, I see how the early church came to the conclusions it did. They didn't have the psychological tools that we have today, but they did see the pain and trauma suicide caused and were led to an almost inevitable conclusion... whatever else this act may be, to cause so much harm and so much pain even to those not killed must be some variety of evil.
So I suppose that is the answer to the question. I believe that the saving power of Jesus Christ extends to suicides just as I believe it extends to everyone. But I will also always condemn it. Just because something won't send you to hell doesn't make it a good idea.
Tuesday, April 18, 2017
Top 10 Ways to Improve your Faith Life (If that is something you would like to do.)
1- Picture your best friend in the world. Now imagine that they have
really angered you. I mean, made you angry in a way only our very
best friends our capable of. What do you say to that person? If you wouldn't be
uncomfortable saying that to God, there is plenty of room for your faith
life to improve. If you are comfortable saying it, when you get angry,
don't quote the ontological argument. In that moment, yell at God. Scream if you need to. God'll still be there when you're ready to come back.
2- The Bible told you to have faith like a child. Anyone who ever told you that meant unquestioning obedience has clearly never been around children. Question everything. A faith that is written in stone is dead.
3- Every friendship is different. Some folks talk on the phone for hours, others go out to events, still others work side by side in silence for days at a time. Just because someone else's idea of praying worked for them doesn't mean it will work for you. Keep experimenting.
4- Religion (ideally) exists to offer tools to equip the faithful, but it is that life of faith, not the tool, that is important. If one form of religion is only hindering your faith life, drop it like a faulty tool and shop for a replacement.
5- Faith is meant to be a source of joy in the good times and strength in the hard times. If it does the opposite, then it isn't faith, but something else entirely.
6- If their version of God is a hateful, vindictive egomaniac and yours is a loving, powerful confidant, then you are worshiping different beings. You may share a religion, but you are not sharing a God. Ignore theirs, and stick to yours.
7- The most powerful evangelical tool in the world is the believer who is a better person because of what they believe. If after seeing your life people still need a sales pitch, then no sales pitch in the world will ever be sufficient. So spare them the pitch, and instead, work on being the joy they want to see.
8- Learn to embrace creation through recreation. A life lived with as much joy as possible is one of the greatest acts of gratitude we can offer to our deity or deities of choice. And if your deity or deities reject joy, then I recommend finding another one.
9- There will always be doubt. It will never go away. That is why we call it faith. If you learn to see it as a hindrance, rather than a failing, you will learn to navigate it, like someone learning to feel their way in the dark. And when your faith is bright and easy, remember your doubt when others struggle with it.
10- Any God worth the paper their holy writings are written on know you as you are. This includes all facets of you, from your physical ability to your gender to your sexuality to your mental capacity. So be honest in your faith in all things. It is a whole lot easier to be truthful with God (as we understand God) when we are equally capable of being truthful with ourselves.
And if that truth right now is that you simply do not have faith, then don't be afraid. Don't try to force it. Because a life of real, vibrant faith can be a powerfully rewarding thing, worth far too much to risk sullying it with cheap knock offs.
Be real in your faith, or lack of faith, to yourself, to others, to the world around you. Eternity isn't going anywhere.
2- The Bible told you to have faith like a child. Anyone who ever told you that meant unquestioning obedience has clearly never been around children. Question everything. A faith that is written in stone is dead.
3- Every friendship is different. Some folks talk on the phone for hours, others go out to events, still others work side by side in silence for days at a time. Just because someone else's idea of praying worked for them doesn't mean it will work for you. Keep experimenting.
4- Religion (ideally) exists to offer tools to equip the faithful, but it is that life of faith, not the tool, that is important. If one form of religion is only hindering your faith life, drop it like a faulty tool and shop for a replacement.
5- Faith is meant to be a source of joy in the good times and strength in the hard times. If it does the opposite, then it isn't faith, but something else entirely.
6- If their version of God is a hateful, vindictive egomaniac and yours is a loving, powerful confidant, then you are worshiping different beings. You may share a religion, but you are not sharing a God. Ignore theirs, and stick to yours.
7- The most powerful evangelical tool in the world is the believer who is a better person because of what they believe. If after seeing your life people still need a sales pitch, then no sales pitch in the world will ever be sufficient. So spare them the pitch, and instead, work on being the joy they want to see.
8- Learn to embrace creation through recreation. A life lived with as much joy as possible is one of the greatest acts of gratitude we can offer to our deity or deities of choice. And if your deity or deities reject joy, then I recommend finding another one.
9- There will always be doubt. It will never go away. That is why we call it faith. If you learn to see it as a hindrance, rather than a failing, you will learn to navigate it, like someone learning to feel their way in the dark. And when your faith is bright and easy, remember your doubt when others struggle with it.
10- Any God worth the paper their holy writings are written on know you as you are. This includes all facets of you, from your physical ability to your gender to your sexuality to your mental capacity. So be honest in your faith in all things. It is a whole lot easier to be truthful with God (as we understand God) when we are equally capable of being truthful with ourselves.
And if that truth right now is that you simply do not have faith, then don't be afraid. Don't try to force it. Because a life of real, vibrant faith can be a powerfully rewarding thing, worth far too much to risk sullying it with cheap knock offs.
Be real in your faith, or lack of faith, to yourself, to others, to the world around you. Eternity isn't going anywhere.
Dealing with Anger
So I have gone dark here lately, the longest hiatus from the blog since I started it. For a little while I was considering just being done with APD since the questions have more or less dried up and of late I was just wanting to rant about politics, and while there are times when that is necessary, I also didn't want it to define my role as pastor. There are a lot of people out there who need spiritual care, especially those who voted for Trump out of a sense of desperation, and I need to be able to serve my role to them, which is hard when they keep expecting me to beat them over the head with the politics of our time.
In the church I have had quite a few more people approaching me for spiritual counseling lately, and doing that has made me think it might be time to re-up the spiritual care aspect of the blog.
You all know my opinions, politically. Donald Trump, beloved of Christ though he may be, has created a political persona that is very nearly the antithesis of everything I believe a Christian should be and does so with the audacity to claim not just Christian love, but my own denomination. It seems like everything he does is an affront to both my religious understanding and my general desire to just be a good person.
For now, I will leave it at that, at least so far as this Blog goes.
On to the stuff the folks I know really need.
And as always, if you have questions, feel free to use the form, or to contact me via twitter or facebook!
In the church I have had quite a few more people approaching me for spiritual counseling lately, and doing that has made me think it might be time to re-up the spiritual care aspect of the blog.
You all know my opinions, politically. Donald Trump, beloved of Christ though he may be, has created a political persona that is very nearly the antithesis of everything I believe a Christian should be and does so with the audacity to claim not just Christian love, but my own denomination. It seems like everything he does is an affront to both my religious understanding and my general desire to just be a good person.
For now, I will leave it at that, at least so far as this Blog goes.
On to the stuff the folks I know really need.
And as always, if you have questions, feel free to use the form, or to contact me via twitter or facebook!
Tuesday, January 31, 2017
Reader Question: Why all the Politics?
I don't understand why you keep pushing your political views as a pastor. Whatever happened to the separation of church and state?
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This question is a combination of questions I have received lately, both in person and on-line. I'd like to make clear from the outset that I would like nothing better than to take a break from the politics. I was hoping to be done when the election came, and did manage to get a bit of a break as Trump secluded himself from the Press (though not Twitter) in the months that followed.
But in the bare handful of days since he took office, Trump has demanded my attention by being more diametrically opposed to the message of scripture than any President in history, and I do not say that lightly.
People are used to religion in politics being primarily issue driven. The most common example is abortion: churches in general have taken such a loud and heated voice on the issue that in many people's minds a candidates take on the issue determines whether or not they are a Christian candidate. I abhor that kind of thinking, not least because I am personally pro-choice.
If I had been a pastor during GWB's Presidency (alas, I was a mere college student/seminary student/intern during those years) things would have been different. I wouldn't have liked a lot of what he was doing, but it wouldn't have been a matter of everyday concern for me, certainly not the sort of thing I would have gone to war over every day. I disagreed with W on a lot of points, but for the most part they were ideological differences, not the sort of thing I would take to my pulpit because part of being a Presbyterian Pastor is a very strong awareness of our own sinful natures... I am not God, and just because I believe a thing doesn't make it true.
Which is why opposition to Donald Trump and his message of alternative truth, ie, just because he believes a thing means it IS true, is so important, the sort of thing I cannot stand down from, especially when people's lives are threatened by those actions.
Trump is not the first politician to lie, but I have never heard an administration so eager, when caught in a lie, to simply claim that all who disagree with them are the real liars, or to claim a concept such as alternative truth. But he claims the sun shone when it was clearly raining, that millions attended when the Mall was clearly empty, that Mexico will pay for a wall while proposing a tax that will be paid by Americans, and it becomes shockingly clear that truth has no place in the man's mind.
Trump is not the first politician to have a beef with refugees, but his thinly veiled Muslim ban (please don't argue with me on this one. The Ban on refugees affects Majority Muslim countries with the exception of their religious minorities, making it a ban on Muslim refugees.) is built on a claim of threat where the threat is wildly overblown, a boogey man to drive fear. A Christian is called to reject that fear, especially in the service of others.
Trump is not the first politician to have personal failings and skeletons in his closet, but he is the first where those failings are held up as virtues. His dishonest business practices are touted as "savvy," his tax dodging is touted as "smart," his treatment of women touted as "good ol' boy." And as his apparent hatred of Muslims inspires attack after attack of our Muslim population, as a Preacher my role becomes clear.
If Donald Trump ever does a thing that I think is in line with the values I am called to preach, I promise I will give him credit for it. But I have been paying very, very close attention and it hasn't happened yet.
As for separation of Church and State, the law requires that the State not give preference to any religion in it's law making. It doesn't say a darn thing about Pastor's speaking against the State so long as we do not try to make our churches arms of a political party. And I'm not. My opposition to Trump isn't about me being a Liberal or a Democrat, but about opposing behavior and policy so antithetical to everything I believe in.
In the meantime, as a Pastor, I will continue to advocate for minorities, for refugees, for the sick, for the wounded, for the prisoners, and for the downtrodden, as Christ commanded us to do. I will give that message to my people, to my family, and to anyone who will listen.
I get that people weary of the politics. As I said, I am, too. But the dangers posed by the Trump Presidency to the very concept of decency in the United States are clear. And I was hired to preach truth. If you don't want me to preach truth to the best of my ability, then you don't want me as your pastor.
----------
This question is a combination of questions I have received lately, both in person and on-line. I'd like to make clear from the outset that I would like nothing better than to take a break from the politics. I was hoping to be done when the election came, and did manage to get a bit of a break as Trump secluded himself from the Press (though not Twitter) in the months that followed.
But in the bare handful of days since he took office, Trump has demanded my attention by being more diametrically opposed to the message of scripture than any President in history, and I do not say that lightly.
People are used to religion in politics being primarily issue driven. The most common example is abortion: churches in general have taken such a loud and heated voice on the issue that in many people's minds a candidates take on the issue determines whether or not they are a Christian candidate. I abhor that kind of thinking, not least because I am personally pro-choice.
If I had been a pastor during GWB's Presidency (alas, I was a mere college student/seminary student/intern during those years) things would have been different. I wouldn't have liked a lot of what he was doing, but it wouldn't have been a matter of everyday concern for me, certainly not the sort of thing I would have gone to war over every day. I disagreed with W on a lot of points, but for the most part they were ideological differences, not the sort of thing I would take to my pulpit because part of being a Presbyterian Pastor is a very strong awareness of our own sinful natures... I am not God, and just because I believe a thing doesn't make it true.
Which is why opposition to Donald Trump and his message of alternative truth, ie, just because he believes a thing means it IS true, is so important, the sort of thing I cannot stand down from, especially when people's lives are threatened by those actions.
Trump is not the first politician to lie, but I have never heard an administration so eager, when caught in a lie, to simply claim that all who disagree with them are the real liars, or to claim a concept such as alternative truth. But he claims the sun shone when it was clearly raining, that millions attended when the Mall was clearly empty, that Mexico will pay for a wall while proposing a tax that will be paid by Americans, and it becomes shockingly clear that truth has no place in the man's mind.
Trump is not the first politician to have a beef with refugees, but his thinly veiled Muslim ban (please don't argue with me on this one. The Ban on refugees affects Majority Muslim countries with the exception of their religious minorities, making it a ban on Muslim refugees.) is built on a claim of threat where the threat is wildly overblown, a boogey man to drive fear. A Christian is called to reject that fear, especially in the service of others.
Trump is not the first politician to have personal failings and skeletons in his closet, but he is the first where those failings are held up as virtues. His dishonest business practices are touted as "savvy," his tax dodging is touted as "smart," his treatment of women touted as "good ol' boy." And as his apparent hatred of Muslims inspires attack after attack of our Muslim population, as a Preacher my role becomes clear.
If Donald Trump ever does a thing that I think is in line with the values I am called to preach, I promise I will give him credit for it. But I have been paying very, very close attention and it hasn't happened yet.
As for separation of Church and State, the law requires that the State not give preference to any religion in it's law making. It doesn't say a darn thing about Pastor's speaking against the State so long as we do not try to make our churches arms of a political party. And I'm not. My opposition to Trump isn't about me being a Liberal or a Democrat, but about opposing behavior and policy so antithetical to everything I believe in.
In the meantime, as a Pastor, I will continue to advocate for minorities, for refugees, for the sick, for the wounded, for the prisoners, and for the downtrodden, as Christ commanded us to do. I will give that message to my people, to my family, and to anyone who will listen.
I get that people weary of the politics. As I said, I am, too. But the dangers posed by the Trump Presidency to the very concept of decency in the United States are clear. And I was hired to preach truth. If you don't want me to preach truth to the best of my ability, then you don't want me as your pastor.
Tuesday, January 17, 2017
Don't Assume That You're The Hero
Folks who follow me in my various social media endeavors might have noticed that I never quoted Martin Luther King yesterday, nor did I share any memes that did so. There is a very simple reason for that... I don't think he's mine to quote.
I like to believe that, if I had been living and working when he was, that I'd have been an ally for him. But I can't be sure. I am accurately described as a moderate white protestant minister, a demographic frequently condemned by King as far too passive, hand wringing "allies" who were ultimately more hindrance than help to his cause.
It's nice to assume that if we were there when this stuff went down, we'd have been on the right side of history. But we are who we are because of where we stand in history, and looking at my own family in that point in time, I simply cannot assume that I would have seen the need to push for Civil Rights now, even if it came at the expense of public peace. I might have been an idle fretter, wringing my hands and urging people to just "get along."
I'll never know.
It's similar to the sentiment I get in Churches around Easter time, when everyone wants to cast themselves in the role of the allies who were horrified at Christ's death. It's nice to believe, but in the end, it seems far more likely that we'd have been among the ones shouting for him to be crucified.
There is far too much eagerness among white people in general to claim King as Their Hero. In the heated political climate of today, the spirit of King becomes co-opted as a patron saint of "the good Black Protester," with those perpetuating that image unaware of how the very thought is completely and totally racist.
Doctor Martin Luther King was a powerful figure precisely because he wasn't sweet and quiet. He was powerful, provocative, and impossible to ignore. If he were to suddenly be brought to today, if we got to meet, I'd hope he'd see who I am and how I work and consider me a victory of his movement.
If he is my hero, it is not in how he fought for Civil Rights, but rather in how he grabbed comfortable white moderates by the throat and DEMANDED that we stand for Justice, or stop calling ourselves his allies, a kick in the pants that I hope I am a small testimony to, even if the state of rhetoric from ministers today means he didn't entirely overcome old prejudices.
When it comes to Civil Rights, when it comes to how we protest and how minorities make their voices known, he does not belong to me, or any other white person, no matter what side of his battle lines we feel that we stand on. Because it is EASY to assume we'd stand with him.
But if we use him as a reason why others shouldn't stand, or as a metric to show that their standing is wrong, or even worse, to claim that there is no longer a need for people to stand at all... then we are, unequivocally, standing against him. And while that is our right, basic decency would demand that we not quote him as an ally while we do so.
I like to believe that, if I had been living and working when he was, that I'd have been an ally for him. But I can't be sure. I am accurately described as a moderate white protestant minister, a demographic frequently condemned by King as far too passive, hand wringing "allies" who were ultimately more hindrance than help to his cause.
It's nice to assume that if we were there when this stuff went down, we'd have been on the right side of history. But we are who we are because of where we stand in history, and looking at my own family in that point in time, I simply cannot assume that I would have seen the need to push for Civil Rights now, even if it came at the expense of public peace. I might have been an idle fretter, wringing my hands and urging people to just "get along."
I'll never know.
It's similar to the sentiment I get in Churches around Easter time, when everyone wants to cast themselves in the role of the allies who were horrified at Christ's death. It's nice to believe, but in the end, it seems far more likely that we'd have been among the ones shouting for him to be crucified.
There is far too much eagerness among white people in general to claim King as Their Hero. In the heated political climate of today, the spirit of King becomes co-opted as a patron saint of "the good Black Protester," with those perpetuating that image unaware of how the very thought is completely and totally racist.
Doctor Martin Luther King was a powerful figure precisely because he wasn't sweet and quiet. He was powerful, provocative, and impossible to ignore. If he were to suddenly be brought to today, if we got to meet, I'd hope he'd see who I am and how I work and consider me a victory of his movement.
If he is my hero, it is not in how he fought for Civil Rights, but rather in how he grabbed comfortable white moderates by the throat and DEMANDED that we stand for Justice, or stop calling ourselves his allies, a kick in the pants that I hope I am a small testimony to, even if the state of rhetoric from ministers today means he didn't entirely overcome old prejudices.
When it comes to Civil Rights, when it comes to how we protest and how minorities make their voices known, he does not belong to me, or any other white person, no matter what side of his battle lines we feel that we stand on. Because it is EASY to assume we'd stand with him.
But if we use him as a reason why others shouldn't stand, or as a metric to show that their standing is wrong, or even worse, to claim that there is no longer a need for people to stand at all... then we are, unequivocally, standing against him. And while that is our right, basic decency would demand that we not quote him as an ally while we do so.
Wednesday, January 11, 2017
Reader Question- So What Do We Do Now?
I have had a small army of people ask that question, in one form or another, ever since the election. I've left them unanswered thus far because I really didn't know, either. There's no precedent for this, no historical guide we can follow. No President in HISTORY has ever been as underqualified as Trump, no President in history has ever been so defined by negativity as Trump, and no President in History has ever been as unPresidential as Trump.
It seems like every day we get new news of Trump's shocking behavior, and then, for those who read between the lines, we see the shocking behavior of Republicans in Congress whom I can only assume are using Trump's antics as a smokescreen. It is disheartening to say the least.
But as President Obama says Goodbye, it's time to move past the stages of grief, and into action, and here is what we do.
1- Ignore Trump. The greatest threats that Donald Trump poses are beyond our ability to control until the next election. This is NOT to say that he is harmless, far from it, but the biggest threat that Donald Trump poses is his amazing ability to command media time in one theater when our attention really should be in another. Trump is a Zaphod Beeblebrox... his job is not to hold power, but rather to distract attention from it.
2- Call your local politicians. Ask for statements. QUOTE those statements. Trump is untouchable to the average voter for four years, but congressmen and some Senators only for two. Let them know that we aren't watching the orange idiot, but rather them, and that when he is behaving like a child, we expect them to act like professionals, or they will be replaced.
3- Find Allies. I KNOW it seems like we're alone, but we're not. We're actually a majority, and more and more Republicans who voted for Trump for reasons beyond thinking he would make a good President are starting to regret those decisions. When you find a sympathetic ear from the other side of the aisle, try not to castigate them, but instead find the common ground (we are all in a terrible, terrible mess,) after all, and try to get them to join their voices to ours. They won't agree with you on many things, or even most things, but if we can agree that we have a calamity of a President and that Congress is behaving poorly behind him, that is enough to start with.
4- Don't waste your energy. We've all been in internet matches with people who wear blinders and sling angry memes rather than engage the conversation. Don't be one of them, and don't allow them to distract you. We can't browbeat people into being allies, and feeding the Trolls just gives them the jollies while wasting our time.
5- If/When the time comes, stand. I've said before that the worst part about Donald Trump, even more than his own crimes and the way he shields other politicians from scrutiny, is his effect on other people. The deplorables who use his election as an excuse to bully, or to sling hate at those they fear. When you see it happening, stand up to it. Defy it. Even if it is done with the flag of our government, defy it.
I hope it never comes to that. I hope the voices of Sanity in the GOP will join the Democrats in protecting Americans regardless of race, creed, or ideology. We just spent eight years under a President who was dedicated to justice, and it was nice. But the executive branch is now, at best, worthless to us.
So if it happens, we will have to stand ourselves.
It seems like every day we get new news of Trump's shocking behavior, and then, for those who read between the lines, we see the shocking behavior of Republicans in Congress whom I can only assume are using Trump's antics as a smokescreen. It is disheartening to say the least.
But as President Obama says Goodbye, it's time to move past the stages of grief, and into action, and here is what we do.
1- Ignore Trump. The greatest threats that Donald Trump poses are beyond our ability to control until the next election. This is NOT to say that he is harmless, far from it, but the biggest threat that Donald Trump poses is his amazing ability to command media time in one theater when our attention really should be in another. Trump is a Zaphod Beeblebrox... his job is not to hold power, but rather to distract attention from it.
2- Call your local politicians. Ask for statements. QUOTE those statements. Trump is untouchable to the average voter for four years, but congressmen and some Senators only for two. Let them know that we aren't watching the orange idiot, but rather them, and that when he is behaving like a child, we expect them to act like professionals, or they will be replaced.
3- Find Allies. I KNOW it seems like we're alone, but we're not. We're actually a majority, and more and more Republicans who voted for Trump for reasons beyond thinking he would make a good President are starting to regret those decisions. When you find a sympathetic ear from the other side of the aisle, try not to castigate them, but instead find the common ground (we are all in a terrible, terrible mess,) after all, and try to get them to join their voices to ours. They won't agree with you on many things, or even most things, but if we can agree that we have a calamity of a President and that Congress is behaving poorly behind him, that is enough to start with.
4- Don't waste your energy. We've all been in internet matches with people who wear blinders and sling angry memes rather than engage the conversation. Don't be one of them, and don't allow them to distract you. We can't browbeat people into being allies, and feeding the Trolls just gives them the jollies while wasting our time.
5- If/When the time comes, stand. I've said before that the worst part about Donald Trump, even more than his own crimes and the way he shields other politicians from scrutiny, is his effect on other people. The deplorables who use his election as an excuse to bully, or to sling hate at those they fear. When you see it happening, stand up to it. Defy it. Even if it is done with the flag of our government, defy it.
I hope it never comes to that. I hope the voices of Sanity in the GOP will join the Democrats in protecting Americans regardless of race, creed, or ideology. We just spent eight years under a President who was dedicated to justice, and it was nice. But the executive branch is now, at best, worthless to us.
So if it happens, we will have to stand ourselves.
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