It is both disturbing and unfathomable how many actors, singers, comedians and even politicians have joked about or threatened physical violence up to and including the murder of the President of the U.S.
Consider the past 8 years. When someone even criticized the previous POTUS they were accused of being racist or a fascist at the least. People were labeled as intolerant and bigoted. Folks would call for their being fired or sanctioned. But, now everything is fair game? Even the vile and evil language of people receives cheers of approval from crowds and followers.
Any and every single person who has verbally threatened violence against the POTUS should be jailed (for their Class E Felony under United States Code Title 18, Section 871). Any and every person who has joked about such violence should be shunned/boycotted in their line of work. They should also seek therapy to deal with their sick/demented views.
Has American lost her civility and followed the way of so many European countries. Have we succumbed to being so ugly a people that can speak of shooting, beheading or beating with a bat the POTUS? Even blowing up the White House receives cheers and accolades. People seen as supporters of the current POTUS have be attacked and beaten, their properties vandalized. Even the people who do things such as blocking traffic because they are upset that they didn’t get things their way, need to be held accountable for the disruptions they cause to the people around them.
And the POTUS is not to be above any of this either. His ad hominem attacks of people and name-calling is unacceptable. Though many things ascribed to the President may not be true, there is enough that is true that is not only un-presidential, but also wreaks of incivility. The rudeness he displays at times is an embarrassment. He needs to stop straying from the work of being POTUS. What is said by others does not need a response via Twitter or Facebook from him for all the world to see.
Consider also that his life from 20-30 years ago should not be more significant than that of anyone else in stirring up words or actions from long ago. Let’s open everyone’s closets if we are going to keep stirring things up from the distant past. What needs to be addressed concerning the POTUS is the here and now. That is what matters. He needs to be held to a higher standard and he needs to start living up to that standard. The President needs a lesson in good manners and morality, also a little more self-control from blasting out at people would be helpful. He needs to be reminded that he is America’s President, even if some in the country want to say he is not. He needs to act more like a President.
America does need to be disturbed, but not in the ways previously addressed. We need to hold each other accountable for what we say and do in the present. We need to work together, cooperate <https://tinyurl.com/mpbre52>, respect people in their positions/professions. Perhaps we need to remember the words of Thumper’s Father from Bambi, “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nothin at all.”
That doesn’t mean we can’t have different views and beliefs. We can oppose one another. We can be critical of things we don’t like. We also need to be disturbed (at the embarrassing words, behaviors and actions of folks around us and in our country) that we seek to make a change.
We need to work together. The meanness, the bullying and the threats need to stop. We need to be respectful even to those with whom we disagree. For the Christian, there is an extra level of accountability in this area because we know we will stand before God in the judgment. I pray God will disturb us, disturb American so that we change to be a people who expect more from each other, but also work together to be the best people we, ourselves can be.
Be disturbed, disturbed enough to make a positive change!
But don’t be disturbing!
~ Bill Lowrey
Several years ago I “preached” a sermon on ‘Divisions,’ based on the words from 1 Corinthians 1:10-18. As I listen to the news and hear the people in the country either gloating or pouting or even rioting about the elections in the U.S.A., I think we need to take a serious look at this topic again. I hope and pray that among Christians we will leave this behind and certainly, most importantly, leave it at the cross before we enter the church.
you then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal?” Consider even Jesus’ reminder to the people who were prepared to stone a woman for her sins saying “let he/those who are without sin cast the first stone(s),” and they all walked away.
Going into the LC-MS (Lutheran Church Missouri Synod) Convention this summer it looked like the Bully Pulpit and Money Train that we have seen over the last few years out of our Synod leadership was planning to steam roll the convention more than they had in the past. There were many resolutions reflecting a desire to limit the authority of individual congregations, either distrusting local pastor’s leadership or simply displaying a desire to gain more control of and money from individual congregations.
In our country, the Supreme Court can make a ruling where 5 of 9 judges agree and 4 dissent and the outcome becomes the Law of the land. The decisions they make are far reaching and long standing in forming the direction that our country takes, good or bad. Some people agree with the decisions and others do not.