Showing posts with label churches. Show all posts
Showing posts with label churches. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Not So Different



It's easy to point fingers and cast aspersions, from a distance.

Self-professed 'moral' or 'upright' people watch the TV and wonder
how other countries can allow injustices and the trampling of personal
rights. Folks ponder how did things get so bad over there.

Religious, self-touting people prop up the U.S with praise of its superiority
as a nation, having been founded on civil liberties while casting off the wretched
shackles of oppression. "How can governments (a.k.a "them") allow poverty
and suffering in such a way? Over there."

We also have a tendency to use time as a distancing filter for disapproving
of how others may have dropped the ball, while we--hypothetically, mind you--
would have fared far better in that same instance...had we been there, at that time.
If only.

For instance; Just how could all those Germans let Hitler and the Nazi party 
get away with such atrocities last century. So far removed. How could a group,
a society, a country, a world let things progress to such a point of insanity?

It's easy to picture it, really-- if you try.

For clarity, I offer a homegrown experiment of equal measure, going
on now, here in America, in living color. Let's look at how the tactics have been
mirrored, quite expertly fashioned directly after the fascist architecture and evil
campaign of indoctrination featured so prominently in Nazi Germany.

* You start off with identifying a group; one that seems weak and small enough
to exploit. Perhaps one that has a history of being used and abused. One that 
already has a history of misinformation and degrading lies told about them. This is
who you will unify the people to target and attack, forming an 'acceptable' dog to
kick as a scapegoat for a cumulative mass of upsets and issues.

*Begin earnestly and doggedly disseminating and promoting negative information
about said chosen group in an effort to undermine their accomplishments. Spread 
discontent, sow distrust, tell outright lies, promote negative caricatures, degrade 
them as people, demonize them in every way. Take away any sense or semblance
of humanity that they had in the minds of your followers so that there is no reticence
in the mind or heart about these chosen folk being mistreated.

Not only is is acceptable to hate and be intolerant and condemning; these folks
deserve it; they have brought it on themselves. (And be sure and tie their 
immoral behavior to the completely unrelated hardships in your followers'
lives; histrionics wins out over illogical conclusions and lacking facts.)

*Set yourself up on a mission to save 'decent folk' from the ways and (fictional)
ills of said chosen people. The faux problem has been established; now you need
a solution, right? How convenient that a divinely inspired (and supported) intrepid
leader such as the one who brought the blight to your attention in the first place is
ready to step in and lead the way.

Unfortunately, hate-spewing mainstream churches are not listed,
despite being among the worst culprits. In the Corporate Theocracy,
some things will always be forbidden
.
Back to America, where every day, scads of churches with millions of followers
do the same every day. Whether it's blacks, women, 'the Mexicans,' or whomever,
someone is always being vilified. SOMEONE is to blame for all the problems on
the planet affecting them. (They're really into the whole "us vs. them theme; I think it
has to do with unfulfilled childhood connections. 'Course, that would also explain
the imaginary friend crutch, as well...but I digress.) Hey, by the way--whatever 
happened to that concept of predestination ...... Hmmmmnn. Now these thumpers
want to get all up in the middle of everything (except raising babies that don't 
get aborted and making sure they have food, an education, etc.)

But the utmost priority amongst all such people and all such churches for decades
now (and the hysteria seems to amp up more and more each year) are the gays.
We homosexuals are Public Enemy # 1 in the fragile minds and disturbed psyches of
people who want to appoint themselves as the Ultimate Moral Arbiters of this great
land. "Cuz Fox News saids we wuz a Christian-founded nation! And the 700 Club 
backed 'em up! They's TWO sources--bonafide!" (Of course, what the more vocal
American churchgoers equate with 'Christianity' bears little resemblance to anything
spiritual, godly, or remotely related to the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, but why 
quibble over such minor semantics?)


So what ends up happening is that people hear a simple word. like 'gay people,'
and they have a Pavlovian reaction of fervent disgust and hate, through no
rational reason save conditioning, training (less actual thinking and discerning
always serves religious demagogues well) and they're off to the races with hate
and rhetoric and their supposedly Jesus-fueled mission to squash the chief 
problem in America.

In truth, the term 'gay people' means human being who are attracted to the 
same sex emotionally, physically, amorously. Nothing more, nothing less.
But the response and the rationales are brainwashed into existence.


In much the same way, we are trained to hear the words 'church'
or 'religion' and to see rainbows and sunshine and love and floating clouds.
Certainly we are not meant to question those words, and most definitely
we are not meant to OPPOSE those words...even when their true meaning
has nothing to do with the indoctrination we were fed.

Imagine that; 
People being referred to in a false and misleading manner!
It sounds like un-American activity to me.
What's the excuse this time around?

There doesn't seem to be a good one--
it's merely uncivil rites in response to civil rights.

***


Wednesday, March 13, 2013

This is Where You Belong

This blog is for all the young (and middle-aged, and older) men and women
I see who are too scared to approach me in the streets to ask for support
or advice....who are living invisibly amongst the rest.

For the people who can't even fathom mentioning the truth of their bodies
and souls aloud for fear that someone will hear, or that it will make it real.

It's for all the people who feel cursed because small town living is all they
know and all they ever expect to know in their lifetime.

For all the people ruined by crazed religious fanatics who taught hellfire and
hate instead of self-love and acceptance.

It's for all the people who live in places, like the place I live, where people
seem to prefer dead closet cases over living, loving, whole people.

So, for those of you who may never be banner-wavers or pride-marchers
or even openly gay or bi or lesbian-identified.....for those of you who simply
need to know that you are not alone in the world, that you are okay exactly
as you are, and there is nothing wrong with you that in any way needs to be
changed....this blog is for you.

May you know and accept just one iota of how special and perfect you are,
as you learn to reject the untruths and pain dispensed to you by those who
know so very little.

Peace and love, my brothers and sisters...this is the place we can connect;
you are home.