tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44854689462258227782024-03-13T09:09:00.367-07:00Reflections For ThursdaysFaith, Politics, Culture & endless cups of tea...Jon Hatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04913416663813636124noreply@blogger.comBlogger103125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4485468946225822778.post-54454913914360196682019-07-04T14:13:00.000-07:002019-07-04T16:56:16.838-07:00America's Unfinished Revolution: A Reflection for the 4th of July<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcx_yAmj31iSyX5at-575PjFR9fcWEMsN7PFYU8vccKxLUxQ-RQ9rKOJLaqovRsii3_HKFIYuSuO2_QR4I0VezZoMlJJbzwMkUJaI5HM9o223ZZLqSkmbztZPqm6WqM0aJSLH9OaizUmQ/s1600/George+III+statue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="391" data-original-width="600" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcx_yAmj31iSyX5at-575PjFR9fcWEMsN7PFYU8vccKxLUxQ-RQ9rKOJLaqovRsii3_HKFIYuSuO2_QR4I0VezZoMlJJbzwMkUJaI5HM9o223ZZLqSkmbztZPqm6WqM0aJSLH9OaizUmQ/s400/George+III+statue.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Hey friends, my
apologies for being a really infrequent blogger of late. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">To all American
friends, Happy Independence Day to you all. I won’t lie to you- you all know me
too well; I think that America has hard times ahead as it attempts to ride out
and resist the worst impulses of a bad President and the rot of nativism,
populism and plutocracy. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In the shadow of it all, it is so easy to lose sight of the historic and radical origins of this day; to be so sickened by over-ripened hubris and faux patriotism of the day that you might just abandon it all to the 'America First' fanatics.</span></span><br />
<span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I refuse to roll over so easily. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Why? Because I'm a revolutionary, and this is my day... </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I grew up in the New
York/New Jersey area, so the Revolutionary period was all around me. My parents’
house was built in 1775; the area is filled with historical sights dating to
the 1700’s; I took several school field trips to Washington’s Headquarters, Jockey
Hollow and other sites.</span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But the American Revolution
should not be confused with the War of Independence, though of course they historically
overlap;<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The War of
Independence was fought between 1775 and 1783; the Revolution goes far beyond
that. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The American Revolution
was- and is- a collection of ideas, a new and completely untried set of beliefs
about humanity, power, politics, and national culture. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">How would one sum up
the American Revolution of Adams, Hamilton, Jefferson, Washington, Franklin,
and Paine? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Individual <span class="textexposedshow">rights instead of group rights; <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21; line-height: 115%;"><span class="textexposedshow"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">A Bill of Rights that explicitly lays them out; <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Implacable hostility to monarchy or absolutism in any form; <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The rule of law;</span></span></span></div>
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<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Equality before the law; <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Separation of Powers; <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Separation of the power of the State and the practice of religion; <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">*All* of that is worth celebrating and *should* be celebrated; not
through jingo-ism or cod patriotism, but by demanding that that Revolution be
made permanent. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The American Revolution continued long after the War of Independence
ended; if it hadn’t, the great experiment in North American democracy would
have ended centuries ago. <br />
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Needless to say, the rights and roles of women at the beginning of America were
largely either ignored or left impossibly vague by the founders; <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Native Americans were explicitly referred to in the Declaration of
Independence as ‘merciless Indian savages’; <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">African-Americans were either (at worst) property or (at best) fifth-class
free citizens;<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21; line-height: 115%;">I could go on; T</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21;">he American Revolution has been shot through with racism, class
warfare, and white privilege.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But…<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">A great strength of the American Revolution- and one that should never
be overlooked- has been its flexibility and its historic ability to encompass the struggle to make it more
encompassing than it originally was. </span></span></span></div>
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<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It includes the built-in mechanism of the
right to disagree, to dissent, to freely and explicitly point out when it’s not
working or not working for everybody. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It gives you the right to say, ‘what about me?’ ‘What about us?’<br />
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The freedom to speech and expression in the US Constitution is not simply the
freedom to praise the nation, its institutions and its leadership (for that reason
alone it outstrips the Russian, Chinese, and Cuban Revolutions); the American
Revolution carries the promise that you may declare your nation unjust,
deficient, uncaring, one-sided, in need of reform.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Thus, the struggle for women’s suffrage was a battle of the Revolution;<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The anti-slavery movement, up to and including Black Lives Matter, is a
battle of the Revolution;<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Stonewall Uprising was a battle of the Revolution;<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Standing Rock was a battle of the Revolution;<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">When we demand the end to detention camps and the separation of families
at the southern border;<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">When we demand that identical processes exist if one wants to build a
mosque or a church; <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">When we demand that treaties be honoured and that the US government keep
its word; <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">When we demand that every person- regardless of who they are- have the
same chance of surviving a routine encounter with a cop;<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;">This is all the American Revolution, and e</span></span></span><span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;">ach 4 July is </span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">always a day for Americans, if they so desire, to re-focus, re-center, and to remember their Revolution- imperfect, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">unfinished, yes; but ongoing and (hopefully) permanent... </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">and worth defending... </span></div>
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<br />Jon Hatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04913416663813636124noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4485468946225822778.post-27406315079316944202019-04-15T19:27:00.000-07:002019-04-15T19:27:03.019-07:00Empathy: Doing Theology in a Hard-Hearted Situation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">We’ve
entered into Holy Week, the most significant time on the Christian liturgical
calendar. But before I talk about it, I suppose I’d better talk first about the
week before.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The week
before saw President Trump begin what seemed to be a comprehensive overhaul of
this immigration policy by making sweeping changes to his immigration strategy.
<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Kirstjen
Nielsen, head of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), resigned after enduring
criticism from the President, as did Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
acting head Don Vitiello.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">‘Ron's a good man’, Trump is quoted as saying, ‘but we're
going in a tougher direction. We want to go in a tougher direction.’ <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Nielsen had likewise been regularly criticized by the
President for not being aggressive enough.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Considering that both of these people have been overseeing this
administration’s chaotic, cruel fiasco of separating migrant parents- legal or
illegal- from their children, then deporting large numbers of the parents
without their children, then not documenting the children’s whereabouts, and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">then</i> announcing it might take upwards of
two years to reunite them, one can only shudder and wonder what the President
means when he talks of a ‘tougher direction’.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The President is in a quandary and is striking out like a
hysterical child. Using cruelty as a deterrent hasn’t worked; people are still
fleeing poverty and rampant violence in Central America. Now what? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">‘Get crueler’ seems to be the answer…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">We’re seeing a massive human migration. A crisis of the
magnitude that the US is currently enduring at the southern border require
levels of leadership, strategic thinking, purpose, authority, and vision that
the President has never given any indication of having. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The President keeps threatening to seal the border, but
walls and locks won’t solve the problem of people fleeing poverty and violence
and asking for asylum. It’d be like locking the doors of a hospital during a
flu epidemic in the hopes that people will stop getting sick. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">He’s threatened to cut off aid to the Central American
nations the people are fleeing from… denying funds to programmes that are
working to alleviate poverty and address criminal violence. I am not making
this up. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">‘The system is full’, the President said on a recent trip to
the border’, ‘we can’t take you anymore. Whether it’s asylum. Whether it’s
anything you want. It’s illegal immigration.’ <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So… it’s clear that the President doesn’t know the
difference- or refuses to make a distinction- between an illegal act (crossing
the US border without a valid entry visa) and a legal act (presenting one’s
self at the US border and asking for asylum). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">He doesn’t know the difference between a criminal and a
victim… and it’s becoming clear that anyone who tries to explain the difference
to him is sacked. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">All of this shows- in the President, much of his
administration and his supporters- a lack of empathy, and for a bunch of people who bluster about how Christian they and their version of America are, that's a problem. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Empathy is markedly different from sympathy, which is
feeling pity or sorrow for another’s misfortune.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Empathy involves the ability to understand the feelings of
another, to feel what they must be feeling, to be able to place yourself in
their experience. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">What must it be like to live without security, without
safety, to have no options?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">What must it be like to have to flee, to flee terror and
violence, to grab what you have and run?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Most Americans- and certainly the majority of white, middle-class
Americans- have never had to flee- they’ve never fled poverty, disease, war, or
a nightmarish combination of all of three. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The radio, television, or word of mouth has never broadcast
to them, ‘we are coming, and if you are still in the city by morning, we will
kill you, you and your families.’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Most Americans have never had an armed group show up at
their door, shoot the husband, rape the wife, and steal the TV. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Worse, many Americans have utter contempt for those people who have had
to flee. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">‘Why don’t they improve their own country? Why don’t they
stand and fight? I would! Why do they expect help from me? Go home and take
care of yourself!’ <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I and my colleagues who have done post-conflict work in
places like Northern Ireland, Rwanda, the Balkans… we can introduce you to
people who have been forced to flee. We can tell you their stories- of torture,
rape, the death of their children, siblings, or entire families;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Of losing your home, of ending up in another part of the
world;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Of not being welcome;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Of being shown no empathy…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The God of the Bible is an empathetic God.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">‘I have certainly seen
the oppression of my people… I have heard their cries of distress… Yes, I am
aware of their suffering’ (Exodus 3:7);<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">‘When (Jesus) saw the
crowds… he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless,
like sheep without a shepherd’ (Matthew 9:16);<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">‘You keep track of all
my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded
each one in your book’ (Psalm 56:8). <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Holy Week is the culmination of Jesus’s incarnation, the ultimate
cosmic action of empathy on the part of God- to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">become</i> the sufferer, the hungry, the oppressed, the fleeing…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">There is no way to be a Christian without identifying Christ
in one’s neighbour, particularly that neighbour who is suffering or in need. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Once again, we are brought face to face with the true nature
of the Gospel- radical, revolutionary, transformative. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">By
fostering a theology of empathy, we align ourselves with God’s heart for
justice and the inherent worth of every human being that we see throughout the
biblical text culminating in the incarnation of Jesus- becoming human to save
and empower humanity. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Biblically,
the antithesis of a theology of empathy is hard-heartedness:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But
because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up ill for yourself
on the last day when God's righteous judgment will be revealed (Romans 2:5)<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">They are
darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the
ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart</span> (Ephesians
4:18)</i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">A Gospel of empathy and compassion stands as the antithesis of
the mindsets behind the current rise<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> of far-right, nativist, and nationalist movements around the globe, and
acts as a theological resistance to it. In fostering it, we expose the current
rise of small-minded and cruel actions of <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(to name but a few) Trump at the southern border,
Netanyahu in the Palestinian territories, China’s growing racist repression of
ethnic Uigers, and the targeting of Muslims after 9-11 up to the present
day. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">All of
these oppressors, repressors, and marginalizers rely on relentless ‘other-ing’,
rejecting a common humanity, and focusing on ‘us’, ‘our’ needs, ‘our’ agenda, ‘our’
culture and the zero-sum idea that a gain for ‘them’ is a loss for ‘us’…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">In Christ’s
incarnation, God becomes wholly ‘other’, the ultimate action of empathy. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Christ made
himself human, and not simply human but crucially, in our historical and
political context, he made himself a migrant at the southern border;<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">A
Palestinian in the occupied territories and Gaza;<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">A Uiger in
China;<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">A demonized
Muslim ;<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">A bullied
transgender young person;<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">A refugee
in a European city…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">If we
cannot summon empathy for these situations and turn that empathy into action, we
do not know Christ and our Christianity is nothing but a nativist cult.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Let this
Holy Week be a long reflection on a theology of empathy, and may that
reflection become resistance…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />Jon Hatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04913416663813636124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4485468946225822778.post-3146311379855060682019-04-06T20:03:00.000-07:002019-04-06T20:44:36.510-07:00Leaving Lapidation (or, how to love God without stoning people to death...)<br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Do you know what 'lapidation' is? Neither did I.<br /><br />But a whole lot of people in the Southeast Asian country of Brunei are terrified that their about to find out...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Let me back up for a moment; </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Five years ago I wrote a piece for the Feast of St. Stephen
(26 December). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Since Stephen is described in the biblical text as a young
man stoned to death for holding different religious beliefs than the majority (Acts
of the Apostles 7), I used the day to reflect on the global issues of torture,
prisoner abuse, and cruel and unusual methods of capital punishment. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The news that Brunei has become the latest nation to declare
that it will use stoning as a method of execution for the ‘crime’ of
homosexuality brings the issue back to critical importance once again. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It’d be difficult to think of a more brutal way to execute
someone than by throwing rocks at them until they succumb to blunt trauma. Yet
stoning (or, if you want the fancy name, ‘lapidation’) is a legal method of
execution in 14 countries, and an extrajudicial method in several others. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In practice, the practical process of stoning someone to death usually
involves burying a man upright up to his chest (or a woman up to her shoulders).
Islamic law dictates the stones be of a size not so large as one or two strikes
would result in death, but not so small that the stoning would take an undue
amount of time. Preferred stones are therefore about the size of a hand; the
process can take up to 20 minutes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Although the countries and legal systems which utilize
stoning are predominantly Muslim, this is by no means simply an issue within Islam. Several
extremist Christian groups in the US and elsewhere, as well as individual
clergy, laypeople, and politicians (posting or commenting on social media
where, bizarrely, they seem to think no one can hear them) have expressed their
desire to reinstate stoning as a 'biblical' punishment for a raft of
crimes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Needless to say, actual pro-stoning Christians are rare. But in browsing around the internet for Christian views on
stoning, it appears that, because stoning is mentioned in the Bible- as a
divinely-inspired method of execution, no less- few Christians seem willing to completely
rule it out. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">One site called ‘Got Questions’ put it this way: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>Stoning is a horrible way to die. That particular manner of
execution must have been a strong deterrent against committing the sins deemed
offensive enough to merit stoning. God cares very much about the purity of His
people. The strict punishment for sin during the time of the Law helped deter
people from adopting the impure practices of their pagan neighbors and
rebelling against God. The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23), and Israel was
given a stern commandment to stay pure: “You must purge the evil from among
you” (Deuteronomy 17:7) </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">That a Christian commentator could, after the 20th century’s
totalitarian horrors of genocide, mass deportation, and ethnic cleansing, so
blithely write about the need to ‘purge’ and ‘purify’ </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">almost perfectly encapsulates the type
of theology Walter Wink bluntly dismissed (in 1973, no less) as ‘bankrupt’:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>I use ‘bankrupt’ in the exact sense of the term. A business
which goes bankrupt is not valueless, nor incapable of producing useful
products. It still has an inventory of expensive parts, a large capital outlay,
a team of trained personnel, a certain reputation, and usually, until the day
bankruptcy is declared, a facade which appeared to most to be relatively
healthy. The one thing wrong — and the only thing — is that it is no longer
able to accomplish its avowed purpose for existence: to make money. It is in
this precise sense that one can speak of the historical critical method
generally... It is bankrupt solely because it is incapable of achieving what
most of its practitioners considered its purpose to be: so to interpret the
Scriptures that the past becomes alive and illumines our present with new
possibilities for personal and social transformation.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Another site called ‘What Christians Want To know’ put it
like this: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>To look back at the Mosaic Laws and to ask why God allowed
certain things is to make ourselves the judge of God and I won’t go there.
These seem harsh to our thinking but in a society where there were no civil
police forces that patrolled the nation of Israel, God had to institute His
laws as a device to check or prohibit crime from ever happening. The severe
punishment of stoning was instituted for this nation to deter crime and was
intended to prevent it from becoming rampant and keep the entire nation from
self-destructing or imploding upon itself. If we don’t understand something in
the Bible or what God taught, we must simply trust the Creator Who has every right
to govern in the way that is best to Him for who can question God. I can’t. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So… God instituted stoning because there were no <i>police</i>? By
that logic, why didn’t God just institute police <i>rather</i> than stoning? Plus, stoning
people to death was ‘to deter crime’ and ‘keep the entire nation from
self-destructing’? Does the author honestly think that is a proper prescription
for crime prevention and national security, then or now? Are we to assume the
author thinks it’s still an effective method of doing both?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">He or she doesn’t explicitly answer that, falling back
instead on the weak exegetical trope whenever coming across something horrific
in the biblical text and not wanting to question it for fear that this entails
throwing out the entire Bible as a whole: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">‘Oh well, God must have known what he was doing’…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Theology can do better. When people are being cruelly
murdered for being who they are- being who God created them to be- it <i>must </i>do
better.</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">When Jesus was confronted with a woman that Jewish law
deemed worthy of stoning, he transformed the entire issue, refusing to confirm
the sentence and instead forcing the crowd to reflect on who could possibly think
themselves able to commit such an act;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">‘Let the one who has never sinned cast the first stone’;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">If you, being the person you know yourself to be, could
inflict this on another, throw…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Many over the years have mused about what Jesus was writing in the dirt when confronted by
the mob wanting to stone the woman to death. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">We’ll never know, of course. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I hope it was ‘don’t stone people to death, ever.’ <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Please support Amnesty International and Human
Rights Watch in their efforts to ban torture, cruel and unusual punishments, and the
death penalty worldwide. <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Holy St. Stephen, pray for us...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />Jon Hatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04913416663813636124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4485468946225822778.post-26914390376989551662019-03-29T14:12:00.000-07:002019-03-30T07:32:35.139-07:00'Weaponized' Prayer: How to Disarm How We Talk to God (and each other...) <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1VQnOxucHosFIdBXftaTvYfLstMX6Dq7_nW74-TN_7h3zKigjg0o-iiCUmpMbw3GAQ5l3zxIUIX3xuZ4U__5yG7_55DvBcu7TxzxWUbFKsO0IwOB6GHd9qNbJwSX3lOdTOE8Sm_1_qS8/s1600/stephanie-borowicz-crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="1200" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1VQnOxucHosFIdBXftaTvYfLstMX6Dq7_nW74-TN_7h3zKigjg0o-iiCUmpMbw3GAQ5l3zxIUIX3xuZ4U__5yG7_55DvBcu7TxzxWUbFKsO0IwOB6GHd9qNbJwSX3lOdTOE8Sm_1_qS8/s400/stephanie-borowicz-crop.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This week, the Pennsylvania State House of Representatives had
a moment of history, as it swore in its first female African-American Muslim
legislator, Movita <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Johnson-Harrell (D) of
Philadelphia. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">There are enough historic milestones there for that to be newsworthy
alone. But as so often happens in America, it wasn’t a black person’s
achievement that was the primary story, but a white person’s reaction to it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Invited to give the ceremonial opening prayer was (according
to her Facbook page) ‘very conservative’ Rep. Stephanie Borowicz (R) who
stepped to the mic and prayed thus (Note: transcribed from a You Tube clip, this
is as faithful a transcript as I could manage of the prayer, which was
improvised on the spot, so my punctuation might be sketchy):<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Let’s pray: Jesus, I thank you for this
privilege, Lord, of letting me pray, God, that I, Jesus, am your ambassador
here today, standing here representing you, the King of Kings, the Lord of
Lords, the Great I Am, the one who’s coming back again, the one who came, died,
and rose again on the third day, and I’m so privileged to stand here today, so
thank you for this honour, Jesus, God, for those who came before us like George
Washington at Valley Forge, and Abraham Lincoln who sought after you at
Gettysburg, Jesus, and the Founding Fathers at Independence Hall, Jesus, that
sought after you and fasted and prayed for this nation to be founded on your
principles and your words and your truths. <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">God, forgive us. Jesus, we’ve lost sight of
you. We’ve forgotten you, God, in our country, and we’re asking you to forgive
us, Jesus, that your promise in your word says that ‘If my people who are
called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek your face and turn
from their wicked ways’ that you’ll heal our land. Jesus you are our only hope.
God, I pray for our leaders Speaker (Mike) Turzai, Leader Cutler, Governor
Wolf, President Trump. Lord, thank you that he stands beside Israel
unequivocally, Lord. <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Thank you that, Jesus, that we’re blessed
because we stand by Israel, and we ask for the peace of Jerusalem as your word
says, God. We ask that we not be overcome by evil and that we overcome evil
with good in this land once again. I claim all these things in the powerful,
mighty name of Jesus, the one who at the name of Jesus every knee will bow and
every tongue will confess, Jesus, that you are Lord. <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In Jesus’ name, Amen. <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Many have criticized the prayer, calling it offensive and
divisive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By the last line, there were
loud grumblings from the assembled audience, and House Speaker Mike Turzai was
gently touching Borowicz’ elbow, gently urging her to finish up. She then
exited the chamber in protest of a Muslim being sworn in as a lawmaker. <br />
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Johnson-Harrell herself said she felt the prayer ‘blatantly represented the
Islamophobia that exists among some leaders’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Borowicz defended herself by saying ‘That's how I pray every
day. . . . I don't apologize ever for praying.’ <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">That’s a bit of a dodge, as no one was criticizing her for
praying; the criticism she faced had to do with what she prayed given the place
and the occasion. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">To be honest, I don’t doubt that that is the way she prays; <span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">I spent over half my life in the
Evangelical Christian subculture and can confidently tell you that this is the
way that many Evangelical Americans pray. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">That said,
it’s a problematic way to pray. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This was an
almost textbook example of a 'weaponized' prayer, a prayer meant to publicly advance
a religious and political ideology, and addressed to Johnson-Harrell as much as
to God. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">By using a
specifically modern Evangelical understanding of the Founding Fathers; by
making the explicit implication that America had fallen from such a pristine
Christian foundation; by framing the occasion as a moment of national failure
and needing God’s forgiveness; and by implicitly stating that American
unwavering political support for the state of Israel was a mark of national
religious righteousness, all seemed designed to send the message- and certainly
send it to Johnson-Harrell- that this was no celebration. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">A Muslim
might indeed be elected to sit in that chamber, but it would never be fully
‘hers’… <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This was a
Christian place, the prayer seemed designed to make clear. Christians created it, Christians owned
it. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Plus, by naming
God, the ‘Lord’, and Jesus nearly two dozen times in just under two minutes, </span>Borowicz<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">’ prayer almost seems to be an
incantation, invoking the name of God as some form of talisman, a protection
against the presence- and the religious faith- of a dangerous ‘other’. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Again, this
was a Christian making it plain that her beliefs, understanding, and
terminology for God were good, right, and correct. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This is
nothing less than a supremacist position- ‘Christian supremacy’. Other faiths
might be tolerated, but they will never be afforded equality. They must know
their place and not presume to seek after white American Evangelical Christianity’s
unique and privileged public position. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This is a
form of Christianity that has never figured out how to live together well with any faith other than their own and (at a stretch) Judaism. They adhere to a zero-sum approach
that sees ‘respect for’ as ‘surrender to’. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">From my
years living, working, and worshiping in the Evangelical Christian subculture,
I’ve sat through hundreds of prayers like the one Borowicz gave. It was never
pleasant. Prayer was designed to declare, to chide, to correct, and to advance
agendas. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Prayers
were often said for elected officials. Prayers for Republicans were filled with
enthusiastic thanks given to God for their honour, wisdom, and courage;
Democrats got earnest prayers for their salvation and hopes they’d abandon
wickedness and turn to God. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Prayers for
Evangelical leaders and organizations were full of thanks, blessing and hopes
that they’d thrive and grow; prayers for Catholics focused on turning from dead
religion to a living, vibrant faith. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Left-leaning
Catholics like me always knew where we stood…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So I have
two interrelated questions: First, how do we ‘decommission’ our weaponized prayers?
And secondly, how do we live together well in a public space with our brothers
and sisters who hold to different faiths? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Firstly, we
can simply pray as Jesus in the biblical text told us to pray. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Jesus could
be a fairly cryptic and opaque communicator; on any number of occasions, the
Gospels describe people as being confused or offended by his teachings, if not
just plain bewildered. It is for this reason that, when he gives a straightforward
answer or, better still, a plain directive, it’s a good idea to take special
notice… and on the subject of prayer, he does so. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">When his
disciples ask him to teach them to pray, he says ‘Pray then in this way’ (Matt.
6:9); ‘When you pray, say’ (Luke 11:2)… <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Lord’s
Prayer, the ‘Our Father’, was what he gave us. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Praise to
God, for his Kingdom to be established, food for today, forgiveness when we
fall short, and strength for the journey. <br />
<br />
That’s all. So little, yet everything…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">If Jesus
warned us, ‘do not practice your piety before others to be seen by them’ (Matt.
6:1), then the prayer he actually gave to his followers seems the perfect
preventive. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But, I hear
many argue- perhaps Borowicz herself?- how will God know what he needs to be
doing, who he needs to be blessing, and who needs stopping if we don’t tell him
so? <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">None of
that is our concern. <br />
<br />
How will others know our opinions of them and our agendas for them if we don’t
cloak them in holy rhetoric?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Speak for
yourself… and let God speak for himself. <br />
<br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Secondly, we can follow Jesus’ example
in our approach to faiths other than our own. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Jesus lived
his life and had his ministry in one of the most multicultural spots on Earth
of that time- the eastern Mediterranean. A dizzying array of cultures,
ethnicities, philosophies and religions- pagan, monotheist, polytheist,
gnostic- jostled and interacted on a daily basis. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">With that
in mind, and with the inordinate amount of effort certain Christians take in
trying to rein in, discredit, and marginalize other faiths, it’s interesting to
notice that the Gospel writers felt no need to record Jesus giving an opinion
or passing judgement on any other faith or philosophy. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">We never
find out his opinions on Zeus, Aries, Mithra, Plato, or Aristotle. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In fact,
the only faith that he seems interested in critiquing is his own, arguing with
the Pharisee movement, condemning Jewish legal scholars, and taking direct
action against Temple practices. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">If the
biblical authors saw no need to record Jesus criticizing and condemning other
faiths, then we can safely assume that there’s no real reason for us to do so
either. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This would
be seen as a huge sea change for many Christians. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It takes
extraordinary humility and radical faith to pray the Lord’s Prayer and nothing
else, just as it would take great courage to simply live with and interact with
good will toward non-Christian faith communities. </span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">What I see in Borowicz prayer
is fear- of what she doesn’t understand, of what she thinks is dangerous, of
what she sees as a slippery slope toward her own marginalization, her own loss
of status, her own loss of power…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">… and yet,
the biblical text is filled with dozens of instructions to ‘fear not’. Trust
God. Do what is right. Live at peace with your neighbours, regardless of their
faith or lack of it. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Pray
without ceasing…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">As Jesus
taught us.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />Jon Hatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04913416663813636124noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4485468946225822778.post-47880166152163823782019-02-21T15:19:00.000-08:002019-02-21T15:19:07.921-08:00The Lie of America's National Emergency<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">America is nearly a week into the National Emergency declared by the President on 15 February. </span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It is an
odd National Emergency; I never thought a National
Emergency by President Trump would be so mundane. But even by his
standards, it’s a bit of a let-down. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Given his
endless, overheated rhetoric about the scale of the danger posed by the
southern border’s supposedly weak security, coupled with his love for the
ostentatious, I had wondered if we’d see tanks on the White House lawn, sandbag
emplacements on the Capitol steps, special instructions given to the citizens… <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">… but in
the end, all the President gave us was a very long and rambling speech
(needless to say, no fourscore and seven years, no dates living in infamy, no asking
not what your country can do for you) before leaving to play golf. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I don’t
think anyone who reads me regularly will be surprised I think the President’s
national emergency- like the President himself- is a fraud. No facts
surrounding the issues of immigration, national security, drug enforcement, or
refugee asylum point to more physically-reinforced infrastructure as a positive
or even necessary solution. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It’s for
that reason that I’ve posited that Trump’s wall is an idol- a manifestation of
fear, lack of trust, misplaced identity and cruelty, the antithesis of the
God of love, life, and liberation. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Now, please
don’t think for a minute that I don’t believe there is an actual national
emergency unfolding in America; there is. And once again, I think a theological
lens helps us bring it into focus. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">You can
theologically critique Trump from any number of directions- his disdain for the
poor; his disdain for the refugee and the stranger; his almost pristine
narcissism; his arrogance, and all of those critiques would be entirely
credible. But there is one issue that I believe underpins them all.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Ask
yourself: what is the most condemned action in the biblical text? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">What sin is
proscribed more often than any other?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Is it the
rather awkward issue of all these homosexuals that God just keeps manufacturing
much to the disgust of so many in the Church? Oddly, no.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Murder?
Nope. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Sex before
marriage? Not even close. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Profanity?
Hell, no. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">By a huge
margin, the most proscribed sin in the Biblical text is lying. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Various
nonpartisan, credible fact checking services report that the President lies
anywhere from 70% to 90% of the time. We’re not talking about finessed facts,
spin, or half-truths; we’re talking about patent falsehoods; <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Events that
didn’t happen; <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Conversations
that didn’t take place;<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Statistics
that are completely false; <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Invasions,
attacks, wars, peace agreements that no one has ever heard of;<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Successful
results to problems that didn’t occur, and egregious problems concocted to
cover up inconvenient successes;<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Lie after
lie after lie after lie, day after day, night after night, tweet after tweet…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I am not,
nor have I ever been, naïve about the nature of politics. The US- and many
other nations- have had leaders in the past who have withheld information- for
security reasons, for political reasons, for strategic reasons, and even for
criminal reasons. Whatever your country or nationality, we’ve all had leaders
who have lied before. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It’s not
right, it’s not pleasant, it should be condemned, and the guilty parties held
to account…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But that
said, I think it’s safe to say that America has never had, in its history, a
President who seems un-moored from any commitment to reality itself, who simply announces
what he wishes to be true without any care for whether or not it is. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">With this
man, and presumably for those who work with, support and enable him, verifiable
truth simply has no value.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">That, I
believe (and I think a welter of biblical texts backs me up), is the national
emergency. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">When a
person in power resorts to a private reality, they effectively lose the ability
to govern. When objective facts regarding any number of national issues are placed
before them, and they say, in effect’ ‘I don’t accept that this is true; in
fact, the opposite is true’, any understanding of leadership falls away. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">In a
politically specific way, any semblance of healthy democracy becomes unworkable;
more generally, profitable human interaction ceases to function. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span><span lang="EN-GB">Of course
Christian faith understands lying to be a sin, but it’s always important to
understand that sin is more than an ethical shortcoming. The reason that lying
carries the theological weight that it does is because of the way it relates to
the character of God. In I John we read: <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-GB"><br />
</span><span class="text"><i>God is light; in him
there is no darkness at all.</i></span><i> <span class="text"><span id="en-NIV-30547" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the
darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth.</span></span> <span class="text"><span id="en-NIV-30548" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we
have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us
from all sin.<b><sup data-cr="#cen-NIV-30548P" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-30548P" title="See cross-reference P">P</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box;"></sup></b></span><b> </b>If
we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in
us.</span> <span class="text"><span id="en-NIV-30550" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">If we confess our sins, he
is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all
unrighteousness.</span></span> <span class="text"><b><sup style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span id="en-NIV-30551" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"> </span></sup></b>If we claim we have not sinned, we make
him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.</span><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Lying is
the antithesis of God, who is whole, perfect… ‘light’. God cannot cease to be
God, nor can he deny reality for reality emanates from God. A liar does both; a
liar attempts to be other than he or she is and distorts reality for their own
ends. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Truth
requires humility, introspection, and self-understanding as a human trying to
live in the truth- the reality of God- understands that they fall short. But,
as the text expresses, Forgiveness follows repentance- repentance being the
outward, active expression of humility and self-understanding. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">In Jesus’s
encounter with Pilate in John 18 he says: <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span class="woj"><i>‘In fact, the reason I was born and came into the
world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to
me.’</i></span><i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 18pt; margin: 0in 0.5in 7.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span id="en-NIV-26824" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="text"><b><i><sup style="box-sizing: border-box;"> </sup></i></b></span><span class="text"><i>‘What is truth?’ retorted
Pilate. </i></span></span><i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Jesus declared
himself ‘the truth’, insomuch as the purpose of the incarnation was not for him
to disseminate teachings or devise an ethical structure, but to be the the image
of the invisible and indivisible God. Pilate accepts neither Jesus nor God, not
by denying Jesus’s goodness- in fact he acknowledges Jesus’s innocence and the
injustice of his trial- but by sarcastically calling truth itself into
question. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The liar
does exactly the same thing, and by doing so becomes an atheist, anti-christ. Just
as there is no lying in God, there is, as it were, no ‘God’ in the lie. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">America’s ‘national
emergency’ is not along the southern border; it’s at the heart of government,
in the way that lying- as well as open contempt for objective truth itself- has
become the default communication for the wealthy and the powerful. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-GB">It is the
duty of the people of God to declare the truth and take action in the light of
truth embodied in the person of Jesus- </span>food for the poor, sight to the
blind, release to the prisoners, freedom for the captives, life for the
lifeless, a voice for the voiceless…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">We do this,
not because the wealthy and powerful are unaware of the truth, but to bear
witness that truth exists and is an intrinsic good. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Anything
less is, well, just a lie…</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Jon Hatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04913416663813636124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4485468946225822778.post-71428677182414516462019-01-10T22:27:00.000-08:002019-01-10T23:23:26.249-08:00Worshipping a Wall: The Idolatry Underlying Trump’s Border… <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8SOdj5ATz9qKPVo6jEAPy5QHZtX-9b30qAFIfKFQhumZ2A0SVm1N9_mjhSHLvSqDLiu-ud03Fi3sEf0MGL_7mVV42ibLnniLcayillg7A9bdmpMntHQIpAgjyAeE-zJBwZjCCAFUGcJk/s1600/TrumpWall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="364" data-original-width="634" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8SOdj5ATz9qKPVo6jEAPy5QHZtX-9b30qAFIfKFQhumZ2A0SVm1N9_mjhSHLvSqDLiu-ud03Fi3sEf0MGL_7mVV42ibLnniLcayillg7A9bdmpMntHQIpAgjyAeE-zJBwZjCCAFUGcJk/s400/TrumpWall.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">As I write, the US government is shut down, locked in a
political stalemate for nearly three weeks over the President’s promise to
build a solid wall along the 2,000 miles of the southern border with Mexico, an
easy promise made endlessly during the campaign, and reiterated in the two
years since then, right up to his televised address this week, which painted a
grim dystopia of international terrorists, drug dealers, and criminal and
diseased immigrants flooding across the Rio Grande. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Supporters embraced it with relish; the wall promise was a
linchpin in Trump’s win, with throngs of supporters at rallies- before and
after the inauguration- chanting ‘Build the wall!’ <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The wall was always going to be a hard sell- outside of
Trump’s hardcore base- as facts on the ground didn’t point to its critical
necessity:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In September 2018, a detailed US State Department report found ‘no
credible evidence indicating that international terrorist groups have established
bases in Mexico, worked with Mexican drug cartels, or sent operatives via
Mexico into the United States.’ As to the drug cartels, the <span style="background: white; color: #121212;">US Drug
Enforcement Agency (DEA) has repeatedly reported that the most common- and
easiest- method for traffickers to smuggle drugs across the border is by hiding
them in cars that legally drive through official border checkpoints. Why walk
them across the desert when it’s far simpler to drive them in an
air-conditioned SUV?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background: white; color: #121212;">Furthermore, undocumented immigration across the southern
border is in fact dropping and has been for years; </span>in 2000, 1.6 million
people were caught crossing from Mexico illegally. Last year, the number was 310,531,
the lowest figure since 1971. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In fact, there has been a decline in undocumented immigration
overall since the economic recession of 2008… and almost none of it comes over
the southern border. According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) the
overwhelming majority of undocumented immigrants in the US overstayed a legally-granted
tourist, student, or work visa. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">What all this points to is that there is no ‘crisis’ of
illegal immigration from Mexico, and the solution offered to undocumented
immigration by the President and his supporters- longer, higher, and more
fortified walls- doesn’t address the immigration and security issues that the
US does face. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This begs the question: Why is the President so passionately
committed to his wall? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">To begin to answer that, we need to look at Trump’s wall
theologically.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I believe Trump’s wall is an idol. It is a false god,
promising much, delivering little, and demanding a heavy and cruel price. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In modern Christian doctrine, we tend to think that an idol
can be anything. We particularly focus on an idol being something that
preoccupies our attention away from spiritual pursuits. If we think about
football more than our daily devotions, we might conclude that football has
become an ‘idol’ in our lives; if we spend more time at work than at church or
with family, we begin to wonder if the job or the salary might be an ‘idol’; if
we obsess over a new car, a new phone, or expensive clothes, we worry that
materialism is becoming an ‘idol’. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">However, the ancient Hebrews didn’t think like this; for
them, an idol was something very specific. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In the commandment against idols in Exodus 20:4 (‘you shall
not make for yourself an idol’), the Hebrew terminology of ‘idol’ or ‘image’ (פֶּ֫סֶל,
‘pesel’, ‘hewn’) specifically denotes making, crafting, or building. An idol
was something <i>made</i>, something <i>specifically constructed</i>. The ancient
Hebrews of the biblical text weren’t interested in abstract mental images, inward
desires, or emotional passions…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">An idol was something you built. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">From the biblical text we can see that an idol’s purposes
were very specific- to give people a sense of control, to be a source of
security and to reinforce a community’s identity. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Exodus 32- the account of the Golden Calf- is probably the
most well-known and it is here that one of the most important purposes of an
idol is seen- a community afflicted with fear and lack of trust seeks a sense
of security and identity outside of that provided by God. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In the Hebrew Bible, Yahweh had made it clear to his people
that he was invisible, nameless, and unknowable, only discerned through his own
self-revelation. This is why the commandments were so adamant that no image of
him could be made. To do so implied that Yahweh could be made visible and
knowable; that he could be <i>located</i>, placed
in one place or another solely on a human’s desire; that he could be made
present and available, attributes Yahweh had made clear were absolutely beyond
the Hebrews’ control. The constructed image gave the people the ability to
worship Yahweh as <i>they </i>desired- it
allowed the possibility of naming God, controlling God.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Thus, in Exodus 32:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">When the people saw
that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered around
Aaron, and said to him, "Come, make gods for us, who shall go before us;
as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do
not know what has become of him." <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Moses was gone, disappeared up a mountain covered with fire
and cloud (Ex. 24:17-18). The one man on which they have become entirely
dependent has disappeared. When was he coming back? Worse, was he dead? No one
knew. The unreliable Moses- and Moses’ God- had to be replaced with something
tangible and reliable. The people demand ‘gods’ to do what Yahweh and Moses
have, for whatever reason, stopped doing.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">These new gods would ‘go before’; ‘go ahead’ (‘asher’; ראֲשֶׁ),
as into battle. A nameless, invisible god was indeed an interesting novelty,
but was it wise to persist in this notion, alone, surrounded by enemies, and
with a military campaign to occupy Canaan drawing ever nearer? The people want
to meet their adversaries on an equal footing; they wanted something that they
could see and that could <i>be seen</i>; something
that would announce who they were. In the face of physical threat, something more tangible than what Moses or Yahweh offered was required.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Another example of this idea is the account of the Tower of
Babel in Genesis 11. Though this passage is not normally associated with
idolatry, in light of what we see in the Exodus passage, particularly the
emotions and situations that might lead people to build ‘idols', this text again speaks to
humanity’s propensity toward idolatry, the constant struggle with the desire to
build ‘gods’. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">And they said to one
another, "Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly." And
they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. Then they said,
"Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower with its top in the
heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves; otherwise we shall be scattered
abroad upon the face of the whole earth."<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In this text, we again have the building of a structure out
of fear, to provide security and identity, but once again outside of the
relationship with God. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The people desire to ‘make a name for themselves’. Once
again, the desire to ‘make’ usurps the role of God as well. It is God who creates
and names humankind; now humankind declares that they will name themselves; just
as the Israelites seek the name of God (Ex. 3:13) in order to possess God’s
name- God’s identity- and therefore have a measure of control over him. Once
the people ‘name’ themselves, they believe their destiny will be their own. The
builders’ city and tower are <i>their </i>creation,
<i>their</i> power base from which they will
make <i>their</i> name; their identity and
their works will endure. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This then reveals their fear: ‘...otherwise we shall
be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth (11:4).’ Without their
self-made identity, they would be dispersed, and their identity- their self-made identity- destroyed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In light of this reflection, we’re left with a grim picture.
Since Trump’s wall has no practical application, we need to start dealing with
what it represents- and that is where its idolatry truly lies. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Given that Trump’s wall solves none of the complex and
admittedly serious immigration issues that America faces; <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">No member of congress from border districts supports it
(including members of Trump’s party);<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">No one with any knowledge or expertise in immigration or
national security agrees with him; <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">All we’re left with is fear, a false sense of security, and
an ever-more desperate need for Trump to make a name for himself… all the
reasons for the construction of an idol. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This would all be bad enough if not for the most
disturbing aspect of idolatry in the biblical text- that idols always demand
sacrifices. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The practice of idolatry in the ancient Near East was
closely related to the idea of human sacrifice, specifically that of children.
It would appear that this was at least common enough that the Hebrew prophets
saw the need to continually stress Yahweh’s abhorrence of it. Jeremiah 19:5 is
a perfect example; the prophet has Yahweh describe child sacrifice as ‘a thing
I never ordered, never mentioned, that had never entered my thoughts’. For the
prophets, it was not simply the practice that was abhorrent, but the intimation
that Yahweh ever actually desired it. It was false gods who demanded sacrifice,
not the God of life and liberation. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Two children have already died in US border patrol custody,
sacrificed as part of a useless and cruel policy based on fear, lack of trust, and
misplaced nationalism, designed to deter thousands of men, women, and children fleeing
the poverty and violence of Central America- a region that has seen the blunt
end of US foreign policy for over a century- from seeking asylum in the US…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">These people have had their humanity and dignity sacrificed. They have been relentlessly demonized as lazy,
scrounging, diseased criminals by the President, his administration, and his
supporters, despite the fact that under US and international law they are
perfectly within their rights to seek asylum in the US or any other country. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">If Trump embodies anyone in the biblical text, it is the
litany of kings who led God’s people into idolatry. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">If Christ is who he said he was- a stranger, either invited
in or not- <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">He is languishing, right now, in Tijuana.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">American Christians have a choice; the same choice that
every age has had to make: to serve Christ or an idol…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">To bow down to one or the other...<br /><br />But make no mistake, it can never- ever- be both. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br />Jon Hatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04913416663813636124noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4485468946225822778.post-11645085254036684442019-01-06T21:08:00.000-08:002019-01-07T04:08:37.025-08:00Facing the Wall: Looking for Liberation and Reconciliation Around Belfast’s Separation Barriers<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx0_f6wmE921_LyT9wlvzClWe1SUE0Mkdwmd1jJNaUv7RCMxCr_ZQtVfEdJZUZk5puufkLMNULe6AuKpiwlmN4xo8PaxRc-sonAPVtnA6axZhx6n2ex4tIrH2bqYHN5s6ZKaIqoMhMad4/s1600/Book+Draft%252C+Proposed+Cover+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1496" data-original-width="1086" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx0_f6wmE921_LyT9wlvzClWe1SUE0Mkdwmd1jJNaUv7RCMxCr_ZQtVfEdJZUZk5puufkLMNULe6AuKpiwlmN4xo8PaxRc-sonAPVtnA6axZhx6n2ex4tIrH2bqYHN5s6ZKaIqoMhMad4/s400/Book+Draft%252C+Proposed+Cover+2.jpg" width="290" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">One memory that sticks in my mind
from my doctoral studies was driving down from Belfast to Dublin with my
academic adviser to attend a seminar. He had the audio book of Elizabeth
Gilbert’s ‘Eat Pray Love’ in the car, and we listened on the way.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">At one point, Gilbert mentioned
in her narration that she had received a five-figure advance from her publisher
which, considering her book was about experiences in Italy, India, and Bali,
was how she was able to write the book. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">‘Just to be clear’, my adviser
said, ‘<i>no one</i> is going to give you
that kind of advance to write a book on theology…’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It was sound advice. Publishers
don’t splash that kind of cash at theologians. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But we write books anyway. We
write because it’s what we do. We use our skills and expertise to theologically
reflect on the biblical text in the light of our experiences and convictions. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In light of that, I’m delighted
to announce that my book, ‘Facing the Wall: Looking for Liberation and
Reconciliation Around Belfast’s Separation Barriers’, is now available on
Amazon. <br />
<br />
For the moment, it’s available as an e-Book, but a paperback edition will be
available in the next few months. You can purchase it here:<br /><br />https://www.amazon.com/Facing-Wall-Liberation-Reconciliation-Separation-ebook/dp/B07HYJ7RT4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1546862782&sr=8-1&keywords=Facing+the+Wall+Jon+Hatch<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The book had its impetus in two
places:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">First and foremost, it is a
product of my years as a reconciliation worker in North and West Belfast,
working with numerous projects and groups- Corrymeela, Community Relations in
Schools, and various other groups and local projects- many different people,
places, and experiences, but always with the end goal of helping people rebuild
and live together well after Northern Ireland’s 30 years of civil conflict.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It also is a product of my
doctoral work in Theology. Being involved in reconciliation work, I was
familiar with much of the theology of reconciliation that was being produced out
of the Irish peace process and beyond. I also have had an abiding fascination
with liberation theology. I wondered what it would look like to apply the basic
ideas of liberation theology to a context like post-conflict Northern Ireland,
with its ongoing structural sectarianism and deep social divisions- a situation
quite different from that experienced by its original proponents in Central and
South America. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Simply put, I thought our process
of reconciliation would benefit from a dose of liberation… and the liberation
theological project would benefit from engaging with the context of human
relationships healing after violent conflict. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Peacemaking is never easy or
straightforward, and ‘Facing the Wall’ is about facing unpleasant facts. An
overarching unpleasant fact is that while the 1998 Good Friday Agreement brought
the armed conflict to a close, Northern Ireland remains a deeply divided place,
but since far fewer people are dying, those divisions are seen in the corridors
of power as basically acceptable …<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">And some divisions are not
lessening, but getting worse.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This book is about one of them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">If you come to Belfast, it won’t
be long before you encounter the separation barriers, sometimes referred to as
‘peace walls’ or ‘the peace line’, a vast network of walls, fences, gates, and unused
tracts of land acting as ‘buffer zones’ located around or between areas of
Belfast where the two majority communities- Catholic and Protestant,
Nationalist and Unionist- live in close proximity. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The
first one went up in 1969 as the conflict began to spiral out of control, when
the British Army erected a fence between the riot-plagued Falls and Shankill neighborhoods
in West Belfast. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">British Army GOC Sir Ian Freeland declared at the time, ‘The
peace line will be a very, very temporary affair. We will not have a Berlin
Wall or anything like that in this city’. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">49 years later, there are over 100, most of them having been
built, or made longer or higher, <i>after</i>
the peace agreement.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Why? What’s going on? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It wasn’t easy to
find out. The separation barriers might not be the most critical issue facing
Northern Ireland, but it is certainly one of the most enduring and overlooked. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In the dozens of books, papers, and articles I
read about the conflict, photos of the barriers often featured prominently on
many of the covers but- oddly- were rarely mentioned in the content;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In my years of working with churches and other
faith-based communities on reconciliation projects, even though there was
endless discussion of ‘divisions’ and ‘the barriers between communities’, the actual physical barriers were more or less
ignored;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> In the hours
of discussions with colleagues and in all the lectures and talks I’d been to
about building peace in Northern Ireland, the subject of the barriers rarely
came up. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">When it <i>did</i>
come up, it was indirectly, as a metaphor for something else; <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">‘Just as there are concrete barriers running
through the streets of Belfast’, people would earnestly say, ‘so there are
barriers in peoples’ hearts and minds’. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Over the years, I heard that phrase repeated to
me dozens of times, and every time it was uttered as if the person had just
thought it up. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">That was always the focus- the ‘barriers in
peoples’ hearts and minds’. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I knew what they were trying to say. If you work
in post-conflict social reconciliation, you’re well acquainted with the trauma,
prejudice, resentment, and bigotry so many people in Northern Ireland carry in their
hearts and minds. They had lived through political violence, through terror,
through loss… Helping people live with or hopefully move beyond those deep
mental and social wounds represents the bulk of what we do. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">And yet (and this is what no one seemed willing
to acknowledge) there were real, actual barriers, walls, fences, and gates of
concrete and steel, some 6 to 9 meters high, running for miles through the city
of Belfast… and they raised disturbing questions:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">If the barriers were
built to reduce violence, why had the majority been built <i>after</i> the ceasefires, the negotiations of the peace agreement, the
decommissioning of paramilitary weapons, and the pull-out of the British Army? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">If the barriers were
built to make people feel safer, why had the vast majority of deaths occurred
within sight of them? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Since the barriers
were constructed and maintained at enormous cost from public funds, why did
they run through the most economically-deprived areas of the city?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Why did the churches of Belfast, who
had so much to say about the ‘barriers’ in peoples’ hearts and minds’, never
mention the separation barriers, even when their church butted right up against
one? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Most crucially, what were the physical barriers <i>doing </i>to us? What were they <i>doing</i> to peoples’ hearts and minds? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">How could we do reconciliation work with any
integrity in Belfast without grappling with the reality of publicly-funded,
physically-reinforced segregation? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">How could we do theology with any integrity in
Belfast in the shadow of the separation barriers?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This book is an attempt to pick those questions
apart. It explores what the barriers are, where
they come from, why they matter, and what churches and people of faith can positively
do to engage with them;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It seeks to transform the way the barriers are seen and
understood by people of faith, how we do theological reflection in Ireland and
Northern Ireland, and hopefully broadens our lens of what we feel we can
reflect on; <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Finally, it seeks to contribute to Irish theology by drawing
on both liberation theology and theologies of reconciliation- but combining
them in new, practical ways- helping us to better theologically engage with our
post-conflict context- less violent, less deadly, but still divided, and still <i>being </i>divided. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">If you’re interested in Irish history and politics, as well
as in new forms of contextual and public theology, give ‘Facing the Wall’ a
read and, if you feel it deserves it, please leave it a favourable review. Please
also feel free to pass information about the book to those who might benefit
from it or are interested in similar topics.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Hopefully you’ll find it interesting, thought-provoking, and
beneficial…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Even if it never reaches ‘Eat Pray Love’ numbers…</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br />Jon Hatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04913416663813636124noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4485468946225822778.post-1954052262539858632018-12-05T14:38:00.001-08:002018-12-05T15:54:28.176-08:00An Advent of Resistance...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZGxcNft-PBT-QPp4wZSQvg_T42IhbeF_5xVvpqb6GAoSvL25ozQ4vwOXnC_xDpMdtDnse-yoObfuaTT6j8sWBeyUQAL0aXzUiMz5Cg_JUCCI6sVj-89I6WANqDrflRiVb6n49Alx2m64/s1600/advent+radical.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="301" data-original-width="429" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZGxcNft-PBT-QPp4wZSQvg_T42IhbeF_5xVvpqb6GAoSvL25ozQ4vwOXnC_xDpMdtDnse-yoObfuaTT6j8sWBeyUQAL0aXzUiMz5Cg_JUCCI6sVj-89I6WANqDrflRiVb6n49Alx2m64/s400/advent+radical.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In 2003, I was
part of the Irish anti-war movement, working with several groups to build
resistance to the US and UK ramp-up for war, as well as the toxic racism that
was erupting against Muslim citizens (actually, against anyone vaguely of brown
complexion) of Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Two highlights
from that time stand out in my memory: <br />
<br />
one was giving a press conference With Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mairead
Corrigan Maguire, one of the bravest, most down-to-Earth and loveable people
I’ve ever met. The two of us sitting at a table in a conference room at the Linen Hall Library facing the world’s media, I
just assumed that she would do most of the talking. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">‘Ach no, love.
You read the statement. You speak so well.’ Astonishing…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The second
memory is of the global day of protests against the war on 15 February. In
Belfast, we had between 10,000 and 20,000 on the streets. I’d never been in a
crowd that big in my life before that, and it was truly exhilarating. Belfast
is a delicate place, full of sectarian and political divisions that make every
issue a minefield. But there was support for the march across the communities
and politicians from various parties who would never be caught dead standing
next to each other managed it on that day. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Again, it was
astonishing…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Behind that
extraordinary day were weeks of preparation and planning, which most of the
people who turned up didn’t see and weren’t a part of. Ironically, that might
have been part of the reason so many marchers that day were so let down when
Bush and Blair went ahead and had a war anyway. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">On the day
that the bombing campaign began on 20 March, we held a vigil in front of
Belfast City Hall. There was a miniscule fraction of the numbers we’d had back
in February- a few dozen at most. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In the face of
that level of violent power, it’s hard to keep going, particularly when you’ve
given so much of yourself in terms of time and effort, and violent power simply
ignores you and keeps going…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The 15
February rally wasn’t going to stop the war; the only thing that would have
done that was a general strike- nobody goes to work, nobody goes to school,
nobody pays their rates, everybody just stops everything until our demands are
met. <br />
<br />
If you want to stop a war, make it impossible for the state to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">have</i> a war.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Very few
people out on 15 February were ready to do that, and needless to say, there
wasn’t consensus within the anti-war movement to do it. Even if there had been,
it would’ve been nearly impossible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But one truth
underlies both the success of anti-war movement on 15 February and the
disappointments of the Iraq invasion: <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Resistance is
a lot of work. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">If you want to
put together a real resistance- one that actually affects change upon an
integrated system, a system that has been running for a long time and has
become self-perpetuating- you’re going to need to have organization,
preparation, and dedication.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Resistance is
a lot of work. Ask the people behind the abolition of the North Atlantic slave
trade, the US Civil Rights Movement, or anyone who resisted a war.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Ask the people
in the 80s and 90s trying to wake people up to the AIDS epidemic. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Ask the people
behind Stop The War, Occupy, MeToo, Black Lives Matter, and Standing Rock. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Resistance is
a lot of work.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It’s a lot of
long meetings, delegating responsibilities, phone calls and following up on
phone calls…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It’s planning
what to do when you know that you’re going to have dozens of colleagues being
arrested, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>finding out where they’re being
held, finding out what the exact charge against them is, finding out their bail
conditions, arranging lawyers… <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Resistance is
a lot of work…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">And it’s very
often done in the face of people trying to stop you with seemingly-unlimited
resources and power…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">You will need
to cultivate in yourself and your movement a healthy balance of optimism and
realism. The desire is there, the vision is there, but the thing itself is not
yet born. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So you
prepare. You prepare yourself and your movement. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">And in the
face of an entrenched status quo- deep-seated racism, embedded inequality,
rampant consumerism, apathy, self-centered politics- it can be hard to keep
going…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">You hope. And
you work…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Today is the
first Sunday of the Christian season of Advent. It is the season that I think
more than any other speaks to this reality. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background: white; color: black;">If you’re not
a Christian, or you’re part of a Christian tradition that doesn’t closely
follow the liturgical year, Advent (from the </span><span style="color: black;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin"><span style="background: white; color: black; text-decoration: none;">Latin</span></a><span style="background: white;"> word </span><a href="http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Adventus"><i><span style="background: white; color: black; text-decoration: none;">adventus</span></i></a><span style="background: white;">, meaning ‘arrival’ or ‘coming’) is the season that
precedes Christmas in the Christian liturgical year. It begins on the first
Sunday after the feast of St. Andrew the Apostle (30 November) and continues
until the 24th of December. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background: white; color: black;">It serves as a
time of preparation and reflection. Advent traditions involve the lighting of
candles on each of the four Sundays leading up to Christmas, usually in church
but also in the home. Similar to the season of Lent which leads up to Easter,
Advent is also a traditional time of fasting, self-examination, and prayer. </span><span style="color: black;"><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[endif]--><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background: white; color: black;">Reflections
during Advent often draw on the biblical texts from the long centuries before
the birth of Christ.</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background: white; color: black;">It is a time
to remember the prophecies of the Hebrew Scriptures that tell of the eventual coming
of God’s messiah.</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background: white; color: black;">It is a time
to reflect on the coming invasion of God into his creation.</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background: white; color: black;">Ultimately,
Advent prepares us for Christmas, the celebration of the incarnation, </span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background: white; color: black;">‘God with us’.</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background: white; color: black;">The
incarnation- God’s presence and action in human history regardless of circumstance-
is the central theme of the ancient Hebrew prophets. No matter what was going
on-</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background: white; color: black;">invading
armies, corrupt officials, unjust structures, inhumane systems, the devaluing
of human life and human goodness-</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background: white; color: black;">the prophets
asserted that God was not blind, nor did he sleep.</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background: white; color: black;">God’s Messiah
would come, and all would be put right:</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background: white; color: black;">And it would
not be put right in some mystical, fantastic reality beyond this world;</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It would be
put right here, now, in history, in time. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Advent is
preparing for the good work of God when God and goodness seem far off. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background: white; color: black;">On the first
Sunday of Advent, we read from the ancient Hebrew prophet Isaiah:</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i><span style="color: black;">The people who walked in
darkness<br />
have seen a great light.<br />
They lived in a land of shadows,<br />
but now light is shining on them.</span></i><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i><span style="color: black;">You have given them great joy,
Lord;<br />
you have made them happy.<br />
They rejoice in what you have done,<br />
as people rejoice when they harvest grain<br />
or when they divide captured wealth.<br />
For you have broken the yoke that burdened them<br />
and the rod that beat their shoulders.<br />
You have defeated the nation<br />
that oppressed and exploited your people,<br />
just as you defeated the army of Midian long ago.<br />
The boots of the invading army<br />
and all their bloodstained clothing<br />
will be destroyed by fire.<br />
A child is born to us!<br />
A son is given to us!<br />
And he will be our ruler.<br />
He will be called, “Wonderful Counselor,”<br />
“Mighty God,” “Eternal Father,”<br />
“Prince of Peace.”</span></i><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">God had revealed himself as the
God of life and liberation; <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Thus, the Christian liturgical
year begins by putting the world on notice that we await liberation and transformation-<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Not just of hearts, minds, and
souls, but of historical conditions;<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Of structures, of hierarchies,
of the <i>status quo</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">With the coming of the messiah,
the prophets declared, nothing can- or will- remain as it is.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">For the poor, the marginalized,
the disenfranchised, and the oppressed, this is good news;<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">For the wealthy, the
influential, the disenfranchising, and the oppressors, this is a warning…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This is the radical Advent, an
Advent of Resistance. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">And those who hold to this
spirit of liberation and transformation are a radical ‘Advent people’.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This is why it would be such a
mistake to see Advent in only spiritual terms. Though for centuries, religious
and political structures colluded to assure us that misery on Earth was a
prelude to a glorious heaven. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The world has rightly risen in
protest against such sentimental piety.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The ‘Advent people’ cultivate
hope- for peace, for justice, for equity, for equality.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The ‘Advent people’ prepare for
what is coming- for <i>who</i> is coming…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The ‘Advent people’ proclaim
that, yes, we have walked in darkness;<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Darkness of violence, war,
oppression, injustice…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But we have seen a great light.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">And that light will light our resistance…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br />Jon Hatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04913416663813636124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4485468946225822778.post-48791375893615024282018-10-14T22:32:00.000-07:002018-10-15T06:39:36.093-07:00Óscar Romero, Che Guevara, and Spray-Painted Theology…<br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I want to take you on a little nostalgia trip, back to the
80s and 90s when I was part of the burgeoning punk scene in the New York/New
Jersey area. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This is a track by Puerto Rican political punks
Ricanstruction, a mainstay of the hardcore punk scene on the
Lower East Side. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/3rVrxH75pXY/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3rVrxH75pXY?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">When I started dedicating myself to becoming a theologian, I
remember recalling this video. It fascinated me that the young man with the
rattle can had no trouble equating Óscar Romero (the martyred archbishop),
Túpac Amaru (the murdered Native American leader), and Emiliano Zapata (the
Mexican revolutionary), declaring in the name of them all, ‘La Lucha Sigue’… ‘The
Struggle Continues’…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">As I began to delve deeper into Latin American liberation theology,
I was equally fascinated by murals you see dotted around Central and South
America with images of both Che Guevara and Romero- devout Christian archbishop
and implacable revolutionary atheist- side by side.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl2w4ROmFVnT1sTmo79gZ07pwU8B3jcSc1FjMmljPSEdM-1BEnLMN8m_jCETAh2Cz3rVA_VqVR410dBuqq4dGcm1vK1ScFCAIRh7ENT0ofH2IJc50OiceOIghgyjg177mtRa5WO-x4esw/s1600/Romero+Che.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl2w4ROmFVnT1sTmo79gZ07pwU8B3jcSc1FjMmljPSEdM-1BEnLMN8m_jCETAh2Cz3rVA_VqVR410dBuqq4dGcm1vK1ScFCAIRh7ENT0ofH2IJc50OiceOIghgyjg177mtRa5WO-x4esw/s400/Romero+Che.png" width="277" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I think there’s a lesson for us in that graffiti and those
images, a holy treatise that we need to remember, particularly on this day. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">For as I write this, Archbishop Óscar Romero- martyred 24 March
1980 for his determined and increasingly vocal opposition to the government of
El Salvador’s reign of terror- has been officially canonized as a saint of the
Catholic Church.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Romero has exerted such an influence and inspiration over my
life, my work, and my personal spirituality that it might come as a surprise to
many that I’m feeling rather subdued today.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The reason for my ambivalence is two-fold.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The first, as most regular readers will know, has to do with
my enduring struggles with the Vatican power structure, which did very little
to support or defend Romero in his fight for justice when he and the persecuted
people of El Salvador needed it most. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Worse, that same Vatican power structure went on to variously
frustrate, delay, or outright oppose the cause of Romero’s canonization for
decades, maligning his memory and his character in the process.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The fact is, Romero was a saint at the moment of his death,
and the people of El Salvador, as well as millions of Catholics around the
world, recognized him as such. It has taken our bureaucratic, officious, autocratic
hierarchy nearly thirty years to recognize what any Salvadoran <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">campensino</i> could have told them the day
after Romero’s death. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But of course,
this was heart of Latin American liberation theology’s critique- that
theological reflection begins with the experience of the most poor and the most
oppressed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">A corollary is
when the Gospel writer has Christ say, ‘I thank you, Father, that you have
hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and revealed them to
infants (Matt. 11:35). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">There are similar
echoes of this when Brazilian priest and theologian Frei Betto observed, ‘the
poor invaded the Church (and) Catholic priests and bishops began to be
converted to Christianity.’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">My second
reason is related to the first; now that Romero is ensconced in the devotional structures
of the Church, I worry that his elevation might blunt the message that he gave.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The
greatness of Romero, I believe, is the fact that three weeks after this bookish,
conservative, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">status quo</i> figure was
ordained archbishop, he unexpectedly and disturbingly felt that God showed him
the path he would need to take. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">His good
friend Fr. <span style="background: white; color: black;">Rutilio Grande</span>- who had been denouncing the government’s
cruelty to the people- and two companions were murdered by the Salvadoran
military, which was carrying out a sustained campaign of terror in the
countryside. Romero went to the funeral and stared at both the bullet-ridden
body and at the faces of the parishioners. He later recounted: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">When I looked at
Rutilio lying there dead I thought, 'If they have killed him for doing what he
did, then I too have to walk the same path.’<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">After this event, Romero was
tireless in his advocacy for the people, denouncing the government’s terror, appealing
to US President Carter to cut off aid to the Salvadoran government, even going
so far as, on
23 March 1980, to demand obedience from the soldiers at the expense of their military
commanders: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">‘I’d
like to make an appeal in a special way to the men in the army: Brothers, each
one of you is one of us. We are the same people. The farmers and peasants that
you kill are your own brothers and sisters. When you hear the words of the man
telling you to kill, think instead of the words of God, ‘Thou shalt not kill!’
No soldier is obliged to obey an order contrary to the Law of God. In His Name
and in the name of our tormented people who have suffered so much, and whose
laments cry out to heaven: I implore you! I beg you! I order you! Stop the repression!’<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The next day, he
was dead. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The people were
drawn to Romero’s words because, in a world that made it brutally clear to them
that their lives were of no value whatsoever, he constantly reminded them of
their value in the eyes of God and that God is a God of justice. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The greatness of
Romero is in the change of direction- at the prompting of the Spirit of God- he
was willing to make… yet ironically he has been elevated to a place of example
and inspiration by a Church that doesn’t change direction well at all. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">If we wish to do
theological reflection with integrity, it is vital that Romero’s greatness not
be lost under a welter of gauzy, institutional sentimentality or rendered inoffensive,
divorced from the radical context from which it sprouted. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">That depends on
the people of God who recognized his holiness from the beginning, not those who
noticed it far, far later…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">… And the key to
that is in the graffiti of the video and in those murals of Romero and Che. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The poor, the
oppressed, the marginalized and the all those deemed ‘worthless’ by the forces
of capital and power across the globe continue to cry out for justice… the cry
of Romero… the cry of Jesus. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It is the duty of
the Church to stand with those who cry out for justice, for justice is the
heart of the Gospel…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">‘The thief comes
only to steal, kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have
it in full’ (John 10:10)…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">This is the
intersection of Romero and Che, the Christian and the revolutionary. It is impossible
to evaluate the </span>actions of Che without evaluating the actions of the
Latin American Church of his social context- ossified, reactionary,
anti-reform, privileged, elitist... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Gospel of Christ- food for the poor, sight to the blind,
release to the prisoners, freedom for the captives, life for the lifeless, a
voice for the voiceless- was, is, and ever shall be revolutionary. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">If the Church fails to preach and act out this radical
Gospel, the world will still cry out for it; the poor and the oppressed will
still demand justice. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">If the Church stops up its ears, it is surrendering its
mission, and that mission will be picked up by those who will attempt it
without any understanding of the love of Christ. No one- least of all the
Church- should be surprised if that turns out to be a disaster... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But in that instance, I think the judgement of God rests
heavier on the Church. They knew Christ, and failed to emulate him; Che didn't, and set off to do it in his own power and wisdom...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Ironically, this is why I have a deep admiration for Che and
consider him an inspiration to me in the same manner as is Romero. For the
Gospel to have any integrity it must be revolutionary or it will be empty… and
for the revolution to have any integrity it must encompass Romero or it will be
in vain.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Che said, 'If you tremble with indignation at every
injustice then you are a comrade of mine’; <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Romero said, ‘When the Church hears the cry of the oppressed
it cannot but denounce the social structures that give rise to and perpetuate
the misery from which the cry arises’;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Jesus said, 'Do you love me? Feed my sheep'. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The statements are all identical to me...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">… And spray painting any or all of them on a wall would be an act
of devotion… <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Jon Hatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04913416663813636124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4485468946225822778.post-68583393338100530452018-10-06T10:53:00.000-07:002018-11-19T07:59:38.977-08:00Why Evangelicals Don't Abandon Trump (But Why They Should...)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiemUuIiFFB31BxwpT8ZsOPVceN4lvtoLGvX11mBDihhgJM1ckqpl3qUNkrJvsBgx3sgUCZyvOxr_r36ybAOWDd7oXx5zGXnpzSjxI1RD0qsXSSPt3R_NLXIeceZBa2WbaHgZwhO6x7BLU/s1600/Trump+praying.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="625" data-original-width="855" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiemUuIiFFB31BxwpT8ZsOPVceN4lvtoLGvX11mBDihhgJM1ckqpl3qUNkrJvsBgx3sgUCZyvOxr_r36ybAOWDd7oXx5zGXnpzSjxI1RD0qsXSSPt3R_NLXIeceZBa2WbaHgZwhO6x7BLU/s400/Trump+praying.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I’ve read
so many great pieces over the past year written by- and about- thoughtful
Evangelical Christians grappling with the fact that President Trump- an
out-and-proud narcissistic bully- has so much respect and support from their
fellow Evangelicals. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Much of
this writing has sincerely and honestly been trying to re-imagine
Evangelicalism beyond the socio-political ditch into which these writers feel
it has driven itself into, and conceive of an American Evangelicalism that is
more open, inclusive, honest and, well, Christ-like.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I was
raised in the Evangelical Christian subculture and worked within it for a good
chunk of my adult life. While I have not identified as an Evangelical Christian
for about 25 years now- finding my home in the liturgical, the contemplative,
and the silent- I have a great amount of respect and affection for many of my
brothers and sisters in the Evangelical community and applaud their efforts to
think outside the box that previous generations of Evangelicals have
constructed around them. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But outside
of those voices, the vast majority of American Evangelicals (specifically <i>white </i>Evangelicals; Evangelicals of colour have been- not unsurprisingly- unmoved by Trumpism) appear to be
standing rock-solid behind<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> the </span>President, a thrice-married, utterly-irreligious, hedonistic, profane, vain,
corrupt, bullying, bankrupt gambling tycoon. <br /><br />This seems so incongruous to so
many and has fascinated and dismayed many commentators, all of whom seem to be
waiting for the moment when Evangelicals wake up in horror, realize what
they’ve hitched themselves to, and turn against Trump, hastening his demise. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I don’t
think that’s going to happen, and I think I have an insight into why. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">To
understand where I’m coming from, you have to imagine one of the oldest
narratives in human history, found in just about every culture’s myths, epics,
and sagas: the opportunity to get everything you want. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s the moment in the tale when a character
engaged in an epic quest is approached by a god or a magical entity who has the
ability to make it possible for the character to achieve and acquire everything
that character wants or needs- wealth, power, love, success, or victory. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The god or
entity can absolutely deliver. All the character has to do is grasp it… <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">… but (and
it’s always a huge, monumental, epic ‘but’) there is always one thing; one small,
apparently-simple detail that the character must remember to do or not do-
leave the party before <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>midnight; don’t
ever get off the horse; don’t ever look back; don’t open the box; never say a
specific phrase- or they will lose everything. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">As the one
small detail seems so simple and apparently irrelevant, the character inevitably
agrees. But just as inevitably, they are tripped up by that one, simple thing
and lose everything. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">When we
heard these stories as children, it all seemed so unfair. I mean, who
*wouldn’t* go for the deal? Why did the god or entity include that one, stupid
proviso? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">What we
didn’t realize was that the point of these stories was to teach us about human
frailty, hubris, or simply that sometimes bad things happen to good people. We
can never be in control of everything, the stories seemed to say; our lives and
our destinies are never completely our own. Don’t try to shortcut your way to
victory. Keep a reasonable account of yourself. Be realistic. Be humble. Be
wise. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Well, the majority of the Evangelical movement in America have been engaged in a quest for
decades to re-shape and re-mould America (though they would use the language of
restoration). Basically, decades before Trump, they were dreaming of making
America ‘great’ again, but as seen through their religious lens- holy, chaste,
godly, righteous… <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In 2016, they got offered the chance to win, win big, win everything. </span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Their quest
had many elements within it, many of which often paralleled the social and
political aims of other demographic groups. But there was one issue that was
almost exclusively theirs, and on that I’d argue was the central hub around
which all other elements revolved : <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">abortion on
demand. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Severely
curtailing (if not outright overturning) Roe v. Wade, the 1973 US Supreme Court’s
landmark decision that effectively legalized a woman’s right to terminate her
pregnancy, was and is the Holy Grail of American Evangelicalism. </span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Efforts began
slowly in the mid-70’s; President Carter, though an Evangelical, stood by the
decision and got no serious, sustained flak for it. It was not until t</span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">he
Reagan-era 80’s and the rise of Jerry Falwell’s Moral Majority, Pat Robertson’s
Christian Coalition, and Randall Terry’s Operation Rescue that the American
‘pro-life’ movement slammed into high gear. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />This was the beginning of a long campaign
to put real political power into the hands of Evangelical Christians by getting
their issues into the Republican Party platform, and overturning Roe v. Wade was
a policy linchpin. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Roe v. Wade
at this point began to be given the descriptive characteristics of a holocaust,
innocent, unborn children, butchered by the millions. Anyone who defended
abortion was depraved, the doctor who performed one was a murderer, and any
woman who had one was a monster, sacrificing an innocent life for freedom and
pleasure. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Make no
mistake; that was the only explanation I ever heard for why this went on, and
the very cruelty of it compounded the horror. The life of the baby overrode any
other explanation or circumstance. The mother was alive and the baby was dead.
The horror, to the pro-lifer, was self-evident. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Abortion
was Satanism at its most naked and most cruel. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Mainstream
Republicans noticed what was brewing and cautiously began a courtship with this
new insurgency, seeking to harness this growing and hugely dedicated new
demographic- the ‘Religious Right’. However, the mainstream Republican machine
didn’t embrace the Evangelicals’ moral crusade, at least not in the same way.
They saw the Evangelicals as an asset, one constituency group of among many,
there to be tapped as part of greater strategies. </span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Republicans made many of the
right noises, and did things that Evangelicals liked. But because most of the
Washington Republican machine didn’t think about abortion in the same way as
their Evangelical base did, it was never going to be as high on the ‘to do’
list as Evangelicals would want it to be. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The
weakness of the Evangelicals’ position, unfortunately, was similar to any
dependable constituency in a two-party system: they had nowhere else to go-
particularly in the Clinton-dominated 90’s- and they began to suspect the
Republican machine was taking them for granted… which was probably true. <br /><br />Each
election cycle, Evangelicals rallied to the Republican candidates with the best
Evangelical <i>bona fides</i>- Michelle Bachmann, Ben Carson, the seemingly-perennial
Alan Keyes, even Pat Robertson himself back in the day- but dutifully and sometimes grudgingly voted for the
Washington-connected center-right moderate Republican that got the
nomination.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Abortion on
demand- seen by the majority of Evangelicals as America’s greatest moral
failing- remained on the books and (it appeared) unassailable.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But
Evangelicals were playing a very, very long game- longer than any of their
detractors understand…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> That's b</span>ecause the
issues that they most care about- and abortion crystallizes that like no other
issue- are timeless and non-negotiable. Abortion is murder. Roe v. Wade is
demonic. What they want is no mere political victory, but a spiritual one,
directed by God who, though he works in mysterious ways, absolutely assures
them the victory. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Which pretty
much brings us to the present moment, and in Evangelical terms, what a present
moment it is…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">President
Trump (who, to be fair, wasn’t their first choice; they'd have much preferred Carson or Cruz) has given Evangelicals more of what
they’ve actually wanted in a year and a half than every Republican administration
in the past forty: <br /><br />He’s been aggressively vocal about Christianity’s supremacy
over other faiths; </span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">He’s been outspoken about culture war battles such as the ‘War on Christmas; <br /><br />he’s moved
the US Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, aligning himself with the most intransigent, militaristic, and theocratic elements within Israel and the US; <br /><br />he’s packed the federal courts with ideological conservatives; <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">And crucially,
he has brought Evangelicals within striking distance of the ultimate prize: a
solidly ideologically-conservative US Supreme Court, capable of finally- at
long last- ending abortion on demand. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Trump himself is not an Evangelical, nor has he shown any religious tendencies whatsoever, nor indeed (it could be effectively argued from his own sordid history) does he care or even have any particular opinion one way or another about any of these issues beyond seeing them as chances to aggrandize himself personally... but his administration includes die-hard conservative Evangelicals in Jeff Sessions and Betsy Devos, and he's had an open-door policy for Jerry Falwell Jr., Franklin Graham, and other powerful right-wing Evangelical leaders who have been able to steer his erratic ship toward their own fortunes, much to the delight of the average Evangelical voter. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Simply put, for a significant majority of white Evangelicals, Trump is delivering, and in ways that no one has ever politically and
culturally delivered to them before. <br /><br />Trump offers victory... evidence, to many, that for all his faults and foibles, he must be the instrument of God.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">With that
in mind, do you really think Evangelicals will suddenly turn on Trump because
he says mean and stupid things?</span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Do you
think they’re going to simply surrender a forty-year war because Trump was rude
to Christine Blasey Ford?</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Don’t be ridiculous. This is the win of all wins… <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But (and
here comes that huge, monumental, epic ‘but’…)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">like the
hero in the myths, there is a price to pay for all this, a ruthless and very
disturbing bargain made:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It is
nothing less than surrendering any moral authority to speak of the Gospel of
Jesus as it is understood from the biblical text... </span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">all for the chance to 'restore' America to the image that the Trump-supporting Evangelicals envision. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Trump
insults and bullies the poorer, the weaker, the less-attractive; <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">He praises
the strong, the supremacists, the prejudiced;<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">He defends
the oppressor, the suppressor, the aggressive; <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">He lies,
and lies, and lies; <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">He is the
antithesis of every characteristic that Jesus in the biblical text lays out for
those who follow him; <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">He is the antithesis- at times almost comically so- of every attribute that St. Paul considered evidence of the working of the spirit of God in a person's life- love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, self-control...</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Needless to
say (and I'm sure no one will be shocked to hear it), I just don’t see Jesus in this.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Needless to
say, I don’t see the Gospel of the biblical text- </span>food for the poor,
sight for the blind, release for the prisoners, freedom for the captives, life
for the lifeless, a voice for the voiceless- in this. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This is not interpreting the Gospel; it's not spinning, finessing, or managing it… This is abandoning it. <span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Jesus’s
words in the Gospel of Mark recently came to my mind:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span class="woj"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: black;">‘Whoever
wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow
me.</span></i></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: black;"> <o:p></o:p></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span class="woj"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">‘For whoever
wants to save their life<sup> </sup>will lose it, but whoever loses their life
for me and for the gospel I preach will save it. <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span class="woj"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: black;">‘What good is
it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?</span></i></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: black;"> <o:p></o:p></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span class="woj"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: black;">‘Or what can
anyone give in exchange for their soul?</span></i></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: black;"> <o:p></o:p></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span class="woj"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: black;">‘If anyone is
ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of
Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory
with the holy angels.’</span></i></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">If
Evangelicals are being forced to choose between the Christ of the Gospel and
the adulterous and the sinful- as I believe they are- they risk gaining their 'whole world'- their 'restored America'- at the price of their soul.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">That price
is too high…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">… and
blessings on those Evangelicals trying to point that out. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But as to the
rest turning on Trump? No time soon, I fear…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />Jon Hatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04913416663813636124noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4485468946225822778.post-14073559222225540372018-08-26T19:28:00.000-07:002018-08-27T16:02:12.116-07:00Ireland, Pope Francis, and the Death (and Rebirth) of the Catholic Church<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<img alt="See the source image" height="220" src="https://cdn-04.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/incoming/article30333198.ece/9d1be/AUTOCROP/w620h342/IRISH%20%20Babie_4.jpg" width="400" /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So… As I write this, Pope Francis has arrived in Ireland,</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">An Ireland- so the media has reminded us <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ad nauseum</i>- is far different from the
Ireland that John Paul II visited in 1979. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I know what they’re trying to say, and some of the
commentary says it very well. But at a fundamental level, it strikes me as
somewhat lazy thinking. Name me one country that isn’t a lot different than it
was forty years ago. I mean, even North Korea is significantly poorer…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">And, as is often said, the more things change, the more they
stay the same. Even with the decline of Catholic belief and practice in
Ireland, 78.3% of the Republic still choose to identify as Catholic, as do 45%
of the North. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Granted, we’re not Catholics the way the Church <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">wants</i> us to be Catholics. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But- and this is my topic today- after the way this Church
treated us for decades, it truly is a miracle any of us call ourselves Catholics at
all. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I say this because of my firmly-held belief that, if we want
to do Catholic theology in Ireland and Northern Ireland with any integrity, we
must grapple- and I do mean really and truly grapple- with the violent abuse inflicted
by the Catholic Church in Ireland on the smallest, weakest, poorest, least influential,
and least powerful… and that it did so with the collusion of the Irish state. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This is the social reality into which Francis stepped when
he de-planed yesterday. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">When we talk about the abuse scandals that have been exposed
in Ireland and around the globe, because of the vast amount written about it in
the past week, it’s easy to glaze over and say, ‘yes, yes, I know. It’s
appalling’… We hear the stories of individual victims and it becomes small and personally
tragic, tinged with sentimentality.<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Make no
mistake- the individual accounts are horrible; each victim has had to survive
in their own way. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But when I was doing my Masters, I took the opportunity to
read- in their entirety- the 2009 reports of the Commission of investigation conducted
by the Irish government into the sexual abuse scandal in the
Catholic archdiocese of Dublin (usually referred to as the ‘Murphy Report’
after presiding Irish judge Yvonne Murphy) and the ‘Ryan Report’ from the Commission
to Inquire into Child Abuse (CICA), charged with investigating the extent
and effects of abuse on children in Ireland from 1936 onwards.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">To put the reports into some kind of context, w<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">hile
doing my Masters, I also read- in their entirety- UN reports of the use of
systemic torture in Apartheid-era South Africa, the use of torture and murder against
political dissidents in Central and South America in the 70’s and 80’s, and the
use of concentration camps and genocide during the Balkan wars of the 90’s. </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Through the lens of my expertise on these issues, I
feel confident in saying that what happened in Ireland and Northern Ireland can
be spoken about in the same breath. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Reading the reports was- and I choose my words
carefully- like staring the Antichrist full in the face. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Reading them, I felt that I understood why someone
as compassionate as the Jesus of the biblical text would suggest such a cruel
and unusual use for a millstone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">What the Murphy and Ryan reports exposed was evil;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Over 800 known serial abusers; <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Over 200 Catholic institutions; <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Over 35 years; <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Over the length and breadth of the nation;<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Hundreds of industrial schools, Magdalene laundries,
mother and baby homes;<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Abuse, neglect and death not sporadic or
opportunistic; <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Not a tragic failure of the system, but, horrifically,
the system itself. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This was a gulag. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">None of this is ancient history. The modern Irish
state only dates to 1921. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">As late as last year, evidence emerged of a mass grave with the
remains of 796 children on the former site of a mother and baby home in Tuam,
Co. Galway. The Sisters of Bon Secours, the religious order who ran the home,
through the efforts of the PR firm they hired, denied the existence of the mass
unmarked grave for two years. It was only through the dogged efforts of a local
historian who meticulously followed up the fact that there were nearly 800
deaths of children in Tuam between 1925 and 1961, but graves for only two, that
we now know the scale of the horror.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">These were the unwanted, uncared-for children of ‘fallen’
women, women and children simply seen as ecclesial detritus.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">All of the horror is compounded by the Church’s
reaction, which has been the very embodiment of the word ‘inadequate’.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">First, there was silence. Then, where there had
been silence, there has been noise; <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Obfuscation, stonewalling, non-cooperation, platitudes,
and rationalizations, making many of us, heads cradled in our hands, beg, </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">'Pleaseinthe</span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">nameofChristwillyoushutupandfuckoff?' </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In light of all this, it has been wondered, what will
the Pope say? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Today, while saying Mass at Phoenix Park, the Pope
begged forgiveness- from God and, ostensibly, the Irish people. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I love Pope Francis; I truly do. But what he said
was not enough; not nearly, remotely enough. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Church has not repented. Worse, it has not
mourned. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Rather, it has managed. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It has given broad, universal apologies, tried to ‘draw
a line’ under the issue, put policies in place. But no financial compensation, no
access to records for the victims’ families, no memorials, no masses for the
dead souls… <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">For its part, the Irish government makes shocked
noises and points appalled- APPALLED!- fingers at the Catholic hierarchy, but
has been very careful so as not to have to address the complicity and collusion
of the courts, the police, and the civil service. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It was they who, at the foundation of the modern
Irish state, handed the schools, the hospitals, and entire social welfare
apparatus to the Church who, we now know, ran them like an authoritarian, theocratic
social experiment. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In short, what did the Irish state know, and when
did they know it? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This is the Ireland to which Francis has come. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">And yes, it is a very different Ireland to the one
visited by John Paul II. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The dictatorship is over. The monolithic, imperial,
Holy Catholic Church of the past is gone forever… and most Irish Catholics don’t
mourn its passing. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The edifice endures, of course, frantically trying
to save and salvage itself.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It still runs
the schools and the hospitals;<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It still dares to chide and to lecture us, grasping
the remaining rags of its moral authority, hoping (in vain) to keep us from
voting for marriage equality and the repeal of the 8<sup>th</sup> Amendment
banning abortion. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Millions of self-professed Catholic People voted
overwhelmingly for both, saying, in effect, 'Don’t you ever again tell me what
is right, good, or appropriate for my life, my nation, or my family, ever.’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So… How do we do Irish Catholic theology with
integrity in the shadow of the mass grave in Tuam?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">With all due respect to what the Holy Father <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">did </i>say, what do I wish he had said? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I give you a mystery:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">What would happen if he had said, ‘We have sinned; <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">‘We are sorry; <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">‘We humbly repent, <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">‘And as penance, we will shut ourselves down,
collectively give up our vocation, sell all we have and give the money to the
poor, the abused, the victims, and the survivors.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">‘God forgive us. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">‘God bless you. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">‘Goodbye’?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Church would end. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But through its self-destruction, through this
self-immolation, I wonder if, in time, the Church might be reborn…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Those of us who weekly drag ourselves dejectedly to
11am Mass, as well as those who long ago stopped dragging themselves to Mass, now
that there wasn’t one to drag ourselves to, might feel a new stirring. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Over time, as has happened in these islands for
millennia, men and women would feel the call of God. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">They would pray and they would serve. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">They would heal each other’s bodies and souls. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">They would meet together over bread and wine and
feel God in their midst. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">And each morning, as the first of us did, they
would face the rising sun and worship the three-in-one, singing, <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">‘As it was in the beginning, it is now an ever
shall be.’<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Church might be reborn…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">For at the heart of the Christian faith is rebirth-
life from lifelessness. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The writer of the Gospel of John has Jesus say, <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: .5in; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Very
truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies, it
remains a single grain; <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: .5in; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: .5in; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">but
if it dies, it bears much fruit. <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: .5in; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Those
who love their life lose it. And those who regard the life of this world as
nothing will keep it for eternal life. <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Irish Catholic Church must die… But it must die
as Christ died. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It is only by doing so that it can fully be the
Body of Christ, given for many.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The presence of evil and sin does not mean that
there is no God. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It was God who raised the Body of Christ to life. I
believe that God wishes to raise The Catholic Church- the Body of Christ- to
life. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">For what shall it profit the Church to maintain a
crumbling façade and lose its soul?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It is the God of salvation who, in Christ, gives
salvation. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Church can be saved. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But it must die. </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It's the only way to live...</span></span></div>
Jon Hatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04913416663813636124noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4485468946225822778.post-77191854479622899492018-05-22T10:08:00.000-07:002018-05-22T10:08:32.108-07:00The Wise King and the Foolish King: A Parable...<br />
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">There was
once a king who ruled over a large and powerful nation. The king was wise and
intellectually curious, literate and well-spoken. He gave much time to the
affairs of his nation, and he had a reputation for thoughtfulness and
consideration. All enjoyed his company; his wit, humour, and conversation were
renowned. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">One day,
his military leaders told him that his enemy- a dangerous and ruthless warlord,
whose militia had committed great violence throughout the region-<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>was nearby, hiding in a densely-populated
city in the neighbouring country. Now this country was weaker than the king’s
country- unstable, poorer and with a very small army. They were unaware of the
presence of the warlord in their territory, and even if they had known, it was
doubtful that they would have been able to capture him. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The king
listened thoughtfully to his generals. They told him that every moment of
hesitation risked the warlord slipping away to attack again, putting the whole
region at risk. But with a quick and forceful attack of mounted horsemen armed
with arrows and spears, the warlord could be killed… but because of the nature
of the city, the generals said, innocent life might also be lost. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The king
listened attentively. He then said to the generals, ‘I must think carefully
before making a decision. How much time may I have?’<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">‘No more time
than one hour’, they told the king, ‘lest the warlord slip away in the crowds
and out of our reach.’ <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The king
was visibly troubled. The thought that any innocent life should be lost grieved
him deeply. The king spent the entire hour alone with his thoughts. He imagined
the sorrow of men at the death of their children, and wives at the death of
their husbands. Yet was the price of the few innocent lives not worth paying
for the many lives saved? Was it not better for the entire region to be free
from the fear of the warlord’s violence? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">At the end
of the hour, the king appeared again, his face twisted with sorrow. With tears
in his eyes, he told his generals to launch the attack. They did so, sending
ten highly-skilled mounted soldiers at high speed toward the warlord’s lair. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The king
waited anxiously for news of the attack. Soon, his generals came to him saying
that the warlord was dead. ‘But the news is not all good’, they told him. ‘Very
close to the warlord’s location, a wedding party was being held, the wedding of
a poor man’s beloved only daughter. As our soldiers charged, several guests, as
well as the poor man’s daughter, fell under the horse’s hooves, killing them
instantly. Indeed, our soldiers have reported seeing the poor man holding his
daughter’s lifeless body, weeping greatly in the street.’ <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Upon
hearing this, the king wept bitterly and was inconsolable. He took no food or
drink, and refused to be seen for three days. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">After some
time, this king was no more, and another king rose to the throne. This king was
foolish and disliked learning, reading very little and speaking crudely. He
gave little thought or time to the affairs of his nation, and he had a
reputation for distraction and inattentiveness. Many of his advisers disliked
his company; he was thin-skinned, took offense easily and was suspicious of all
who dared disagree with him. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">One day,
his military leaders told him that his enemy- an ally of the dangerous and
ruthless warlord killed by the previous king- <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>was nearby, hiding in the same
densely-populated city in the neighbouring country. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The king
listened with irritation to his generals. ‘Why do you waste my time with long
speeches about foreigners about whom I care nothing? Is not our enemy within reach?
Order the attack!’ The general’s did so, as before. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The king then
went to his other palace on the coast of the country to enjoy the cool air.
After waiting for the king a full day in the capital, his general’s traveled to
the coastal palace to give him news of the attack, waiting many hours for an
audience while the king enjoyed himself feasting with wealthy friends. They
informed him that the warlord was dead. ‘But the news is not all good’, they
told him. ‘Very close to the warlord’s location, a widow was eating a meal with
her only son. As our soldiers charged, one of their arrows went through the
window of the house, killing the son. Indeed, our soldiers have reported seeing
the widow holding her son’s lifeless body, weeping greatly.’<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Upon
hearing this, the king did not even look up in their direction ‘Again, you
waste my time with news of people for whom I care nothing. My enemy is dead and
I appear strong! Now leave me alone with my feasting and entertainment!’<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">When news
of the king’s reaction reached those who had loved the former king, they were
outraged. ‘Truly’, they said, ‘the former king was the better king. Did he not
think carefully before acting, and did he not weep bitterly at the news of the
innocent’s death?’<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But a mystic,
who knew of all these matters and had been listening to them, rebuked them. ‘Does
a poor man take comfort that his daughter was killed by a wise man and not by a
fool? Does a widow wish that her son was murdered by a righteous man rather
than an evil man? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Do not
place your hopes in any great man. Misery inflicted by a wise man is as bitter
as the misery inflicted by an imbecile.’<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br />Jon Hatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04913416663813636124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4485468946225822778.post-15466355694505806662017-12-23T14:48:00.000-08:002017-12-23T14:48:09.267-08:00Surrendering the ‘War on Christmas’<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">‘Tis the season of war- the ‘War on Christmas’.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">This is the time of year when, traditionally, conservative
media outlets employ that phrase to describe what they see as a supposed marginalization of Christmas
and a relentless attack against Christmas symbolism, greetings,
displays, and spirituality. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Their goal in calling this out, they say, is to restore Christmas to its
rightful position as a Christian holiday in a Christian America. They seek to
do away with the secular trappings of Christmas, as well as any supposed encroachment
from other holidays such as Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or simply more secular
expressions of the holiday season. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">This year, these ‘Christmas warriors’ got an incredible
boost in the form of a powerful new general… actually, a new Commander-in-Chief:
the President himself. <br />
<br />
Speaking at the Values Voter Summit in Washington, D.C. last October, President
Trump declared: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">We’re getting near that
beautiful Christmas season that people don’t talk about anymore. They don’t use
the word Christmas because it’s not politically correct. You go to department
stores and they’ll say 'Happy New Year,' or they’ll say other things and it’ll
be red, they’ll have it painted. But they don’t say — well guess what? We’re
saying merry Christmas again. Merry Christmas. So, merry Christmas everyone.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So… Where to begin?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">With all due respect to the President and the rest of the
‘Christmas warriors’, I think that if you can get from 1 November to Christmas
Day in the US and honestly feel that Christmas display, music, TV shows, media,
and greetings are somehow being suppressed, you are delusional…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Not to mention the fact that all the talk of defending
Christmas from marginalization vanishes right after New Year, despite the fact
that Christmas is not yet over. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">According to the Christian liturgical calendar,
the season of Christmas runs from Christmas Day through to the Feast of the Baptism of John the Baptist on 9 January. Indeed, Orthodox Christians don’t
even start celebrating Christmas until 6 January, the Feast of the Epiphany. Yet
all over the nation, right after New Year’s Day, Christmas decorations disappear
from public buildings, banks, post offices, and schools; carols and Christmas songs
are dropped from radio playlists; Christmas shows are axed from prime time; even
most Christian media doesn’t mention Christmas after the first of January…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And the ‘Christmas warriors’- including now the President of the United States- don’t care… I wonder why…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Oh, never mind...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Of course, the ‘War on Christmas’ is absurd, as is any
notion of Christianity in the US being marginalized or in danger of
disappearance. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Christianity is extraordinarily influential in America; 83%
of the both houses of Congress are professing Christians (if you factor in
Mormons, it rises to 87%); the Supreme Court is 67% professing Christian (6 out
of 9; the three remaining are Jewish, so the ‘Judeo-Christian’ corner is fairly
well-defended); every single US President since the foundation of the nation
has been a professing Christian; and 73% of the country overall are professing
Christians. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Those kinds of numbers don’t point to Christianity in
America being- or becoming any time soon- a marginalized or persecuted
minority…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The ‘Christmas warriors’ don’t care about those statistics,
or at least conveniently ignore them, because the ‘War on Christmas’ rhetoric is
only one factor in the larger project of maintaining the social and political
dominance of one manifestation of Christian culture- Evangelical, conservative, overtly American, consumerist, and white. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">‘Christmas warriors’ aren’t interested in equality; the ‘War
on Christmas’ is about dominance and control. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">That’s why, to them, fighting against the ‘War on Christmas’ is indeed a ‘war’. It is a
‘zero-sum’ battle where every Hanukkah menorah, greeting of ‘happy holidays’,
the mere mention of Kwanzaa or- God
forbid it fall in December- Ramadan is an attack on Christmas and
Christianity. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The 'War on Christmas' is a war for supremacy...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">That’s probably why President Trump has declared himself an enthusiastic
‘Christmas warrior’. The Trump Presidency is rooted in ‘supremacy’- making
America ‘great’ again; America ‘first’; the President’s personal obsession with
‘winning’; endless belittling of anyone or anything deemed slightly less than
‘American’, anything judged to be weaker, anything less white, anything black, brown, or foreign.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The ‘war’ on Christmas is all about supremacy- Christian
traditions, symbols, and public display above all other traditions. It’s not
that the followers of other holiday traditions have no right to exist- </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">they do; </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">but they may never assume that they are on an equal footing with Christmas or
Christianity. The ‘Christmas warriors’ are the arbiters and judges of what can
be said and done during December, and they will let those others know when they
have encroached onto Christmas’s turf. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">That’s why the ‘War on Christmas’ is deeply aggressive and
offensive to other faiths and traditions. This was lucidly explained in Andy
Ostroy’s essay, ‘One Jew’s Take on the War on Christmas’: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I dread this time of
year. I dread it because I’m a Jew floating in a sea of religious
insensitivity. I live in a country where many fight for school prayer, provided
it’s their religion’s scripture. Where people fight to allow religious
symbols in public spaces, provided the symbols belong to their chosen
faith. Where people ask ‘what’s wrong with retailers posting “Merry Christmas”
signs in their windows?’ But can they imagine how Jews feel then? If Christians
are uncomfortable with the generic “Happy Holidays,” guess how Jews
feel seeing the very non-secular “Merry Christmas” everywhere we turn… I do not
hate or resent this beautiful holiday. What I resent is being told that, unless
I want it incessantly crammed down my Jewish throat for 30+ days each year,
that I’m waging a war against it. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">(The full piece can be read at <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.com/andy-ostroy/one-jews-take-on-the-war-_b_4350751.html">https://www.huffingtonpost.com/andy-ostroy/one-jews-take-on-the-war-_b_4350751.html</a>)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Let me be blunt: the ‘War on Christmas’ is wholly
‘anti-Christmas’, and by extension anti-Christian. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">At the heart of Christmas is the idea found in the Greek
term ‘Kenosis’ (κένωσις), from which we get the word <span style="background: white; color: #222222; line-height: 115%;"> </span>ἐκένωσεν (ekénōsen) used in Philippians
2:7 which states that Christ ‘emptied himself’ (NRSV) or ‘made himself nothing’
(NIV). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The theological point is that the Son of God, the second
member of the Triune Godhead, at his birth laid aside that essential Divinity
and became a human- weaker, simpler, more vulnerable; a human life completely
receptive to God’s Divine will. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Out of this comes a ‘kenotic ethic’, the understanding that
Christians must embrace Christ’s example and empty themselves and open
themselves with the same level of humility, personal sacrifice, and devotion to
God’s divine will. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Supremacy of any kind- national, ethnic, racial, cultural,
political, or religious- is utterly incompatible with the person of Jesus… or
the celebration of his birth, his ‘emptying’. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Put simply, the only way to have a celebration of Christmas
that the ‘Christmas warriors’ envision is to remove Christ from it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">In such a supremacist environment, the acknowledgment of
other faiths and traditions- even in the small act of saying ‘happy holidays’-
is an act of theological and spiritual resistance. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Indeed, it is ironically truer to the true meaning of
Christmas in that it models Christ’s ‘kenosis’, his emptying himself of power-
than loudly or aggressively declaring ‘Merry Christmas’ as an act of cultural
or political point scoring. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So, as Christmas approaches, I would invite you all to
embrace the true, 'kenotic' meaning of Christmas; <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Interact with people of other faiths in a spirit of equality,
respect and love;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Wish them blessings and happiness as they celebrate their
traditions; <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Celebrate Christmas- all 12 days of it. Keep your
decorations up until the Feast of the Epiphany on 6 January… and give Christmas
greetings- particularly to the ‘Christmas warriors’ in your life- all the way
through;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Give generously;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Resist supremacy in all its forms. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And when it comes to the ‘War on Christmas’, do the
Christ-like thing: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Surrender. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Happy Holidays, everyone!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Jon Hatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04913416663813636124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4485468946225822778.post-2039734053623693132017-06-03T23:33:00.003-07:002017-06-03T23:40:17.269-07:00Watching Terror in London From Afar: Some Raw Thoughts...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsT5T378xz1Z0ray_-UQS9CLwea-CtP1aMhbIZ0Nu1ToLSDiPg3NoGHqnbPQtrVPPssuhaFAkl3NgYPwwyTkQjfwS3rHGmBzUK3BYMud11QvnBSOtTvO8YRcMfPGOwya8T02z-J3PaCWo/s1600/20080514114739candlelight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="502" data-original-width="750" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsT5T378xz1Z0ray_-UQS9CLwea-CtP1aMhbIZ0Nu1ToLSDiPg3NoGHqnbPQtrVPPssuhaFAkl3NgYPwwyTkQjfwS3rHGmBzUK3BYMud11QvnBSOtTvO8YRcMfPGOwya8T02z-J3PaCWo/s400/20080514114739candlelight.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The news coming from London of the terror attacks is awful.
News of terror always is…<br />
<br />
It brought some thoughts to my mind…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I remember the first time I met a terrorist. A former
paramilitary in Northern Ireland. A murderer. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I remember how odd it felt to sit
at a table with someone and know for sure that this person had killed someone. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">He had come out the other side and was working for peace and
reconciliation... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I remember the first time I met a victim of terrorism. She
had watched her husband shot to death in front of her. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">She had come out the other side and had forgiven, even
reached out and tried to meet the killer. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It seemed like a superhuman act for such a tiny wee woman...
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I remember the first time I met a victim of genocide. In
Rwanda. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Then I met dozens. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I don't share their stories; I don't even know how. The
Rwandan genocide was so savage, so cruel; I have advanced degrees in conflict
and social reconciliation and even I don’t know how to talk about it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Many of them had come out the other side…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I remember being in Israel and occupied Palestine, meeting
people who’d had their children killed, their homes destroyed, their property
confiscated…</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It wasn’t easy for any of them, Israelis or Palestinians. The Israelis were often marginalized voices in a country run by the most militaristic and unreasonable elements; the Palestinians were still living under occupation, many of the injustices they sought to highlight and overcome peacefully simply ongoing…</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
<br />
Many of them had come out the other side, and were working for a just and negotiated
settlement. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I mention these people just to remind myself- and all of us-
that there is the possibility of coming out the other side. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It’s possible to do the right thing, the just thing, the
creative thing, the positive thing In the face of horror. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">We need to remember that, because when incidents like this
occur, we will be inundated by people who will insist that we must do the
violent thing, the unjust thing, the narrow-minded thing, the negative thing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">They will be loud. They will be powerful. They’ll be attractive,
forceful, and insistent that there’s no other alternative…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">… and they’ll be wrong. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Be strong. Be kind. Be just. Be courageous. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Hopefully, I’ll see you on the other side…</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Jon Hatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04913416663813636124noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4485468946225822778.post-63327051879718469902017-05-02T15:17:00.001-07:002017-05-02T15:17:46.189-07:00Why I (finally) Stopped Attending Church...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">In 2014, I
blogged about why, despite many issues with hierarchies, politics, and <i>status quo</i> culture, I still attended
church:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-GB"><br />
<br />
</span><i>I think, for me, it comes down to
the deep love and devotion I have for the Eucharist itself, known by many names
across many traditions- the Lord’s supper, holy communion, the holy mysteries,
the breaking of the bread, an t-aifreann… I’ll struggle with teaching,
doctrine, music, practice and people, but all that recedes into the background
for me when I am in the presence of the elements- this bread and this wine that
at the same time we believe to be so much more.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">This is where I meet
Jesus. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">If that connection to
the Eucharist ever goes away- if that feeling of stability and connection to
faith and history ever recedes- then I will indeed stop going to church…<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">(You can read the whole thing <a href="http://reflectionsforthursdays.blogspot.com/2014/03/mass-disillusion-or-why-i-still-go-to.html">here</a>.)</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Well, I
haven’t been to Mass in over a year now, so I think it’s safe to say that I am
no longer a regular attender. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I don’t go
to church any more. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And no one,
I suspect, was more surprised than me to discover that, in the end, it had
nothing to do with the reason above, the reason that I thought was my bottom
line. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">For the
truth is that I still have a deep love and devotion to the Eucharist;<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I still
feel deeply connected to the body and blood of Jesus. I still think of it as
the place I meet- I commune- with Christ;<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I still
feel a deep connection to my faith, my Church, the universal, eternal body
spread across the ages…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But I don’t
go to Church any more. And the pain from that is deep and awful. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So what
happened? Why don’t I go? Why stay away when staying away brings such hurt?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">While I don’t
think it necessary or appropriate to go into minute details, it suffices to say
that just about two years ago, an 18-year relationship came to an end and for
about a year my world fell apart. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">As anyone
who goes through that kind of trauma will attest, everything warm and familiar,
stable and secure vanished. Everything within me and without transformed into pain
and loss, confusion and fear. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I had been
attending my local Catholic parish for about two years previous to this, and
had built some relationships there. I’d met people at suppers, meetings, prayer
groups, and in my role helping to facilitate the RCIA (Rite of Christian
Initiation for Adults) programme. I felt close to a small but solid group of
people in the parish. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The church
was a bit of a culture shock coming from the Irish Catholic Church, and I had
struggled a bit, but most of my struggles were, I thought, fairly mild. Again
they weren’t really about my personal faith, but about aesthetics, emphasis,
tone, and priorities. I still didn’t like the music; I still struggled with the
fawning over John Paul II and Mother Teresa; I still didn’t like the careless
talk and jokey homilies; and I still thought the teaching materials were too
conservative. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But the
liturgy was there. The elements were there. The one, Holy Catholic and
Apostolic Church was there. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So I was
there. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And in my
moment of greatest pain and need I turned to the Church. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I reached
out to the deacon of our parish, phoning him at the church. I told him what
happened. He was kind and sympathetic, but I could tell from his manner on the
phone that I’d caught him as he was going out the door. He told me that our
former priest, who had just retired in his 80s and was in poor health, had just
been hospitalized and wasn’t expected to live much longer. He told me that I
should really get in touch with our new parish priest, who’s first Sunday had
been the previous week. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Now, I did
understand that this man, who had a lot of responsibilities within the church
on the best of days, was not going to be able to drop everything- particularly a
hospital call. But he had handed me off to someone I didn’t know and didn’t
know me and I never heard from him again. He had fallen back on the basic
Catholic chain of command; in a strictly canonical and theological sense, my
personal relationship with the priest was immaterial. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">In his
eyes, my problem needed a priest- any priest. But regardless of that, actually my problem needed a
friend and a cup of coffee…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I reached
out to an older couple who had had me over before. They cooked me dinner, which
did feel good. But my guess is that our relationship wasn’t deep enough to be
invited over more than once…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I kept
going to Mass as I normally did, but I was an emotional wreck. I would just sit
there in tears. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I was in
tears as I passed the peace to those around me.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I was in
tears kneeling for the Eucharistic prayers.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I was in
tears as I went forward and received the elements. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">‘The body of Christ.’ (weeping) ‘Amen…’<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">‘The blood of Christ, the cup of salvation.’
(weeping) ‘Amen …’<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I was in
tears as I returned to my seat and in tears as I knelt in prayer. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I was in
tears after the service. I would sit or kneel in silence, in tears. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It was the
same for four weeks. My emotions were real and raw. Yet in those four weeks, no
one sat with me or comforted me. No one phoned. No one dropped by. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Never had I
felt so alone. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I wasn’t
angry; I was too fragile to feel anything but grief. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But I was
embarrassed and hurt. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The fifth
week, I couldn’t face doing it again…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">… Which
pretty much brings us up to the present. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">When it
comes to that particular parish, I find myself not so much in a place of not
wanting to go back as not really knowing how. I’ve lived in the Christian
context my whole life, and I don’t want to feed one particular false assumption
that many Christians have- that those who are ‘struggling’ may drift away, but
they always come back, and their return is the sign that the ‘struggles’ are
over.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But I don’t
really know if my ‘struggle’ is indeed ‘over’. I’m no longer dealing with the
depths of despair that I had at the beginning; my former wife and I see each
other often, we like each other, we raise our two kids together, trust and respect each other, and are
good friends. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But… I
still feel loss now and again. I still feel lonely now and again… and my local
parish wasn’t there for me when I needed them the most, and that weighs heavily
on me. I don’t want them to be put in the position to see me arrive for Mass
again and make the assumption, ‘oh, he’s back. He must be better.’ <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I am better…
But they didn’t help me get better. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I haven’t
left the Church; if I were back in Belfast, I’d be at Clonard Monastery. If I
were in Jerusalem, I would kneel and kiss the Stone of Anointing in the Church
of the Holy Sepulchre. If I were in Bethlehem, I would join pilgrims in the
Church of the Nativity. I pray daily. I’m regularly in the Prayer Book. I burn
candles and incense in front of the icons often. I’m still moved by the same
theological books, the same devotionals, the same biblical texts. I feel
Catholic. I am Catholic. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I haven’t
left the Church. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But I have left
my parish…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And I don’t
think I’m missed. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br />Jon Hatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04913416663813636124noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4485468946225822778.post-7001835890099141602017-02-06T22:08:00.000-08:002017-02-07T07:39:38.148-08:00Doing Theology In The Light of Executive Order 13769...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL7QwC-JANKU-faK85AuXhhUTx2cw-54FDz9rVubXc0IZgQPr8a1YVcgZCepLKFZPD1MpE1FgonxWKVbL0kfc7-L1uVFRqAUrQIPUU_jGa5RGKN4uAgHr-rCk6psJzIoDx-Kw3bNigHgg/s1600/refugees_1239_16x9_992.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL7QwC-JANKU-faK85AuXhhUTx2cw-54FDz9rVubXc0IZgQPr8a1YVcgZCepLKFZPD1MpE1FgonxWKVbL0kfc7-L1uVFRqAUrQIPUU_jGa5RGKN4uAgHr-rCk6psJzIoDx-Kw3bNigHgg/s400/refugees_1239_16x9_992.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-GB">I’d like to talk about </span><span style="background: white;">Executive Order 13769</span><span style="background: white;">. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">If you don’t know what that is, don’t feel bad; it’s rarely
ever called that. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I’ve heard it called the ‘Travel Ban’, the ‘US Ban on
Muslims’, and the ‘Muslim Travel Ban.’<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But I’m an academic; word accuracy is important to me. So I’m
going to refer to it by its official name.
<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background: white;">So, it’s Executive
Order 13769, titled ‘Protecting
the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States’, signed
by the President<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">the last week of<span style="color: #252525;"> January. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background: white;">This order limits refugee arrivals to the U.S. and suspended
the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">U.S. Refugee Admissions
Program<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="color: #252525;"> </span></span><span style="color: #252525;">(USRAP) for 120 days. After that period, the program
would be conditionally resumed and would prioritize refugee claims from
persecuted minority religions;</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: #252525;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: #252525;">(which many interpret as prioritizing Christians as opposed to Muslims; whether or not Christians fleeing the economic and political tyranny of Israel's occupation of the West Bank, or Muslims fleeing Christian militias in the Central African Republic, would qualify is anyone's guess...).<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background: white;">The order also indefinitely suspended the entry of<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Syrian refugees; <span style="color: #252525;">nationals
from seven Muslim-majority countries —<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span>Iraq<span style="color: #252525;">,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span>Iran<span style="color: #252525;">,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span>Libya<span style="color: #252525;">,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span>Somalia<span style="color: #252525;">,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span>Sudan<span style="color: #252525;">,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span>Yemen<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="color: #252525;">, and the
aforementioned Syria- are temporarily barred </span></span><span style="color: #252525;">for 90 days, at which point the list would be updated. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Outrage at the order was immediate and led to protests at
several airports across the US. The days following have brought sustained protests and
condemnations from several US-based Muslim organizations, as well as dozens of Christian
and Jewish organizations and their leaders. A full list is available from ThinkProgress here:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://thinkprogress.org/faith-groups-country-immigrants-muslim-b22798233c90#.yj3vey6zb">https://thinkprogress.org/faith-groups-country-immigrants-muslim-b22798233c90#.yj3vey6zb</a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background: white;">Of course, the order had its supporters, many of whom were
influential Christian leaders, a few of whom serve on the President’s Faith and
Cultural Advisory Committee. </span>Dr. Robert Jeffress, the senior pastor
of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, was one of them. He told Huffington Post
that he ‘wholeheartedly” supported the president’s order. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">President Trump’s
actions are in keeping with the biblical mandate for government to protect its
citizens. While Scripture commands individual Christians and churches to show
mercy to those in need, the Bible never calls on government to act as a Good
Samaritan.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Dr. Ronnie Floyd, a senior pastor of Arkansas’ Cross Church and
another member of the President’s evangelical advisory committee, also stressed
the supposed difference between the ‘God-ordained’ responsibility of the government
and that of the church: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Government’s first job
is to protect the people and the church’s first job is to serve people. Our
church and many churches will continue our extensive efforts to serve the
vulnerable here and abroad regardless of what government policy is. We don’t
advise the government on questions of national security and they don’t advise
us on who and how we serve people.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Rev. Franklin Graham, son of Billy:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It’s not a biblical
command for the country to let everyone in who wants to come, that’s not a
Bible issue. We want to love people, we want to be kind to people, we want to
be considerate, but we have a country and a country should have order and there
are laws that relate to immigration and I think we should follow those laws.
Because of the dangers we see today in this world, we need to be very careful.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It’s interesting that Jeffress and Floyd attempt to draw a
biblical distinction between the individual and the government when it comes to
social care for those in need, in this case the care for refugees. It’s not
particularly unusual that they’d try, as many Southern evangelicals strongly hold
a conservative political outlook that is usually hostile to interference from ‘big
government’, particularly in social matters. But trying to back up that
political ideology by appealing to the biblical text is problematic. The ancient Hebrew prophetic tradition would
have made no distinction between the people and the leaders of the people-whether
they were priests, judges, or kings- when it came to God’s dual mandate for justice
and righteousness. The laws of God were for all, certainly the laws commanding
hospitality, comfort of the afflicted, and justice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">As for Franklin Graham, he ultimately falls back on the need
for caution and security; after all, who could possibly argue with that? But
his concerns (such as they are; more on that later…) are ultimately unfounded.
I have a Masters in post-conflict studies, so I’ve looked into the issues
surrounding refugees in detail, and I can assure you that the US has probably
the most intensive screening process in the world for refugees and has a very
clear idea about which refugees it allows into the country. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">First, the US requires that refugees register and interview
with the United Nations, which then must refer them to the US. That’s a very
important point: refugees don’t get to choose where they go; they might <i>want</i> to enter the US, but might end up
in Brazil, Argentina, Germany or any one of a dozen other countries; <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Refugees who pass that initial screening then get
interviewed by US State Department officials and have (at least) two background
checks; <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Then the applicant has three fingerprint and photo
screenings; <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Then US immigration officials review the case; <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Then Department of Homeland Security officials interview the
applicant; <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Then a medical doctor gives the refugee a full physical evaluation; <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Finally, several security agencies (including the FBI) perform
one last check after the refugee has been matched with a resettlement agency. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The process takes anywhere from 18 months to two years. It’s
rigorous, thorough, and judging by the fact that no refugee who went through
the process has ever been convicted of a major criminal offense attests to the
fact that it works remarkably well. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Even if I hadn’t studied this issue at a post-grad level,
information about how the refugee placement system works is readily available
to the public. Why the President and prominent Christian leaders around him
would deny all statistical evidence and infer that a process that is working
well is in fact <i>not</i> working well at
all is anyone’s guess. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Then there’s the fact that <span style="background: white;">Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates,
Egypt, and Lebanon- the home nations of the 9/11 hijackers- were not included
on the list. The reasons for omitting them are, again, anyone’s guess, but when
you omit nations that actually <i>have</i> imported terrorists into the US from an order that has the words ‘Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist
Entry’ in the title, you leave
your motives open the suspicion.<span style="color: #252525;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But it’s in Graham’s appeal to the biblical text that I find
his argument most seriously falls to the ground. He says ‘it’s not a biblical command for the
country to let everyone in who wants to come’, and if ever there was an appeal
to the letter of Scripture and a rejection of its spirit, this is it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Gospel of Matthew 25 has Christ, as the judge at the end
of time, say, ‘I was a stranger, and you invited me in.’ <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Greek word translated ‘stranger’ is ξένος<span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span>(xenos) and it specifically
means ‘foreigner’, someone from somewhere different. What that means is that it
would be incorrect to use this verse when we reflect on our treatment of those
from our own country or nationality who are poor, those of our own nation who are homeless, or those Americans without
power or influence; ‘xenos’ refers to someone ‘other’. Christ explicitly refers
to himself as someone who is not a citizen, an alien who does not speak our
language, share our customs, or our culture… not ‘one of us’…<span style="color: #001320;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">How are we to react to a ‘xenos’?
The Greek word translated ‘invited me in’ is <span style="background: rgb(253, 254, 255);">συνηγάγετέ (</span><span style="background: #FDFEFF; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">synēgagete</span>) and
it means, variously, to <span style="background: rgb(253, 254, 255);">gather together, to assemble, to receive with
hospitality, and to entertain.</span>
The term is pregnant with the ideas of warmth, comfort, and inclusion. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Executive Order 13769 is none of
those things. It is cold, harsh, arbitrary, and vindictive.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This is why true Christianity and a
commitment to a radical Gospel will always be at odds with the national state.
It is the state that makes and controls borders; it is Christ and his followers
who transcend them. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The words of Christ in Matthew 25
declare welcoming the foreigner to be a central tenant of our faith and our
worship. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The words of Christ in Matthew 25 make
it clear that there is no way of encountering him except in meeting the
physical and spiritual needs of those in whom he has made himself manifest… and
that includes foreigners fleeing war, terror, poverty, violence, and
(increasingly) environmental collapse.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background: white;">The words of Christ in Matthew 25 make
it clear that meeting those physical and spiritual needs are of absolutely equal
value; it was the Apostle James (2:16) who declared it worthless to bless
someone with the words ‘</span><span style="background: rgb(253, 254, 255);">Go in peace; keep warm and well fed’, and do
nothing for their physical needs… So Franklin Graham saying ‘</span>we want to
love people, we want to be kind to people, we want to be considerate, but we
have a country…’ is useless and insulting. <span style="background: rgb(253, 254, 255);"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background: rgb(253, 254, 255);">I’m positive that Jeffress, Floyd, Graham, and the whole
list of 23 men and three women who make up the President’s </span><span style="background: white;">Faith and
Cultural Advisory Committee think of America as a ‘Christian’ nation and want
it to be even more .Christian’. </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 3.0pt;">
<span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">How they think Executive Order
13769 accomplishes that is beyond me. To be honest, I don’t trust any of their
motives in supporting it. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 3.0pt;">
<span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 3.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background: white;">I think they just want to keep
Muslims out of the US</span>. Maybe they think it’s their Christian duty to do
so. Maybe they think that will make America more ‘Christian’. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 3.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 3.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">They’re entitled to their views. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 3.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 3.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But in light of Matthew 25,
they need to realize just who it is they are keeping out…<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<br />
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<br /></div>
Jon Hatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04913416663813636124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4485468946225822778.post-77599733035068739322017-01-28T12:34:00.002-08:002017-01-28T12:38:06.089-08:00We Need To Talk About The Word 'Support'...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6P_yrb5zP4Wp6o935lpRToD7Tz9FZLypgd7zyUAUSz4IXctwnaUe4rjMMLBpwxAzS9S9aZ-4Zvt9DrYxeA7vQG684R3ysFAtdaSnfp1QOSSlG99Mi-VBy2YfiAUfanu5YHYUP-8_4WpI/s1600/i_am_american_i_support_the_president_bumper_sticker-r3b3045d694cf455095721499c85555ea_v9wht_8byvr_512.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6P_yrb5zP4Wp6o935lpRToD7Tz9FZLypgd7zyUAUSz4IXctwnaUe4rjMMLBpwxAzS9S9aZ-4Zvt9DrYxeA7vQG684R3ysFAtdaSnfp1QOSSlG99Mi-VBy2YfiAUfanu5YHYUP-8_4WpI/s400/i_am_american_i_support_the_president_bumper_sticker-r3b3045d694cf455095721499c85555ea_v9wht_8byvr_512.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I work as a
‘supply teacher’; in the US, it’s referred to as a ‘substitute teacher’ or simply
a ‘sub’. Basically, I’m there if the regular teacher isn’t, taking the class,
teaching the lessons, and making sure the work gets done.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I don’t
mind the work; it can be challenging but also quite rewarding. In the best
instances, I can be a pleasant break in continuity, which gives me the
opportunity to speak into kids’ lives in ways more creatively and pointedly
than a regular teacher might. I’ve had several kids over the years- in school
or sometimes when I meet them after they’ve graduated- tell me that I was their
favourite ‘sub’. That’s an amazing feeling. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Plus, the
schools are always immensely appreciative of me; there’s rarely been a time
when my appearance in front of a frazzled school office administrator wasn’t
met with a relieved smile. After all, I’m solving a problem, sometimes at the
last minute, and it’s nice to have a job where your employer is always pleased
to see you. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Perhaps for
that reason, schools are very accommodating of ‘subs’ and very often go out of
their way to make the work environment as good as it can be. There’s never been
a situation when I’ve had a problem- an unruly teenager, a faulty piece of
equipment, needing a procedure explained- when the school administration didn’t
go to some length to help me out. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I just
needed to use the one, big, magic word: ‘support’. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Phone down
to the office, or go down in person and say ‘I need support’, and it’s like you
flip a switch on a well-oiled machine. Instantly, the matter is addressed. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Actually, the
word ‘support’ is used all over the school. It also gets said to custodial and
maintenance staff, who sometime joke that it’s basically a code word for ‘You
cannot ignore me or put me off; drop whatever you’re doing and do this instead’.
<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I don’t ask
for support very often; after all, I’m fairly confident in what I do, and don’t
often need it. But it’s a very handy tool to have, and knowing that it always
works is marvelous.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The one
time I really, truly needed support was when I was spending the day as an ‘intervention
specialist', which is a teacher who works with kids individually or in small
groups on particular subjects where needs special help or individual attention
is needed. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I arrived
to work, as I usually do, a half-hour early; I do better when I’ve had a bit of
time to wrap my head round what I need to do for the day. And as I’d never done
an ‘intervention specialist’ gig before, that was particularly important. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I walked
into the room and found the classroom notes left for me by the regular
teacher. Seeing as the job required
working with lots of different kids on individualized projects, there were a
lot more notes than usual- they ran to five pages, in very small print, and
they were spectacularly technical: <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">‘1<sup>st</sup>
period: Colton and Jessica are working on their I.S. (top basket). Drayson,
Kaylee, and Tim are doing XL on the
computer (passwords in the blue notebook). Read ‘I Know My History’ with Ethan,
Mya, Robbie, Sarah, and James (James needs a lot of help). Make sure Bobby
works on his EXL work (bottom basket). If it's too much for him, let him do 'creative notes' (on the far table). The others can work quietly.’ <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">‘2<sup>nd</sup>
period’…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It went on
and on and on and on like that, for five pages, for seven periods, every period
at least as complicated and technical as every other one. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">There were
no explanations of the various terms or abbreviations; </span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">the locations of vital
baskets and books in her filing system- which to someone unfamiliar with it
resembled a cross between a Byzantine market and an episode of ‘Extreme
Hoarders’- was indecipherable. </span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I looked at the shelves on the four bookcases in her part of the room, which were crammed, top to bottom, with books,
baskets, and notebooks… I looked at her table, which had several other baskets
on them… I looked at the clock; Drayson, Kaylee, Tim, Ethan, Mya, Robbie,
Sarah, and James (and the amorphous ‘others’) would arrive in about 15 minutes…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I was
absolutely, thoroughly at sea. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I tried to
ask for help from one of the other women in the room, but how exactly to you
say, ‘Ummm… how do I do <i>any</i> of this?’ without looking incompetent? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">There was
nothing for it; I walked down to Carol, the office administrator, looked deep
into her eyes and said, ‘I need support’.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">She shot
from here chair and went to work. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Within
three minutes, it was decided by Carol, the school principal, and me that the
best course of action was to move me from that classroom to a 4<sup>th</sup>
grade class that also needed a ‘sub’. Rarely have I felt a greater sense of
relief than at that moment. I know 4<sup>th</sup> grade; I can handle it with
no problems. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The best support that could have been given to me was to get me out of a situation for which I had very little expertise, and which would have been a nightmare for me and the students. </span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I’m telling
this story to make a point about the word ‘support’. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Over the
years, I’ve heard the word ‘support’ used as a mechanism to shut down debate
and discussion around important issues. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">In the face
of disastrous wars or foreign occupations, we’re told, ‘Well, you have to
support our troops…’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In the face
of a cruel, counterproductive, and unjust occupation of the West Bank, we’re
told ‘Well, the Word of God says you have to support Israel…’<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In the face
of an arrogant, incompetent domestic or foreign policies, we’re told, ‘Well, the
Apostle Paul said we have to support the government…’<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">When I hear the word 'support' used in this way, I always feel like quoting Inigo Montoya from 'The Princess Bride': 'You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means'...</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">What I
learned in my half hour as an ‘intervention specialist’ is that sometimes the
best way to ‘support’ someone is to get them out of the situation, fast. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So, in the
days and weeks to come, don’t let people shut down your critiques, criticisms,
and resistance to injustice, pride, arrogance, and bigotry by dangling out the
word ‘support’.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The best support you can give to troops might be getting them out of a wasteful, useless situation; <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The best support you can give to Israel is demanding that they stop their war on Palestinian autonomy, end
the illegal occupation, and constructively build the peace;<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">And the best support you can give to President Trump- and the nation- might be removing him from office… </span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">...fast. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br />Jon Hatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04913416663813636124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4485468946225822778.post-84151280593548068712016-12-22T22:05:00.000-08:002016-12-22T22:05:26.853-08:00Penance: Spiritual Help for When Things are Ruined…<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxaNYVTTVV_HGFIScZKOw1XSX2qk-0LQkAO9DiWbof-jxVvjCWjiVNhAMyOvzhjZkU3ZYKDIxHc48A5oXTZYyTukqvsDRPBcT4VpE8kSoa7uOHyuxtjKLnD51rmSytm8hmiGR4axHWid4/s1600/Syria.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxaNYVTTVV_HGFIScZKOw1XSX2qk-0LQkAO9DiWbof-jxVvjCWjiVNhAMyOvzhjZkU3ZYKDIxHc48A5oXTZYyTukqvsDRPBcT4VpE8kSoa7uOHyuxtjKLnD51rmSytm8hmiGR4axHWid4/s400/Syria.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Last week I
posted a bit of a rant over the situation in Aleppo, the situation in Syria in
general, and just what felt like the chasm between all of our festive Christmas
preparations happening in their light. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I
appreciate the feedback I’ve gotten about it, which has been overwhelmingly
thoughtful and positive. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Several
people have gotten in touch with me, either in comments or private messages,
all saying something almost identical: <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Jon, thanks so much for this. I too am
suffering over what is happening. I feel so alienated from it all, and that’s
so frustrating! Please, tell me, what can I do? Apart from giving to the aid
agencies you mention and voting responsibly, what can I do? <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></i></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It’s a
serious question, filled with frustrated longing, and it led to a lot of
pondering on my part. I really felt that it deserved a carefully-considered
response. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The simple
and plain answer is that no, beyond making sure aid agencies are staffed and
funded, there is nothing we can do.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Nothing.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">We need to
hold that fact in our hands and hearts, to stare into that abyss, for it is the
reason that this is so horrifying.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Not every problem is solvable. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Sometimes, things are just
ruined. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Have you ever had a deep, close relationship, like with a
lover, and said something- a joke, an offhand remark, playful banter- only to
glance over and see that their face has fallen, that tears are starting to well
up, and you instantly realized that your comment cut them to the bone, hit them
where they were deepest and weakest? You immediately try to rebuild; <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">‘Oh my God… I am so very, very sorry. Oh dear God, I’m sorry…’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Wordlessly, they wave you off. They need to cry, to let
something die inside of them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>You</i> want to die.
You’re flush with fear. You are positively frantic that all might be lost, and
all you want to do is fix. Say something. Talk. Make it better. Fix…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But you can’t fix. This isn’t about you. It is about another’s
pain- pain you inflicted- and everything is in their hands now…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Take that situation, those emotions, increase them by a power
of a million, and you have Syria…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The idea that every disaster, every murderous crisis, can be
overcome through the sheer force of our good will and determination- that
someone, somewhere has the solution that we can all plug into, get on board
with, make happen... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Well, to use King James language, that's vanity...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">In some ways, that line of thought is an incredible
privilege. Liberal, progressive Americans and Europeans- with our safety pins, our
colourful ribbons, our online petitions, our ‘million likes if you agree’, our
declarations of ‘not in my name’ and ‘not my President’, our devastating
twitter quips, and our boundless enthusiasm- never waver in our certainty that our efforts can solve anything. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But not every problem is solvable. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Sometimes, things are just ruined. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The
murderous situation in Syria has been nearly a century in the making: <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The
carve-up of the Ottoman Empire after the First World War; <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">the Cold
War manoeuvrings of the Americans, British, French, and Soviet Union; <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">the search
for ‘regional stability’ with the help of local (and usually very brutal)
despots; <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">the
founding of the state of Israel and the plight of the Palestinians in its wake;
<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">the
collapse of the Soviet Union; <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">the two
wars in Iraq and the war in Afghanistan; <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">the rise and
spread of a virulent strain of apocalyptic, militant Muslim theology; <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">the Arab
Spring and the grudging, feckless indifference to it in Washington; <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">the
spectacularly incompetent handling of the Russian invasion of Ukraine;<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">the equally
incompetent handling of the collapse of Libya; <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">the almost-<i>unbelievably </i>incompetent handling of the
Assad regime and its Russian and Iranian backers…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">All of that
has led us, inexorably, to where we are today. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-GB">Pointing
out the sheer enormity of the problem, however, is in no way meant to </span>absolve
us from blame or give us all a pass to say, ‘well, it’s all above us, and there's
nothing we can do.' <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Put that notion <i>right</i> out of your head. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But we need to grapple with the full, horrific reality of
how long and how much greed, avarice, and power-mongering it took to create a
situation like this. <span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Put simply and bluntly, multiple governments and US
administrations have led us here, <span lang="EN-GB">and now that we’re here, a whole lot of people are going to die. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">We are all
complicit in this in direct and indirect ways. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Every time
we draw clear distinctions between ‘domestic issues’ and ‘foreign policy
issues’ and consider the former more important to how we vote and act
politically, we bear responsibility for what that distinction will mean for
real people all over the world. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Foreign
policy issues don’t magically disappear simply because voters choose to prioritize
issues closer to home and leave the ‘far-away things’ to the bureaucrats and
generals. We will need to bear responsibility for what our governments do, in
secret and in the open, around the globe. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">That
includes who they support, who they undermine, who they sell weapons to, what
militaries they train, with whom they conduct business, who they loan money to,
who they punish, who they reward, who they assassinate, who they go to war
with… <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Quick example: Did you know that the US is currently bombing- in some
cases, daily- seven countries? Well, it’s true; the US is currently bombing Pakistan,
Somalia, Yemen, Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq and Libya… and we haven’t declared war
on any of them…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The exasperated cry from the decent-minded citizen erupts,
‘what am I supposed to do about that?! I have no say in that whatsoever!’ <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">If you’ve ever- even once- voted for a ‘pro-life’ candidate,
or a candidate who promised to lower your taxes, or who promised to ‘get tough
on crime’, or who promised to better fund your schools, and who then votes to
give the President or the military enhanced powers to bomb the infrastructure
of this or that country to ‘make America safer’, that is on you. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">If that representative lobbies hard for the new computer
factory in your state that creates 400 new jobs, but that factory develops the
guidance systems for the drones that do the bombing, that’s on you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">If those airstrikes kill civilians, which they do almost
every day, that’s on you as well. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">If that representative votes not to officially accept blame
or compensate the victims, that’s on you as well. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">If that representative keeps it all ‘classified’, that’s on
you as well. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">That’s how the system works. It’s how we can so grossly
inflict horror on so many, while simultaneously reaping benefits from it at
home, and also know very little about any of it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It’s why candidates will stay laser-focused on the issues
‘you care about’- your money, your schools, your food, your home, your faith… <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">We have,
over decades, built a socio-economic/political system- or allowed it to be
built, which is basically the same thing- that neither requires nor desires
active, informed engagement from its citizenry. Indeed, from the standpoint of
those in power, the less engaged the citizenry, the better the system
functions. It’s particularly pronounced in international issues. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The
spiritual implications of all this comes down to the heart of the matter:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Modern
global capitalism- with its byzantine, labyrinthine, web-like system of
subcontracted manufacturers, billionaire financiers, suppliers, transporters,
buyers, bases, client states, allies, tacit supporters, ‘black spots’, and
classified secrets, spread out across the planet, with none of the players, perpetrators, or victims ever meeting each
other- makes it extremely difficult, if not practically impossible, to do the
right thing, to live justly, righteously, with love, respect, or dignity. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">We buy food
with no thought of the grower. Ethical food costs twice as much and is rarely
stocked in major shops. It’s too expensive; no one buys it;<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">We buy
clothes with no thought of the makers. Ethical clothes cost twice as much and
are rarely stocked in major retailers;<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">We consume
and throw away. Once it’s in the bin, it’s forgotten. If it ends up poisoning
the drinking water of the population of a Pacific island, we’ll never know; our
major news outlets won’t report it;<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Tactical
weapons, bombers, and drones are built in a dozen states at multiple
facilities. One makes a switch; another makes a tire; another makes gauges…
Nobody actually <i>builds</i> a ‘weapon of
mass destruction’; we <i>all</i> do…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">We’re
vaguely aware that the US has military bases around the world, but we don’t
really know how many (662) or in how many countries (38), or what actually
happens at any of them;<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Is
Guantanamo Bay Detention Centre still open? I’ll have to check… Didn’t they
talk about closing it? How many prisoners are still there? What did they do? It
must have been <i>something</i>; we don’t
lock people up for no reason… Do we?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Who are we
supporting in Syria? Who are we bombing? Do we want Assad to win? What is our
policy position?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">That’s globalized,
mechanized, corporatized, militarized capitalism…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The world
we have built- or allowed to be built in our name- makes it almost impossible
to do good.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">That is the
heart of its evil. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">If all this
sounds depressing and distressing, believe it or not, that’s actually a good
thing. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">To feel
anger and sadness over the pain of others and for one’s own complicity in it is
the divine spark of conscience. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">What you’re
feeling is guilt- guilt and shame.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">These are
terms that modern, progressive Christianity has nearly expunged from our spirituality.
We’ve done so with good intentions, because of the exploitation of those emotions
for spiritual abuse and social control. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But what we’ve
ended up with is very often a spiritual condition that is shallow, self-centered,
narcissistic, and vaguely psychopathic. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It’s
allowed us to ruin things and live comfortable lives, secure in the knowledge
that God loves us and nothing’s our fault. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But when we
actually become aware that something is terribly wrong, and we might actually
have, in some way, had some part in it, we panic. ‘Oh my God, we have to do
something? What can I do?!’<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Two millennia
of Christian spirituality have given us resources to help us when things are
ruined: <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">None of it's fun or pleasant, but it's what you do.</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">We begin with
confession, our moment of clarity, admitting that we have failed and failed
utterly, and there is nothing we can do to make it better.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">We ask forgiveness. When we ask for real, we know we don’t deserve it and we might not get it, but we beg for it anyway…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-GB">It is only
when something is ruined that we understand the true weight and value of what we
ask for when we ask for forgiveness. </span>It's frightening to realize that
there's nothing to do but beg forgiveness- of the God who created life, and of
our victims, who grieve its cruel loss…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Then comes penance. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Penance: repentance. External actions in evidence of an
internal transformation…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Penance allows us to approach situations of ruin with
positivity without any trace of our well-meaning-but ultimately hollow- notions
of ‘fixing’. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Penance is power emerging from a place of utter powerlessness. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">If
our penance does any good whatsoever, it is out of the mercy of God, out of his
forgiveness, his original creative miracle- life out of formless void and deep
darkness…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">In the historic context of our part in the ruin of Syria,
penance is an act on our part of conscious, spiritual resistance to both the arrogant
power that brought about the ruin, the socio-political haze that keeps us
indifferent to it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Practically, it will most likely look like the works of
mercy; food for the hungry; clothing for the naked, drink to the thirsty,
visitation and advocacy for the imprisoned, care for the ill, and dignified
burial for the dead.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It will be aggressive pressure on elected leaders to take serious and
concerted action against human rights abuses, indiscriminate targeting of
civilians, torture, and murder. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">We must help the refugees. We can also donate to groups that are on the ground: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Catholic Relief Services; <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Doctors Without Borders; <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Save the Children;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Human Rights Watch;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Amnesty International…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">That is our penance. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">If we do that, who knows? Perhaps we might be saved...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
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Jon Hatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04913416663813636124noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4485468946225822778.post-10585709688348850392016-12-14T14:08:00.000-08:002016-12-15T09:20:23.259-08:00Herod’s Willing Accomplices: Celebrating Christmas in the Shadow of Aleppo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Everyone
has their breaking points, the moment when all consideration of decorum,
diplomacy or dialogue, simply ends.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In 1994, Canadian
diplomat Louis Gentle reached his. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Gentle worked
in Banja Luka in Bosnia for the UN Commissioner for Human Rights. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Serbian military, along with their Bosnian Serb paramilitary allies, were ploughing through
the country in a storm of atrocity, ethnic cleansing, theft, rape, torture, and
killing. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Gentle had
been relaying reports to his superiors in Geneva and New York of events on the
ground- horrific, pornographic events, as only events in the context of the
former Yugoslavia’s disintegration could be horrific and pornographic. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">He was
beginning to get the impression that he was being ignored. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Every day,
he looked his Bosnian Muslim neighbours in the eyes and tried to communicate
that he knew, he understood, but that his position demanded that he observe,
document, report, relay… but not take sides. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">And it was
making him spiritually sick. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Finally, on
14 January, he wrote a letter to the New York Times: <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The terror continues, terror of attacks by
armed men at night, rape and murder, children unable to sleep, huddling in fear
behind boarded up doors and windows. The latest victims were three Muslim
residents of the Banja Luka suburb of Vrbanja on December 29. In broad
daylight, four armed men (two in uniform) entered the home of a couple, 58 and
54 years old. The man was shot in the head and killed, his wife was shot in the
hand and then beaten to death with a blunt instrument. A Muslim neighbour, who
had the courage and misfortune to inquire what was happening when the murderers
left carrying a television set, was shot in the heart at point-blank range…<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">To those who said to themselves after seeing
‘Schindler’s List', “Never again”: it is happening again. The so-called leaders
of the western world have known what is happening here for the last year and a
half. They receive play-by-play reports. They talk of prosecuting war
criminals, but do nothing to stop the crimes. <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">May God forgive them. May God forgive us all. <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">---</span></span></i></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Banja Luka
was over 30 years ago. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Aleppo is
today. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">And this is
my breaking point. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The war in Syria, and dictator Bashar al-Assad’s brutal
crackdown of those taking to the streets during the ‘Arab Spring’- remember the
‘Arab Spring’?- crawls inexorably toward
its sick conclusion. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Now, with the unlimited aid of the Russians and the silence
of the American public- who just voted into office a man allied with the
Russians and utterly indifferent to Assad- the end is all but inevitable. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">And the city of Aleppo is being systematically killed off
today. Today…<span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It seems both futile and absurd to try to convince people of
the hell in which others are living; the very attempt just seems stupid, and I
feel stupid doing it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Aleppo is being destroyed, and everyone in the city is
slated to die. The few remaining pockets of rebel-held areas endure shelling
and airstrikes; <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Doctors and other civilians continue to beg the
international community to do something- anything- to stop the fighting. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">They’re wasting their time, of course; <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The ‘international community’ does not care. Actually, they
can’t manage the effort to ‘not care’; they simply shrug. The most the Syrian
people can hope for is that we’ll shrug in a mildly frustrated way… <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">They are trapped in a small area with no food.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">(Jesus, could any American even imagine having <i>no</i> food? Not even Bread? Pringles?)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">No water, no functioning hospitals… <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">What’s it like to have nowhere to go while your daughters broken
leg goes septic on Monday, goes black by Wednesday, and she can’t speak with
fever by Friday, is comatose by Saturday, and stops breathing Saturday night? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The last road out of the city has been continuously shelled.
No one’s allowed to get out. Iranian-backed militias and Syrian regular forces-
all with Russian weapons, intelligence, and endless aid- are going house to
house, rounding people up, or summarily executing those they find.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Understand: the Syrian regime <i>wants </i>there to be no survivors. They want an historic victory over
any and all who opposed them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">They want these people dead, publicly dead. And they’re
killing them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">What’s it like to be waiting to die? What’s it like to have
to choose between staying where you are and being killed by the shelling, or
give yourself up to government forces and be tortured to death? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The UN is calling the situation a ‘meltdown of humanity’. The
US ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, told the Security Council
late on Tuesday that the Syrian government, with unlimited aid from Russia and
Iran, bore almost full responsibility for the rape of Aleppo. ‘Are you
incapable of shame? … Is there no execution of a child that gets under your
skin? Is there literally nothing that shames you?’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The short answer is no. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">‘Save us, people. Save
us, people, world, anyone who has even a bit of humanity. We beg you, we beg
you, the dead and wounded are in the streets and people’s homes have collapsed
on top of them. Save us. Save us.’ <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">That was from a doctor still in the city. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">‘<i>I
cannot leave because I’m medical staff which means a terrorist in the eyes of
the regime. I cannot forgive. It is better that God takes my life than to live
in humiliation under those who murdered most of my family and my neighbours,
and destroyed my country and street and robbed my home.’</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">That was from a nurse. Her father and brother- both
civilians- were killed by artillery shells within a few hours of each
other. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">People have been posting farewell messages on social media. Abdulkafi
al-Hamdo, a teacher, begged on Twitter for the international community to at
least do something to save the remaining children in the city: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I can tweet now but I
might not do it forever. please save my daughter’s life and others. this is a
call from a father. (This is) the last massage [sic]. Thanks for everything. we
shared many moments. The last tweets were from an emotiomal [sic] father. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Farewell, #Aleppo.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">---<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Why am I writing this? Why am I writing this now? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Honestly, I hope to ruin your Christmas. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">There’s nothing to celebrate. How can we celebrate the
coming of Emmanuel – ‘God with us’- in the shadow of Aleppo? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Do we expect <i>God </i>to
help the people there? When we won’t? When we won’t even make the pretense of helping?
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">How do we celebrate Advent and the words of the Hebrew
prophet-<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">‘The people who lived
in darkness have seen a great light…’-<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">When the only light in Aleppo is the glare of shell fire?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">How can we celebrate the birth of Jesus when the majority of
white American Christians voted for a man who made keeping Syrian refugees out
of the US a campaign promise? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Every word, and every proposed policy and action of our
President Elect and every man he thus far has put around him leads inevitably to the
assumption that <i>he </i>read the Gospel
narratives of Jesus’s birth and concluded that Herod was the hero…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Do those American Christians who voted to keep refugees of war
and atrocity out of the US honestly believe that Jesus is alive? That Christ
lives? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">That he <i>sees</i> us? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">That he was a refugee? That his parents fled a butchering
dictator? That he grew up with the stories of other families who ran as well, as
men with weapons went house to house, butchering children as they went?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">After Christmas comes the Feast of the Holy Innocents, the
solemn remembrance of Herod’s victims. But how can we remember them when we
refuse to remember Assad’s? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Who would have the blasphemous audacity to praise the name
of Jesus and support non-intervention when the atrocity that almost killed
him happens again? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">To even try is to make ourselves Herod’s willing accomplices.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">How do you do that? Honestly, are you <i>insane</i>? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">---<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">‘God’, wrote Mexican theologian Elsa Tamez, 'is not
indifferent to situations of injustice. God takes sides and comes on the scene
as one who favors the poor, those who make up the masses of the people... God
identifies with the poor to such an extent that their rights become the rights
of God: ‘He who oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is kind to
the needy honors him’ (Prov. 14:31)...'<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Tamez roots the theological struggle for liberation in a
prophetic vision that God himself makes a choice. Latin American liberation theology called that choice a 'preferential option' for the poor.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Now, at this historical moment, a good chunk of American
Christianity is opting for the diametric opposite. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">They have opted for the well off, the influential, the famous, the healthy, the strong...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">'We are not in favour of a God who lavishes affection on the
lost and the lazy!’ <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">‘We spurn this God who opts for those to whom we have
decided to be ruthless!' <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I'm not sure who they think they're worshiping, but make no
mistake, it's not the God revealed in the person of Jesus. It's a very
different god altogether...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">That is idolatry. It is blasphemy. It is anti-Christ…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">---<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">What do we do? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">How do we do theology; <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">How do we do Western corporate, consumerist, capitalist Christianity;<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">How do we celebrate Christmas;<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">How do we shop for gifts, choose the latest gadgets, cook
mountains of food, drink gallons of drink;<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">While the death squads kill everyone in Aleppo?<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">And even if they escape, we don't want them living next door to us? </span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I don’t think we can. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I hope that we can’t. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Armenia. Auschwitz. Ayacucho. Mi Lai. Sabra and Shatila. Halabja.
Banja Luka. Srebrenica. Rwanda. Darfur. South Sudan. Aleppo…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">How many times can we say, 'Never Again’, before God condemns us as liars? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In the shadow of Aleppo, there is nothing to do but turn our
celebration into mourning. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In the shadow of Aleppo, there is nothing to do but turn our
fetish for God’s blessing into a spirituality of confession… of repentance… of conversion…
of begging forgiveness…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Take your money and give it to the International Red Cross,
Doctors Without Borders, Human Rights Watch… <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The mercy of ‘Jesus the Refugee’, ‘Jesus the Survivor of
Atrocity’, is our only salvation. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Renounce Herod. Be converted to God. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Embrace the God of life, liberation, and transformation. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">We can no longer pretend. It’s criminal. It is blasphemous. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It’s got to stop…</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Jon Hatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04913416663813636124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4485468946225822778.post-48001768763960484512016-12-03T20:27:00.003-08:002016-12-04T08:53:57.944-08:00Doing Theology at Standing Rock...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDJyUh6AN6ZWcluTh0qj-K287uuoWDpS0Am9skTIkOUXLJ-aLkvShPjbK5m9qc5r-ydfOfoOvK_k8LCC7XFR7YSwcrpfE7bIljHlMx22PckqSOrw81Dk0HAO0hzEEbFyz_INxR1arjZuU/s1600/IMG_0185+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDJyUh6AN6ZWcluTh0qj-K287uuoWDpS0Am9skTIkOUXLJ-aLkvShPjbK5m9qc5r-ydfOfoOvK_k8LCC7XFR7YSwcrpfE7bIljHlMx22PckqSOrw81Dk0HAO0hzEEbFyz_INxR1arjZuU/s400/IMG_0185+%25282%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Every
Thanksgiving, Americans gather with their extended family and remind themselves
of a day in 1621 when Pilgrim settlers, seeking a new life of liberty and religious
freedom, celebrated in their new land and with a great abundance of food and
the good company of their Native American neighbours. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">(The <i>actual</i> history is much more difficult and complex than
that simple national narrative, but…)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This
Thanksgiving, I was on the Standing Rock Reservation in North Dakota, far away
from my own family, but still with a great abundance of food and the good
company of my Native American neighbours. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">We were all
of one mind and one purpose: to stop the ‘black snake’…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The ‘black snake’ is the what the Oceti Sakowin (pron.
‘Och-et-eeshak-oh-win’, the Sioux nations name for themselves) are calling the
Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL), a massive engineering project that begins in the Bakken oil
fields in northwest North Dakota and travels in a more or less
straight line through South Dakota and Iowa, and ends at the oil
tank farm near Patoka, Illinois. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It didn’t always follow the path it does; it was re-routed
when residents of North Dakota cities Mandan and Bismarck objected, citing
fears that the pipeline posed to a threat to their drinking water.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The re-routed pipeline now crosses lands ceded to the Oceti
Sakowin by the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1851. Congress breached that treaty, though
the Oceti Sakowin do not recognize any of the legislation that led to the treaty
breach, and have refused all monetary compensations offered to them by the US
courts for the land. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">DAPL has brought all this history to a head. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Standing Rock Reservation, next to these lands, has
risen in protest against the pipeline. It is the latest chapter in their unbroken
history of struggle for existence. They have been joined in solidarity by
representatives of hundreds of Native American nations, as well as thousands of
multi-ethnic and multi-faith allies. United around the slogan ‘Mni Wiconi’
(‘water is life’), they are keen to stress that this is not a protest and that
they are not protestors… <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">They are ‘protectors’; ‘water protectors’, and this is about
all of us…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">They’ve been met with para-militarized police from 70 law
enforcement agencies, as well as private security forces employed by the
pipeline companies, armed with tear gas, attack dogs, rubber bullets, clubs,
noise cannons, water cannons, and constant aerial surveillance…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I traveled out to Standing Rock with a friend and two of
her children. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Why did I go? <o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">There’s no doubt that both of us were conscious of the
historic nature of the protector camps and were eager to be part of it. The
election of Trump, I’ll be honest, hit me hard, and I’ve been feeling that
actions are going to need to speak a lot louder than words for the foreseeable
future. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I had to actually go, and when the opportunity arose, I
jumped. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I had my own personal impetuses; part of it involved aspects
of my Irish nationality; <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">2016 is the centenary of the Easter Rising of 1916, when
Irish nationalists staged a military occupation of Dublin in defiance of
British rule. The political histories of Native Americans and of Ireland are
quite divergent; nevertheless, in memory of the men and women of 1916- a history
that has always meant a great deal to me- I wanted to in some way ‘rise’, albeit
in a peaceful, non-violent, and constructive way, in solidarity with another people
in defense of basic human rights, political self-determination, and cultural
autonomy…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It’s also a decade since the people of Erris, in County Mayo
in the west of Ireland, rose in protest against Shell’s plans to build a
pipeline from the Corrib gas fields off the Irish coast through their land. Erris
is an ancient area, and the people of Erris have been on their land for centuries; they
received no dividends or benefits from the pipeline, and had to bear the
hypocrisy of the Irish government pushing through crippling austerity cuts to
basic services (insisting the government was ‘broke’), all the while allowing a
multinational oil corporation to loot our national resources, tax free, with utter
impunity. I was always frustrated that I was unable to get out to Erris- from where
my family name originates; The rising of the Lakota againt DAPL once again demonstrated that the
stuggle for life and land is a global one; those who care for nothing but power
and money want the whole world, and every people will need to rise against them…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Finally, there was the long history of the use of
para-militarized police throughout Irish history- the RIC, the ‘Auxies’, the
‘Black and Tans’, the B Specials, the RUC- as a basic mechanism of social and
political control; <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">To be blunt, if I see heavily-armed and armoured cops facing
unarmed citizens, I don’t need to decide where to stand... </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But at bottom, I went to Standing Rock as a human being who wants
nothing more than to resist what I see as the rising anti-ideology dominated by
money, power, celebrity, and ‘no-nothing’ populism, and as a theologian seeking
to be ever more connected with the struggle for the life and liberation of my neighbors
and- as the Anglican liturgy beautifully describes it- ‘this fragile Earth, our island home’…</span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So what’s it like out there? <o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I was in the Oceti Sakowin camp. The population varies, but
it varies around 4,000. We were camped on the banks of the Cannonball River, across
from the Standing Rock Reservation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Oceti Sakowin camp is specifically a camp of prayer and
ceremony. Life is rigorous and disciplined (you're wakened at 6am), as well as incredibly peaceful.
That’s important to stress- the spirit of peace in the camp is overwhelming. At
no point did I feel agitated or insecure. I left my wallet and credit cards in
my tent and never gave them a second thought...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Everyone who enters the camp is strongly encouraged to attend
orientation, which is basically a long and solid 90-minute boot camp. You are
welcomed. You are told how important your presence is. No matter if you plan to
stay for a day, a week, or indefinitely, your physical presence- and your part
in the prayers of the camp- are valued. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Then, to business… <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Respect the land. The land is sacred. Don't dig holes, and don't light your own
fires; <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Respect the sacred fires and council fire. Don't walk around
fires anti-clockwise; <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Don't walk between an elder and a fire if an elder is
speaking; <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Don't talk about conflict and violence around the sacred fires;
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">No alcohol or drugs on you or in you; again, the camp is a
place of prayer and ceremony;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Be generous; share resources; look after those around you; <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Be of use to the camp; volunteer for work details;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Don't confront police or DAPL private security on the roads, bridges or the drilling site. Don't carry weapons or anything that could possibly be construed as a weapon. Don't carry yourself in an aggressive manner;</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">No one is allowed anywhere near the 'front lines' (the bridge and the drilling site) or on an action without being fully checked in with the legal tent. Actions are meticulously planned on the camp's end, and it's vital that no one simply insert themselves into one; if you're arrested, you need to have all your legal info written on you arm in indelible ink, and legal needs to know where you are being held and on what charges (if any). This is not a game and it is <i>not</i> a riot; once again, the camp is dedicated to prayer and ceremony, and the actions are part of that;<br /><br />Don't wear masks or cover your face; we are proud to stand; </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Don't spread rumours or fear;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Respect the elders; <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Above all, keep everything in the camp indigenous-centric. The
Lakota elders are the final word on all that goes on in the camp, and everything
is designed to reinforce seven Lakota values: Prayer, Respect, Compassion,
Honesty, Generosity, Humility, and Wisdom; <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The camp is first and foremost a Native meeting and it’s a
very big historical deal. It’s a meeting of the seven Sioux councils, the first
since the Battle of Greasy Grass in 1876. It’s their place; the struggle
against DAPL is their struggle, and they decide how it is conducted. If you are
white, you are a very welcome guest, but listen before you talk; <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Practice ‘decolonization’; don’t wear feathers or other Native sacred symbols; don’t call yourself by Native terms, like ‘warrior’, and
unless you have been given a ceremonial name by Native elders, don’t presume to
give yourself one; <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">If you are LGBT, don’t refer to yourself as ‘two spirit’;
that is a Native term and has very specific understandings in their culture.
Again, don’t appropriate Native ideas and symbols if you aren’t Native; trans people, if you identify as male, attend male meetings; if you identify as female, attend women's meetings. But when it comes to sacred fires or sweat lodges, if your body bleeds, follow the guidelines for women;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Don't take photos unless you are certified press;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Don't push your ideologies (Marxism, feminism,
anarchism, LGBT, evangelism…). All are welcome, but the struggle of the Lakota
people on their land is why you’re there;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Don't blast radios or stereos; again, the camp is a place of
prayer and ceremony;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">For that reason, women, wear long skirts;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Again, women, don't go near fires or sweat lodges if you're
'on your moon'; <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Above all, if you are white, step back. Defer to Native
voices, Native opinions, and Native ways of doing things. Don’t argue, and don’t
take it upon yourself to confront Natives. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">And here’s where I’m going to get theological…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><i>What did I take away from Standing Rock? </i></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">One of the key strategic values at Standing Rock is 'Bring
it home'; the values, tactics, and methods of the camp need to be taken out
into the wider world to not only spread the struggle, but to spread it with the
same spiritual and strategic values of the Lakota people. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">How do we bring this home? How do I, as theologian, draw
reflection from this? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Here’s my reflection: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Some of those rules, values, and guidelines I mentioned
above might seem petty, backward, maybe even insulting to some. ‘They call <i>that</i> a welcome?! What about equality? What
about my personal freedom? What about my skills? And they want to tell me how
to <i>dress</i>? I wear native gear to
honour their culture! Why can’t they understand that? And I went on my own vision
quest and decided to call myself “Warrior Girl”. What’s <i>wrong </i>with these people?!’ <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">American whites- even liberal, progressive, or radical ones-
have become very accustomed to being the final arbiters on all things
political, cultural, and religious. It’s so natural to us, so completely
subconscious, so entirely self-evident, that the idea of deferring to non-whites-
even on their own territory- can be actually jarring to us. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Our desire to be understood, to explain ourselves, to stress
how much we respect them, to convince non-whites of our good intentions are so
strong, to talk and to talk and to talk and to talk… <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">We don’t know how exhausting it can be for others when all
they want us to do is listen. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">‘But we’re all brothers and sisters! Christ has made us
equals!’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Blacks have never felt that. Latinos have never felt that…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">And Native Americans have never, ever, ever, ever, ever,
ever, <i>ever</i> felt that…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Oceti Sakowin Camp was about redressing imbalances, actively
responding in an opposite spirit to racism, cultural appropriation,
colonization, and ‘Manifest Destiny’. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Remember in the early '00s, during the anti-war/anti-globilization demos, when we all said, 'Another World is Possible'?<br /><br />Welcome to 'Standing Rock'...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Latin American liberation theology called this making a ‘Preferential
Option’; a change in attitudes and actions that seek to begin from the place of
those who have historically been invisible, marginalized, overlooked, or actively repressed…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It might be a learning curve for some whites- a very steep
learning curve… Some, like the wealthy young man who came to Jesus wanting to
know how to be perfect, might actually go away sad, disillusioned, maybe even a
bit angry.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In that case, I don’t think they loved Natives and Native
culture nearly as much as they thought they did…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">American Christians have talked endlessly about how they
want to ‘be like Jesus’. It’s central to their very self-identity. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But again, conveniently, they make themselves the final
arbiters of what it means to ‘be like Jesus’. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But in this Advent season, as we prepare for the coming of
the ‘Light of the World’, I can think of no better example of what it means to ‘be
like Christ’ than to do what Christ did in his gestation and birth: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Become human; <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Greek term for this is ‘Kenosis’ (κένωσις)- the Son of
God, the second member of the Triune Godhead, emptying himself of that essential Divinity- the ultimate, universal ‘privilege’- and becoming human, becoming
a human life completely receptive to Divine will; <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Just to demonstrate that is was possible…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Christ’s ‘Kenosis’ is the beginning of human salvation, and,
as St. Paul insisted, it is the ultimate mark of a Christian. As he encouraged
the early Church: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Instead of being
motivated by selfish ambition or vanity, each of you should, in humility, be
moved to treat one another as more important than yourself. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Each of you should be
concerned not only about your own interests, but about the interests of others
as well. You should have the same attitude toward one another that Christ
Jesus had,<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Who, though he existed
in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be
grasped,<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But emptied himself, by
taking on the form of a slave, by looking like other men, and by sharing in
human nature.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>He humbled himself, by
becoming obedient to the point of death —even death on a cross…<br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This is the central theological plank in the life of Christ:
that he emptied himself, ‘made himself nothing’, became a servant…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Oddly, in the wake of the Presidential campaign and
subsequent election, a good portion of American Christianity has been seeking exactly the opposite. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Wealthy, Christian white men jockey for influential cabinet positions and advisory appointments. Many white Evangelicals- who voted
overwhelmingly for the President-Elect- are bullish about the future, seeing their
agenda as becoming ascendant… <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But when asked what exactly that ‘agenda’ involves, they
talk about Second Amendment rights; aggressively targeting immigrants and
Muslims for deportation; Showing the rest of the globe who’s boss; keeping
Mosques out of their towns; putting Creationism into public schools, stridently
saying ‘Merry Christmas’; more influence in Washington; more freedom for ‘them’
and less for gays; keeping transgender people out of ‘their’ bathrooms, ‘their’
schools, ‘their’ public places…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">When they proudly talk about making ‘America great again’,
they hark back to decades that many of their non-white and non-Christian
neighbors remember as nightmarish; <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The legislation, protections, and benefits that they lament
as ‘public policy disasters’ and now aggressively talk of rolling back- or abolishing altogether- are seen by
many of their non-white and non-Christian neighbors as vital landmarks in a
long struggle for basic equality and justice…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In short, a majority of white Christians are not seeking to ‘empty
themselves’ <i>for the good of</i> others
but to fatten themselves <i>in spite of</i>
others. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This is the antithesis of Christianity. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This is not simply un-Christian; it is anti-Christ. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I’m a white Christian male. I never felt demeaned, looked
down upon, or resented at Standing Rock. I had long and deep conversations with
my Native brothers and sisters. We were one in a struggle. They asked questions
about Ireland and Irish culture, noted similarities and differences spoke of common struggles and shared humanity. We
laughed. We were somber. We shared with each other- food, money, wood, water, tobacco…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">When I told friends and colleagues I was heading to Standing
Rock, several commented about how useful my post-conflict and reconciliation
expertise would be. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">At Oceti Sakowin Camp, I realized that to be like Jesus was to
empty myself, as he did;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Not to think of my wants, desires, expertise, talents- how I was sure I could be of good use, but to ask what had to be done, get stuck
in and be of use. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This is the ‘kenotic’ ethic, this radical Gospel of ‘emptying’
that will need to be cultivated in the days, weeks, months, and years to come,
like a fragile plant in a cold wind…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It is all that will save us from the ‘black snakes’ that are
becoming more and more aggressive;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It is the only thing that will truly unite us as people, as
Americans, as global peoples of all faiths seeking to live together well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This is the message of Advent…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This is the struggle…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">A final story: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">When I asked what needed to be done around the camp, one
suggestion was collecting rubbish. I found out that one of the tactics of the
Army Corp. of Engineers to shut down the camp was to declare us a disaster area and a public health hazard, so keeping the acres of ground tidy was absolutely
essential. Not a cigarette butt, not a bottle cap, not a piece of plastic
should be left lying on the ground; the land is sacred, and our enemies would
use any of it against us. Young Lakota volunteers in pickup trucks drove around
collecting rubbish, and I picked up a bin liner and walked around the camp
collecting things off the ground. I found it was a great way to see the whole
camp; <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It evolved into very personal discipline; <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It evolved into a very personal form of prayer; <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I finally understood what they meant when they said the camp
was a place of prayer and ceremony…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">As I walked around, I prayed the Our Father, the Hail Mary,
the Gloria Patri… <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I sang ‘Óró, sé do bheatha 'bhaile’, a traditional Irish
song of resistance: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="color: #252525;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Óró, sé do bheatha
bhaile, </span></span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: #252525;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">óró, sé do bheatha bhaile, </span></span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: #252525;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">óró, sé do bheatha bhaile, </span></span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: #252525;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">anois ar theacht
an tsamhraidh…<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Oh-ro, welcome home, </span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Oh-ro,
welcome home, </span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Oh-ro, welcome home, </span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Now that summer's coming…<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Natives would walk by. ‘Hey, thank you for doing that,
brother. Thank you...’ <span style="color: #252525; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I’d rarely felt as welcome or as at home in my life… <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">and though it was bitterly cold, Summer would come;</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It always does…</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Jon Hatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04913416663813636124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4485468946225822778.post-8257640290528252622016-11-22T16:55:00.000-08:002016-11-22T21:14:59.038-08:00Rethinking 'Resistance': Avoiding Fixating on D***** T****...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwd6U67BVKYr6gxd53BUUI5qsIfe2feSTbul-mK2Exd12z9-eUSN-NMgu0gSa8Xq81nie6A6V00DFHB9saIZmLnVpRc1-sPn7vnxuV-UpSIl53OL-wlRbUaR-Cvt0dKG4KNpz0gxoxsdM/s1600/peace+hands.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwd6U67BVKYr6gxd53BUUI5qsIfe2feSTbul-mK2Exd12z9-eUSN-NMgu0gSa8Xq81nie6A6V00DFHB9saIZmLnVpRc1-sPn7vnxuV-UpSIl53OL-wlRbUaR-Cvt0dKG4KNpz0gxoxsdM/s400/peace+hands.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It has been extremely difficult to be on social media this
week. I’ve been exposed to an endless torrent of hate, bigotry, ignorance, and
hysteria…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">And that’s just from my <i>friends</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">What I mean is this: way too many of my friends are posting
links- sometimes up to a dozen per day- that, cumulatively, become one long
shriek of 'Look at this! And look at THIS!! AND look at THIS!!! He's been
President Elect for a WEEK and he's STILL vile!!!!' <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I do truly understand the motivations behind most of this.
People are worried. I’ve met people who are literally terrified, like Native
Americans, human rights advocates, Jews, and Muslims…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But from others, it seems like some rather naïve venting, as
if the existence of the structural racism that helped to undergird this nation
from its inception was just becoming visible to them, or at least visible to
them in an extremely concrete way that they hadn’t thought remotely possible. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I don’t want to denigrate those emotions in any way. We’re
all on a learning curve, and this upcoming one might be extremely, arduously
uphill. But trust me on this: Native Americans, rural blacks, undocumented
fruit pickers, and the newly-arrived Jordanian family down the block have not
been <i>nearly </i>as shocked by this week
as some of my friends obviously have been…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It’s been just over a week since the election, and I want to
say to many of these friends, trust me on this- you will burn yourself out
if you try to maintain this level of outrage for any extended period of time. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I'll be glad when the novelty wears off. I'll be glad when
the outrage by no means ends but begins to resemble, not so much gasoline
thrown in a fire, but good coals that we can cook over...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">And to that end, I want to say that some of my social media torrent
has been very positive, suggestive of ways to get involved, be proactive, who
to call, where to send letters, ideas big and small to help us all stay strong,
communicate with each other, and what can be done locally. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">To these positive missives, I’d like to add a brief theological
note that I’ve been thinking about.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The language of ‘resistance’ has been heavy within a good
deal of the more positive stuff I’ve been getting, and it’s been very often
phrased around how we can resist Trump- resisting this man specifically.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Again, I do understand why it’s phrased this way, and the
President-Elect is certainly a perfectly serviceable focal point for people’s
desire to stand up to egregious acts of bigotry, misogyny, and hate that have become
much more pronounced in the wake of his candidacy and election victory.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But I’m concerned that the more we talk about Trump, even
when we talk about resisting, the more we’re simply, well, talking about Trump.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Trump received billions of dollars’ worth of airtime absolutely
free by saying outrageous things, and the media reported all of it because,
hey, how do you not report something outrageous? This didn’t weaken Trump at
all; indeed, he was strengthened. His core supporters loved his outrageous-ness
and delighted in the feckless tut-tutting of the media in their reporting of
it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">If one of the things people are angry about is a corporate
media elite, what better sight is there than a corporate media elite in a
near-constant state of consternation and being made to look like fools? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Who bought all those NWA, Ice Cube, Ice T, and other ‘gangster
rap’ albums in the early-90s? Not urban African-Americans, at least not enough to
account for the level of sales they all did. It was well-off, white, middle
class suburban teens and college students, very often drawn to the dangerous
imagery, the transgressive lyrics, and the huffy outrage of politicians and
religious gatekeepers…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The more the 'elites' ranted about how sick and disgusting it all was,
the more the kids ate it up. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So… The image of resistance is good; it’s powerful and
empowering.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But when we say ‘resist Trump’, we’re talking about Trump,
and I suspect he’s perfectly fine with that…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Honestly, I’m tired of getting twenty posts a day with his
enormous picture on them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">If we look at the example of Jesus in the biblical text,
particularly at the beginning of his ministry, he doesn’t use the language of
resistance, certainly not of any human political actor like the Emperor in Rome
or Herod in Jerusalem. He begins by quoting the Hebrew prophet Isaiah: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span class="text"><span style="background: white;">‘<i>The
Spirit of the Lord is upon me,</i></span></span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />
<span class="text"><i style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor</span></span></i><span style="background: white;">.</span></span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />
<span class="text"><i style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives</span></span></i></span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />
<span class="text"><i style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">and the regaining of sight to the blind,</span></span></i></span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />
<span class="text"><i style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">to set free those who are oppressed,</span></span></i></span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />
<span class="text"><i><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span id="en-NET-25075" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">to proclaim the year of the Lord</span></span></i><span style="background: white;">’<i style="box-sizing: border-box;">s favor</i>.’</span></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The prophet doesn’t mention who specifically is doing the
oppressing, locking up the captives, or blinding the people… and neither does
the Gospel text record Jesus doing so. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">There is a positive emphasis as opposed to a negative one; ‘do
what is right and good’ as opposed to ‘resist those who does what is wrong and
evil’. The inter-relationship is there, of course, but there's a subtle but important difference in emphasis. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The biblical text records nothing about Jesus’s feelings or
opinions about the Emperor in Rome, nor anything about Herod’s regime, other
than the one time in the Gospel of Luke 13, where he refers to
Herod as a ‘fox’- a scavenging, destructive animal- and declares that Herod’s
threats against him won’t deter him from his ministry. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Likewise, when we read the Sermon on the Mount, neither the
Emperor nor Herod ever comes up. Jesus lays out his vision of the Kingdom of
God and the righteousness, justice, peace, and deep spirituality that it
embodies completely from the standpoint of the people to whom he is talking, as
opposed to framing it as a personal repudiation of this or that earthly ruler. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Now, as the life and subsequent death of Jesus affirms, it
is impossible to seek the Kingdom of God in any way that Jesus described it and
demonstrated it with a neutral posture toward a socio-political or religious
status quo. Jesus deeply unsettled the religious establishment, the local
government, and the imperial forces which eventually executed him. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But he did so in a welcoming, inclusive, earthy, and
spiritual dynamic, through relationship, communion, healing, encouraging,
teaching, eating, and drinking;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">He did so through a fundamental ethic of peace, righteousness, and justice, which he insisted were possible to obtain in the
power of God and God’s community of people; <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">‘Resist Tiberius’ never came up;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">‘Resist Herod’ was never overtly spoken of; <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Jesus demonstrated a new way of being and living rather than
a new way of campaigning or organizing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">As I mentioned in my last post, we can live out this Gospel
of Jesus- food for the poor, sight to the blind, release to the prisoners,
freedom for the captives, life for the lifeless, a voice for the voiceless- regardless
of who is in power. The shape of our activity, as well as those who need life,
sight, food, or a voice, will change depending on the circumstances, but our
remit to make it happen will not. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This is what the people of God will do- or at least should
do- now, without fear, without fanfare, with dedication and determination. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I personally won’t be framing it around the person of Donald
Trump. I’ll be hiding posts to my social media that do so, and un-following
those that excessively post them. </span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Live a life of goodness and solidarity, without being all fixated on, well, that guy…</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Jon Hatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04913416663813636124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4485468946225822778.post-55687370857078164452016-11-13T11:23:00.000-08:002016-11-13T17:42:18.533-08:00Some (Hopefully Helpful) Thoughts On Your Safety Pin...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGO4y_8gimJK7-LSQVQOa0_N5QLz6DO9iAGBu6fJZZjiRvEMm6gcGQB66T4o3dVF0DY9e1E_JEAQ08CNQRY2XBByV5eQxj9kuYHC58zVYDIab-UImJY7etckHbjYLGwip3u0neP54knB8/s1600/Safety_Pin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGO4y_8gimJK7-LSQVQOa0_N5QLz6DO9iAGBu6fJZZjiRvEMm6gcGQB66T4o3dVF0DY9e1E_JEAQ08CNQRY2XBByV5eQxj9kuYHC58zVYDIab-UImJY7etckHbjYLGwip3u0neP54knB8/s320/Safety_Pin.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">One of the
most powerful examples of symbolic protest was during the Second World War
when, in April of 1940, Germany invaded neutral Denmark. </span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In a powerful act of
solidarity with his Jewish subjects, King Christian X donned the yellow Jewish
star that the Nazis were forcing Jews to wear. The Danish population followed
suit and, since everyone was wearing a Jewish star, the deportation of Jews to
concentration camps became completely unworkable and was thoroughly stymied. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It’s an
incredible story. And it’s not true.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The truth is that Danish citizens never wore the yellow
star, nor did King Christian ever threaten to wear it himself. In fact, Danish
Jews never wore the yellow star either, except for the few who were finally deported
to concentration camps, nor did German officials ever issue an order requiring
Danish Jews to wear it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">What the Danish people <i>did</i> do was truly extraordinary. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">On 23 August 1943, the German occupation of Denmark, which
up to that point had been somewhat benign, took a much darker turn. Copenhagen
was invaded, the Danish Army was disarmed, the Danish government dissolved,
King Christian was jailed, and martial law was declared. In response, sabotage
operations by the Danish underground resistance against German targets
increased considerably.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">On 28 September, Danish officials were informed that Danish
Jews would be deported two days later on 1 October. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In an extraordinary
operation that involved almost the entire Danish population, as well as the
agreement of the Swedish government, nearly all Danish Jews were hidden and
then ferried across to Sweden, where they remained until the war ended. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Out of Denmark’s Jewish population of 8,000, the Germans only
managed to round up 400. But even they weren’t forgotten, and the Danish
authorities ceaselessly requested to inspect the camp, which the Danish Red Cross were finally allowed to do
in June 1944. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">As a result of this undaunted interest in Denmark’s Jews,
none were sent to their intended destination of Auschwitz. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">At the end of the war, fifty-five had died. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I tell this story because I want to think about what I
started talking about at the beginning: symbolic protest, and one symbolic
protest in particular- the safety pin. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I’ve had posts from three separate Facebook friends asking me to wear
a safety pin. At a coordinating meeting
I attended yesterday afternoon, four people had bags of them and were passing
them out. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The safety pin emerged as a symbolic protest in post-‘Brexit’ vote Britain, as harassment and attacks on migrants and minority
communities began to skyrocket. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In the wake of the Trump Presidential victory, it has
migrated across the pond with the same sentiment attached: let people- particularly those who bore the brunt of Trump's invective- that the person wearing the pin is in solidarity with them, that they are 'safe', that they will listen to them and act on their behalf.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">To be honest, my first reaction to it was utter exasperation because, honestly,
I’m so tired of 'liketivism'- online petitions, changing your profile picture
to support a cause, asking people to get your ‘Stop (insert horrible thing
here)' social media site to 1,000,000 'likes'… <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">If I was tired of it all before the election, I’m really
tired of it now, and the safety pin just hit all my buttons. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">First of all, I was willing to bet all the money in my
pockets that this was not instigated by actually endangered minority communities.
This, I bargained, was a white thing. ‘Liketivism’ usually is. It tends to involve
a white, Western Middle Class person discovering that something horrible is
going on; they then decide that something needs to be done (alongside the vague
assumption that nothing actually *is* being done, or at least nothing worthwhile…). Then, they
then pick a small, distinct, outward gesture for people to do or (more likely)
wear- a red shirt, a pink ribbon, a safety pin- to ‘raise awareness’, show the
affected people that ‘we care’, that they are ‘not alone’… <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">‘It’s a small, simple gesture’, we are told, ‘but it makes a
huge difference to the suffering people.’ <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Does it? I’m not so sure. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Why am I not sure? Because I haven’t
actively asked marginalized, endangered communities what they think of it… and
rarely do the organizers of ‘liketivist’ campaigns.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">My friend and fellow theologian Jayme
Reeves, in a brilliant essay on her blogsite, writes: <br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="background: rgb(250 , 250 , 250); color: #474747; letter-spacing: 0.4pt;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">What I do know is that chances are it
was started by someone NOT at risk. Most likely it was started by a
white, middle class, hetero person wanting to protest a political outcome and
show solidarity. Chances are that an immigrant, Muslim, person of color,
or a disabled or LGBT+ person didn't go, "I know! Why don't you all start
wearing safety pins so I know who's safe to go to?!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background: rgb(250 , 250 , 250); color: #474747; letter-spacing: 0.4pt;">However, we need to be honest about
what purpose the safety pins serve in most cases. Hear me: SOLIDARITY IS
A GOOD THING. SAFE SPACES ARE NEEDED. But a safety pin does not a
safe space make. More than anything, wearing a safety pin is a marker so
that we (people who don't want to be known as racist or homophobic) know
each other. There's strength and comfort in numbers and that is where the
solidarity of wearing safety pins lies. For some, wearing a safety pin
makes the wearer feel better, to say "this wasn't my fault." At
the end of the day, it's a political statement. </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
Let me be clear: there’s nothing wrong with symbolic protests. There is nothing
wrong with political statements. There’s nothing wrong with symbols of unity
and solidarity. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Danish people had theirs as well; one action involved wearing
four coins tied together with red and white ribbons in their buttonholes (Red
and white are the Danish national colours, and four coins adding up to 9 <span style="background: white; color: #252525;">øre</span><i><span style="background: white; color: #252525; line-height: 115%;"> </span></i>represented
the date of the occupation, 9 April). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But the coins on their lapels saved no Jews; gasoline,
boats, planning, expertise, and grave personal risk did. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">That brings me to my main concern about symbolic protest:
that it might potentially be all people do, or worse, all that they think themselves capable
of doing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">‘I can’t do much. This is something I <i>can</i> do.’ <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I understand. Truly I do. I'm not heartless about this; a couple of close friends have helped me modulate my tone about this. <br /><br />I do get it; sometimes the issues facing us are
so horrific, so overwhelming, that we shut down; we feel paralyzed; we think
that we’re unable to do anything heroic. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But I do want to say this: <br /><br />You have the same power, the same abilities, and- if you
choose to cultivate it- the same courage as any one of the thousands of Danes
who saved their Jewish neighbors. They were shopkeepers, mill workers, agricultural
workers, housewives, students, white-collar professionals…</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">… and, when the moment of crisis came, thousands of bank
clerks and waitresses looked down at their lapels, saw their coins and ribbons
and said, ‘I can do more’…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">---</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">As I was writing that last line, I received a message from my friend
and colleague Will Randall, who works for the Montana Human Rights Network. His
truck was vandalized last night, the only one on his street. Needless to say,
there’s no indication of who did it or their motives. But Will’s outspokenness for
the freedom and dignity of everyone here in the Flathead Valley in the face of- since the election- an emboldened far right leave me and him with our suspicions. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">
<br />
He’ll be in Depot Park in Kalispell this afternoon, where people will be
gathering in support of another local activist, Jennifer Allen, who was
protesting alone yesterday, when she was jumped by three teenage males who
grabbed her signs and tore them up. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">They yelled ‘Fuck Hillary’ as they ran away.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I understand your safety pin. But I do most urgently hope you look down at it and
say,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">‘I can do more’…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />Jon Hatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04913416663813636124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4485468946225822778.post-8611620847649346392016-11-10T12:50:00.000-08:002016-11-10T12:50:33.399-08:00'Exile': Doing Theology in Donald Trump's America<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br /></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<img height="313" src="http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2013-07-06-Dante_exile.jpg" width="400" /></div>
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<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I will not lie to you; I'm very, very worried. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The
election of Donald Trump to the US Presidency is bad, potentially disastrous.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">A man who
so openly courted neo-Nazis to his campaign- the real, honest-to-God ones, not
the vaguely centre-right establishment Republicans that so many of the left
have ludicrously called ‘fascists’ for the past two decades; <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Who so
openly enflamed racial divides; <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Who so
openly incited violence at his rallies;<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Who so openly
embraced every piece of junk science; <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Who praised
foreign dictators; <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Who made
going to war a campaign promise; <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Who
promised to tear up every international agreement, trade deal, or treaty that
he thought was ‘a disaster’; <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Who
demeaned women, Muslims, people of colour and… well, anyone not like him,
really;<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Who showed
such unveiled contempt for a free press; <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Who showed
such open disdain for the Constitution, </span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Separation of Powers, and an independent
judiciary; <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Who boasted
that his celebrity allowed him to grab women by the pussy- not ‘p**sy’, by the
way; that’s not what he said... He said ‘pussy’…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">… That guy
won. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It’s not
good. It’s very, very bad. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I’m not
shocked, though. That might come as a surprise, but I’m not. I currently live
in Montana, the red state against which all other red states are measured, and
I spent almost two decades working with an Evangelical Christian organization.
From that long experience, I’m positive that most of the media, American
progressive liberals, and establishment pundits had no idea how unpopular
Hillary Clinton is and how many people would vote for anyone- and we now know literally
<i>anyone</i>- but her. That made her
dangerously weak, weaker than any of her supporters who repeated <i>ad nauseum</i> how spectacularly qualified
she was, who shouted down anyone cautious about her nomination given what was
at stake, seemed to realize. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It was her
turn to run. She got her turn. And she lost. Big. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I doubt
many African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, LGBT people, or Muslims were
shocked either. For them, this was simply a confirmation of what they’ve known
for centuries- that racism, intolerance, misogyny, and xenophobia are American
developmental disabilities, embedded deep in our national DNA. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So what do
we do? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">In trying
to construct some kind of theological reflection on this, my mind immediately
was drawn to one word: <br /><br />'Exile'... </span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It might feel like everything instantly became foreign, all the old understandings were swept away, nothing feel's like 'home' anymore...<br /><br />The Hebrew prophet Jeremiah, writing to the Jewish community living in exile in Babylon, had this advise for them in chapter 29: <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Lord God
of Israel who rules over all says to all those he sent into exile to Babylon
from Jerusalem, ‘Build houses and settle down’. Plant gardens and eat what
they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters. Find wives for your sons
and allow your daughters to get married so that they too can have sons and
daughters. Grow in number; do not dwindle away. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">One of the major cautions repeated over and over throughout
the Hebrew Bible is against false prophets, those who purport to be wise and
speaking for God but are actually just talking out their hats. Hey, who doesn’t
want to stay positive and search for good news in the aftermath of catastrophe?
Who doesn’t want a ‘word of encouragement’? Obviously, there were those who
were telling the Jews of Israel that their captivity in Babylon would be a very
short-lived affair, but the prophet Jeremiah here puts paid to that notion. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Exile would last years, even generations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">My social media is filled with notes saying, ‘don’t worry,
it’s only four years!’ Well, it might very well be eight… or more. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Trump was a
terrible candidate who ran a chaotic campaign, struggled to stay on message for
hours at a time, and was in open rebellion against his own party’s
establishment. I shudder to think how we’ll do against a candidate who espouses
all of Trump’s ideas but who is focused, sharp, and an expert campaigner. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">America might have turned a political corner for the
foreseeable future; Trump will fade, maybe even flair out spectacularly, we
just don’t know… But ‘Trumpism’ might, in some shape or form, be here to stay. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Those of us who have a very different vision of what American democracy,
society, and culture might be had better at least start thinking in the long
term, perhaps the very long term…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Work to see that the
city where I sent you as exiles enjoys peace and prosperity. Pray to
the Lord for it. For as it prospers you will prosper.’<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">‘Support Trump’s America? Are you insane?!’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Yes. Well, if anything he said in the campaign is to be believed, not necessarily the policies, </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">but the people.<br />
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Whether we agree with the statement or not, Trump ran as a ‘change’ candidate. Many
voted for change because the situation they find themselves is unbearable- poor
economy, poor job choices, cultural decline, insecurity, and yes, fear. Any
Hillary supporter who had listened to American talk radio for a single afternoon
would have had reason to be nervous about her chances. Right-wing demagogues
and a good amount of Christian clergy have been screaming for years that these
people have a right to be angry and have good cause to fear. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But like all
right-wing demagogues the world over, they’ve pointed the finger of blame at ‘others’-
black ‘thugs’, ‘predatory’ gay men, Muslims, Jews (they call them ‘the
international banking conspiracy’, but don’t be fooled) …</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">America has big problems that many- left and right- have
ignored for years. There are millions of people- left and right- who have been
ignored for years. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Someone once asked Jesus, ‘who is my neighbor?’ Your
neighbors are Trump supporters, Hillary supporters, Evangelicals, gays, single parents,
‘zero contract hour’ workers, ‘Black Lives Matter’ supporters, Standing Rock
supporters… </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">This country is all of us. We need each other... Now more than ever. If you don't know your neighbors, or don't recognize the image of God in the neighbors you despise, You need to start now.<br />
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Remember those houses the prophet told us to build? Build a house for someone
who has no house. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Remember those gardens we need to plant? Share the produce
with a local food pantry.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Remember the weddings we need to plan? Make sure everyone’s
marriages are supported, valued, and protected. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Remember ‘Grow in number’? Invite people in. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">This is our country. Make it work… for everyone. <i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">…‘Do not let the
prophets or those among you who claim to be able to predict the future by
divination deceive you. And do not pay any attention to the dreams that you are
encouraging them to dream. They are prophesying lies to you and claiming
my authority to do so. But I did not send them. I, the Lord, affirm it!’<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And Oh my God, did every one of our 'prophets' boot this one...<br /><br />Every poll was wrong. Every pundit was wrong (Well, Michael
Moore called it…). Many of us sat for hours on end listening to tables full of
experts explain ‘the numbers’. They all told us to ‘stay tuned’ for more. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And
who won? Chrysler, Cadillac, Viagra, Annheiser-Busch, Travelocity, Target, and
every other company who bought airtime on MSNBC, FOX, CNN… All the same
companies on every network. What does <i>that</i> tell you? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Now, the same pollsters, pundits, and commentators are on
again for hours on end explaining how exactly they got it wrong. And Chrysler,
Cadillac, Viagra, Annheiser-Busch, Travelocity, and and every other company are still there…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Turn it off. Turn it all off. You don’t need it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">All of the fun ‘click bait’ stories about how such-and-such
celebrity just ‘*DESTROYED* Donald Trump with a single tweet’? Well, funnily
enough, the tweet didn’t destroy anyone…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Don’t click. Ever. It’s all worthless. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And while I’m at it, let me just say that I’m done with the
late-night ‘comedy news’ people. John Oliver, Seth Meyers, SNL, Sam Bee,
Stephen Colbert… Almost a year of all of them saying, ‘Oh, look at him! What a
buffoon! And his ancestral name is Drumpf! Can you <i>imagine</i>? Isn’t it just <i>too</i> ridiculous?! Isn’t it all <i>hilarious</i>?!'<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Now, after the election, with thousands of lives potentially
ruined if Trump does a mere tenth of what he promised to do, the same comedians
sheepishly offer us inspirational words of comfort, ‘Oh, well, we’ll all get
through it’…<br />
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Well, many might not, funny man…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Worse, now my social
media is filled with messages saying, ‘oh well, at least Alec Baldwin has four
years of work ahead of him!’ <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I can’t do it anymore. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">‘Don’t worry! It’s funny!’ <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Well, for a lot of people, it’s serious as hell. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">…‘Only when the seventy
years of Babylonian rule are over will I again take up consideration for you.
Then I will fulfill my gracious promise to you and restore you to your
homeland. For I know what I have planned for you,’ says the Lord. ‘I
have plans to prosper you, not to harm you. I have plans to give you a future
filled with hope. When you call out to me and come to me in prayer, I will hear
your prayers. Then you seek me in prayer and worship, you will find me
available to you. If you seek me with all your heart and soul, I will make
myself available to you,’ says the Lord. ‘Then I will reverse your plight
and will regather you from all the nations and all the places where I have
exiled you,’ says the Lord. ‘I will bring you back to the place from which
I exiled you.’<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">God remains
God, the God revealed by Jesus- a God of justice, righteousness, compassion,
and love. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-GB">The Gospel
of Jesus- </span>food for the poor, sight to the blind, release to the
prisoners, freedom for the captives, life for the lifeless, a voice for the
voiceless- has been our Christian duty whether we live under Augustus, Nero, Charlemagne
the Borgias, the Vikings, Queen Victoria, George Washington, Hitler, Stalin, Churchill,
Reagan, Bush, Clinton, Bush, Obama, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">and yes, Donald Trump. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">This is what the people of God will do- or at least should
do- now, without fear, without fanfare, with dedication and determination…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Even in exile…</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Jon Hatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04913416663813636124noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4485468946225822778.post-43347779429314643422016-10-26T12:58:00.000-07:002016-10-26T12:58:35.144-07:00Fearful Christians (And The Damage They Do)...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<img alt="Image result for fear" src="https://thecreatorwritings.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/fear.jpg" /></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">One open secret
of elections is that people very often aren’t voting for a candidate but
against another candidate. They aren’t putting someone in office, but keeping
someone else out. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Another open
secret of elections is that people often vote out of insecurity and fear- fears
for their incomes, jobs, savings, for their children’s futures, that they’ll be
worse off under another candidate’s regime…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Finally,
there’s the open secret that the fear many people vote from are unfounded or
irrational- that the government is plotting to make your religion illegal,
allowing immigrants to ‘pour’ into the country, will make owning a gun illegal,
founded and funds foreign terrorist groups…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">What makes
fear so destructive to democracy and social stability is that it’s by its very
nature irrational. Unlike someone exercising caution, sober-mindedness, risk
assessment, and carefulness, a fearful person is usually uninformed (working
without good information) and/or selfish (obsessed with their own safety or
desires without attention to others’). <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Fear often
leads to overreaction- impulsive, knee-jerk action- or, conversely, paralysis-
the inability to make good decisions or implement important activity. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Out of fear
that our children might take drugs, we’ve ended up creating a multi-billion dollar
prison infrastructure and incarcerating millions of nonviolent offenders as
part of our ‘war on drugs’;<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Out of fear
of ‘terrorism’, we’ve severely curtailed the civil liberties of millions,
illegally ‘profiled’ certain ethnic groups, cultures, and religions, and waged
undeclared war on huge swathes of the globe, raining entire regions with drone
strikes and bombing campaigns; <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Out of fear
for personal safety (and property values), we’ve militarized our police forces,
criminalized the homeless, and reinforced structural racism in our courts,
prison systems, and grand juries.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Much
reporting and analysis during this election has focused on the fears of many Americans, and one group of Americans has stood out- Christians. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">This election has been in the thrall of fearful Christians. </span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">A quick google search yielded me a whole page of headlines about fearful Christians- </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Christians who fear the loss of their guns; </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">who fear Christianity is slowly becoming illegal; </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">who fear the presence of Muslims and other faiths openly expressing themselves in their towns; </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">who fear that LGBT people are destroying America; </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">who fear Common Core curricula is poisoning their children...</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The tragedy
for me, as a theologian, is that this shows the extent to which so much
American Christianity- of every denomination- is disconnected with theological
reflection and the biblical text.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The
biblical text is rife with exhortations to have no fear of anything. The
righteous are not to worry or be anxious. The Hebrew book of Proverbs, the
Psalms- and for certain denominations, the Book of Sirach and the Wisdom of
Solomon- in dozens of instances all stress clear-thinking, wisdom, and sober-mindedness. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">For
Christians, Jesus on numerous occasions told his disciples not to fear what was
going on, as well as to love their enemies, not fear them.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It is vital
to remember, however, that we are not to be indifferent, nor are we to think
that nothing really matters, that all situations are equal, or that we are not
to care what happens. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Rather, whatever is going on around us, we
are to actively pursue, as Jesus did, the Kingdom of God- peace, justice, and
kindness;<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">We are to
declare, as Jesus did, the year of God’s favour, not his wrath and his
judgement; <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-GB">We are to
declare and live out, as Jesus did, the</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 115%;"> </span>Good News of the Gospel- food for the
poor, sight to the blind, release to the prisoners, freedom for the captives,
life for the lifeless, a voice for the voiceless; <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But what if, many argue, we feel legislated against? What if
they legalize what we hold to be sin? What if they allow what we see as
disgusting? What about creating godly
courts and governments?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">St. Paul, writing to Christians who were
often socially disadvantaged, looked down upon, or legislated against, never
told his readers to be fearful of the future or strike back out of fear: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
<br />
<span class="text"><i><span style="background: white;">the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy,
peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,</span></i></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><i><span style="background: white;"> </span></i></span><span class="text"></span><i><span style="background: white;"><span id="en-NET-29169" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no
law (Gal. 5:22-23).<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Whatever happens, love one another; do what is right; live
peaceably with your neighbours; keep your head. There’s no law against that…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">When was the last time in this election season you heard a Christian priest, pastor,
or politician say <i>that</i>? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">What if, many argue, the situation is serious, even grave?
What if we’re attacked? What if cataclysm falls upon us? What if the Antichrist
appears? What if our enemies destroy what we hold sacred? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">As he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, his
disciples came to him privately and said, “Tell us, when will these things
happen? And what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” <b><sup> </sup></b>Jesus
answered them, “Watch out that no one misleads you. <b><sup> </sup></b>For
many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will mislead
many. <b><sup> </sup></b>You will hear of wars and rumors of wars.
Make sure that you are not alarmed, for this must happen, but the end is still
to come. <b><sup> </sup></b>For nation will rise up in arms against
nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines and earthquakes
in various places. <b><sup> </sup></b>All these things are the
beginning of birth pains… So when you see the abomination of desolation—spoken about by Daniel the
prophet—standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then those
in Judea must flee to the mountains (Matt. 24:1-8,15-16).</span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Armies will march; persecution will come; God’s Temple will
be destroyed… But make sure you are not alarmed; this isn’t
the end of the world; God has not abandoned us… No need to fight; no need to
form a resistance; just run, run away, save yourself, save your family; love God and your neighbour...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">When was the last time in this election season you heard a Christian priest, pastor, or
politician say <i>that</i>? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Socially, fear- and fearmongering- never nurtures democracy.
It never builds social capital. It is never the foundation stone of beneficial
public policy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Theologically, fear- and fearmongering- is never described
as a good or healthy spiritual trait. It is warned against in hundreds of passages
in the biblical text. It is antithetical to the person and message of Jesus as
he is described in the Gospels. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It is because of fear, scare tactics, and lowest-common-denominator
fearmongering that we stand on a social and democratic precipice- and the fear
of many Christians has played no small part in bringing us to this point. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Those
Christian leaders, clergy, the Christian politicians they prop up, and the ordinary Christians posting to Facebook and Twitter who have
sown so much fear into the hearts and minds of their congregations, constituencies, and friends have done them, the country as a whole, and American democracy an enormous disservice. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">For that, we must all repent…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
</div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">… And model something very different. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
Jon Hatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04913416663813636124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4485468946225822778.post-88864112170058527572016-10-24T12:56:00.000-07:002016-10-24T12:56:23.477-07:00White Christian Voters: How 'Right' Is Too 'Right'?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD6k-Vvfzr0zUpt2eWUOiKKwE2W6MugM3DdpYLjd1O_uwxcdBOmXXAZUpwlGKthe4pm4hiH9sPiPjwLqrMnAaiTw5aMb_TRI5p7doZwK1VmpPY9b4ruZX4TKkn1XG42V7CqF2F-fBsHwU/s1600/kkk-jesus-saves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD6k-Vvfzr0zUpt2eWUOiKKwE2W6MugM3DdpYLjd1O_uwxcdBOmXXAZUpwlGKthe4pm4hiH9sPiPjwLqrMnAaiTw5aMb_TRI5p7doZwK1VmpPY9b4ruZX4TKkn1XG42V7CqF2F-fBsHwU/s400/kkk-jesus-saves.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #222222; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I presently
live in the Flathead Valley of Northwest Montana. Between Flathead Lake, the
Swan Range of the Rocky Mountains, the nearby Glacier National Park, and our
endless ‘big sky’, residents of this corner of the US never have cause to doubt
that we live among some of the most breath-taking scenery in the world. <br />
<br />
The Flathead Valley is a great place to live. People are friendly, the schools
are great, and the pace of life is easy. There’s great local restaurants and
bars, local entertainment, many local artists and galleries, several local
microbreweries and winemakers and- believe it or not- a lively Irish
traditional music scene, of which I have happily become a part. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #222222; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I really
like living here. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #222222; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But the
Flathead Valley- and Montana in general- also has a darker side: a small, but
extremely active far-right movement. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #222222; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">There are
several local individuals and groups holding public meetings, running websites,
and having demonstrations expressing a toxic mix of white supremacism, white
nationalism, and Neo-Nazi, anti-immigrant, anti-Native American, and
anti-Semitic rhetoric. </span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; color: #424242;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #222222; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The history
of some of these people goes back decades, working under one incarnation or
another. More often than not, it’s been fairly under the radar and hasn’t really
touched upon mainstream politics. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #222222; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">That has
changed, however, over the past year, as Donald Trump’s campaign for the US
Presidency has mainstreamed things that used to be whispered about or only
spoken aloud in carefully-coded conversation. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #222222; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">By
‘mainstreaming’ I mean that a lot of ideas and rhetoric that, until a very
short time ago, could have only seen on far-right internet forums like
Stormfront or the New Century Foundation are openly expressed by official
candidates of a mainstream political party- one of them exactly one vote away
from securing the White House. <br />
<br />
Please understand that in no sense am I accusing the majority of Republican
Party members of racism or white nationalism; what I do mean is that the Trump
Presidential run- and the GOP leaderships enabling of it- has widened the
parameters of acceptable discourse to include issues, topics, and solutions
that would have previously been considered dangerously extremist. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #222222; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Like it or
not, thanks to Trump, more and more right-wing extremists feel welcome in the
political mainstream. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #222222; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Our own
local example of this is Taylor Rose, running for the District 3 Montana House
seat. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #222222; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Montana
Human Rights Network and the Southern Poverty Law Center have assiduously
documented Rose’s long-standing ties with European neo-Nazi groups, US
neo-confederate groups, and local Montana far-right organizations.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #222222; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">He has
spoken and written extensively in his own publications, radical right-wing
magazines, news outlets, and online; the evidence is public and extensive.</span><span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #222222; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Nevertheless,
he is a self-professed Christian and is running as a Republican, and the local GOP have assiduously papered over or
dodged questions of Rose’s far-right associations.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #222222; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I’ve spent
the past few days writing to our local newspapers, calling on local GOP
leadership, as well as ordinary voters, to repudiate Rose and make clear that
there is no place in party politics for candidates so openly associated with
hate groups. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Looking at
all this as a theologian, I think this touches on an issue that just might be the defining issue for American Christianity at this historical moment.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I’m mindful of the large Christian presence here in
the valley-the vast majority of whom are white Evangelicals, many of whom, as
I wrote about in my last post, have gravitated to Trump.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #222222; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Needless to
say, I have no concrete idea how these people are going to vote- though, again as
I wrote about in my last post, white, older Evangelicals are a key Trump
demographic. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #222222; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">When I look at our local politics, I’m not interested in whether or not they vote for Trump;
<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #222222; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I’m very interested in if they will vote for Rose...<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #222222; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Simply put,
if the fruit of this election cycle is a reinvigorated, uncloaked far-right as
a viable presence in US politics, will white Evangelicals gravitate towards openly segregationist,
anti-immigrant, aggressively Islamophobic, anti-Semitic candidates once again? <br />
<br />
Yes, I did say ‘once again’… <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #222222; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">There was a
time- and not just in the South- when white Christians supported openly racist
political candidates and movements all the time. The Ku Klux Klan, the John
Birch Society, Catholic demagogue Father Charles Coghlin... Protecting a white,
Protestant status quo- and doing so openly- was the benchmark for many
Christian voters. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #222222; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">There has
been excellent scholarship and commentary recently about how American
Christians of all denominations engage with electoral politics. In the
background of it all are the racial, social, and religious shifts going on in
21<sup>st</sup>-century America. </span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #222222; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The US is
no longer a majority white, Christian nation; it’s still majority Christian by a considerable margin,
but discounting African-Americans and Latinos, white Christians are only 45% of
the population.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #222222; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Many of the
certainties of their former privilege are no longer concrete;<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #222222; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Issues such
as ‘law and order’, the ‘war on drugs’, human sexuality, foreign policy,
environmentalism, and gender issues are being explored from more expansive and
inclusive- and less white and male- Christian perspectives. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #222222; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And many
older, white, and (mostly) male Evangelicals are pushing back…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #222222; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">American
Christianity- particularly that of older, white, and (mostly) male Evangelicals-
has reached an important crossroads. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #222222; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">How- and
how far- are they willing to push back? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #222222; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Who are they willing to support who promises to shore up their position? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #222222; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">How far
back are they willing to look into their idyllic past for inspiration? </span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #222222; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #222222; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">How far to
the right is too far right? </span></span></div>
Jon Hatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04913416663813636124noreply@blogger.com0