Christian Faith in America

I recently experienced a real “eye opener.”  Before the recent Massachusetts election to replace Ted Kennedy’s office in the US Senate,  I had all but given up hope that America was done for.  It seemed she was sliding headlong into the bondage of Socialism at breakneck speed amidst the cheer of most Americans.  However, the recent election has reset some real hope for some real change.  It is my prayer that this rejection of the godless and enslaving bonds of Socialism will be totally embraced by most Americans in the Fall 2010 General Election. I pray daily for some godly moral and fiscal conservatives to step up to the plate and run to replace many of the heathen Secular Humanists proudly slithering within the halls of Congress.

Obama and his henchmen in the so called “mainstream media” (I prefer Rush Limbaugh’s “Drive-By media” moniker better!) have blamed Obama’s predecessor for everything from hurricanes to the make-believe “global warming” all on George W. Bush.  The current President loves to try and “load-shed” the fallout of his insidious bailouts, Government takeovers of private enterprise and the staggering Wall street floundering numbers to what he inherited from his predecessor, George W. Bush.  Obama wants us all to forget his doomsday catastrophe rhetoric and “must act today” crisis-mongering to focus on his latest attempt to take over more free enterprise in the Health Care industry… a move crafted to bring us ever closer to the total slavery of Global Socialism.

However, lest we forget, Congress was consumed with Leftist ideology in the 2006 election. Those Socialists who came to power in 2007 inherited a robust economy that had survived a major terrorist attack, several natural disasters and more, yet remained incredibly strong. Then a  relentless media attack and propaganda war began against George W. Bush.   Sadly, just like citizens of the old USSR, uneducated Americans bought into the propaganda, even though the real truth was out there on the Internet, Talk Radio and some on Fox News.  And they elected a Leftist Congress, followed by a more Radical Leftist President.  So, here we sit upon the brink of economic collapse at the hands of these radical Leftists.

What happened in early 2008 when the speculators drove Gasoline prices through the roof with artificial price gouging?  Where was our Democratic Congress then.  They claimed they were helpless to control gas pricing then, but found little problem taking over banks and automakers during the Obama regime.  You see, policies of past Democratic leaders had built a financial house of cards.  Unsound banking and lending rules mandated by Congress set America up for this great fall. Millions of Americans were over-extended… mortgaged to the hilt.  So, all that had to happen was for speculators to artificially inflate fuel prices and suddenly people had to choose: pay the Mortgage, or drive to work. So within a very short time, the financial house of cards began to crumble. Banks failed, followed by large corporations. Did you notice that once the financial house of cards collapsed, amazingly fuel prices returned to normal: an amazing coincidence.  It bore a striking resemblance to a contrived scheme to trigger the collapse, but I’m sure it was only an uncanny coincidence… right?

So, allow me to share an email I received in the hopes of keeping the truth of who these radical people are, and what they have done to our country.  Here it is in its entirety.  I do not know the origin, but it carries a clarion wake up call at the end…

Patriots,

What would you say if I gave you all the reasons why the elections in 2010 will be the most important in the history of the United States?

1. What if I had told you in October 2008, before the last presidential election, that before Barack Obama’s first 100 days in office, the federal government would be in control of both the mortgage and the banking industries? That 19 of Americas largest banks would be forced to undergo stress tests by the federal government which would determine that they were insufficiently capitalized so they must be supervised by the government?

Would you have said, C’mon, that will never happen in America?”

2. What if I had told you that within Barack Obamas first 100 days in office the federal government would be the largest shareholder in the US Big Three automakers Ford, GM, and Chrysler? That the government would kick out the CEOs of these companies and appoint hand-picked executives with zero experience in the auto industry and that executive compensation would be determined not by a Board of Directors but by the government?

Would you have said, C’mon, that will never happen in America?

3. What if I had told you that Barack Obama would appoint 21 Czars, without congressional approval, accountable only to him not to the voters who would have control over a wide range of US policy decisions? That there would be a Stimulus Accountability Czar, an Urban Czar, a Compensation Czar, an Iran Czar, an Auto Industry Czar, a Cyber Security Czar, an Energy Czar, a Bank Bailout Czar, and more than a dozen other government bureaucrats with unchecked regulatory powers over US domestic and foreign policy?

Would you have said, C’mon, that will never happen in America?

4. What if I had told you that the federal deficit would be $915 billion in the first six months of the Obama presidency – with a projected annual deficit of $1.75 trillion – triple the $454.8 billion in 2008, for which the previous administration was highly criticized by Obama and his fellow Democrats? That congress would pass Obamas $3.53 trillion federal budget for fiscal 2010? That the projected deficit over the next ten years would be greater than $10 trillion?

Would you have said, C’mon, that will never happen in America?

5. What if I had told you that the Obama Justice Department would order FBI agents to read Miranda rights to high-value detainees captured on the battlefield and held at US military detention facilities in Afghanistan? That Obama would order the closing of the Guantanamo detention facility with no plan for the disposition of the 200-plus individuals held there? That several of the suspected terrorists at Guantanamo would be sent to live in freedom in Bermuda at the expense of the US government? That our returning US veterans would be labeled terrorists and put on a watch list.

Would you have said, C’mon, that will never happen in America?

6. What if I had told you that the federal government would seek powers to seize key companies whose failures could jeopardize the financial system? That a new regulatory agency would be proposed by Obama to control loans, credit cards, mortgage-backed securities, and other financial products offered to the public?

Would you have said, C’mon, that will never happen in America?

7. What if I had told you that Obama would travel to the Middle East, bow before the Saudi king, and repeatedly apologize for Americas past actions? That he would travel to Latin America where he would warmly greet Venezuela’s strongman Hugo Chavez and sit passively in the audience while Nicaraguan Marxist thug Daniel Ortega charged America with terrorist aggression in Central America?

Would you have said, C’mon, that will never happen in America?

8. Okay, now what if I were to tell you that Obama wants to dismantle conservative talk radio through the imposition of a new Fairness Doctrine? That he wants to curtail the First Amendment rights of those who may disagree with his policies via internet blogs, cable news networks, or advocacy ads? That most major network television and most newspapers will only sing his phrases like state run media in communist countries?

Would you say, C’mon, that will never happen in America?

9. What if I were to tell you that the Obama Justice Department is doing everything it can to limit your Second Amendment rights to keep and bear arms? That the federal government wants to reinstate the so-called assault weapons ban which would prohibit the sale of any type of firearm that requires the shooter to pull the trigger every time a round is fired? That Obamas Attorney General wants to eliminate the sale of virtually all handguns and ammunition, which most citizens choose for self-defense?

Would you say, C’mon, that will never happen in America?

10. What if I were to tell you that the Obama plan is to eliminate states rights guaranteed by the Tenth Amendment and give the federal government sweeping new powers over policies currently under the province of local and state governments and voted on by the people? That Obama plans to control the schools, energy production, the environment, health care, and the wealth of every US citizen?

Would you say, C’mon, that will never happen in America?

11. What if I were to tell you that the president, the courts, and the federal government have ignored the US Constitution and have seized powers which the founders of our country fought to restrict? That our last presidential election may have been our last truly free election for some time to come? That our next presidential election may look similar to the one recently held in Iran?

I know, I know what you will say, That will never happen in America.

If we don’t do everything in our power to stop this madness in 2010, may God have the mercy on our worthless souls.

So, just there is the clarion call! Just because we had a glimmer of hope to a return to economic freedom and a move back toward prosperity, let us not put away our TEApots and settle into complacency.  The old dragon of Global Socialism took one in the eye in the recent Bay State election, but she still has plenty of fire to breath.  We must redouble our efforts to crush Socialism in November 2010.  Dragons do NOT die easily. Our resolve must be steeled and we must nail our colors to the mast!

“The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.”

~Thomas Jefferson

By Chuck Baldwin
January 22, 2010

Today marks the 37th anniversary of the infamous US Supreme Court Roe v. Wade decision, which, in effect, legalized abortion-on-demand nationwide. The aftermath of this tragic ruling is the deaths of over 40 million (a very conservative number) innocent unborn babies. It is no hyperbole to say abortion is America’s holocaust. Think of it, every American citizen today, 37 years old or younger, has never known a country that respected and protected innocent human life in the womb. Put it another way: when Hitler’s Third Reich was at its zenith, the abortion rate was 40%. In 2003 (the last year that I checked), the abortion rate of the county in which I live was 39%. And I live in the heart of the so-called “Bible Belt.” In fact, statistically speaking, the most dangerous place to be in America is not in an automobile without wearing a seat belt, or in a commercial airliner with a potential terrorist on board. Statistically speaking, the most dangerous place to be is in the womb of one’s mother.

Dr. Bernard Nathanson once headed America’s largest abortion clinic in New York City. He admitted superintending over the killing of 75,000 unborn babies. He later recanted his pro-abortion activity and wrote what may be the quintessential book defending an unborn child’s right to life, “Aborting America.” Dr. Nathanson said, “There is no longer serious doubt in my mind that human life exists within the womb from the very onset of pregnancy.”

Dr. Mildred Jefferson was a surgeon at Boston University Medical Center, a diplomate of the American Board of Surgery with many honors and awards. She said, “Many people try to hide behind the confusion of not knowing what happens before a baby is born. But we do not have to be confused. We in medicine and science have a different name for every stage of the development of the baby, but it does not matter at all whether you know those names or not. When a young woman has not had much opportunity to go to school and she becomes pregnant, no one has to tell her that she is going to have a baby.

“I became a doctor in the tradition that is represented in the Bible of looking upon medicine as a high calling. I will not stand aside and have this great profession of mine, of the doctor, give up the designation of healer to become that of the social executioner. The Supreme Court Justices only had to hand down an order. Social workers only have to make arrangements, but it has been given to my profession to destroy the life of the innocent and the helpless.

“Today it is the unborn child; tomorrow it is likely to be the elderly or those who are incurably ill. Who knows but that a little later it may be anyone who has political or moral views that do not fit into the distorted new order. To that question, ‘Am I my brother’s keeper?’ I answer ‘Yes.’ It is everyone’s responsibility to safeguard and preserve life. A child is a member of the human family and deserves care and concern.”

How many physicians, scientists, teachers, pastors, missionaries, statesmen, musicians, businessmen, and notable contributors to society have been murdered in the womb?

At this point, I can hear someone interrupting, “What about cases involving rape or incest?”

While these cases number less than 1% of pregnancies, consider this case history: a 12-year-old girl was raped and became pregnant. “Get an abortion,” you say? Congratulations. You just killed Ethel Waters.

And as Dr. Jefferson said, just where does the acceptance of abortion lead? If we listen to the former governor of Colorado, Richard Lamm, elderly people who are terminally ill have a “duty to die and get out of the way.” (Source: New York Times)

And does anyone remember Baby Doe in Bloomington, Indiana?

A little baby was born April 9, 1982, with Down’s Syndrome in a Bloomington, Indiana, hospital. The parents refused to allow a doctor to correct a defect in the esophagus that prevented eating because the child was born with Down’s. The Indiana Supreme Court upheld the parents’ right to make this decision. Despite many couples on hand willing to adopt the child, adoption offers that came in from all over America, and an appeal pursued to the U.S. Supreme Court, Baby Doe died of starvation on April 15, 1982.

Add to this blatant disrespect for human life the potential for mandated government-run national health care–complete with cost-related rationing–and one can only imagine how the value of human life will continue to decline in these United States. Plus, if you want to do some personal research that will really send chills up your spine, start investigating the fact that many scientists and researchers are seriously discussing genetic manipulation and genetic engineering. Good grief! Our own government and military are already culpable in grotesque medical experimentation with both civilian and military personnel.

Our own Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has admitted to using military personnel as human guinea pigs for medical, biological, and mental experimentation under various programs associated with the now-infamous title, MK-ULTRA. CIA officials say the programs have all been scrapped. Don’t you believe it.

In addition, consider the testimony of Dr. Carolyn Gerster, a physician specializing in internal medicine and cardiopulmonary diseases. She obtained her medical degree from the University of Oregon Medical School in Portland. She spent two years as a medical officer in the US Army.

Dr. Gerster told Phyllis Schlafly’s Eagle Forum, “I was asked to become a member of the American College of Physicians many years ago. It’s any honorary society of internal medicine. I was very proud right up until the day that the society gave the James D. Bruce Award for Medical Research to Dr. Saul Krugman for the following experiment. Dr. Krugman had taken living hepatitis virus MS2 and injected this living virus into 25 retarded children in Willowbrook Home for Retarded in upstate New York. This was defended on the basis that they would probably get the hepatitis virus anyway.”

Consider, too, that, contrary to what most people assume, the vast majority of physicians graduating from medical school today no longer take a Hippocratic-type oath–an oath that binds physicians to the following: “I will prescribe regimens for the good of my patients according to my ability and my judgment and never do harm to anyone. I will not give a lethal drug to anyone if I am asked, nor will I advise such a plan; and similarly I will not give a woman a pessary [medical device] to cause an abortion.”

As Schaeffer and Koop pointed out in their book, “Whatever Happened to the Human Race?” “The Declaration of Geneva (adopted in September 1948 by the General Assembly of the World Medical Organization and modeled closely on the Hippocratic Oath) became used as the graduation oath by more and more medical schools. It includes: ‘I will maintain the utmost respect for human life from the time of conception.’ This concept of the preservation of human life has been the basis of the medical profession and society in general. It is significant that when the University of Pittsburgh changed from the Hippocratic Oath to the Declaration of Geneva in 1971, the students deleted ‘from the time of conception’ from the clause.”

Today, the ageless principles that had guided the medical profession throughout Western Civilization have been expunged from a majority of our physicians’ training and practice. And the Roe Supreme Court decision had much to do with this.

What is especially irritating about the whole abortion debate is the way the subject has been used as a political football by those on both the right and the left of the political aisle. While the national Democratic Party proudly touts itself as being “pro-choice,” (meaning, pro-murdering unborn babies), it has been the so-called “pro-life” Republican Party that is mostly to blame for legalized abortion being left as the law of the land for nearly 4 decades.

Think of it: the GOP has dominated US Supreme Court appointments for the 37 years since the Roe decision. In fact, the 1973 court that released the Roe decision was a Republican-appointed court by a 6-3 margin. The same GOP-dominated court also rendered the Doe v. Bolton Supreme Court decision reaffirming Roe.

Consider still: the “pro-life” Republican Party controlled the entire federal government from the election of 2000 to the election of 2006: six long years of GOP domination of both houses of Congress, the White House, and the US Supreme Court. And in all that time not one single unborn baby’s life was saved. NOT ONE!

And, yet, each year, Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX) would introduce the Sanctity of Life bill. And each year, the bill would sit in the document room of the Capitol Building and gather dust. What would Rep. Paul’s bill do? Two things: (1) It would define unborn babies as persons under the law. (2) Under the authority of Article. III. Section. 2. of the US Constitution, it would remove abortion from the jurisdiction of the court. Had the “pro-life” Republican congress passed Dr. Paul’s bill, and the “pro-life” President, G. W. Bush, signed it into law, Roe v. Wade would have been effectively overturned.

So, why didn’t President Bush trumpet the bill? Where was the Republican leader in the Senate? Where was the Republican Speaker of the House? Where was Orrin Hatch? Where was John McCain? Where was Lindsey Graham? Where was Glenn Beck? Where was Rush Limbaugh? Where was Newt Gingrich? Where was Sean Hannity? Where was the National Right to Life Committee? Where were the tens of thousands of “pro-life” pastors and Christians?

And, yet, these same “pro-life” pastors, church members, and “conservatives” refused to support Congressman Paul for President in 2008, because he was not “conservative” enough. Actually, they opposed him because he opposed the war in Iraq, which means they would rather support a politician who promotes taking America into unconstitutional wars–but who will do nothing to overturn Roe and save the lives of unborn babies–than support a man who demands that the Constitution be followed, and actually had a constitutional plan to overturn Roe and end abortion-on-demand as a national “right.” No wonder Jesus noted that unbelievers often have it over believers in the brains department. (See Luke 16:8.)

I remind you that preserving life and liberty is the primary purpose of government (read the Declaration of Independence, for example). At this point, however, I think it is safe to conclude that to pretend there is any hope that Washington politicians (from either party) will do anything to overturn Roe is pure fantasy. At this point, it is up to State legislatures and governors to preserve life in their respective states. Several states are already beginning to do just that.

According to Fox News a few years back, 30 states were poised to pass laws outlawing abortion if and when the US Supreme Court ever reversed its Roe v. Wade decision. What they need to do is stop waiting for the US Supreme Court to reverse itself, and go ahead and stand on their own State authority and autonomy, and outlaw abortion in their states now, as legislators in South Dakota, Georgia, Michigan, Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia are already attempting to do.

Legalized abortion is a national holocaust; an affront to our national character; a contradiction of established principles subscribed to from the beginning of Western Civilization; an insult to the principles of our Declaration of Independence; a bane of our national spirit; and a stench in the nostrils of Almighty God. That we have allowed it to continue for 37 years now stands as an indictment against this generation of Americans and bodes ominously for the well-being of our posterity.

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Copyright © 2010 Chuck Baldwin

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Chuck Baldwin’s commentaries are copyrighted and may be republished, reposted, or emailed providing the person or organization doing so does not charge for subscriptions or advertising and that the column is copied intact and that full credit is given and that Chuck’s web site address is included.

By Chuck Baldwin

January is often referred to as “Generals Month” since no less than four famous Confederate Generals claimed January as their birth month: James Longstreet (Jan. 8, 1821), Robert E. Lee (Jan. 19, 1807), Thomas Jonathan “Stonewall” Jackson (Jan. 21, 1824), and George Pickett (Jan. 28, 1825). Two of these men, Lee and Jackson, are particularly noteworthy.

Without question, Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson were two of the greatest military leaders of all time. Even more, many military historians regard the Lee and Jackson tandem as perhaps the greatest battlefield duo in the history of warfare. If Jackson had survived the battle of Chancellorsville, it is very possible that the South would have prevailed at Gettysburg and perhaps would even have won the War Between the States.

In fact, it was Lord Roberts, commander-in-chief of the British armies in the early twentieth century, who said, “In my opinion, Stonewall Jackson was one of the greatest natural military geniuses the world ever saw. I will go even further than that–as a campaigner in the field, he never had a superior. In some respects, I doubt whether he ever had an equal.”

While the strategies and circumstances of the War of Northern Aggression can (and will) be debated by professionals and laymen alike, one fact is undeniable: Robert E. Lee and Thomas J. Jackson were two of the finest Christian gentlemen this country has ever produced. Both their character and their conduct were beyond reproach.

Unlike his northern counterpart, Ulysses S. Grant, General Lee never sanctioned or condoned slavery. Upon inheriting slaves from his deceased father-in-law, Lee freed them. And according to historians, Jackson enjoyed a familial relationship with those few slaves that were in his home. In addition, unlike Abraham Lincoln and U.S. Grant, there is no record of either Lee or Jackson ever speaking disparagingly of the black race.

As those who are familiar with history know, General Grant and his wife held personal slaves before and during the War Between the States, and, contrary to popular opinion, even Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation did not free the slaves of the North. They were not freed until the Thirteenth Amendment was passed after the conclusion of the war. Grant’s excuse for not freeing his slaves was that “good help is so hard to come by these days.”

Furthermore, it is well established that Jackson regularly conducted a Sunday School class for black children. This was a ministry he took very seriously. As a result, he was dearly loved and appreciated by the children and their parents.

In addition, both Jackson and Lee emphatically supported the abolition of slavery. In fact, Lee called slavery “a moral and political evil.” He also said “the best men in the South” opposed it and welcomed its demise. Jackson said he wished to see “the shackles struck from every slave.”

To think that Lee and Jackson (and the vast majority of Confederate soldiers) would fight and die to preserve an institution they considered evil and abhorrent–and that they were already working to dismantle–is the height of absurdity. It is equally repugnant to impugn and denigrate the memory of these remarkable Christian gentlemen.

In fact, after refusing Abraham Lincoln’s offer to command the Union Army in 1861, Robert E. Lee wrote to his sister on April 20 of that year to explain his decision. In the letter he wrote, “With all my devotion to the Union and the feeling of loyalty and duty of an American citizen, I have not been able to make up my mind to raise my hand against my relatives, my children, my home. I have therefore resigned my commission in the army and save in defense of my native state, with the sincere hope that my poor services may never be needed . . .”

Lee’s decision to resign his commission with the Union Army must have been the most difficult decision of his life. Remember that Lee’s direct ancestors had fought in America’s War For Independence. His father, “Light Horse Harry” Henry Lee, was a Revolutionary War hero, Governor of Virginia, and member of Congress. In addition, members of his family were signatories to the Declaration of Independence.

Remember, too, that not only did Robert E. Lee graduate from West Point “at the head of his class” (according to Benjamin Hallowell), he is yet today one of only six cadets to graduate from that prestigious academy without a single demerit.

However, Lee knew that Lincoln’s decision to invade the South in order to prevent its secession was both immoral and unconstitutional. As a man of honor and integrity, the only thing Lee could do was that which his father had done: fight for freedom and independence. And that is exactly what he did.

Instead of allowing a politically correct culture to sully the memory of Robert E. Lee and Thomas J. Jackson, all Americans should hold them in a place of highest honor and respect. Anything less is a disservice to history and a disgrace to the principles of truth and integrity.

Accordingly, it was more than appropriate that the late President Gerald Ford, on August 5, 1975, signed Senate Joint Resolution 23, “restoring posthumously the long overdue, full rights of citizenship to General Robert E. Lee.” According to President Ford, “This legislation corrects a 110-year oversight of American history.” He further said, “General Lee’s character has been an example to succeeding generations . . .”

The significance of the lives of Generals Lee and Jackson cannot be overvalued. While the character and influence of most of us will barely be remembered two hundred days after our departure, the sterling character of these men has endured for two hundred years. What a shame that so many of America’s youth are being robbed of knowing and studying the virtue and integrity of the great General Robert E. Lee and General Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson.

Furthermore, it is no hyperbole to say that the confederated, constitutional republic so ably declared by Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence of 1776 and codified into statute by the U.S. Constitution of 1787 was, for the most part, expunged at the Appomattox Court House in 1865. After all, it was (and is) the responsibility of the states to be the ultimate vanguard of liberty. Without a tenacious, unrelenting defense of liberty by the sovereign states, we are reduced to ever-burgeoning oppression–which is exactly what we see happening today.

Thankfully, freedom’s heartbeat is still felt among at least a few states. State sovereignty resolutions (proposed in over 30 states), Firearms Freedom acts (passed in 2 states–Montana and Tennessee–and being proposed in at least 12 other states), and official letters (Montana), statements (Texas Governor Rick Perry), and resolutions (Georgia and Montana) threatening secession have already taken place.

Yes, freedom-loving Americans in this generation may need to awaken to the prospect that–in order for freedom to survive–secession may, once again, be in order. One thing is for sure: any State that will not protect and defend their citizens’ right to keep and bear arms cannot be counted on to do diddlysquat to maintain essential freedom. It is time for people to start deciding whether they want to live free or not–and if they do, to seriously consider relocating to states that yet have a heartbeat for liberty.

I will say it straight out: any State that will not protect your right to keep and bear arms is a tyrannical State! And if it is obvious that the freedom-loving citizens of that State are powerless to change it via the ballot box, they should leave the State to its slaves and seek a land of liberty.

I, for one, am thankful for the example and legacy of men such as Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson. They were the spiritual soul mates of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. They were men that loved freedom; they were men that loved federalism and constitutional government; and they were men of courage and understanding. They understood that, sometimes, political separation is the only way that freedom can survive. Long live the spirit of Washington, Jefferson, Lee, and Jackson!

This column is archived at
http://www.chuckbaldwinlive.com/c2010/cbarchive_20100106.html

*If you appreciate this column and want to help me distribute these editorial opinions to an ever-growing audience, donations may now be made by credit card, check, or Money Order. Use this link: http://www.chuckbaldwinlive.com/donate.php

Copyright © 2010 Chuck Baldwin

NOTE TO THE READER:

Chuck Baldwin’s commentaries are copyrighted and may be republished, reposted, or emailed providing the person or organization doing so does not charge for subscriptions or advertising and that the column is copied intact and that full credit is given and that Chuck’s web site address is included.

Recently I received an email with the subject line “Michael Richards from Seinfeld.” Part of the email is quoted below:

Michael Richards, better known as Kramer from TVs Seinfeld does make a good point. This is excerpted from his defense speech in court, where he found himself after making racial comments in his comedy act. He made some very interesting points.

There are African Americans, Mexican Americans, Asian Americans, Arab Americans, Indian Americans etc., and then there are just plain old Americans. You can pass me on the street and sneer in my direction. You call me ‘White boy,’ “Gringo’, ‘Roundeye’, ‘Cracker,’ ‘Honkey,’ ‘Whitey,’ ‘Ofay’, ‘Charlie’, ‘Caveman’… and that will be generally accepted, that’s considered “OK”…

Conversely, however, when I call you: “Nigger, Spic, Towel head, Sand-nigger, Camel Jockey, Beaner, Gook, Jap, or Chink” you are outraged, you call me a racist, and modern society joins in the chorus behind you. You say that whites commit most violence against you… so why are the ghettos the most dangerous places to live? You have the United Negro College Fund. You have Martin Luther King Day. You have Black History Month. You have Cesar Chavez Day. There are organizations like Yom Hashoah and La Raza. You have Mauled Al-Nabi. You even have Kwanzaa. If we say “Merry Christmas” it is now considered offensive.

You have the NAACP. You have BET…. If we had WET (“White Entertainment Television”), that would surely be labeled racist… If we had a White Pride Day, you would call us racists. If we had White History Month, we’d be racists. If we had any organization for only whites designed to ‘advance’ OUR lives, we’d be racists. There is a Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, a Black Chamber of Commerce…. and then we just have the plain Chamber of Commerce which welcomes all people. A white woman could not be in the Miss Black American pageant, but any color can be in the Miss America pageant.

There are over sixty openly proclaimed Black Colleges in the US, yet if there were ‘White colleges’, that would surely be racist, and Lawsuits would follow! If we had a college fund that only gave white students scholarships… You know we’d be called racists. In the Million Man March, you believed that you were marching for your race and rights. Yet if we marched for our race and rights, you would call us racists, and the Press would echo that, and the politicians would give speeches against us.

You are proud to be black, brown, yellow and orange, and you’re not afraid to announce it. You even band together under the banner “People of Color,” but when we announce our white pride, you call us racists.

You rob us, carjack us, rape us, and shoot at us. But, when a white police officer shoots a black gang member or Latino drug dealer, criminals clearly posing a threat to society, you call him a racist, and he is prosecuted for doing his job, for protecting us.

I am proud of my heritage…. But you call me a racist for saying that. Think about it! Why is it that only whites can be accused of being racists?

I can sense the frustration of this email author, whether it was Michael Richards or someone else.  However, as Christians, we should look for the Biblical World View.  The fact is this, if one believes Scripture, everyone descends from one race… Adam’s.  Also, we can all be traced back to Noah and his wife.  So, for Christians, race is not genetic, it is cultural.  It is man-made.  Racism is not new, it is as old as Cain and Abel, and provides evidence of our fallen sin-nature.  It has its roots in jealousy, selfishness, and pride.

To get God’s perspective, consider Jesus Christ’s attitude toward prejudice.  In the time of Christ, Jews and Samaritans were cultural racists toward one another. It was not acceptable for them to mingle, much like blacks and whites in America before the Civil Rights movement. The Parable of the Good Samaritan, found in the Gospel of Luke 10:30-37, provides some insight. Jesus, of Jewish heritage, cast the villains in the story as Jews and the hero as Samaritan. What makes that story interesting is the context. Verses 25-29 provide the context of the story:

And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.” But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

It was there that Jesus told the “Parable of the Good Samaritan.”  He boldly proclaimed that we are all neighbors and should love and care for one another… regardless of our cultural differences.  This is one way we show forth the love of God in us.  It is sad and unfortunate this truth has not permeated our churches in America.  Too many churches and denominations still cling to the cultural racism that has divided us for far too long.

“Do Your Best” is the motto of Cub Scouts.  It is a good motto for all to follow.  Take a moment to read this little story.  As the new year begins, let’s reflect on what kind of house we have built and see if we need to remodel in 2010.

The Carpenter’s Story

An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer-contractor of his plans to leave the house building business and live a more leisurely life with his wife enjoying his extended family. He would miss the paycheck, but he needed to retire. They could get by.

The contractor was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter said yes, but in time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end his career.

When the carpenter finished his work and the builder came to inspect the house, the contractor handed the front-door key to the carpenter. “This is your house,” he said, “My gift to you.”

What a shock! What a shame! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently. Now he had to live in the home he had built none too well.

And so it is with us. We build our lives in a distracted way, re-acting rather than acting, willing to put up less than the best. At important points we do not give the job our best efforts.  Then with a shock we look at the situation we have created and find that we are now living in the house we have built. 

If we had realized, we would have done it differently.

Think of yourself as the carpenter, and your life is your house. Each day you hammer a nail, place a board, or erect a wall. Build wisely!  It is the only life you will ever build.  Even if you live it for only one day more, that day deserves to be lived graciously and with dignity.

The plaque on the wall says, “Life is a do-it-yourself project.”

-Author Uknown

This is the so true, isn’t it?

Your life today is the result of your attitudes and choices in the past. Your life tomorrow will be the result of your attitudes and the choices you make today.