I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, that His justice cannot sleep forever.
– Thomas Jefferson
The writer of the Declaration of Independence worried that the sins of the nation would bring God’s judgment upon them. In the case of Jefferson, it was the great evil of slavery that worried him. How long did it take for God to judge America for this great evil?
Just about a hundred years.
I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, that His justice cannot sleep forever.
– Thomas Jefferson
The writer of the Declaration of Independence worried that the sins of the nation would bring God’s judgment upon them. In the case of Jefferson, it was the great evil of slavery that worried him. How long did it take for God to judge America for this great evil?
Just about a hundred years.
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Have you ever tried to stand on broken legs?
You can’t.
It’s as if your legs have ceased to exist. You cannot stand on broken legs. You cannot use an arm that is broken. You can’t stand with a back that’s broken.
Without a foundation to work with, your muscles are useless, and your body is useless. And, if your bones are broken in a hostile environment, that ‘useless’ body is going to become someone’s lunch – unless you have someone with good bones to protect you.
Have you ever tried to stand on broken legs?
You can’t.
It’s as if your legs have ceased to exist. You cannot stand on broken legs. You cannot use an arm that is broken. You can’t stand with a back that’s broken.
Without a foundation to work with, your muscles are useless, and your body is useless. And, if your bones are broken in a hostile environment, that ‘useless’ body is going to become someone’s lunch – unless you have someone with good bones to protect you.
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Recently, I’ve been struggling with the challenge of communicating. Oh no, I can still talk. Why, I even said something a couple weeks ago that got a hairbrush thrown at me.
(I have a big mouth.)
But, there’s something on my mind that I’m having trouble getting out, and it’s all about the decline of America. It’s a giant topic and very complex, and it just doesn’t fit easily through the narrow pipe that is the written language. And, when I chop it down into smaller pieces, it still doesn’t seem to fit. So, instead of throwing concepts and ideas at you, I’m going to talk about me and what ‘me’ has seen.
Recently, I’ve been struggling with the challenge of communicating. Oh no, I can still talk. Why, I even said something a couple weeks ago that got a hairbrush thrown at me.
(I have a big mouth.)
But, there’s something on my mind that I’m having trouble getting out, and it’s all about the decline of America. It’s a giant topic and very complex, and it just doesn’t fit easily through the narrow pipe that is the written language. And, when I chop it down into smaller pieces, it still doesn’t seem to fit. So, instead of throwing concepts and ideas at you, I’m going to talk about me and what ‘me’ has seen.
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Being a Christian in Israel is no big deal.
In fact, it’s really no more difficult than being a Christian in the US – which is to say that it’s not really that difficult. The worst that you can say about Israel and the US is the temptation to be something other than Christian.
That’s pretty much it.
Not so, in Palestine.
If you are a Christian, in the West Bank or Gaza, you are in a lot of trouble. In fact, you might be in so much trouble that you might have to run for your life – or lose it.
Being a Christian in Israel is no big deal.
In fact, it’s really no more difficult than being a Christian in the US – which is to say that it’s not really that difficult. The worst that you can say about Israel and the US is the temptation to be something other than Christian.
That’s pretty much it.
Not so, in Palestine.
If you are a Christian, in the West Bank or Gaza, you are in a lot of trouble. In fact, you might be in so much trouble that you might have to run for your life – or lose it.
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Posted in Democracy, Society on Jun 27th, 2010
So, what do you do when a democratic country goes bad? What happens when they make choices that turn them into a threat to your survival?
Just because your neighbor is a democracy doesn’t mean that you can automatically trust them. For instance, what if your country lived next to a bunch of people who routinely dumped radioactive gas into the air every time the wind was blowing in your direction? Or, maybe your democratic neighbor believed in stealing anything that wasn’t nailed down in YOUR country – and taking it to theirs. Or, maybe this democratic neighbor worshipped war and violent death, and continually did the best that it could to murder as many of your citizens as possible.
So, what do you do when a democratic country goes bad? What happens when they make choices that turn them into a threat to your survival?
Just because your neighbor is a democracy doesn’t mean that you can automatically trust them. For instance, what if your country lived next to a bunch of people who routinely dumped radioactive gas into the air every time the wind was blowing in your direction? Or, maybe your democratic neighbor believed in stealing anything that wasn’t nailed down in YOUR country – and taking it to theirs. Or, maybe this democratic neighbor worshipped war and violent death, and continually did the best that it could to murder as many of your citizens as possible.
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