Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Jesus should be acknowledged outside of church, too . . .

The shooting of the young black teen in Florida has been on the news for weeks now and how can it not given the circumstances. It is a tragic mistake/accident about which the courts have yet to convene and decide. Meanwhile, tempers are flaring, racial comments are flying, and some factions like nothing better than to inflame the masses. No matter how it happened, it left questions and a young man dead.

It is heart-rending, however, that instead of learning a lesson from this and coming together to figure out a solution to all the horrible things that happen in the world, some people are taking this injustice into their own areas of life and innocent people are being hurt in the name of the young man who died in Florida. The man who shot the teen in Florida has been called all kinds of names and is basically regarded by many as a murderer, an animal . . . Someone who took it upon himself to kill another because of race.

Interesting . . . Since this all came to light over the last few weeks, there are been two reported instances of people being horribly beaten by others in 'the name' of the dead Florida teen. I'm at a loss to understand how this justifies anything. Doesn't an attack on an innocent person come under the title of attempted murder done by people acting irrationally? How does it help the family of the deceased teen or the world to deliberately beat up other people?

Just this week, a man was beat up by 20-some people and is in a partial coma and in critical condition. His 'sin'? He was white and he asked some teens at after eight in the evening if they could hold down the noise of their game. In most cities, there is a ordinance about disturbing the peace after a certain hour. From what has been reported to date, family of the teens showed up at his door and beat him savagely on his own property. According to one of the parents, they resented him complaining about the noise and that they are just happy the boys stay close to home so they will keep out of trouble, etc.  Yet, the example set to these teens was anything but a good one.

People argue that the problems in the country are economics, greedly corporations, etc. when I see the basis for all this in feelings of entitlement and a tragic loss of human kindness and God in our lives. Often the big picture has it's roots in little things. Prayer can turn a hard heart faster and more surely than a gang of people intent on doing someone hurt because of their own frustrations and shortcomings. We are often told that we might be the only Bible a person every 'reads'. What book were these hate mongers representing when they used their fists instead of their minds and heart?

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