Honestly Thinking

Honestly thinking (& rethinking) about God, the universe, and everything in between

Tag: free speech

Sorry, Fellow White Conservative Males, I’ve Got to Separate Myself on This

August 20, 2017 / / 5 Comments

First, to settle this up front. I still call myself conservative.

I’m still with you on the importance of personal responsibility and limited government.

I’m still with you in contending that free market capitalism offers the best opportunity for everyone.

I’m still with you in advocating for the life of the unborn and holding that traditional families are the building block of our society.

I’m still with you in endorsing the freedom to express one’s faith and in believing that scripture, like the constitution, should be interpreted according to the authors’ original intent.

But as I’ve watched your various responses to the recent events in Charlottesville…

…as I’ve observed many of you simultaneously try to distance yourselves from the racist alt-right while also minimalizing it by pointing fingers at the media and the counter-protesters and their “inaccurate” understanding of confederate symbolism and historical facts…

…as I’ve witnessed you defend a typically no-holds-barred, “un-presidential,” unconcerned-with-facts leader as he suddenly became more reserved, “presidential,” and concerned with facts “on both sides” with this particular group…

I have to be honest…

Sorry, fellow white conservative males, I’ve got to separate myself on this.

In fact, it is my conservative belief…

…that the intent of the constitution was to give the right to “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness”

…that the intent of scripture was not only that you love God but also “love your neighbor as yourself”

…that absolutely demands it.

I know I may not be describing all of you in regards to your recent responses, but what I’m talking about is actually much bigger than just this one event.

I’ve observed it particularly over the last year and half.

I’ve observed it in your various responses to different events.

Perhaps it’s just gotten worse, or perhaps the problem’s been there all along and I’m just beginning now to wake up.

What I’m talking about is either your inability or absolute refusal to listen to and believe other people’s stories. Continue reading

Words Everywhere*

Words

July 22, 2017 / / 4 Comments

The words felt good.

Just a few simple words replying to comments on someone’s post

enough to knock them down a few inches and build my own self worth.

Then sit back and count the number of likes,

never minding who gets hurt

…in my war of words.

Words that were so filling and yet so          empty.

Words.

Funny things they are

just utterances of sounds

and a bunch of .dots and lines and curves

and yet so powerful in everything they do.

They start wars and bring peace.

They destroy relationships and make best friends.

Whisper “I love you” and you build a new bond.

Utter “I do” and you start a new life

write “We the People“ and a whole new nation is born. Continue reading

If I Were the Devil, This is How I Would Lead the Elect Astray

October 2, 2016 / / 2 Comments

In speaking about the end times, Jesus told his disciples, “For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders that would deceive (or ‘lead astray’) even the elect, if that were possible” (Matt 24:24, BSB).

Now I have never been big on getting caught up in end time prophesies and often find it funny that so many Christians live in constant fear trying to point out who might be the Antichrist as though to try and stop him (after all, aren’t we promised it’s going to happen no matter what?), but when it comes to the end times there are two questions that fascinate me:

1) Why do so many END TIMES prophesy sites always resort to using such terrible fonts???

and…

2) How is it that the elect could actually be led astray?

After all the “elect” are the chosen ones, the faithful followers of God, the ones who have devoted their lives to being disciples of the real Christ.  It includes the kind of people who know their Bibles backwards and forwards and can name every book without having to sing a song and the kind of people who sickeningly get up at 4am every single morning to study and pray.

It includes the leaders you’ve come to know and respect, the ones you rely on to separate the truths from the lies, and the kind of people who lament about the continual deception going on in the world.  How is it that they get deceived? Continue reading

The Political Correctness of being Politically Incorrect

February 14, 2016 / / 13 Comments

Back in high school, my best friend Mike and I were riding in my oh-so-cool blue 1978 GT Toyota Celica, most likely with Phil Collins music blaring in the background (because that’s pretty much what we always listened to in those days – if not Peter Gabriel, Bryan Adams, or anything from my “Miami Vice” soundtrack).  I don’t remember the exact context of the conversation, but most likely as a wanna-be-filmmaker I had been dreaming up another idea for one of our many VHS camera recorded mini-film adventures, when I proposed,

“And then one of the Japs comes flying down with his plane…”

Mike suddenly turned to me with that wry half-grin of his and said, “Japs?”

“What?” I responded, clueless at what he was getting at.

“Japs, Steve?  Really?”

You see, a little background here: Mike was (or I guess still technically is) half-Japanese – his mother, an immigrant from Japan after marrying Mike’s American military dad.  If anything, Mike somewhat more favors the Japanese side in terms of looks.

But to me, Mike was just…Mike.  My best friend. Continue reading

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