litigious Christianity?

HI Folks, I was thinking today about how so many Americans groups find themselves in a position where they feel it is necessary to file a lawsuit to guarantee their specific rights under the American legal system. It is almost like peering over the brink of a cliff, in some ways. Looking at this supposition gives one a quesy feeling in their stomach, like there is potential danger there... It is my estimation (unscientific estimation) that OUR group, us Christians, are the MOST maligned and "put upon" group in the history of the United States, and for that matter...the world. Do you think that we as a group should be allowed to file a court case every time someone maligns us? When some stranger comes along and sneers at our time-honored faith, should we drag them into court and make them account for their mistake? If we had the legal protection which so many other groups have lobbied for, and won, would it make our lives easier? When a celebrity spouts off about the stupidity of "those Jesus freaks", should we be able to sue? When an openly homosexual person denigrates our faith and belief system with the words, "stupid breeders", shouldn't we be guarenteed the right to reach into their pockets within the structure of our legal system? When one of our countries liberal judges decides that the displaying of the ten commandments is against the legal codes of our great nation, shouldn't we have the legal right to challenge his/her decision, and possibly even have this judge removed from office for daring to affront our "rights"? When a Christian is martyred in a foreign land because he or she is attempting to fulfil Christ's "Great Commission", should the government respond AT LEAST to the same extent which they currently respond to a captured journalist, or a celebrity, or a government worker? Is it possible that in today's American society it is a handicap for one to profess belief in Jesus Christ? Our country was founded on Judeo Christian principles, ethics and beliefs. This belief system is the one overriding reason that our country became the greatest nation on the face of the earth. How is it then that we have allowed our country to become embarrassed by us? How is it then that we have allowed our country to pass legislation which subverts the very beliefs upon which this great nation was founded? How is it then that OUR group, us Christians, have become so apathetic in our political process that we have allowed these things to occur? Since when do we pledge allegience to our political parties, instead of our beliefs? Since when do we stand united together behind a flawed political system which no longer reflects our values, instead of behind the principles of our true leader, Jesus Christ? We must realize that Jesus is our Lord, and act upon the principles which He in His greatness and mercy has handed down to us. We must immediately STOP promoting a particular party in our legal and electoral systems and instead return to the place where we calmly and faithfully vote our ethics. Many of us in America have allowed our political parties to become our new God...THIS is the problem with America today. We must take back our country in the best way we can, through the electoral process. We must once again learn to vote for the moral integrity of our politicians. I say that if the neighborhood dogcatcher is the ONLY moral person on the ballot, then vote for THAT person for president, or congress, or the senate. Let us remind ourselves how truly important that the qualities of morality and ethics and principles are to our nation and our way of life. Return with me to the values of our founding forefathers and the great wisdom they displayed in making this nation, "one nation, under God"! As for the legislation of Christians as a protected group...I have to confess I was being specious when I wrote that. There are certainly enough of us, if we unite together, that this sort of legislation is unnecessary, and we even have biblical evidence that to try to pass this kind of legislation might controvert some of the principles of the Bible. Let us just agree, in this upcoming election year...to vote our consciences, and not our parties. THIS, then, will be sufficient. Please join me in praying for our nation, and for discernment amongst our people...us Christians. God Bless!!! Richard Becton

Texas note

Hi Folks,

      It is interesting to me to see the liberal furor over the possible entry into the presidential race of Texas governor Rick Perry. Not so much because Governor Perry may (or may not) be entering the race, but because of some of the liberal medias response to his decision making process. Apparently the liberal media takes exception to Governor Rick Perry stating he wished to be called by God, before entering the race for president in 2012. I applaud Governor Perry's stated desire for divine guidance. Our nation needs JUST that kind of guidance.

Now, I have to admit that I don't watch a whole lot of liberal media, with the exception of CNN, so my opinion of the liberal medias "take" on Governor Rick Perry is necessarily somewhat one-sided. However, if the likes of Stephen Colbert and Bill Maher are indicative of the general liberal medias attitude, then it is apparently more worthwhile for a liberal to belittle a candidate's faith than it is to analyze that candidates stance on issues. Now, I wouldn't care about the statements of these comedians if these liberally biased comedians also belittled their own parties candidates, in the interest of illiciting laughs...but they do not. The interest these "comedians" have, is obviously political, in addition to the humor derived. The field of potential presidents is RIFE with comedic possibilities (http://2012.presidential-candidates.org/), not the least of which is our current President's attempts to absolve himself from all responsibility for the nation he has failed to lead...and yet that segment of the media chooses to focus on the faith beliefs of Governor Rick Perry. It makes me very sad to see someone belittled for their publicly professed faith.

      The liberal media really does think one must be stupid, to believe in God. How sad is that? And how basically IMPORTANT is that to realize?

Richard
http://casadeservicio.blogspot.com/

Get used to it!

Hi Folks,

     I'm writing today to ruminate upon a basic fact of our natures, human nature... 

     The great majority of us, human beings, that have normal capacity for experience can very quickly habituate ourselves to almost anything.  We are born with a miraculous capacity to adapt to our environments, physical, psychological and emotional ones.  From our natal moment we begin to adapt...we emerge from the waters of our mother's womb and begin to use our muscles to counteract the effects of gravity, ...light from the room assails our visual senses and we learn to  adjust, to our new "normal",  ...someone cuts the umbilical cord, and we breathe using our freshly grown lungs...our ears are assailed by discordant noises very dissimilar to the rushing fluidity of our mothers heartbeat, and we perceive a new normality, ...these first few moments of our exterior life are full of changes and necessary adaptations.  It is this kind of primary adaptive experience which serves us well through the many changes and adaptations which will be required of us for the extent of our physical lives.

     Adaptation is the most readily identifiable cause for us humans, as a species, to have survived the rigors of the physical world we were born into.  From the time of Adam and Eve until today, and beyond to all of our futures...the physical skill of adaptation has been with us, preserving the comfort of our lives better than a well trained servant.  I wonder if perhaps the skill of social adaptation is as important, or even MORE important than our physical ability to adapt? 

     From the scientifically offered premise of our cave-dwelling ancestors who survived by banding together in small clans to guard against danger, and starvation, and to preserve comfort...through the establishment of kingdoms and fiefdoms and the rule of feudal lords...and as our social evolution continued while democracy and socialism and communism and the rule of law came into effect in this earth's societies...we have adapted. 

     It is no wonder that the choosing of our leaders is of critical importance to us!  As humans, living in the societies which are created and shaped by the people that rule us...in whatever form they come... there are few decisions which are more important and more dangerous than the choosing of a leader!  Even leaders that have been chosen poorly, or who have become corrupted by the power and wealth of leadership may continue to effect our societies for extended periods.  Lifetimes, in fact.  The fall of multiple leaders in the Middle East took place after lifetimes of decadent rule, and sometimes only after generations of mismanaged or corrupt rule.  Choose wisely in the beginning and shape your society for the better, choose poorly and decay, and corruption, and an eventual war or uprising of society is all that will contain or eradicate a poorly chosen ruler.  At the very least, a poorly chosen leader may halt the progress of an otherwise advancing society.

     In Central and South America we can witness how a poorly chosen ruler can cause the advancement of a society to falter, or stop altogether.  In Korea, and China and Russia...and the United States of America we can ALL bear witness to the same thing happening.  And yet, our societies adapt.

     IS adaptation, social adaptation, a good thing?  Yes, it IS, ...decidedly good in fact.  We must be cautious however of our innate skill of adaptation, because we also have a tendency to become habituated to things in our lives which we would be much better off without. Leaders, both secular and theological ones, come to us with bright plans for our futures.  That is why we elect them, or allow them to lead us (for those societies on earth that have foregone the formality of elections).  We must preserve our societies from those leaders amongst us that show us the bright shiny futures they will attempt to bring to fruition, while skillfully guarding their own darker plans of personal wealth, power and control.  We MUST investigate the character of our potential leaders, and even the moral basis upon which they will lead us...these things are indicative of the KIND of people, and leaders, that they are...and will become.  There is no more important thing in our lives, from a purely secular viewpoint, than to pick wisely...those that will lead us.  Because once we pick them, we begin the process of adaptation to their way of thinking and their goals, and their plans, and their exertions to shape OUR societies.  Those of us that live in societies where we are given a voice, even if it is a nominal voice, should do our utmost to pick a leader which will preserve the KIND of society in which we want to live. 

     Try to put aside the tactics of groups of men that wish to decide these things for you...they DO NOT know what YOU want for society...they know what THEY want for YOUR society.  Please make an effort in the upcoming election year, in America...MY society, to choose your leader based upon the type of society in which you wish to live.  Vote your heart, and your mind, and your morals, and your ethics in 2012.  Shy away from simply tossing your vote into the pool of fetid organic political tripe that is offered up to you by the parties which are in control of our nations government.  These two parties are so similar that they have to define themselves with "issues of the day"...instead of the great encompassing issues which truly faces a society as large and generous and spectacular as our American society. 

     If we truly want "change" in America, then vote for change...the type of change which YOU believe in, and keep the political machinations of the two-party American political system at arms length.  Vote for an independant candidate, RUN as an independant candidate, BE an independant American!  STAND for your values, whatsoever they may be, and JUMP at the opportunity to impact the society which you live and work within, SWING your lives away from the mealy-mouthed pap which is spoon-fed to the voters, and VOTE as though your lives depend upon it...because really....they do.

     Prepare your minds.  Take a REAL LOOK at what is important to you as a person, and what would be best for YOUR family.  Make THIS ELECTION YEAR, your personal election year.  You have my permission to be selfish, and vote for what is best for YOU, and for YOUR country, and for our society.

Richard

    

blindness?

Hi Folks,

    I remember the days after the attack on the World Trade Center Towers in New York with clarity.  There were American flags clutched in a great majority of peoples hands, and the nation was as united and as unitedly aghast as I have ever seen in my life...at the destruction that evil minds had perpetrated upon our nation.  The United States of America, like few other times in it's short existence in history, was united in an emotional moment.  There were no fence-sitters in the weeks following the destruction of buildings, ...and monuments, ...and lives. 

     We swore as a nation, in the aftermath...that we would NEVER forget.  Yet today, our nation is more divided than ever before.

     There are pretty arguments that say forgetting is a good thing, and necessary for the healing of our nation.  I disagree, respectfully, with that opinion.  I think we can heal from the ghastly wounds inflicted upon our national psyche through triumph, and victory, not through forgetting.  I thank God that we had a president that COULD NOT forget the senseless loss of lives and property on that evil day.  There are a great many people in America that will have a knee-jerk reaction to the audacity of me writing a kind word about President George Bush.  I could write paragraphs of kind words about that man, if I chose to do so...he is truly a remarkable person.  But that's not what this little note is about...

     This little note is about the blindness that has overtaken our nation.  We have devolved into a conglomeration of ignorant "rights" and "lefts".  Some will blame the "right wing media", and others may blame the "left-leaning liberal press"...but I feel that the blame is upon each of us that has allowed ourselves to be led down the primrose path...by the nose.  The press, and the media, are simple reflections of our national need for clarity.  Our nation has left its adolescent opinions and actions of the past and now stands upon the brink of adulthood on a global scale.  It is a scary time in the life of a person, or a nation, when one steps forth as a thinking entity...an adult (so to speak).  Adulthood is a time when important issues take on hues of meaning and can no longer be resolved by a quick action, or a thoughtless word.  Issues which we once thought were simple have acquired shades of grey, and brown, and depths of complication we had never thought possible when we were children, scuffling on the playyards of America.  When this complexity of global issues assails our senses it is no wonder that many of us regress back to simplistic notions and fall for those 30 second sound bytes that keep being pushed at us, over our air waves.

     We need help to comprehend what our best choices are, as a nation...in the world.  It is no wonder that a great many of our citizens have taken the easy path of following the simplistic logic of 30 second sound bytes, spewed forth by two great political machines. 

      Make no mistake, there ARE two great political machines at work in OUR nation.  I believe that they are our nations greatest enemy, at this moment in time.  Where are the thoughtful men and women in America, who make up their own minds about complex issues and band together for the greater good of our nation, and our world?  They are here, in our neighborhoods.  They live next door to us, and work side by side with us.  They are us...given the chance.

    I believe that the time has come in America for a third party to lead the way into the bright future which is our national birth-right.  I like a lot about the Democratic party, and I like a lot about the Republican party.  However, I dislike the way that both of these parties wink and nod at what suckers the American people are.  I could find myself aligning with a philosophy of political intent.  I am very tired, oh so very tired of having the "issue of the moment" thrust at me as though it were THE deciding factor in an election year.  Where are the men and women of vision in the American political system?  Is Sarah Palin the best we can offer up, and if so...then vote for her!  Ms. Palin is quite charming, and not nearly as naive as she is being portrayed. 

     I think it is time to form a viable third party in America...maybe we should call it the pragmatist party, (our symbol could be duct tape).  The Tea Party lost its way amongst the political forces arrayed against it...where is the resolve of thoughtful, intelligent, ethical men and women in America?

Richard

linking to FaceBook

Hi Folks,

     I think I have managed to link my blog to FaceBook..., now I have to decide if I have anything to write about in the future.,

Richard
www.casadeservicio.org

Merry Christmas, from Richard and Carolyn

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

 

Along with the rest of the world, I want to take a second to wish you a very Merry Christmas on this, the most special day of the year.

 

     Carolyn and I have enjoyed the company of each of you at some point during this year, either online, or in person.  We value and appreciate each and every one of you, and want to thank you for your good wishes, and continued prayers for our mission in Nicaragua.

 

     Things have progressed very well in both Puerto Cabezas and Managua for our ongoing mission, we thank you for your support and prayers.

 

 

    God bless each of you!

 

Richard and Carolyn Becton

www.casadeservicio.org

flight@flash.net

 

Merry Christmas everyone

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

 

Along with the rest of the world, I want to take a second to wish you a very Merry Christmas on this, the most special day of the year.

 

     Carolyn and I have enjoyed the company of each of you at some point during this year, either online, or in person.  We value and appreciate each and every one of you, and want to thank you for your good wishes, and continued prayers for our mission in Nicaragua.

 

     Things have progressed very well in both Puerto Cabezas and Managua for our ongoing mission, we thank you for your support and prayers.

 

 

    God bless each of you!

 

Richard and Carolyn Becton