Monthly Archives: August 2017

Confederate Flag and Statues 2017-31

Posted in Current Events by

 Confederate Flag and Statues   2017-31

 I have been thinking about the flag and statue issue in the U.S. lately.

The confederate flag is a symbol. A symbol of a lost cause. It has other meanings as well, for many people in this great land of the United States…     

“The Confederate battle flag was never adopted by the Confederate Congress, never flew over any state capitols during the Confederacy, and was never officially used by Confederate veterans’ groups. The flag probably would have been relegated to Civil War museums if it had not been resurrected by the resurgent KKK. Supporters have labeled attempts to display the flag as an exercise of free speech, which it is, although a bad one.

On May 19, 2016, the United States House of Representatives voted to ban the display of Confederate flags on flagpoles at Veterans Administration cemeteries, by a 265-159 vote. The ban was contained in an amendment (House Amendment 592, 114th Congress) to House bill 2822, an appropriations bill. The author of the amendment was California congressman Jared Huffman, who stated that the flag represented “racism, slavery and division. Per Wikipedia”

You can show it, but it also shows something about YOU. What? Don’t really know what, because you might be a very nice person and to suggest you are not is not for me to state. It is, today, an archaic symbol, used by some for many reasons.

I lived in the south for many years and found out some interesting things about the people of the south.

Most are decent, law-abiding, and gracious people. Many would do anything for me when I asked or even if I did not ask. Many went to church regularly and believed in God, Jesus Christ and the Holly Spirit and showed this by doing Christian things as an everyday thing to do.

I do know that by showing this flag is telling me you have beliefs of some sorts. For a lost cause of the past or a challenge of the now or future, that is up to you to say. I do know it is offensive to many because of the past and the Civil War. My great-great grandfather fought and was wounded in the Civil War for the North, and in a way, your showing the flag is telling me you don’t care about what he did or what happened.

That is a shame in a general way, but you can continue to fly this symbol because you have a right entitled to you by the U.S. Constitution to do so, even though it is a disgrace to do so in my mind.

As such, the statues that have been erected during the Jim Crow era that was enforcing racial segregation and in the 1950’s were done so in retaliation to the things happening then. They are a symbol of slavery not heroes for a lost cause. Itis probably time for them to end up in a museum or a junk yard. If any have a problem with this, that is your problem not mine. 

Den Betts

God’s Glory Shown 2017-30

Posted in Current Events, Religious by

God’s Glory Shown 2017-30
WOW!!!!
So, I was outside, with ISO glasses, looking up at the Sun and Moon. Of course, the Moon was showing its dominance by blotting out the Sun, or at least partially, here in the Cleveland area.

I will share them with you, on what I was thinking.

God’s Glory was evident to me, totally and not partially. He was there for me, showing me His power and might. As Moses asked, “Please show me your glory”, so God did so with millions of people today, as he does always each day in different ways.

When I pray, I tell God, “Thank you, for your Glory, God!” That is one part of my prayer to God, when I pray to the only God of the Universe; my God, your God, our God.

I also, pray other things each time also, but firstly, the thanking of God for his Glory is foremost. He shows His Glory in ways that we experience with, besides sight, by hearing Him, touching Him, tasting things, He creates, smelling the goodness of His creations, and other ways such as feelings of closeness that He shares with us. All part of the senses of life that we enjoy daily.
God is alive, He is active, He is aware, He is Present with us always. We only have to take the time to realize His Glory is given to us for us to appreciate, to love, to give thanks for to Him.

God is good, God is great, Thanks be to God.

Den Betts

Evangelical’s and Trump 2017-29

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Evangelical’s and Trump 2017-29

I do NOT claim to be an Evangelical Christian; have heard of them, think I may know a few, do not hate or really love any for any reason, but think I should describe what I believe they are to me. In that way, I can compare myself and POTUS Trump to them.

 A check at Wikipedia states it is a worldwide trans denominational movement within Protestant Christianity that maintains the belief that the essence of the gospel consists of the doctrine of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ’s atonement.  Well, that sums it up well, but is hard to get my mind around this explanation. It further states that they believe in the centrality of the conversion or the “born again” experience in receiving salvation, and the authority of the Bible as God’s revelation to humanity and spreading the Christian message. Whew!

I understand, the Methodist Church, the Baptist communities of churches and perhaps some Anglicans are good representatives of this movement.  Evangelicals are among the most dynamic religious group movements in the contemporary world. Since I do NOT want to make this a religious critique, I will leave it at this and allow any to look up the word Evangelical at your leisure and learn more about it.

The main thing, in my mind, is this.   Evangelicals are religious. They are mainstream in many ways, sometimes fundamental in belief in many cases, and basically conservative in nature.  Those are not bad things at all, but does put them in a slot of identifying how they feel to a degree. They have a good bit of history about them and I think of The Reverend Billy Graham is a prime example of an evangelist, promoting this faith. As a total, they represent about 28 percent of the U.S. religious groups in the U.S. or about 91 million total.

POTUS Trump is identified as a Presbyterian, which is not actually listed as being an evangelical religion. In a book he wrote, “The Art of the Deal”, which he highly touts, there is no mention of religion and he stated, “I don’t like to analyze myself, because I might not like what I see” he told biographer D’Antonio. He has stated he does attend church occasionally, on Christmas, Easter and “special occasions” (weddings?), but is too busy on most Sundays. I used to do this myself, I admit, and many do so. 

OK, he does not sit in church waiting for the voice of God or sitting through a service or confessing his sins, or other religious doings and that is fine with me. I don’t care, that is his life, not mine!

But, it does bother me that the religious leaders or those in power at the Evangelical church feel he is Evangelical enough to promote him, endorse him and follow him as they do.  He, in my mind, does not follow the tenants of any Evangelical religion, any fundamentalist actions, or even Christian beliefs. I am not being judgmental about this, but more of stating factual thoughts of how he acts in life.

To say they are Evangelical, fundamental in religious thought, religious in general and promote him as being “one of their own” is Bullcrap to me.  It is hypocritical and not realistic. If they, The everyday practicing Evangelical’s, are part of Trump’s “BASE” that he loves so much and if they still support him, then they are lying to themselves in the process, and Trump loves this and them.

Den Betts

Coward 2017-28

Posted in Contemplation, Statement by

I thought of this one I wrote when I watched the Charlottesville, Va. murder by car on TV the weekend of 7-12-17. The young man that mowed down innocent people during a rally by the evil people that belong to the KKK, White Nationalists and White Supremacists groups showed how much of a coward he was by doing his thing with a car.  This is NOT what decent people do here in America or across the world.

 

Coward   2017-28

A person who cowers when others do their duty,

afraid with fright to continue.

One who refuses to participate in a common goal

as the whole pitches in

Who stands alone while others continue in the quest

to accomplish the stated objectives.

Those that look out for selves at all times and

forget their fellow man when needed.

Whose direction or travel is opposite to the

flow of others in an emergency.

Who hide behind a mask or darkness of night

to state their warped beliefs against fellow man.

Who feel the need to degrade with words; to slur

instead of address their own hidden fears.

An individual or group that bullies the few or one,

by intimidation or physical violence.

Whose greatest fear is the fear that they will

be found out to be cowards that they are….

 

Den Betts

Granting of Life 2017-27

Posted in Contemplation by

So EASY to do, taking life for granted!!! We all expect tomorrow to arrive, life to go on, and on and on…….  I sometimes sit and contemplate life in general, my life and lives of others I know.  It is NOT a given, something that will never end, but is something to appreciate while we have it here on Earth.

Granting of Life   2017-27

 

Taking life for granted, at times,

is an easy thing to do.

The repetitious existence we live,

a sameness, of happenings –nothing new.

 

The birds flying by, making noise,

and bees buzzing – creating honey

The grass needs cut again, of course;

girls being annoyed by little boys.

 

All our senses gather data each day,

sometimes not as good as before,

But with a sensual diminishment,

consider if they were taken away.

 

Knowing what we are born with

and then learn to improve with time.

The walking, running and everything,

is now a normal expected thing.

 

If taken away, any will be missed,

when something was always there.

The parting is not fair, and really

should have been more appreciated

 

Den Betts