Post Election Thoughts

I'm still trying to work out how I feel about Tuesday's election. I'm obviously unhappy that Trump won. And I have friends who are truly scared because they are part of a marginalized group.

Other Christians are posting things like "God is still on his throne" and "Trump may be president, but Jesus is King". While that is true, it doesn't mean that there won't be consequences from the results of the election. God was still in control during the Holocaust, right?

In fact, we're already seeing racism and xenophobia already rearing their ugly heads. These are attitudes that were there before the election, but people are feeling more comfortable expressing these ideas. Check out this twitter feed.

I'm not the first to question how God can allow personal and corporate catastrophes to happen. Job (in the Bible) was one of the first and certainly not the last. But, the fact is that God does let this kind of thing happen. (I'm not a Calvinist - I think God lets them happen, not that he makes them happen.) I truly believe that Trump becoming president is a bad thing. Maybe he'll prove me wrong.

The first thing we can do is lament. Lament is a biblical response to any kind of tragedy. There are laments in the Psalms and the prophets. My go-to scripture is the Book of Lamentations traditionally ascribed to Jeremiah and written as a response to the exile of the Jews from Jerusalem. The author cries out to God asking why God could allow such a disaster to occur.

And right now, it's OK to just lament. If you are one of the marginalized groups of people that Trump has spoken against, you may need more time to adjust to the new reality. And that's just fine. Pray, meditate, be with people who love you and lift you up.

When our time of lament is over, the time of work begins. That starts with prayer. Our foundation is always prayer. Micah 6:8 tells us, 
"He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
    And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
    and to walk humbly[a] with your God."

Justice, mercy, and humility start with God. After that, we each have our lives to live and our own work to do. What I do as a 49 year old woman with chronic migraine is going to be completely different from my daughter as a 22 year old dance teacher. 

And this, of course, brings us back to love. We must love each other. We must love the marginalized people who are understandably scared right now - immigrants, Muslims, disabled, LGBTQ friends, and even women. But, we also must love those who are acting hatefully - the KKK groups that are harassing the marginalized and putting out nasty fliers, the Confederate flag fliers who are scaring our African-American population, and all those who are speaking ill of anyone.

So, love hard. It may not be easy. But, it's the only choice we have if we're going to put this country back together. 

Anything you would add?

CCM

Congratulations, America!!

Congratulations, America!!! You are 240 years old and have managed to elect the most incompetent, unqualified, and least temperamentally appropriate person to be our President for the next four years.

I'll spare you the pages and pages of how he is unqualified. Just a few instances will suffice. The New York Times listed all the people that he insulted on a two page spread. Numerous other newspapers chose to support Hillary Clinton. The KKK loves him and David Duke wants to be his buddy. But, no, America, you thought that putting the most misogynistic, homophobic, and bigoted candidate into the highest position of leadership in our country was a good idea.

By the time you're hung over and reading this, you might have figured out that you made a major screw-up.

But, it's only four years. If you can keep him away from the nuclear codes and Twitter and keep him from insulting any foreign dictators, you can probably make it through. After all, most government stuff is run by bureaucracy anyway, right? 

Okay. I'm done being snarky. It was the migraine talking.

In reality though, we have a President who has marginalized many minority groups. We have to deal with this. People of color, LGBTQ friends, and immigrants have all been made to feel unwelcome during this campaign. They are scared. How do I know? Because some of them are my friends. It's now time for us to fix the damage that this campaign has done.

We have to love hard. Love when it hurts. Love people you don't want to love (yes, even the homophobic bigot or the immigrant of questionable legality). Love like Jesus loved.

Give. Give till it hurts. Give your time. Give your love. Give whatever someone else needs.

We aren't going to make it through the next four years if we let this administration keep dividing us. That means that people like me who see this election as a huge dumpster fire are going to have to put it behind me because many of the people I love in my family and circle of friends are happy with the outcome of the election. 

We're all going to have to love hard.

34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34-35

CCM

As always, please let me know any thoughts or ideas you have in the comments. I'd love to hear from you!

Protect Our Families!!

In 1989, the United Nations adopted the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.  Since that time, all of the member countries of the UN have adopted it except for the United States and Somalia.  President Obama has said that he would review this issue during his administration.

The Convention on the Rights of the Child is an international convention of 54 articles stating the rights of children under the age of 18 in the countries which have adopted the convention.  Most of the items are benign and common-sense: children have the right to life (Article 6), children have the right to an education (Article 28), children have the right to a name (Article 7).  Others are more controversial: children shall have freedom of expression only limited by concerns of national security or the rights of others (Article 13), children shall have freedom of assembly limited only by the interests of public safety or public order (Article 15), children shall have the right to privacy even in their own home (Article 16), children have the right to social security and social insurance (Article 26).

During the Clinton administration, Madeleine Albright signed this treaty, but it has not yet been ratified by the 2/3 of the U.S. Senate required to put it into effect.  Under our Constitution, a treaty automatically supercedes all other laws, federal and state.  In this country, most of the laws regarding families, children, and welfare are made at the state level.  If this treaty is ratified, all of those laws would be replaced by this treaty.

There is serious concern, also, about the parts of the treaty guaranteeing children freedom of expression and freedom of assembly.  There is absolutely no discussion of parental authority over children’s activities.  Although the treaty talks a great deal about the importance of families and parents, there is discussion mostly about parents’ role as advisors, not as authority figures.

Another area of concern is Article 26 which states that children have the right to social security and social insurance.  Our government is democratic and our economy is capitalistic.  Guaranteeing economic security is the role of a socialistic government, which is not part of our economic or governing system.

Basically, this Convention threatens our rights as parents to direct the upbringing of our children as we see fit.  If it is ratified, there is no recourse.  It will automatically take the place of all other laws, both federal and state, that govern the interactions of family and state.

What can we do?  The first thing to do is to pray.  God is in control of all of this, so we don’t need to worry, but we must pray that His will is done in everything.  Then we need to learn more about this treaty.  The text of the Convention can be found here.  Parentalrights.org is an organization that is devoted to “Protecting Children by Empowering Parents.”  Wikipedia has an entry with more details about the treaty itself.  The Campaign for US Ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child is an organization that is supporting the ratification.

The treaty has not yet come to the Senate to ratification, but we can and should let our Senators know our feelings on this matter by a phone call or email.  You can also join Parentalrights.org by signing their petition and considering their argument for an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to codify parents’ rights.  Of course, if you agree that this U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child is a bad idea for American families, then please tell your friends and neighbors and encourage them to get involved as well.

It is important, though, that we remember not to get discouraged whatever happens in this struggle for families.  Jesus told us that “In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart! I have over come the world.”  Notice that he doesn’t say, “I have overcome the world as long as the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child doesn’t pass” or “I have overcome the world as long as American families are doing OK.”  He has overcome the world.  Period.

Paul tells us “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guards your heats and your minds in Christ Jesus.”  We are not to be anxious, but to pray.  Through all of this, God tells us to be obedient, to pray, and to accept His peace.

Gettin’ Political

I’m not generally a political creature.  I’m a lifelong conservative (we’ll ignore a few months in college, OK?).  I vote.  I occasionally email my representatives (and get back nice little form letters).  I put signs in my yard.  But, that’s about it.  So yesterday’s attendance at the TEA (Taxed Enough Already) Party in Appleton was a bit of a departure for me.

Why go?  Well, as the name of the rally suggests, I believe we are taxed enough.  Of course, unlike the original Boston Tea Party, this time around we have elected representative.  But, they don’t seem to be paying much attention to what we are telling them to do.  This rally was a reminder.  As the speakers at the rally reiterated, our officials are elected by the people of this country, so we need to vote, get our friends and neighbors to vote conservative, and get more conservative candidates to run for office.

Another reason to go was to exercise our freedoms of association and speech as enumeration in the Bill of Rights.  I also wanted my kids to see these freedoms in action.  It was great to be among several hundred (if not a thousand) people who wanted to make their opinions known to the government.  We listened to several speeches, all of which exhorted us to take legal and peaceful action.  It was a good experience all the way around.

Good News!

Tom Daschle has asked President Obama to withdraw his name from nomination for Secretary of Health and Human Services!  I am thrilled.  Mr. Daschle has been a proponent of universal health care and other socialistic endeavors which I cannot support.  My work as a physician made it clear to me that more government intervention in health care is a bad thing.  However, as a Christian, I also believe that it is unacceptable for there to be people who can’t get basic health care while the rest of society is living an affluent lifestyle.  While I think it’s a moral imperative that we take care of others less fortunate, I believe it is not an imperative for government, but for the Church.  So, let’s get government into it’s proper place.  And the way to start is get away from socialistic policies.  Unfortunately, President Obama is likely to nominate someone just as liberal as Mr. Daschle, but I’m praying not.

CPSIA Blogging Day

Through a rather convoluted internet journey, I came across this post from Overlawyered about today being CPSIA Blogging Day, so I thought I’d participate.  I’m not usually terribly political, but this is important on so many levels.

CPSIA is the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act that was passed overwhelmingly in the Fall and is set to take effect February 10.  What’s the problem, you ask?  Apparently, this law will require that everyone who sells anything for children will be required to do extensive testing for safety.  This will have a chilling effect on thrift stores, resale shops, crafters of handmade goods, and others.  If I decided to sell a baby sweater that I made, I would not be able to just sell it on Etsy or Ebay until I had done expensive testing.

Check out this link for the relevant posts from Overlawyered and pray, pray, and pray some more.  We are seeing serious overreaching by the federal government that is having severe unintended consequences.  Get informed and write to your lawmakers.

 

Being Political

This afternoon, State Representative Kevin Peterson came by the house as part of his pre-election canvassing. I was happy to take his literature and was also happy to let him put a sign in front of our house. Actually, I asked if he had a McCain/Palin sign as well, since I haven't gotten around to going to the Republican Party headquarters to get one. That's probably as political as I'll get this season. I have lots and lots of opinions, but not enough time to add politics to everything else on my plate. But, now, everyone who drives by our little house will know that we are Republicans!!

P.S. One of the joys of small town life is that I have actually met Mr. Peterson before when I was working as a physician. He was interested to hear that we homeschool and said he would be happy to discuss government for a homeschool group or set up a tour of the state capitol in Madison.

More Musings about Faith and Safety

KC's comments are very much appreciated. I agree that Christianity in this culture is being treated appallingly, especially for a country that was founded by Christians. Chuck Colson does a great job of writing about the current political and social situation. I have read some things by David Limbaugh and also been quite impressed. That being said, our level of persecution is very low compared with almost any other country in the world today. Chuck Colson's Breakpoint Commentary from 6/10 (http://www.breakpoint.org/listingarticle.asp?ID=462) comments on true martyrs as well as the political correctness in our culture that keeps us from addressing it. The consequences that we face for standing up for our faith are miniscule compared to the rest of the world, though. PrisonerAlert.com has listings of people who have been imprisoned for years simply for attending a church service or having a Bible. In our country, we face the loss of position, short jail terms, or loss of job, but nothing like in other countries. Unfortunately, our culture is declining, so there is the potential that we could face further overt persecution in the future.

I am not unaware or unconcerned about the status of Christianity in our culture. And I agree that Christians must be proactive about positively affecting our culture. Social and political action by Christians should be a normal part of life. That being said, I stand my my conclusion that the American church remains very privileged.

However, I am most concerned about my own propensity for safety and comfort, particularly in light of Jesus' command to daily take up our cross and follow Him (Matthew 16:24). The first century people to which he was originally speaking understood that "taking up one's cross" meant dying. I am concerned about this from a personal point of view - am I willing to follow Jesus even to the point of death? Our cultures values of "personal peace" and "affluence" (per Dr. Schaeffer) are in direct contradiction to the commands of Christ.

So, my conclusion is that this is an area of my life that needs some work. I need to daily strengthen my walk with the Lord so that I am willing and ready to do whatever He calls me to do - from the simple stuff like being more available for my kids to the harder stuff like reaching out to my neighbors to the even harder stuff like giving up my own dreams and plans and comfort to be where God wants me to be.