A PHONE CALL

Kevin McCarthy — Mon, 01 Sep 2014 14:54:52 +0000

A mother’s anguished call for help brought a detailed description of her family’s struggle with the criminal justice system. She spoke of her 22 year old son who is currently in jail and an older brother who was beaten by the local police because of his history of drug use. The community newspaper had published a story about the younger son’s arrest and cited flagrant errors in reporting the “facts” of the case. Unconcerned with the consequences of yellow journalism, the newspaper recklessly pursued a sensational drive to draw readers with embellished crime reporting. Unknown to those invading the privacy rights of others, those providing the slanted story had no concern for the sisters of the individual charged with a crime. One daughter in middle school and another in high school had to bear the brunt of social criticism from their peers based upon the facts alleged in the newspaper. Do such community resources have a responsibility to honestly present the facts, or because of their unique reporting position, are they immune to the notion of truth in reporting. People have been wounded by the recklessness of those charged with a position of trust. Unfortunately there are no other papers in the area which can address such depraved practices. I wonder how many times this occurs regularly across the nation, leaving families improvrished in spirit and downtrodden in their communities as a result of an inherent bias. Families deserve the right to grieve in private and to redress wrongs in a court of law. It is fundamentally wrong to try those who are innocent in the arena of the public press and to undermine family boundaries which shield young and vulnerable children. Perhaps those who are quick to judge circumstances because they are written upon a throwaway piece of newsprint, should look beyond the causally written words and see the faces of those who suffer the aftermath of a criminal justice experience. See the mother who deeply understands the conflicts disturbing the life of a child going through public troubles. Consider the father who is overwhelmed and incapacitated at the evidence of a child being sucked into the quicksand of criminality. Instead of throwing stones of judgment at those saddled with such horrible burdens, we should be finding ways to strengthen them as they walk this lonely pathway. Are any of us above the same personal faults in our own lives? Have we become so calloused to the sufferings of others that we turn our backs as they struggle through streets of our communities? In the depravity of modern day life have we lost any conception of mercy and compassion for those who are struggling with shame and pain? Worst of all, in our rush to judge others are we willing to sacrifice the innocence and joy of siblings on the altar of community gossip? We claim to be a beacon of righteousness in a world of darkness and despair, but we throw the sweetness of innocents on the bonfires of public spectacle and prurient interests. Perhaps it is time to ask the question again, “Lord who is my neighbor?”

Rockets for Allah

Kevin McCarthy — Tue, 22 Jul 2014 13:32:21 +0000

How can any god claim pleasure in the suffering of innocents? How can human beings claim a right to destroy others in the name of a perceived deity? Isn’t one life as precious as other lives? The right to life and liberty is fundamental across national borders and political ideologies. When any force rises up within a geo-political jurisdiction and pours out its incendiary fuel to ignite war and a wave of oppressive actions mankind is the victim and humanity suffers. Whether the battle cry is uttered by the terrorists of Hamas, Boko Haram or the misfits of al Qaeda, invariably the stated justification is a political contrivance masking underlying spiritual philosophies. When human beings claim a divine right to forcefully inflict their views on others in the name of their beliefs, it is a supremely absurd contradiction which bars any possible authentication or justification of those spiritual realities. Many see these bizarre attempts on the screens of their consciousness and align themselves without contemplating the reality beyond the boundaries of nationalism. It is a global phenomenon that has permeated human life in the masquerade of rightness over the past centuries. It has also become a justification for human exploitation and mass destruction on an ever expanding scale. Our perceived intelligences have bestowed little in the way of compassion and mercy, instead each new incident becomes the vehicle for launching the next attacks on those we see as our enemies. If God is a God of love, how is it possible to justify an onslaught of rockets in the name of a concerned deity? It is time to recognize that human passions can never be used in a spiritual context to vent feelings of fury and frustration. This truth applies to individual interactions between persons in the same way that it applies to relationships between nations. Returning love for missiles of hatred and bitterness may seem like the height of foolishness, but it is the ultimate answer to a history of conflict and confrontation. Can I really strike down my neighbor and shroud myself in a garment of self-proclaimed justification? It would seem that such rationalizations are as heinous as Cain’s murder of Able. But it seems that human nature is truly warped by an endless capacity for self-delusion and deception. How does one render their conscience silent in the face of such daunting truth? We are called upon to love each other, not to slaughter those who embrace differing worldviews. This drama, which is being played out on numerous global battlefields, is a constant reminder of man’s decadence and ruthless deterioration in the face of the first evil bite of the forbidden fruit. It has been a downhill slide since Eden and things are unlikely to change direction in the near future. We are a people who have lost our humanity and truly are in need of a Savior. This reality is the picture which emerges as I ponder our need for an outpouring of divine love. The contrast between the toxic global environment and God’s word points to an ever-growing gap between human intentions and God’s compassion and mercy. In this awed state of awareness, God’s word becomes the only source of hope in a rapidly evolving parody of self-justified evil and the global rise of unprecedented ruthlessness in the name of religion. It is truly time for a return to love and submission to His word. We cannot save ourselves.There is no neutral ground between good versus evil. Neither rockets for Allah nor the violence of greed, lusts and murders which occur everywhere bear any resemblance to the actions of our loving Savior, Jesus Christ

Dismas Project » Thoughts

A PHONE CALL

Rockets for Allah