Posted by
peripheral on Friday, August 28, 2009 3:49:47 PM
From My Perspective - - -
Many have insisted that the words in our Pledge of Allegiance must
always contain, “one nation, under God” – but – whatever happened to
“and to the Republic…with liberty and justice for all. We live in a
time that is marked by disillusionment and confusion. We have been
bombarded by “change” that is difficult to understand and assimilate.
Those who are more cynical than others suggest that: “Obama's health
care plan will: (a) Be written by a committee whose head says he
doesn't understand it; (b) Be passed by a Congress that hasn't read it
(but exempts themselves from it); (c) Be signed by a president who
smokes (and also hasn't read it); (d) Have funding administered by a
treasury chief who did not pay his taxes; (e) Be overseen by a surgeon
general who is obese; and (f) Be financed by a country that is nearly
broke. What could possibly go wrong?” A Congressman calculated that if
we halted all debt accumulation today, and froze all expenditures, and
began to pay off the current Budget Deficit at the rate of one million
dollars per day, it would take more than 34,000 years to pay off the
national debt. Tax Revenues coming in average approximately $17,500.00
per person – but – the expenditures going out average approximately
$31,500.00 per person. It is an unsustainable Debt that is being heaped
upon future generations of our nation.
Some have asserted that “The Lion of Liberalism” in the US Senate,
Edward (Ted) Kennedy, was part of the problem and cause of the trends
of our times. However, an interesting column posted by Cal Thomas on
August 26, 2009 – entitled – My Friend, Ted Kennedy - shares some of
the following thoughts: “…my 25-year relationship with Sen. Edward
Kennedy…began in 1983 when I received a call from a Washington Post
reporter. I was working for the Moral Majority at the time and a
computer had spit out a membership card for Senator Kennedy and then
inadvertently sent it to him. The reporter asked if I wanted the card
back. No, I said. We don't believe anyone is beyond redemption. In
fact, I hope Sen. Kennedy comes and speaks at Liberty Baptist College
(now Liberty University), the school founded by the late Jerry Falwell.
A few days later, I received a call from Kennedy's chief of staff. The
senator accepts your invitation. I was stunned and so was Falwell, but
Kennedy came and was well received. He spoke on faith, truth and
tolerance… Kennedy said: "I am an American and a Catholic; I love my
country and treasure my faith. But I do not assume that my conception
of patriotism or policy is invariably correct, or that my convictions
about religion should command any greater respect than any other faith
in this pluralistic society…When people agree on public policy, they
ought to be able to work together, even while they worship in diverse
ways. For truly, we are all yoked together as Americans, and the yoke
is the happy one of individual freedom and mutual respect…Separation of
church and state cannot mean an absolute separation between moral
principles and political power. The challenge today is to recall the
origin of the principle, to define its purpose, and refine its
application to the politics of the present…"
The Core Values of Senator Kennedy are now overshadowed by the reality
of those who don’t share those values and qualify for the designation
of being a Hypocrite. A Hypocrite is: “a person who pretends to have
virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, that he or she does
not actually possess; one who puts on a mask and feigns himself to be
what he is not.” In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus addressed the issue
of Hypocrisy in Matthew 6:2,5,16. It pertains to the ways in which the
Scribes and Pharisees did their giving to the poor; how they would pray
in public; and the manner in which they fasted – all to be seen and
noticed by the community and organized religion. Jesus condemned it for
what it was – not honoring God but merely acts of self-aggrandizement.
Cal Thomas shares one other thought about Ted Kennedy: “I came to see
Sen. Kennedy not as a symbol, but as a fellow human being who did not
get up each morning seeking ways to harm the country. I know of things
he did for the poor and homeless on his own time and in his own way
without a press release or a desire for public approval. I know of
other hurts and concerns he shared with a very few he could trust about
which I would never speak.” How many of us give proper expression of
our belief system and persuasions. Is it done in a way that honors the
Lord or does it meet with His disapproval? Are we wearing a mask of
Hypocrisy or are we the “real deal”? Consider these things with me!