99% of Statistics Are Made Up On the Spot

I will never trust another pundit declaring..."The polls say..." This is because a few minutes ago a robot who sounded like the computer from Star Trek just called me and asked a few ridiculous questions that could only lead to a loaded set of answers.

First she let me know that this was a survey that would be used everywhere possible. She didn't mention Mars, but you get the point. Then she proceeded to ask me if I thought the country was going in the wrong direction. I replied yes, naively thinking I would be probed for more substantive reasoning for my decisions. I was so disappointed when the next four questions were asked.

 Was I White, Black, Hispanic, Asian, or "some other race"? Really?

 Was I of any Hispanic or Latin ethnicity?

 What age bracket did I fall into (it gave me multiple choices between 18 and 100)?

 AND... perhaps the most pertinent

 Did I watch / follow college football at all.


That was it, the end of the survey. I'm actually quite embarrassed that this "data" is going to be misconstrued to represent some strange set of facts about how our country is out of control. I do think things are out of hand, but it's because of the current state of craziness the Republicans are perpetrating against the president just because they can. They care more about being the "GOP" than they care about being Americans. It's shameful. Not to mention the people who are unleashing terror against other Americans with shootings and burnings and killings and kidnappings and all other manner of evil. That seems so much more important than football... mortified by the idea that some ad exec somewhere will use my punching numbers to make a broad, ambiguous statement about something trivial and meaningless. Anything to distract the zombies from any level of conscious, sensible thought. And I participated, oh, the irony!

Sorry, America Is Not A Christian Nation

8 But what does it say? "THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART"--that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, 9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

Should we be making such a fuss about gay marriage support? Should Christian leaders be so ready to give their opinions on the matter? Don't we serve God and should'nt we represent His position instead of our own? In fact, so much time and media space is spent decrying the shift to embrace homosexuality that all sorts of Christian churches and organizations are really speaking out and giving their two cents about it. Political leaders who call themselves conservative republicans are railing against it, saying it will completely disintegrate society as we know it. Christian leaders are saying many things about it, but I haven't heard much in the way of quoting actual scripture as much as diatribes against it. 

But, we must be honest in our dialogue of the issue. Let's start by being honest. America is not now, nor has it ever been Christian. A biblical standard for being a Christian is a confession and a belief. The Constitution in no way expresses a confession of Jesus Christ, nor a requirement of its citizens to believe in Him as a requisite to live here. While some of the founders of the country were deists, it's difficult to find information regarding their true belief system. In fact, they specifically made it a law that anyone can practice anything they want and that the government could not interfere or limit their rights in any way whatsoever. 

So, at the country's founding slavery and demoralization of the Native American were flying in the face of this being a Christian nation. Fast forward a hundred years and there actually had to be a bloody, ugly war to fight for a people group to stop being treated like animals. There were professing Christians on both sides. That's sickening. To further denigrate the religion, the Christian right were either hush hush or opposed to integration during the Civil Rights Movement. In fact, many of them stepped into pulpits and made the same remarks then that they make now about gay marriage. They wanted MLK to slow down and stop his work. In the 50's when dating began to take hold and in the 60's when drugs and sex were so common it shocked even the unbeliever's conscience, they may have said something, but their objections were not well - noted. 

In America and the church it's more likely a couple will divorce than stay together. Abortion rates have grown higher and higher, especially in the African-American community. Many of those getting abortions have been sitting right there in the pews. Between the print and screen media and the music of pop culture it's difficult to find messages that don't promote hyper-sexual behavior, violence, materialism, idolatry, or vanity. That has always been the case. Capitalism has become pure greed with the wealthiest Americans making 180 % more than the average American citizen. And now, no one has to come here to terrorize America, we're just fine terrorizing each other with the highest rate of murder in a developed nation to boot.

This country has continuously been at war somewhere in the world, including the war on drugs, since its inception. Try preaching Jesus to people while you step on their necks. There has been no limit to the amount of debauchery, lasciviousness, hatred, idolatry, covetousness, vanity, lewdness, and all out lack of integrity since the country began and all of sudden it's the most popular thing to stand up and say "America doesn't look the same anymore." Well, how did it look before? Could you really say that Christian values were ever truly America's values? 

Disenfranchisement, respecter of persons, racism, violence, and full on sexual immorality in every way imaginable. It is hypocrisy to now come out and say we are losing our Christian identity. If God spat I believe He would spit at the notion. This country is not now, nor has it ever been Christian, unless by Christian you mean a walking contradiction of itself. 

I love living here because of the diversity, but I hate that there is still a great deal of racism. I love that there are so many ways to increase your monetary worth, but that if you don't have money people here don't value your true worth. I love that we're free to practice whatever religion we want and that we can speak whatever truth we want to proclaim, but that the same freedom causes people to be evil and hurt each other. I love that millions of people pledge to be one Nation under God, but that very few of us truly submit and abide to life "under" His authority. 

What real Christians, not politicians looking to get a few more votes, or those seeking more popularity or favor with men or more money, but those strong and sincere in their faith to God, need to do is pray and fast. If those who claimed to be Christians were to live a life that the Bible says is pleasing to Him, we wouldn't have the aforementioned societal ills. We'd have utopia.

What If King Never Dreamed

Hard to imagine that 50 years ago Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his iconic "I Have A Dream" speech on the mall in Washington, D.C. It's hard to imagine because I wasn't there. I'm a product of the dream, not a purveyor of it. Still, in this day and time it is wonderful that on the level of individual responsibility, African-Americans have made many great strides.

Did Dr. King dream of having someone like President Barack Obama take office in his lifetime? Had he lived to see it through I'm sure he would have thought we sped up the day. Still, collectively African Americans have a tough time. Data can't lie. It can be drawn to tell a story, but it is whatever it is. By and large the Black community in America struggles quite a bit. It is reported that there's double the trouble for every imaginable ill that could plague a group of people. Highest number of people infected with fatal disease...check, highest number of unemployed people during period of recession...check, highest number of people in prison during the great prison surge of the millenium...check, highest number of women getting abortions...check. You name it, if it's a negative, African Americans have it in excess as a collective group.

On the other hand, disparagingly low numbers occur where there are positive achievements. Lowest number of high school graduates...check, lowest number of people enrolled in 4 year universities...check, lowest number of students passing reading and math exams...check. It's unfortunate that African American predecessors fought, bled, and died to have these vitiated results. Sure, athletes and celebrities are making a big impact on America's culture. And, even politicians are beginning to make a mark. Black democrats are proud of Barack Obama, Colin Powell and Condoleeza Rice. In a few years they may even collectively embrace someone like Ben Carson. Still, it's remarkable that freedom came and left entropy in its wake.

Has America's chance to square up with Blacks passed? The Reconstruction was dwindled away by watered down, horribly destructive policies. The Civil Rights Movement came and went with policy in place, but hearts and attitudes divided. So, here the elephant sits in the room brooding over no one noticing him. There is still a great divide. If killing Trayvon Martin for walking home was legal, then what have we really gained? If there are still recognizable disparities in any capacity, then we have not achieved the dream, by any means. We've become too comfortable. Who will mobilize us? Who will continue the struggle and how? 

Al and Jesse are great, but they only fight in obvious ways for causes that are too individualistic. For example, they went after George Zimmerman, as well they should have. But where were they when the first African-American child was shot dead in the streets of Chicago? Why didn't they rally then to make a difference? Where were they when the government said, "Yeah, I'll give the women assistance, but only if the man is nowhere to be found?" That was an injustice. Where were they? Why should people who feel they are not responsible for what happens in Black communities act if the people who say they care only act when it's politically advantageous? Too many times the Black community looks away while they hurt each other, but peek out when an outsider does it. That doesn't fly. Take a stand against the killing period, not just when someone of a different nationality does it. If the lives of Black youth are valuable, aren't they always valuable?

Sadly, the NAACP is still fighting the fight of the 60's era. They do a lot of good work, but how do they not rally to end the high rates of abortion and AIDS in the Black community? How do they see our children killing each other and not step in to stop the bleeding? Our fight has mutated. Now Blacks have rights, but they don't engage them, protect them, or value them. Do they know them and do they understand what's at stake if they are lost? Ask a gun-toting teenager walking in the streets of Chicago protecting their "territory" if they know the 2nd Amendment and how it is relevant to them. What I've always loved about King's legacy is that he took responsibility, even to the point of death. The new Civil Rights movement is about collective responsibility. All of us, as well as non-Black Americans will need to step in and help. We can live together and help each other. In 1876 three (3) million African-American slaves were freed to live and make a way for themselves as best they could. Today 47 million are here trying to carry that out. While it used to be that the sick underbelly of slavery's legacy could be hidden in the darkest corners of society, that time is no longer. We all need to get in the fight, as the plight of the Black community has become the plight of a Nation.