Support for immigrants cost him his party's nomination for President. Lincoln went on to become President in 1860 instead of William Seward, who became the Secretary of State in Lincoln's administration.
Later, Republicans opposed illiterate immigrants; Democrats opposed importing "pauper labor" to do the menial jobs. That was the 1896 election between William Jennings Bryan and William McKinley.
Teddy Roosevelt said, "Every immigrant who comes here should be required within five years to learn English or leave the country." Franklin D. Roosevelt, disagreed saying, "Remember, remember always, that all of us, and you and I especially, are descended from immigrants and revolutionists."
Little has changed in one-hundred years with respect to politics and immigration.
Conservatives say, "Close the borders and restrict immigration to individuals with the skills and talents to make our society thrive. They, in turn, can benefit from the American Dream."
Progressives say, "Do away with borders. We are all citizens of the world. Let anyone who wants to, come and benefit from the American Dream."
What both are really saying is, "We've got it pretty good here; the only question is who and how many are we going to allow in to enjoy it?"
But the men and women who founded the United States were missional - both in their faith and in their form of government. They believed that, to have a good government, you needed to have citizens who were grounded in the Christian faith. Their ultimate dream and ambition was to see their faith and their form of government spread to every nation around the world.
"You do well to wish to learn our arts and ways of life, and above all, the religion of Jesus Christ. These will make you a greater and happier people than you are." - George Washington.
"…we cannot better express ourselves than by humbly supplicating the Supreme Ruler of the world… that the confusions that are and have been among the nations may be overruled by the promoting and speedily bringing in the holy and happy period when the kingdoms of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ may be everywhere established, and the people willingly bow to the scepter of Him who is the Prince of Peace." - Samuel Adams.
"…the religion which has introduced civil liberty is the religion of Christ and His apostles… This is genuine Christianity and to this we owe our free constitutions of government." - Noah Webster.
"…the Christian religion – its general principles – must ever be regarded among us as the foundation of civil society." - Daniel Webster.
Rush County was named after one of the three most notable Founding Fathers, Benjamin Rush. In 1791 he wrote, "Christianity is the only true and perfect religion; and… in proportion as mankind adopt its principles and obey its precepts, they will be wise and happy."
These statements show that the founders believed that Christianity was the only foundation that would make a democratic republic work. And they longed for the day when every nation around the world would follow their lead. But statements like these are not politically correct. How could we impose our belief system on others?
But, if we've found something that works, why is it okay to keep it to ourselves? How self-centered, and uncaring are we to let other people struggle with oppressive governments while we enjoy the fruits of our founders' vision and labor?
If the Bible really is the Word of God, if it really can transform the human spirit, if it can take spiritually dead people and make them live again, why wouldn't it impact our everyday lives? Daniel Webster said, "Whatever makes men good Christians, makes them good citizens." If that's true, won't good citizens make good governments?
What would it be like if every leader around the world prayed like Solomon, "…give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong"? 1 Kings 3:9a
We can take part in the immigration debate that has been argued for many decades, or we can recapture our founders' vision by becoming missional both in our faith, and how it can impact our everyday lives. The choice is yours. Choose well.
Questions? curtisferrell1962@gmail.com
You can find me on FACEBOOK at my Facebook Page (http://www.new.facebook.com/profile.php?id=504321719).
Here's a link to my Flickr.com Page (http://www.flickr.com/photos/curtisferrell/)
Thanks for reading!
Showing posts with label president. Show all posts
Showing posts with label president. Show all posts
Thursday, February 5, 2015
Thursday, January 14, 2010
An American Journal In the 21st Century - Thursday, January 14, 2010
Thursday, January 14, 2010 - A new foundation Is being laid for at New America. Those who truly understand this new foundation have hidden it in the 2000-plus pages of the Health Care bill being re-written in Washington D.C. Here's something you need to know about that new foundation.
The President's first choice for Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) was former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle. After losing his re-election bid in 2004, Mr. Daschle wrote a book about his view of the condition of healthcare in America and his desire to see it improved. The book is titled "Critical: What We Can Do About the Health-Care Crisis".
In the book, Daschle argues for a single-payer (government controlled) healthcare system. Daschle concedes that pushing for a single-payer system in the United States would be politically problematic and that it would indeed result in socialized medicine. On March 3, 2008 Daschle said in a Huffington Post article, "I have proposed a Federal Health Board that would be a foundation from which we could address all" healthcare problems.
About a year ago, Tom Daschle had to remove his name from consideration for the HHS post because of reports of inappropriate financial dealings and tax issues. The President then selected Kathleen Sebelius to head the HHS, but the administration was still committed to the blueprint found in Tom Daschle's book - a single-payer system with a Federal Health Board that controls it all.
In the current House Bill H.R. 3962, Section 241 (a) it reads: "There is hereby established, as an independent agency in the executive branch of the Government, a Health Choices Administration". The newly created Health Choices Administration is responsible for "the establishment of qualified health benefits plan standards under this title, including the enforcement of such standards".
This is the "foundation" that Tom Daschle was talking about. In his book, Daschle states that this board should be modeled after other nations like Great Britain. "In Great Britain, for example, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), which is part of the National Health Service (NHS), is the single entity responsible for providing guidance on the use of new and existing drugs, treatments, and procedures." So how does it work in Great Britain?
Let's look at the explanation found on the website for the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE):
With the rapid advances in modern medicine, most people accept that no publicly funded healthcare system, including the NHS, can possibly pay for every new medical treatment which becomes available. The enormous costs involved mean that choices have to be made.
It makes sense to focus on treatments that improve the quality and/or length of someone’s life and, at the same time, are an effective use of NHS resources . . .
To ensure our judgments are fair, we use a standard and internationally recognized method to compare different drugs and measure their clinical effectiveness: the quality-adjusted life years measurement (the ‘QALY’) . . .
A QALY gives an idea of how many extra months or years of life of a reasonable quality a person might gain as a result of treatment (particularly important when considering treatments for chronic conditions) . . .
Generally, however, if a treatment costs more than [$32,290 to $48,435] per QALY, then it would not be considered cost effective.
In other words, medical treatment under the proposed healthcare system will come down to a mathematical equation based on cost effectiveness and an arbitrary judgment on your anticipated quality of life and how many years you have left.
Why should you care?
Regardless of what the "talking-heads" say on television, the final decision on your health care choices will be made by the Health Choices Administration. That decision will be a cost-based decision (i.e. is it worth the cost for the United States Government to approve payment for this treatment?). The question for you is, is the proposed healthcare system worth giving up your freedom to make your own health care choices?
What can you do? Here are four ideas. If you have more ideas, please send them to me so that I can pass them along in future journal entries.
1. You can write or call the offices of your Senators and Congressmen and Congresswomen. Ask them to explain the Health Choices Administration and on what basis, this newly created government agency will be making decisions for you.
And don't stop with just one phone call and one letter or email. Contact your representatives weekly or twice a month. At the very least, your representative will know that you are watching.
2. You can pass this journal entry on. It is the first of many. Hopefully it will educate and stimulate a good and noble people to action; the very same people described in the constitution as "We the People . . ." You are free to make copies and distribute them by hand or 'snail-mail.' Please make sure that the last paragraph of this journal is included with your copies so that individuals can contact me with comments or questions.
If you forward this in e-mail form, please remove the "FW:" from the subject line. Many people delete Email Forwards without even opening them up. Also, take the time to e-mail it to one or two individuals at a time. You are encouraged to send this to everyone in your contact list, but many spam filters block emails that contain too many addresses in the "To:" box.
3. Organize a trip to your representative's office (local or in Washington D.C.). By carpooling you can share the expense while making a stronger impact by arriving in greater numbers. By the way, if you haven't done so already, you should make at least one trip to D.C. in your lifetime. Go to the memorials; read the inscriptions on the walls; examine the statues and paintings. You will discover a strong Godly heritage, clearly on display and quite possibly forgotten by your representative.
4. If you are a person of faith, pray. Pray fervently for your nation and for her leaders. Pray daily or hourly. Pray for a good and noble people to wake up and take action. Pray also for those who wish to reshape America in a Progressive image - pray for their safety and protection, but pray that their efforts will be thwarted.
My name is Curtis Ferrell, and this is An American Journal In The 21st Century. You can find additional journal entries at http://clfnotes.blogspot.com. You can contact me at American_Journal@sbcglobal.net. If you do not wish to receive these journal postings, please email me so that I can remove you from my contact list or click here: Remove
You can find me on FACEBOOK at my Facebook Page (http://www.new.facebook.com/profile.php?id=504321719).
Here's a link to my Flickr.com Page (http://www.flickr.com/photos/curtisferrell/)
Thanks for reading!
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Freedom Of Speech No Longer Exists In America
Courier-Times Christian Perspectives Article for 10/17/09
Just four months ago I wrote these words: "The Bible speaks very clearly about the sanctity of life; about our responsibility to the poor, the orphaned and the widow; about God's view of homosexual behavior. The church needs to rediscover the authority found in the Word of God and stand on it. However, that kind of stance could become something more than politically incorrect, it could become illegal. The U.S. Senate is considering a Hate Crimes Bill (S.909) which could be used to prosecute ministers for declaring God's truth on homosexuality."
As I write this article, the President of the United States is set to sign the Defense Appropriations Bill for Fiscal Year 2010. Hidden in this bill, which will fund our troops around the world for the coming year, is an amendment which couldn't pass the House of Representatives on its own merit. A handful of legislators from the U.S. House and the Senate quietly included the Senate Hate Crimes Bill as an amendment to the Defense bill during the development of a conference report that was supposed to merge two different versions of the Defense bill, one from the House and one from the Senate.
When that merged bill is signed, it will establish restrictions in U.S. law preventing certain kinds of speech. At that point every Christ-follower, including and maybe especially pastors, priests, and ministers, will have to determine if they are willing to risk prosecution and jail time to proclaim the whole truth found in scripture.
Many will be tempted to ignore the topic of homosexuality and what the Bible has to say about it. If you don't talk about it you cannot be arrested and charged.
Others will be tempted to deny the authority of the Word of God so that they can pick and choose which verses they like and which verses they don't like.
You may be thinking, "Curt, you are crazy! It would never come to that!" Let me tell you what is happening around the world, where speech has been limited with recent hate crimes legislation.
In the Netherlands, film maker Geert Wilders will stand trial on January 20th, 2010 for true statements that he included in a film he produced that is offensive to Muslims.
In June 2001, A Canadian man was found guilty of hate speech, when he advertised bumper-stickers he was selling which depicted the outline of two men holding hands inside a red circle with a slash through it. Next to this image was an equal sign and four bible references: Romans 1, Leviticus 18:22, Leviticus 20:13 and 1 Corinthians 6:9-10. As a result of this court decision, the nation of Canada has found that these four scripture passages constitute hate speech, and to affirm them as true is to commit an act of hate speech, punishable by law.
In the United States we see other efforts to curb biblically-centered speech. Colleges and universities, long thought to be bastions of free thought and free expression, have increasingly established hate speech codes to protect students from racial, sexual, and other forms of harassment. In 2004 the Colorado Supreme Court upheld a ruling in a custody case which required Cheryl Clark to protect her daughter by making sure "that there is nothing in the religious upbringing or teaching that the minor child is exposed to that can be considered homophobic." This would include the first chapter of the book of Romans. A high school in the U.S., while approving the Day of Silence, which promotes a homosexual lifestyle, tried to deny the observance of the Day of Truth, which tried to counter the ideas promoted in the Day of Silence.
Through the decades of this experiment called the United States of America we have heard voices warning against limiting free expression and free speech. Political scientist Martin Gruberg said that we, "should confront offensive ideas by rebuttal, not by suppression." Ben Franklin stated “Without freedom of thought, there can be no such thing as wisdom; and no such thing as public liberty, without freedom of speech." And consider this statement from President Harry S. Truman: "When even one "American" -- who has done nothing wrong -- is forced by fear to shut his mind and close his mouth, then all Americans are in peril."
The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution reads, Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
The idea that speech should be free from constraint is not universal. We see this in a response during the investigation into the Canadian ruling to outlaw the four offensive scripture passages. When asked, "What value do you give freedom of speech when you investigate one of these complaints?" Investigator Richard Steacy said, "Freedom of speech is an American concept, so I don't give it any value."
Actually it is a biblical value, the first chapter of the Old Testament Book of Isaiah contains these words: Stop doing wrong, learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow. "Come now, let us reason together," says the Lord. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool."
Reasoning together requires freedom of thought and freedom of expression. These ideas, these truths, did not originate in a civil document authored by the founders of America. These ideas originated in the heart of God.
There are those who try to say that this bill will not be used to attack religious expression, and can only be activated if someone commits a felony and says that he or she was encouraged or enticed to commit the crime based on "hate speech" statements. These are the same people that assured us that abortion on demand would never happen in America and euthanasia (mercy killing or assisted suicide) could never be seriously considered in such a civilized society.
What can you do? Encourage your spiritual leaders to boldly preach the Word of God without fear or hesitation. Defend the authority of scripture. Pray for the church in America. Love and pray for those who disagree with the truth found in scripture. Support politicians who value freedom of speech and freedom of expression. Encourage the appointments of judges who value freedom of speech and freedom of expression. Prepare yourself to boldly face the consequences of the words you speak or write.
Someday, we will be reading the report of an individual being charged under this new law for simply speaking his or her mind and defending biblical truth. It could be your pastor. It could be me. It could be you. We were warned and failed to do enough to defend the right to freedom of speech. Someday, someone will have to fight to win it back.
You can find more my Facebook Page (http://www.new.facebook.com/profile.php?id=504321719).
They are also posted at my Flickr.com Page (http://www.flickr.com/photos/curtisferrell/)
Thanks for reading!
Just four months ago I wrote these words: "The Bible speaks very clearly about the sanctity of life; about our responsibility to the poor, the orphaned and the widow; about God's view of homosexual behavior. The church needs to rediscover the authority found in the Word of God and stand on it. However, that kind of stance could become something more than politically incorrect, it could become illegal. The U.S. Senate is considering a Hate Crimes Bill (S.909) which could be used to prosecute ministers for declaring God's truth on homosexuality."
As I write this article, the President of the United States is set to sign the Defense Appropriations Bill for Fiscal Year 2010. Hidden in this bill, which will fund our troops around the world for the coming year, is an amendment which couldn't pass the House of Representatives on its own merit. A handful of legislators from the U.S. House and the Senate quietly included the Senate Hate Crimes Bill as an amendment to the Defense bill during the development of a conference report that was supposed to merge two different versions of the Defense bill, one from the House and one from the Senate.
When that merged bill is signed, it will establish restrictions in U.S. law preventing certain kinds of speech. At that point every Christ-follower, including and maybe especially pastors, priests, and ministers, will have to determine if they are willing to risk prosecution and jail time to proclaim the whole truth found in scripture.
Many will be tempted to ignore the topic of homosexuality and what the Bible has to say about it. If you don't talk about it you cannot be arrested and charged.
Others will be tempted to deny the authority of the Word of God so that they can pick and choose which verses they like and which verses they don't like.
You may be thinking, "Curt, you are crazy! It would never come to that!" Let me tell you what is happening around the world, where speech has been limited with recent hate crimes legislation.
In the Netherlands, film maker Geert Wilders will stand trial on January 20th, 2010 for true statements that he included in a film he produced that is offensive to Muslims.
In June 2001, A Canadian man was found guilty of hate speech, when he advertised bumper-stickers he was selling which depicted the outline of two men holding hands inside a red circle with a slash through it. Next to this image was an equal sign and four bible references: Romans 1, Leviticus 18:22, Leviticus 20:13 and 1 Corinthians 6:9-10. As a result of this court decision, the nation of Canada has found that these four scripture passages constitute hate speech, and to affirm them as true is to commit an act of hate speech, punishable by law.
In the United States we see other efforts to curb biblically-centered speech. Colleges and universities, long thought to be bastions of free thought and free expression, have increasingly established hate speech codes to protect students from racial, sexual, and other forms of harassment. In 2004 the Colorado Supreme Court upheld a ruling in a custody case which required Cheryl Clark to protect her daughter by making sure "that there is nothing in the religious upbringing or teaching that the minor child is exposed to that can be considered homophobic." This would include the first chapter of the book of Romans. A high school in the U.S., while approving the Day of Silence, which promotes a homosexual lifestyle, tried to deny the observance of the Day of Truth, which tried to counter the ideas promoted in the Day of Silence.
Through the decades of this experiment called the United States of America we have heard voices warning against limiting free expression and free speech. Political scientist Martin Gruberg said that we, "should confront offensive ideas by rebuttal, not by suppression." Ben Franklin stated “Without freedom of thought, there can be no such thing as wisdom; and no such thing as public liberty, without freedom of speech." And consider this statement from President Harry S. Truman: "When even one "American" -- who has done nothing wrong -- is forced by fear to shut his mind and close his mouth, then all Americans are in peril."
The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution reads, Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
The idea that speech should be free from constraint is not universal. We see this in a response during the investigation into the Canadian ruling to outlaw the four offensive scripture passages. When asked, "What value do you give freedom of speech when you investigate one of these complaints?" Investigator Richard Steacy said, "Freedom of speech is an American concept, so I don't give it any value."
Actually it is a biblical value, the first chapter of the Old Testament Book of Isaiah contains these words: Stop doing wrong, learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow. "Come now, let us reason together," says the Lord. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool."
Reasoning together requires freedom of thought and freedom of expression. These ideas, these truths, did not originate in a civil document authored by the founders of America. These ideas originated in the heart of God.
There are those who try to say that this bill will not be used to attack religious expression, and can only be activated if someone commits a felony and says that he or she was encouraged or enticed to commit the crime based on "hate speech" statements. These are the same people that assured us that abortion on demand would never happen in America and euthanasia (mercy killing or assisted suicide) could never be seriously considered in such a civilized society.
What can you do? Encourage your spiritual leaders to boldly preach the Word of God without fear or hesitation. Defend the authority of scripture. Pray for the church in America. Love and pray for those who disagree with the truth found in scripture. Support politicians who value freedom of speech and freedom of expression. Encourage the appointments of judges who value freedom of speech and freedom of expression. Prepare yourself to boldly face the consequences of the words you speak or write.
Someday, we will be reading the report of an individual being charged under this new law for simply speaking his or her mind and defending biblical truth. It could be your pastor. It could be me. It could be you. We were warned and failed to do enough to defend the right to freedom of speech. Someday, someone will have to fight to win it back.
You can find more my Facebook Page (http://www.new.facebook.com/profile.php?id=504321719).
They are also posted at my Flickr.com Page (http://www.flickr.com/photos/curtisferrell/)
Thanks for reading!
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Why Does The Health Care Debate Confuse Us?
Courier-Times Christian Perspectives Article for 10-10-09
Jesus said, "I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves." That's easier said than done.
We are in the midst of a national debate regarding health care: who will pay, what will it cost, what services will be available, how many will be covered, how will it affect my ability to choose? These questions are difficult enough to get our minds around, especially when the numbers being used are in the billions and trillions. But the debate has now been thrown in the moral arena.
Individuals like Jim Wallis, a Washington based moral activist, and even the President himself have suggested that it would be immoral NOT to support the health care policies that are being proposed today. Others, like Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh, say that the health care proposals in congress are immoral and downright evil. So how do we, as Christ-followers, cut through all the fog of politics and moralizing to find the answers?
Let me suggest that we spend more time in the Word of God and more time in prayer. The decisions made in the next few months will have far reaching implications for decades to come. Scripture says that if any of us lack wisdom we should ask God for it, and He will give it to us. But what else does scripture say?
The Apostle Paul told the church at Corinth that we should give what we have decided in our heart to give, "not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." But in his letter to the Christ-followers in Rome, Paul said, "Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God . . . Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor."
In the same way, the Apostle Peter wrote, "Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right." This suggest that a primary role for the government is to maintain order and punish evil-doers. But in the Old Testament we see that when Joseph was in power in Egypt he used that authority to secure grain for the coming famine so that the government could feed the people that otherwise would have starved.
A shrewd follower of Christ will also consider history. Part of the confusion we are dealing with stems from the fact that we are the first government in history to be "of the People, by the People, and for the People". Even though it doesn't feel like it all the time, WE are the Government; WE make the decisions; WE make the call. What is our responsibility, as a government, to the People?
We are also members of the church. What is our responsibility, as a church, to "the People"? History again shows is that time and time again the church has relinquished its role as caregiver and allowed the government to fill that vacuum. Who built the first hospitals? The church. Who built the first schools? The church. Who cared for orphans and widows and provided adoption services? Initially it was the church. But over the years we have allowed the government to assume those duties.
As individuals we are called to love our neighbor as ourselves. What is our responsibility, as individuals, to "the People"? Scripture clearly teaches that we are to give to the poor, care for the ill, visit those in prison, feed the hungry, and clothe the naked. Are we as Christ-followers still doing this, or are we expecting other people to fill the vacuum that we've created?
I think, if we are honest with ourselves, we will see that the reason we are struggling with the current health care issues is because we don't want to examine our own moral failures, as individuals and as the church. We understand that there is a need; a moral requirement that we care for those who are ill. We also understand that the primary role of government is not to care for the sick. That is not even the secondary or third or fourth role of the government. So we are stuck because we are ignoring the fact that, in most instances, the church has failed to care for the sick. And we don't want to admit that, in many instances, we as individuals have failed to care for the sick.
Maybe if we spent more time in prayer and more time in the study of scripture we would discover God's plan for our society. Maybe we would better understand God's definition of freedom, found in the book of Galatians. "You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: Love your neighbor as yourself."
Brothers and sisters in Christ, we have a choice to make. Will we live free and love our neighbor in tangible ways, or will we use our freedom to indulge in the things that please us and, as a result, lose more of our freedoms as we are bound by the debt that we owe? Will we as churches stop simply going to church and actually BE the church? The choice is ours; we must choose well. If we fail to choose well we will likely hear these words: For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.
You can find pictures at my Facebook Page (http://www.new.facebook.com/profile.php?id=504321719).
They are also posted at my Flickr.com Page (http://www.flickr.com/photos/curtisferrell/)
Thanks for reading!
Jesus said, "I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves." That's easier said than done.
We are in the midst of a national debate regarding health care: who will pay, what will it cost, what services will be available, how many will be covered, how will it affect my ability to choose? These questions are difficult enough to get our minds around, especially when the numbers being used are in the billions and trillions. But the debate has now been thrown in the moral arena.
Individuals like Jim Wallis, a Washington based moral activist, and even the President himself have suggested that it would be immoral NOT to support the health care policies that are being proposed today. Others, like Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh, say that the health care proposals in congress are immoral and downright evil. So how do we, as Christ-followers, cut through all the fog of politics and moralizing to find the answers?
Let me suggest that we spend more time in the Word of God and more time in prayer. The decisions made in the next few months will have far reaching implications for decades to come. Scripture says that if any of us lack wisdom we should ask God for it, and He will give it to us. But what else does scripture say?
The Apostle Paul told the church at Corinth that we should give what we have decided in our heart to give, "not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." But in his letter to the Christ-followers in Rome, Paul said, "Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God . . . Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor."
In the same way, the Apostle Peter wrote, "Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right." This suggest that a primary role for the government is to maintain order and punish evil-doers. But in the Old Testament we see that when Joseph was in power in Egypt he used that authority to secure grain for the coming famine so that the government could feed the people that otherwise would have starved.
A shrewd follower of Christ will also consider history. Part of the confusion we are dealing with stems from the fact that we are the first government in history to be "of the People, by the People, and for the People". Even though it doesn't feel like it all the time, WE are the Government; WE make the decisions; WE make the call. What is our responsibility, as a government, to the People?
We are also members of the church. What is our responsibility, as a church, to "the People"? History again shows is that time and time again the church has relinquished its role as caregiver and allowed the government to fill that vacuum. Who built the first hospitals? The church. Who built the first schools? The church. Who cared for orphans and widows and provided adoption services? Initially it was the church. But over the years we have allowed the government to assume those duties.
As individuals we are called to love our neighbor as ourselves. What is our responsibility, as individuals, to "the People"? Scripture clearly teaches that we are to give to the poor, care for the ill, visit those in prison, feed the hungry, and clothe the naked. Are we as Christ-followers still doing this, or are we expecting other people to fill the vacuum that we've created?
I think, if we are honest with ourselves, we will see that the reason we are struggling with the current health care issues is because we don't want to examine our own moral failures, as individuals and as the church. We understand that there is a need; a moral requirement that we care for those who are ill. We also understand that the primary role of government is not to care for the sick. That is not even the secondary or third or fourth role of the government. So we are stuck because we are ignoring the fact that, in most instances, the church has failed to care for the sick. And we don't want to admit that, in many instances, we as individuals have failed to care for the sick.
Maybe if we spent more time in prayer and more time in the study of scripture we would discover God's plan for our society. Maybe we would better understand God's definition of freedom, found in the book of Galatians. "You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: Love your neighbor as yourself."
Brothers and sisters in Christ, we have a choice to make. Will we live free and love our neighbor in tangible ways, or will we use our freedom to indulge in the things that please us and, as a result, lose more of our freedoms as we are bound by the debt that we owe? Will we as churches stop simply going to church and actually BE the church? The choice is ours; we must choose well. If we fail to choose well we will likely hear these words: For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.
You can find pictures at my Facebook Page (http://www.new.facebook.com/profile.php?id=504321719).
They are also posted at my Flickr.com Page (http://www.flickr.com/photos/curtisferrell/)
Thanks for reading!
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Freedom of Choice?
Courier-Times Article for November 15, 2008
In the halls of our nation’s capital, legislators are considering HR1964 and S1173. These are the United States House and Senate bills titled “The Freedom of Choice Act”. The bills are nearly identical, only about 2 pages long each, and you can read them at your leisure on the internet. Unfortunately, as Christians, we do not have the luxury of being leisurely in our response to this “act” of Congress.
If these bills are passed and signed into law by the President it would impact Indiana communities in the following ways.
Abortions after the first 12 weeks would become legal. (Abortions in the first 12 weeks are already legal.)
A requirement would be removed that women considering abortions be given information regarding: the nature of the proposed procedure; the risks of and alternatives to the procedure; the probable gestational age of the fetus, including an offer to provide a picture or drawing of a fetus, the dimensions of a fetus, and relevant information on the potential survival of a fetus at that stage of development; the risks associated with carrying the pregnancy to term; the name of the physician who will perform the abortion; and the availability of ultrasounds and fetal heart tone services. These women would not receive this additional information: that medical assistance benefits may be available for prenatal care, childbirth, and neonatal care; that the "father" is liable for child support; and that adoption alternatives are available and that the adoptive parents may legally pay the costs of prenatal care, childbirth, and neonatal care. In addition they could proceed to an abortive procedure with no waiting period to consider all of the ramifications of their decision. (Currently they must wait 18 hours to consider all of their options.)
Physicians, hospitals, and hospital staff members would no longer have the protection of Indiana laws to refuse to provide abortions based on moral or ethical beliefs.
Minors would no longer need parental consent to have an abortion, and parents would not even need to be notified that such a procedure occurred.
Abortions could be preformed by people other than Indiana licensed physicians and in places other than licensed hospitals or surgical centers.
Babies who had grown to the point where they could survive outside the womb would no longer have protection under Indiana law, making second and third trimester abortions and partial-birth abortions legal.
These facts are not from pro-life sources. All of this information comes from The National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League (NARAL) website.
From a biblical perspective, scripture is clear – God asks us to choose life.
Deuteronomy 30:19 reads: This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live . . . (NIV)
Scripture says that life begins in the womb.
Read Psalm 139:13-16: For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. (NIV)
Even if scripture were not clear, the “Freedom of Choice Act” actually removes freedoms and safeguards that most Hoosiers hold dear.
Women who were considering abortions would not have the freedom to make an informed choice.
Physicians, hospitals, and hospital staff would no longer have the freedom to follow their own convictions of ethical and moral behavior. Rather, they would be faced with a choice of their own: stop preacticing medicine altogether, or move to a nation that believes in freedom of choice for medical professionals.
Parents would no longer have the freedom of being with their minor daughters during a major medical procedure, nor would they have the freedom of giving their minor daughters guidance and counsel. Children would, in effect, become wards of the state once they are born.
Communities would no longer have the freedom of deciding who can perform abortions and where they can be performed. Nothing would prevent unqualified persons from performing abortions in neighborhoods, schools, or hotel rooms.
Finally, infants would no longer have the freedom to fight for life. Regardless of their “viability” outside the womb, infants who were not “completely” born could have their lives snuffed out with the blessing of the federal government.
That’s where we come in. This is still a nation “of the people, by the people, and for the people” and you and I still have a voice.
So, if you value freedom then speak up! Write, call, and e-mail your national leaders, your Senators and Congresmen and women. Let President Bush and President-elect Obama know that you do not want them to sign that bill if it passes congress.
If you believe in the authority of the Word of God then your responsibility is greater. Not only do you need to use your voice to protect freedom and the lives of the unborn, you have the obligation to pray for your leaders that they will make wise and God-honoring choices. Pray for women who find themselves in the midst of an unwanted pregnancy. Give to ministries like the Henry County Pregancy Care Center and CRADLES that care for women who choose to keep their children. Consider adopting infants born to women who cannot keep their children, or supporting an adoptive family financially.
If we refuse to act, if our busy lives “prevent” us from excersicing our constitutional freedom of speech or our constitutional responsibility of self government, if we remain silent out of fear or apathy, we will lose many of our freedoms to a law called the Freedom of Choice Act. The choice is yours.
Visit my Facebook Page (http://www.new.facebook.com/profile.php?id=504321719).
Photos and videos are posted at my Flickr.com Page (http://www.flickr.com/photos/curtisferrell/)
Thanks for reading!
In the halls of our nation’s capital, legislators are considering HR1964 and S1173. These are the United States House and Senate bills titled “The Freedom of Choice Act”. The bills are nearly identical, only about 2 pages long each, and you can read them at your leisure on the internet. Unfortunately, as Christians, we do not have the luxury of being leisurely in our response to this “act” of Congress.
If these bills are passed and signed into law by the President it would impact Indiana communities in the following ways.
Abortions after the first 12 weeks would become legal. (Abortions in the first 12 weeks are already legal.)
A requirement would be removed that women considering abortions be given information regarding: the nature of the proposed procedure; the risks of and alternatives to the procedure; the probable gestational age of the fetus, including an offer to provide a picture or drawing of a fetus, the dimensions of a fetus, and relevant information on the potential survival of a fetus at that stage of development; the risks associated with carrying the pregnancy to term; the name of the physician who will perform the abortion; and the availability of ultrasounds and fetal heart tone services. These women would not receive this additional information: that medical assistance benefits may be available for prenatal care, childbirth, and neonatal care; that the "father" is liable for child support; and that adoption alternatives are available and that the adoptive parents may legally pay the costs of prenatal care, childbirth, and neonatal care. In addition they could proceed to an abortive procedure with no waiting period to consider all of the ramifications of their decision. (Currently they must wait 18 hours to consider all of their options.)
Physicians, hospitals, and hospital staff members would no longer have the protection of Indiana laws to refuse to provide abortions based on moral or ethical beliefs.
Minors would no longer need parental consent to have an abortion, and parents would not even need to be notified that such a procedure occurred.
Abortions could be preformed by people other than Indiana licensed physicians and in places other than licensed hospitals or surgical centers.
Babies who had grown to the point where they could survive outside the womb would no longer have protection under Indiana law, making second and third trimester abortions and partial-birth abortions legal.
These facts are not from pro-life sources. All of this information comes from The National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League (NARAL) website.
From a biblical perspective, scripture is clear – God asks us to choose life.
Deuteronomy 30:19 reads: This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live . . . (NIV)
Scripture says that life begins in the womb.
Read Psalm 139:13-16: For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. (NIV)
Even if scripture were not clear, the “Freedom of Choice Act” actually removes freedoms and safeguards that most Hoosiers hold dear.
Women who were considering abortions would not have the freedom to make an informed choice.
Physicians, hospitals, and hospital staff would no longer have the freedom to follow their own convictions of ethical and moral behavior. Rather, they would be faced with a choice of their own: stop preacticing medicine altogether, or move to a nation that believes in freedom of choice for medical professionals.
Parents would no longer have the freedom of being with their minor daughters during a major medical procedure, nor would they have the freedom of giving their minor daughters guidance and counsel. Children would, in effect, become wards of the state once they are born.
Communities would no longer have the freedom of deciding who can perform abortions and where they can be performed. Nothing would prevent unqualified persons from performing abortions in neighborhoods, schools, or hotel rooms.
Finally, infants would no longer have the freedom to fight for life. Regardless of their “viability” outside the womb, infants who were not “completely” born could have their lives snuffed out with the blessing of the federal government.
That’s where we come in. This is still a nation “of the people, by the people, and for the people” and you and I still have a voice.
So, if you value freedom then speak up! Write, call, and e-mail your national leaders, your Senators and Congresmen and women. Let President Bush and President-elect Obama know that you do not want them to sign that bill if it passes congress.
If you believe in the authority of the Word of God then your responsibility is greater. Not only do you need to use your voice to protect freedom and the lives of the unborn, you have the obligation to pray for your leaders that they will make wise and God-honoring choices. Pray for women who find themselves in the midst of an unwanted pregnancy. Give to ministries like the Henry County Pregancy Care Center and CRADLES that care for women who choose to keep their children. Consider adopting infants born to women who cannot keep their children, or supporting an adoptive family financially.
If we refuse to act, if our busy lives “prevent” us from excersicing our constitutional freedom of speech or our constitutional responsibility of self government, if we remain silent out of fear or apathy, we will lose many of our freedoms to a law called the Freedom of Choice Act. The choice is yours.
Visit my Facebook Page (http://www.new.facebook.com/profile.php?id=504321719).
Photos and videos are posted at my Flickr.com Page (http://www.flickr.com/photos/curtisferrell/)
Thanks for reading!
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Letter to the Editor - 7 October, 2008
We’ve been robbed. The Bailout Bill is nothing short of election-year robbery. I’ve read the contents of the bill and it makes me sick. You can find it on the internet and read it too. If you do, you will discover that your $700-billion in tax money, money that was “urgently needed to avoid an economic disaster not seen since the depression”, was spent on the following items: renewable energy credits; carbon mitigation and coal provisions; increase and extension of oil spill liability trust fund tax; deduction for certain expenses of elementary and secondary school teachers; extension of mine rescue team training credit; Indian employment credit; railroad track maintenance; seven-year cost recovery period for motorsports racing track facility; extension and modification of duty suspension on wool products; wool research fund; wool duty refunds; provisions related to film and television productions; exemption from excise tax for certain wooden arrows designed for use by children; mental health parity; increase in limit on cover over of rum excise tax to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands; secure payments for states and counties containing federal land, among other things.
Do any of these items help with the emergency action to free credit markets from being clogged with bad mortgages that were mandated by congress? Even a fifth-grader could answer that question correctly. And yet, the President of the United States pushed for it, both of the major Presidential Candidates voted for it, one Vice-Presidential Candidate voted for it (the other is a governor but would have voted for it if she could), and both of our Indiana Senators voted for it.
I have come to a conclusion. The supporters of this bill are either ignorant, or cowards, or crooks.
Maybe they didn’t know what they were voting for or supporting. Do you really want someone that ignorant leading our nation anywhere?
Maybe they knew what was in the bill, but were afraid NOT to vote for it; afraid for political reasons or afraid for economic reasons. Do you really want cowards leading your nation anywhere?
Or maybe they new exactly what they were doing, and for financial gain and/or to maintain political power they mortgaged our nation into the next two or three generations. Do we really want crooks and liars leading this nation anywhere?
There are no other options: ignorance, cowardice, or robbery.
To add insult to injury, the “crisis” was generated by congress who mandated home loans at below market cost, to individuals who could not pay for loans, on houses that were overpriced. This initial mandate was made to pay for the votes of the new home owners, who are now facing foreclosure and/or bankruptcy as a result of their bargain. The banks, who went along with this scheme, made decisions they would never have made under normal market conditions because of corporate greed, and as a result are now facing bank failures of a magnitude not seen in generations.
So the ignorant, or cowardly, or crooked politicians are covering the mess they created by giving more money to the greedy financial institutions, and the unwise and overextended home owners, by taking money from hard working, tax paying individuals who HAVE made good decisions! Does any of this make you upset?
As far as I can see, the only politician, on a national level, who has been looking out for East Central Indiana is Congressman Mike Pence who, even under strong pressure from his party’s President and his party’s Presidential Candidate, has stood strong against this unprecedented power-grab and money-grab-legislation.
I don’t say this as a political endorsement; it’s simply a mater of fact. President Bush, Senators Bayh and Lugar, Presidential Candidates Obama and McCain, and Vice-Presidential Candidates Biden and Governor Palin (by lending her support) have ALL picked our pockets for the next several decades.
What are we going to do about it? Is this still a government “of the people, by the people, and for the people”, or is it a government of cowardly, ignorant, power-hungry crooks masquerading as political statesmen and women?
If you remain silent, you willingly open your pocketbook to the next generation of what used to be called civil servants. It’s time to do something. Someone just stole $700-billion dollars that belonged to you. Who’s going to hold them accountable?
Thanks for reading!
Do any of these items help with the emergency action to free credit markets from being clogged with bad mortgages that were mandated by congress? Even a fifth-grader could answer that question correctly. And yet, the President of the United States pushed for it, both of the major Presidential Candidates voted for it, one Vice-Presidential Candidate voted for it (the other is a governor but would have voted for it if she could), and both of our Indiana Senators voted for it.
I have come to a conclusion. The supporters of this bill are either ignorant, or cowards, or crooks.
Maybe they didn’t know what they were voting for or supporting. Do you really want someone that ignorant leading our nation anywhere?
Maybe they knew what was in the bill, but were afraid NOT to vote for it; afraid for political reasons or afraid for economic reasons. Do you really want cowards leading your nation anywhere?
Or maybe they new exactly what they were doing, and for financial gain and/or to maintain political power they mortgaged our nation into the next two or three generations. Do we really want crooks and liars leading this nation anywhere?
There are no other options: ignorance, cowardice, or robbery.
To add insult to injury, the “crisis” was generated by congress who mandated home loans at below market cost, to individuals who could not pay for loans, on houses that were overpriced. This initial mandate was made to pay for the votes of the new home owners, who are now facing foreclosure and/or bankruptcy as a result of their bargain. The banks, who went along with this scheme, made decisions they would never have made under normal market conditions because of corporate greed, and as a result are now facing bank failures of a magnitude not seen in generations.
So the ignorant, or cowardly, or crooked politicians are covering the mess they created by giving more money to the greedy financial institutions, and the unwise and overextended home owners, by taking money from hard working, tax paying individuals who HAVE made good decisions! Does any of this make you upset?
As far as I can see, the only politician, on a national level, who has been looking out for East Central Indiana is Congressman Mike Pence who, even under strong pressure from his party’s President and his party’s Presidential Candidate, has stood strong against this unprecedented power-grab and money-grab-legislation.
I don’t say this as a political endorsement; it’s simply a mater of fact. President Bush, Senators Bayh and Lugar, Presidential Candidates Obama and McCain, and Vice-Presidential Candidates Biden and Governor Palin (by lending her support) have ALL picked our pockets for the next several decades.
What are we going to do about it? Is this still a government “of the people, by the people, and for the people”, or is it a government of cowardly, ignorant, power-hungry crooks masquerading as political statesmen and women?
If you remain silent, you willingly open your pocketbook to the next generation of what used to be called civil servants. It’s time to do something. Someone just stole $700-billion dollars that belonged to you. Who’s going to hold them accountable?
Thanks for reading!
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