Pastors And Protests

I am so saddened to have to write this post. In a better America, a saner America, there would be no need for me to do so. But we live in an America where far too many of us are ignorant and proud of it. An America where far too many of us, down deep inside care only about ourselves and no one else.

I was raised up in Baptist churches. The first two my family belonged to were fairly progressive

in their beliefs and actions. More importantly, most of their members practiced what they preached.

They truly did unto others as they would have others do unto them. 

The third church was much more old line. Very conservative and headed up by a pastor

who was in his late sixties and wanted things to be just the way they had always been in his younger years. He was an unpleasant and bad person. He retired not that long after my family joined his church and was replaced by a much younger, much nicer man. 

This man quickly became a very good friend to my late father. A friend who gently helped my dad, for an all too brief period of time, become a much better person. 

When that second pastor left, Dad found it all too easy to regress. He had lost a very good friend, and that hurt him a lot. 

When my parents separated, Dad and my brother stopped attending church services. I joined a

church that was very good and continued attending it until I moved several miles away.

Why am I telling you this?

I am telling you this because over the last few weeks, I've seen just about every church, mosque

and synagogue in my area suspend services or move them online. I am glad to see that. 

Also, I thought it'd be nice to give you a little background information on myself.

And also, because I want to, need to, express my disgust at those ministers who insist

on holding services in person. It comes to no surprise for me that every single one of them I've

read about remind me of that much older pastor who was, as I say, not a nice person. 

In other words, I know their type, all too well. They are among the worst of the worst. 

If one is to know them by their deeds rather than their words, consider carefully for 

those deeds speak clearly and loudly. 

For they choose to break the law by placing themselves and those around them at great

risk. 

They rant and rave about being persecuted, which is one of the sickest, saddest things I have ever witnessed. This is not the former U.S.S.R. where preaching the Gospel could easily get you thrown into prison or committed to a psychiatric ward.

This is the U.S.A., where state and local governments have shown a remarkable measure of restraint when dealing with flagrant and repeated violations of stay-in-place and social distancing orders.

Orders which are under attack by well organized groups. Those attacks have been sanctioned, and sadly, even praised, by the President. 

One such group even has ties to the Devos family and may have received funding from it. That's Devos, as in Secretary of Education Betsy Devos. That group staged a protest in front of the Michigan Capitol building where many of those present were openly carrying loaded firearms.

I honestly believe it's just a matter of time until these protests turn violent and some idiot
opens fire on a police officer or unarmed bystander. That will make for a defining moment in
terms of just how open insurrection will be dealt with.