tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2185359589996642805.post6895353743823672684..comments2019-02-25T06:33:33.782-08:00Comments on Les is More? : Knuckle DraggersUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2185359589996642805.post-20023671146000532852015-12-07T04:37:06.847-08:002015-12-07T04:37:06.847-08:00Great work !!Great work !!Pastor Meadowshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13505804244065715530noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2185359589996642805.post-6126181665060155322015-12-03T10:46:29.281-08:002015-12-03T10:46:29.281-08:00So very true. It isn't just terrorist groups e...So very true. It isn't just terrorist groups either. We have to be careful how we talk about people or groups of people because the words and phrases we use reflect our conscious and subconscious thinking and can cause us to dehumanize them and once we are capable of dehumanizing any person or people it is very easy for us to deny them their human rights, dignity, equality, real justice, etc. And it isn't like we don't know this. We've known this long before science came along and confirmed it. That's why the "bad" guy's underlings often are nameless and wear masks and uniforms that distort their humanness. A paper written as a college thesis about why stormtroopers in the Star Wars franchise miss shots while rebels hit them uses this point: the stormtroopers see a human being and so subconsciously miss while the rebels do not see a human and so subconsciously do not miss. The US military and other militaries have done significant research on this and that's why they use specific words and phrases to add to the dehumanization of the enemy. The terrorists know this and that's why they employ psychological tricks of their own to dehumanize their targets. Only when we wake up and truly see every person as a human being and work towards reconciliation and healing with each other will the madness stop. In the meantime, the rhetoric about refugees, gays, blacks, poor, rich, cops, etc, etc, etc that continues to dehumanize these groups of people and causing further hurt does not bring us to a place of reconciliation and healing, but just keeps and feeds the cycles of violence to continue. Jesus didn't say it was easy to pray for our enemies, bless those who curse you, etc. He just said it's what we should do. Coincidentally, Jesus wasn't alone in saying this as every religious tradition has this teaching. It's kind of sad that people often know the "gays are bad" parts of their religion more than they do this part (or any of the other parts that speak about honoring the dignity of other people. For me the true reflection of a person's faith is in how they speak to and about people as well as their actions upon them. I'd say that we should expect Church leaders to speak up, but the reality is that Church leaders are often the last to speak up. Thankfully, the Church is more than just its leaders and there are everyday people within, though titleless, who work to remind the Church of its Christ's teachings. And that gives me hope, not just for Christianity, but for all of the world's religions. Natehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04173366011551020048noreply@blogger.com