The sermon today stressed just how free we truly are.
To pray, to go to school, to chase our dreams; we have the leisure to pursue anything we desire. Our right to worship allows us to thrive by having a personal relationship with Christ. This unfathomable freedom that we have in America brings to life just how blessed we are as not only a country, but also as Christians.
A friend and I came across this post. Couldn't help but to think that "freedom" is only available for white, middle class U.S. citizens. Unfortunately, your definition of freedom is flawed because it seems you are basing it off a superficial view. ISIS for example is beheading women and Christians, yes. But keep in mind that in this country, you are only deemed human if you fit the above quota. What about undocumented people? What about gays and lesbians? What about blacks? Are they free? No. People who are underrepresented face limits to these "human rights" which are supposed to be for everyone. I understand that this holiday is meant to celebrate the end to the Revolutionary War, but I would also encourage you to examine your own privilege. You are free because you are white. I am not free because I am undocumented. This is not as free of a country as you claim. I encourage you to examine historical accounts of the US' terrorism, it would provide a better view. The point isn't to hate on the US but to understand how it works to exclude people so that this society can then be changed. As Christians you are supposed to challenge hierarchy, but sometimes christian churches especially in the south reinforce this same blindness. This country is inherently oppressive but if we first learn how instead of staying with the idea that it's so great, we can truly help our people become better and more loving citizens.
ReplyDeleteI believe miss Catherine was referring to US citizens, this immediately invalidates your ISIS argument as that take place in a backwater country, half way across the globe. As your post implies, you are not a citizen, but an illegal immigrant. Those that choose to trespass in our country are not afforded the same freedoms as those of us that are born here, or choose to enter the country through the proper channels. The US has never committed an act of terrorism in the entirety of its existence and Christianity in no way limits the freedoms of others. Of course there are some radical fringe groups, such as the Westboro church that choose to bend God's word to suit their own agenda, but the majority of christians do not. Maybe you should not use your own, self-imposed lack of freedom as a reference point for the whole of a country's population.
Delete