I Pledge Allegiance

I pledge allegiance
To the Flag
Of the United States of America;
And to the REPUBLIC
For which, it stands;
One nation, [under God],
With LIBERTY, and JUSTICE for ALL.
 
I, like so many other in the 25+ age range, grew up saying this every day in school, and I think it is something that has been lost. I don't mean it's been lost as it hasn't been used in schools for quite some time now, but that it has lost its meaning, and we've forgotten its meaning.
I consider myself to be loyal to the United States of America, but I've lost sight of America. When I open a NEWS website, and click on National News, I find it difficult to find The United States of America. I mean that as we don't act like we're supposed to; our nation has lost its way.

We were founded, in part, to be free of tyranny, misrepresentation, oppression, religion, and a court system that was throwing out the Rule of Law in order to silence opposition to the tyranny which it was committing. We wanted a nation where anyone with a dream can grow prosperous. A nation "of the People, by the People, and for the People." A Free nation. A land of opportunity.

"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses, yearning to breath free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore,
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door"

The door is left open, and the light left on. We've got a Welcome mat on the porch, coffee in the pot, burgers on the grill and beer in the fridge. That's The United States of America.

What happened to that nation? Three planes; one into a field, two into two tall buildings; three buildings fell down, and another building damaged (but not by a plane....). And all the buildings destroyed or damaged were heavily involved in the financial industry in some manor. There are theories about the whole event, and plenty of evidence to support some of them. 

And then fear took over.

But then that raises my point: fear.

That "T-word" that has been going around these 12 years...means to cause fear in a populace. There has been a lot of fear-mongering these 12 years. In the NEWS, and from our own gov't and police, and the corporations willing to destroy the lives of ordinary citizens just so the top can make more money. When hundreds police show up in riot gear against obviously unarmed civilians, the police become the fear-inflictors; the police become the ones committing treason. And those who ordered the police/swat/military in, to break up a group of obviously unarmed civilians, who just want the chance to live, become the ones committing treason. Laws are violated with no regard. Police agitate a situation that wasn't a problem into becoming a problem. They stomp on our Law-given Freedoms, not to mention our "God-given" Freedoms. They put fear in peaceful citizens' hearts. And then when we call them out for taking away our Rights, they call us terrorists or treasonous.

We are the Loyal, we are the People. The People of a Nation built on Freedom. Freedom has been bought over the years at high prices: Revolutionary War, Civil War; then we rallied for Women's Right to Vote, Black Equality. Now we rally for Gay Rights, and for the chance to just live life.

We fight to keep our Nation. 

Our gov't is committing treason against the People and The United States of America.

I pledge allegiance
To the Flag
Of the United States of America;
And to the REPUBLIC
For which, it stands;
One nation, [under God],
With LIBERTY, and JUSTICE for ALL.

When those who are called to Love practice hate, religion dies. Wondering why non-Christians hate us so much, maybe because we have so often been judgmental, dispassionate, arrogant, greedy, and hurtful in our words. Sure, "blessed are those who are hated for my sake, for they first hated me." But isn't there also something to the affect of 'Christ died for your sins: past, present, and future,' and 'you are seen pure and blameless,' 'but by no means keep sinning.' No, not direct quotes, but you know what I mean. So, sure, blessed are those who are hated for loving Christ, but by no means continue to accept being hated. And by no means do things that cause people to hate us, especially when we know it makes them hate us. How can we spread the Gospel when we spread "God hates fags"? How can we spread the Gospel when we say "get off your lazy backside and get a job" to a homeless person whose story we don't know? How can we spread the Gospel when we preach condemnation, damnation and cast judgement on anyone who doesn't have their ducks in a row? and aren't as "goody-goody"?

When we are hated, hell wins. Every time someone says "I hate Christians," Hell rejoices. Every time WE say "God hates fags," Hell rejoices. Every time WE say "You're going to hell," guess what? WE are the reason they're going to hell, and hell rejoices. Our "Holier than thou" attitude is why our nation is gone to the sewers. People don't want religion because it acts evil, therefore they turn away, and act in Evil (notice the capitol and non-capitol uses of "evil"). But they view our judgements as more evil than their sexual immorality. Maybe we should think about why this is. Maybe its because they're actually right about our attitudes. Maybe they hate us because their soul realizes we're sending it to hell by our actions.

I left the church because of the judgement that I felt towards me. When people who I considered good friends treated me like gum on the bottom of their shoes; or asking me to not be part of the church because of my seizures; or a youth pastor I ran into downtown who said that non-Christians were not welcome in his church, and that I wouldn't be welcomed because of my long hair.... This is why we're hated, not because we Love Christ, but because we hate anyone who doesn't love Christ, and doesn't act as the Bible tells us to. They hate us because we hated them first.

Christ is love.
For God so LOVED the whole world, that while we were still sinners, He sent His only son to die for us, so that WHOEVER believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For Christ did not come into this world to condemn it, but to save it, for it stands condemned already (Mashup of John 3:16-17 and Romans 5:8).
If the world is already condemned, why further condemn it? Our job is to save the world, not lose it to hell. To spread the Good News, not condemnation. Christians are destroying Christianity, as has been going on for four thousand years. Remember Christ speaking against the Religiously Conservative and dogmatic?