WWJD: the Crisis

Refugee:
Noun
A person who flees for refuge or safety, especially to a foreign country, as in time of political upheaval, war, etc.

One would truly have to live under a rock, in the current state of affairs, to have not heard about what is being called a "refugee crisis," wherein, as of July 2015 an estimated 4,000,000 (four million) Syrians have been displaced and fled the country, according to the UNHCR, or the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. The reason for this crisis is mainly due in part to a bloody civil war that has torn the country into three different factions: territories controlled by the current political regime, rebel fighters, and Islamic extremists. This civil war had it's roots going as far back as 2006, however it is widely accepted that the official start of the war was in 2011. Between 2011 and 2013 an estimated 100,000 civilian casualties have been recorded, and many of the countries cities and towns have been ravaged and are no longer inhabitable. Understandably, these Syrian people had to leave their country.

Up until October of this year, less than 2,000 Syrian refugees have been allowed into the United States. However, in September, President Obama announced his plan to increase that number to at least 10,000, a number that pales in comparison to the aforementioned 4,000,000 refugees. Overall, our response to this historical crises has been lackluster to say the least, and despicable to say the most. The United States has the highest number of people who identify as Christians in the world (my source for this appears to be outdated although it's meaning is not lost). Of the Christian citizens in the United States, a majority of them have historically voted Republican, or leaned towards conservativism; this is no great surprise or revelation to anyone living in the United States. It is with that in mind, however, that I have turned my attention towards Republican representatives, most notably Ted Cruz and Jeb Bush, who have been vocally opposed to President Obama's announcement to accept more refugees into the United States. In a survey done by CNN in September, a majority of conservatives opposed allowing refugees to enter the United States (55%).

While I have no statistics to prove what I've observed, I can only imagine that the number opposed has increased in light of the terrorist attacks that took place in Paris, France, on the evening of November 13th, this year, 2015. Additionally, 24 different Governors have taken explicit steps towards the prevention of refugees being accepted into their states; only one of these Governors is a Democrat. As I have previously stated, a majority of Conservative Republicans identify as Protestant Christians, So, correct me if I'm wrong, but what I'm seeing here is that Christians don't want Syrian refugees in the United States. But why?

In no uncertain terms I will tell you that the number one reason Christians don't want refugees in our country is fear. The Lord did indeed give us a spirit of fear, and we're using it to the fullest extent. We're afraid for our homes, our families, our way of life, and our security. That, mixed with a heaping helping of ignorance about the M word (yes that's right, Muslims) and how they are, in general, bad people, has created the notorious love child that only fear and ignorance can: hatred. The United States, after all, the golden calf we have come to know and love, cannot survive in it's current state if we submit and grant these "refugees" (read: terrorists) passage into our land of milk and honey, right?

Sarcasm aside, American Christians need to take a long, hard, introspective journey and open their Bibles in search of guidance. Should we love our enemies? Should we give them water to drink if they are thirsty and food if they are hungry? Can we continue to say "I love God" but turn and hate our brothers and sisters? Should we give to everyone who begs of us? Should we turn away people in need or will we make room in the stable? Will be oppress the poor and insult our Maker, or will we be generous to the needy and honor Him? Are we ready to reap what we're sowing? I ask these questions on the pretense that these refugees are indeed our enemies, because apparently that's how many people view them, but they aren't. Not in my eyes, at least. Maybe I'm a fool, maybe I'm ignorant, or maybe I'm not.

I know not everyone shares my sentiment, but I find it heartbreaking when I think of the hundreds upon thousands of men, women, and children, who are not only in desperate need of shelter, food, and clothing, but the grace of God that we have so selfishly harbored in our borders. Is our pride too great to recognize our duty as Christians to be the light of the world? Is our fear a lack of trust in the sovereignty of Christ or is it simply a symptom of never having really trusted in Him to begin with? Are we willing to sacrifice our humanity for our security? Is it the Christian inside us that refuses to acknowledge what is right, or is it the American?

"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love." 1 John 4:7-8

It's all rainbows and discrimination.

I like gay people, because I believe that love comes in many different shapes, sizes, and colors. Gay people, from what I've gathered from my own personal experience, are very nice, because they also believe that love is a versatile thing. Straight people suck and are mean, because they want to put love in a neat little box, have the government regulate it, and put a tax on it so you can't have/be in love without paying for it.

There's approximately 600,000 people in Tulsa (2010 census). Around 1% of all American couples are gay or lesbian. So if I take a really big leap and by-pass some basic mathematics for the sake of being lazy, I can guess that there's about 12,000 gay or lesbian people in Tulsa. I don't even know that many people. I don't even know what "12,000 people" looks like. If I were to be able to remember every single person I've ever met and ever will meet, it probably wont even be near 12,000.

If every single person who served in the armed forces of the U.S. stopped doing so, we could fill their positions twice with solely gay people, with some to spare.

There are more homosexual people in America than Native Americans.

I don't see gay people as gay people, or a minority, or someone who's doomed to spend eternity chillin' with Satan. I don't walk up to one and say "how are you today, Mr. Gay man?" or "Howdy, sinner!" If you're gay, it's part of who you are, just as much as your ethnicity, eye color, accent, etc. It's your personality. When you see "homosexuality" like this, you'll understand why I don't think it's right that people bully gay kids, or deny them basic human rights. And this is where it gets juicy.

WHAT IS LOVE? BABY DON'T HURT ME.

But seriously, in the Declaration of Independence, they were all like "dudes, you should be able to do what you want, because the Man shouldn't be able to tell us what to do! The Man's trying to keep us down!" (in my version, the founding fathers we sort of hippies.) Henceforth, America separated themselves from England and their oppression and founded America, the land of freedom and opportunity. And then suddenly, 200 years later, our very own government stomped all over the Declaration of Independence and said "lol nope, gays don't get to be happy." If we're going to do this, I think it's only fair we return Lady Liberty to the French and surrender ourselves to the British. (also, if we're a democracy, we need to change our flag, because the classic "stripes and stars" one stands for a republic.)

California's Prop. 8 officially eliminates same-sex marriage in what I grew up understanding to be the most gay state of them all.

Question time: does love make you happy? A large number of heartbroken teenagers will probably try to tell you that it'll make you miserable, but let's look at the science. Love is the biochemical reaction inside the brain that releases "love drugs" (that's normal-person talk for dopamine, norepinephrine, pheromones, and serotonin). Basically, these naturally occurring chemicals make you stupid and happy and in love. So yes, scientifically speaking, love makes you happy. Is love not, under these conditions, one of the certain inalienable rights given to you in the Declaration of Independence? Or at least, the pursuit of love. And is marriage not the furthest extent of love?

I'm calling America out on their blatant discrimination of homosexual individuals. We're denying them their God-given rights, in the same way we denied African Americans theirs. And Westboro Baptist Church the modern day Klu Klux Klan.

I know that homosexuality isn't a race, but if you're "homophobic" to any degree, I see you as being on the same level as a racist. If you hate any group of people for who they are, you're just like a racist. A love racist, in this case.

I am not talking about your religion. You can have all the religion you want. You can follow all the rules and guidelines you want. I believe that you can be gay and still be a Christian, or a Muslim, or a Buddhist, or whatever you want to be. This isn't about whether gay people go to heaven or hell. All that is is your opinion, or someone elses opinion. If you have a problem with homosexuality because of your religion, just remember that "God is love."

Think about it. Makes sense.

The Halloween Issue

Many people love the Fall season. The leaves are changing, you can wear a scarf without looking like a pretentious hipster, and for me, there's a holiday which is really a huge facade for scaring the crap out of little kids and gorging myself on fun size Butterfingers and Runts. But only the banana Runts. Everyone knows the banana ones are the best.

However, coming from a Christian home my parents never let me go trick or treating as a kid because apparently participating in this holiday was Satan worship and I was going to burn in hell for being a rebellious heathen.

Or something like that.

Pictured: the epitome of evil and Satanic

I however, firmly protest that just because Halloween has a sketchy background does not mean that simply by acknowledging its existence I was included in its sketching going-ons.

That's like saying that because I live in Salem, Mass. I'm a witch-hunting conspiracy theorist.

Originally it is thought to have stemmed from a Celtic Festivus type thing where people would stand around a fire (like a Festivus pole of sorts) dressed up like ghosts and spirits and other costumes in hopes that when the other real spirits showed up they'd be like "aw naw, this place taken already man, lets haunt some other town." Personally, if I was a ghost and saw a bunch of other ghosts standing around a big fire I'd be like "'sup guys" but that's just me I guess.

Now instead if we have a ghost problem we have one man in a robe come to our house and shout things written in an ancient manuscript and sprinkle water on stuff.

But that's not the point.

In the 8th century some Pope decided to make a holiday the day after the Celtic festival (called Samhain, and not Festivus, sadly) that was a day of remembrance for all the saints and martyrs ever, called "All Saints Day." The day before it was henceforth named "All Hallows Eve," (I said henceforth in a sarcastic manner, because I honestly have no idea what the connection between "saints and martyrs" and "hallows" are. I don' even know what a "hallow" is.) and later just "Halloween."

So what I'm saying is that Halloween isn't even like, a big deal. Don't think of it being a day when your kid is trying to ward off spirits so much, and think of it more like a big party before a day of remembrance for all the people who sacrificed their lives in one way or another for the greater good.

If you're still not convinced it's a wholesome activity for little kids to do, let me tell you two things. 1: you're taking away a huge part of your son or daughter's childhood by removing this awesome holiday in which they get to dress up like superheroes and demand candy from strangers. And 2: since you probably don't like this holiday because you're a God fearing person, Christmas was originally called Saturnalia, aka an ancient Roman festival that happened early-mid December to worship the god Saturn and involved everyone exchanging gifts, if you had an indoor growing tree it was decorated and topped with a light (not a star like we do, but a sun), garlands and wreaths were hung on doors and on doorways and such... sound familiar? Yeah. You're just as much a heathen for celebrating Christmas as I am for having a good time on Halloween. This was invented around 250 BC, which is like, 250+ years before Jesus was born. Think about that for awhile.

This ain't Monty Python's Meaning of Life.

The way I see it, or from the unbiased point of view I'm trying to see it from, the purpose of life is to pursue that question of "what is the purpose of life?" Depending on what you believe, it's probably something along the lines of pleasing a greater being, God. This works, because it is a purpose that cannot be fulfilled untill death, or untill we stop wanting to please God, in which case our lives purpose becomes pleasing ourselves. If you are an evolutionist, then pretty much your only purpose is to die and hope that your spawn have the heads of dinosaurs or something, I don't even know. Although, that would be pimpin' on a whole new level. If people didn't ask questions, we wouldn't have to think about the "purpose of life," and people would live life instead of wonder about it.

Since we are chasing this evasive question, we assume that there is an answer. Is there really a purpose to life? As a human being, probably not. I was born, I will live for a small while, and then I'll die, fertilize some dirt, something like that, tons of fun, eaten by maggots. But honestly, if you don't already have a purpose written out somewhere *cough* the Bible/Quran/Book of Mormon/Skymall *cough* then you're probably doomed to just look under leaves and whatnot.

"Oh leaf, why was I put here on earth?"
*rustle rustle*
"Should I be taking notes?"
*rustle*
"Oh I'm sorry great leaf! I didn't mean to anger you!"

His name is Russel. He's angered by the fact
that you're taking notes on his brethren.

Yeah, something like that. Do you have a purpose for living? Christians: yes, God put you here to do his bidding and whatnot. Deists: no, God left you here like an unwanted baby at an orphanage. Evolutionists: no, you were an accident, you're also like an unwanted baby, but you werent even put into an orphanage; you're the Sasquatch of the universe. Atheists: sure. In the (paraphrased) words of Dane Cook, you get to live, die, turn into a tree, then be chopped down by a sweaty lumberjack, turned into paper, and have the Bible printed on you. Do you even believe there is a purpose to life? You confuse me on a voluminous level. Congratulations. Muslims: yes! You are to spread the words of Mohammed el Prophet and kill those pesky infidels. Or, if you choose to believe that the whole of Islam isn't a radical terrorist group, you can just live out life and wait for your 72 virgins. Catholics: you are to follow Cathol and all his teachings (source: Eddie Izzard). Also, you have lots of nice orphanages (but not for Deists and Evolutionists.)


* Note: I know very little, and I realize this. However, if you still feel inclined to remind me, I welcome it with open arms. Also, I wrote this when I was like, fourteen, and edited very little. It's probably nor so good.