Sunday, January 17, 2010

200,000 isn't always 200,000

One can't help but be touched by the massive death toll in Haiti - 200,000 seems to be the latest estimate. The human suffering is hardly even imaginable. No matter what we have seen with the tsunamis, Hurricane Katrina, 9/11, floods, fire, and all, this one seems far more brutal. The media really seems to have been genuinely touched - Anderson Cooper among them.

However, this compassion and being touched by tragedy seems to be very selective. These folks don't even give a second thought to the million babies slaughtered in the United States every year by abortion - while none of the ways abortions happen are less than appalling, some are so violent that you would think reasonable people would recoil in alarm. This is FIVE Haiti's every year to the most defenseless little ones. Who could not be touched by the number of CHILDREN affected in Haiti? Why is there no groundswell here when these million deaths are ALL preventable? If we could have stopped the earthquake, we would have Yet we have a President, Congress, and Judicial System that refuse to intervene in the death of these little ones in the womb and who actually fight tooth and nail against those who wish to ensure their survival! Appalling.

There seems to be precious little sympathy as well for the children who through indoctrination experiment with perverted sexual activities, scarred for life. There is not even a shaking of the head of all the extremely occult and violent movies and video games coming out of Hollywood as a never ending stream, cursing God, defaming Jesus Christ, and glorifying violent, immoral, and sick behaviors.

There are also few tears shed for the massive economic violence done to so many Americans. The war against small business, against the elderly, and against workers is amazing. Unemployment figures of 10% are over double just two years ago, but those numbers are very deceptive. Millions have taken pay cuts, have had hours cut back, or have given up looking for work. Minorities have been the most affected with unemployment rates 50% higher and fewer assets to fall back on. Where is the outcry? Many small business persons are making a fraction of what they used to, and these huge losses show up on no statistics, only tumbling tax revenues. Probably 30% of Americans have been negatively affected in terms of income. Yet, like drunken sailors, the folks in Washington are seeking to further destabilize America financially with reckless spending and unprecedented corruption and favoritism. What started in earnest in 2007 has accelerated greatly since with one party controlling the executive AND legislative branches. Many have been weeping over how far they have fallen. Houses are in jeopardy, and lifestyles of the past are becoming a distant memory. It is hard enough to have an "act of God" take away your home as happened so tragically to so many millions in Haiti, New Orleans, along the MIssouri River in the upper midwest, in Andhra Pradesh in India, Bangladesh, and so many other places. It is arguably harder to deal with when many MORE millions of these tragic losses are at the hand of your own government leaders who are supposed to be advocating the GENERAL welfare, but who are committed instead to the welfare of those partisan hacks who meet in the dirty backrooms where political sin and corruption are rampant.

It is right to be sad and to weep for ALL human tragedy. Haiti is bringing tears to many, and rightly so. Perhaps Monday, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, would be a day to weep for all the tragedies surrounding slavery including that in our own land, where families were torn asunder, people were removed from their homes and placed as property with no rights and who were fortunate not to die during the voyage as perhaps up to half did. The loss of human dignity and potential has still not be totally healed as social injustice stubbornly refuses to be banished forever, even in the church. We must never get hardened to human tragedy and we must never get to the point where suffering is routine. When we have mourned, then we can celebrate the progress we have made. When we have considered how far we have fallen short of the mark, we can renew our efforts to treat everyone with the evenness that Christ did.

Jesus knew he would raise Lazarus from the dead, but he still cried over him. Doubtless with massive aid from the United States and other countries, Haiti will come back, thogh it will take many years. In the meantime, contribute to reputable agencies, pray for those being looked for, and don't be afraid to weep for them and for all other victims of natural disasters and man-made physical, spiritual, and economic disasters.

We must not make pronouncements tying human suffering into all manner of things as one prominent Christian spokesman has. If that were the case, American would have been vaporized for all the evil we have committed against the Lord. Remember that Jesus rebuked those trying to blame a young man for his sickness. It is for the glory of God, and God will get his glory in Haiti before this is all over. Let us look with compassion on the suffering and seek to renew our efforts to bring them the life-changing gospel of Jesus Christ. None of us deserves the Lord! It is only by his mercy that we stand at all. God bless you!