It seems as if every day I want to pray using the cries of the martyrs from the Apocalypse and say, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before thou wilt judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell upon the earth?” ( Rev 6:10b RSV). How long, O Lord, can this go on? “O LORD, how long shall I cry for help, and thou wilt not hear? Or cry to thee ‘Violence!’ and thou wilt not save?” (Hab. 1:2 RSV). How long, O Lord, will the wicked prosper and claim their prosperity proves you support them? How long, O Lord, will the rich and powerful be allowed to continue to abuse the poor and vulnerable? How long, O Lord, how long, will you let your name be blasphemed by those who claim the name Christian while doing all they can to undermine what you have taught? How long, O Lord?
Every day, I hear something new which astounds me, not because of how great the thing is, but by how terrifyingly evil it is. What is more, it is being done by those who claim to be Christian and claim to want to protect and defend the Christian faith. Due to all that is going on, I fear I am becoming desensitized to all the evil because it continues to happen at an ever-increasing rate. It is similar to the way we as a society have become desensitized to school shootings. We should never be desensitized to them, and we should never be desensitized to the evil which lies before us.
Every day, ask myself if I should listen to the news, and every day, I ask myself, why do I think I can and should ignore it? Willfully looking away, trying to avoid hearing about the newest evil, does not remove my responsibility, but will only add to it, as I will have given in to it. I know this. And so, even if I feel more and more shell-shocked, even if I want to get away from it all, I keep turning on the news. I keep paying attention. I cannot speak on all I hear. There is way too much to be concerned about. Each new thing can seem to be a distraction to the last, but in reality, they are not, as they all come together to form a pattern. And it is to this which I must speak. When I feel myself being desensitized, I must turn back to God and pray so that I do not lose sight of all those who are suffering unjustly, that I do not give up my voice, and that I make sure I continue to speak out. I must shout it out to the world, and ask them, how can I understand what is going on, asking it, not just for myself, but with the hope that those who hear me ask the same question.
Thus, I ask:
How can I understand the United States taking 500 tons of food meant to be used to help those in need in other countries and spend money to have it destroyed instead of giving it to those in need? How can this be justified when the money has already been spent? How can those who say they are concerned about wasteful spending justify this? What greater waste is there than spending money on food for the needy only to destroy it instead of using it for what it was meant, that is, to save lives? It seems to me, those behind this, love to be cruel, that they are willing to spend extra money for the pleasure they get for being cruel, and to them, that is why it is not a waste.
How can I understand establishing a budget which makes it more costly to be poor, a budget which forces those who have little to no money to survive to pay more so that the rich can enjoy more of their inordinate pleasures? How can I understand a budget which spends billions, not on the needs of the people of the United States, but building up on the power to reinforce policies centered on hate, creating more “immigration centers” where human lives are treated worse than many animals, where they are made to suffer the most dehumanizing attacks on their dignity, and hiring more undisclosed agents who hide themselves from the public so they do not have to deal with the human rights violations they engage? How can I understand the public not caring that even American citizens, and those who are legally in the United States and obeying immigration laws, are being taken in and tortured in the immigration centers, like “Alligator Alcatraz”? How can I understand the way Christians are cheering this on instead of listening to God who says to welcome the stranger, the foreigner, and treat them with human dignity?
How can I understand the way scientific advances are being squashed, and the education system dismantled throughout the United States? How can I understand deregulation after deregulation being made to serve the interests of business while ignoring the interests of the workers and, indeed, the citizens of the United States? Allowing more pollution because it costs the businesses less will only make it far more costly for the country to clean everything up, and the cost will not just be monetary, but human lives as well. How can I take seriously those who dismantle the services needed to monitor the weather in the United States when they act surprised and confused when extreme weather hits? How can I take seriously those who would spend money meant to help the survivors of deadly storms on more anti-immigrant policies instead?
How can I understand the way tariffs are being used, making everything, from food to medicine, more costly for Americans? Once again, those who are poor will suffer the most, while the rich will find it just a minor inconvenience (or an opportunity to get richer, once again on the backs of the poor and the middle class).
How can I understand all of the attacks on human rights, all of the attacks, indeed, on religious rights, and see nothing coming from those supposedly interested in both speak out? Will they ever speak up, or will they forever be silent?
How can I understand all of this? How can I understand Christians supporting Trump and all of his evils because he gives them a few culture war victories, victories which often are illusory at best? Where are those Christians when the greater evils, evils constantly denounced throughout Scripture, are being done today by those they have given their support? Should they not realize their silence is, in this case, a loud indication of their support of such evil? How long will the Lord’s patience continue?
How long, O Lord, can this go on?
* This Is Part LXXII Of My Personal (Informal) Reflections And Speculations Series
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N.B.: While I read comments to moderate them, I rarely respond to them. If I don’t respond to your comment directly, don’t assume I am unthankful for it. I appreciate it. But I want readers to feel free to ask questions, and hopefully, dialogue with each other. I have shared what I wanted to say, though some responses will get a brief reply by me, or, if I find it interesting and something I can engage fully, as the foundation for another post. I have had many posts inspired or improved upon thanks to my readers.
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