The Self-Righteous Finger | Its always someone else's fault.

Man's view of religion has been the source of wars and the needless slaughter of millions of people.  Humanity scorns Hitlers genocide in the concentration camps of Word War II, while justifying the unconstitutional enforcement of the US Indian removal act of 1830 that cost the lives of thousands of native people.  Genocide is given a blind eye if the end justifies the means.

JPAC (Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command) spends 50 million dollars annually recovering the remains of our missing service men and women.  We would agree, that is certainly a righteous cause in support of those who made the supreme sacrifice in defense of this nation.  


To date not one cent has ever been appropriated in recovering the remains of any of the thousands who died in the internment camps or from along the trail of tears. Four to Five times the number died on the trail than the 9/11 tragedy.

According to some historians Hitlers final solution was modeled after the United States policies regarding Native People Groups.  All told many millions more tied on US soil at the hands of the white man than ever died in Nazi Germany in the death camps.  This kind of predation gets glossed over by the convenient truth allowing the US to justify just about any eventuality even when the Supreme Courts had clearly rules other wise.  (Worcester v. Georgia, 31 U.S. (6 Pet.) 515 1832)

The Catholic and the Protestant Church are spiritually impossible to separate. We are them and they are us.  Even though we all want to point a righteous finger in each others face, the historic fact is that prior to the reformation, the Catholic Church was the church. What branch can condemn its undeniable roots? Anyone who chooses to worship in a Protestant church centered around the noon hour on Sunday is in fact acknowledging that connection. Third century Roman worship patterns were first established by what evolved into the Catholic Church. Having wrapped ourselves in a religious spirit (not a good spirit to entertain by the way) we continue these religious habits mindlessly throughout the generations.

From this point forward in this short article, I will refer to the "Church," without distinction as that is how Christ views it I am sure. Certain sections within the church have had problems with sexual predators including but not limited to pedophiles. The list of those who have fallen pray to sexual infidelity of all sorts is long and full of notable names

Then there are the financial predators and the spiritual predators and on and on and on..... Even though I believe pedophiles need to be justly tried and punished, to some degree singling in on this one problem within our ranks is like giving out speeding tickets at the Indy 500. Where do we draw the line?

Keep in mind that no one in South America is supposed to be speaking Spanish. Right? It is a historic fact that the Spanish under the banner of the Church exploited the entire continent. Tens of thousands if not millions all died thru European introduce disease and outright murder.  

The Gold that was pillaged from South American now adorns the sanctuaries of Europe. How do we expect God to bless us in standing in front of gold leaf images clad in the rape and pillage of a entire continent? Where is the justice in that?

The Colonial Church in the US fares no better. Having ignored the voices that tried to suggest that the people of the America's were not ignorant savages, the westward expansion and exploitation. The message was clear to the Native People. Be converted or be shot. We have become very good at being religious but fall far short in representing the heart of Christ among the nations.

Some of the Church. who are supposed to represent Christ, have decided to face facts. Many of us have taken the stained glass blinders off and see the world from a different view. A lot of things happen in the name of Christ that have little to do with his character. It's time for the pendulum to swing back in the right direction.

John 8:1

Here are a couple of examples of how to begin to clean up the mess.

Prior to 1811 smallpox was released to the Shawnee population that inhabited the Flynn’s Lick area of Jackson County, Tennessee. This illness was known by the Shawnee as the “Death of the Robes.” Major William Trent's journal entry now found in the library of congress records this tragic event. Documented correspondence indicated that he had taken small pox infected articles of cloth giving it to the native population. The US government was clearly guilt of bio terrorism. The letter continues to state that it was his hope that the articles would “have the desired affect”. William Trent founded Trent-town. Trent-town became Trenton, New Jersey. Anthrax contamination of the United States mail service was once centered around Trenton, New Jersey.

"Trent recorded in his journal that blankets from the fort's smallpox hospital had been given to the besieging Indians during a parley. In his account book, Trent said that the blankets had been given to them "to Convey the Smallpox to the Indians". Trent wrote, "Out of our regard for them, we gave them two Blankets and an Handkerchief out of the Small Pox Hospital. I hope it will have the desired effect."

So many Shawnee died that there wasn't any one left to bury the dead. Farmers as late as the 1980's could not plow the fields in the area without "disturbing the children's bones." The Corp of Engineers solved the problem by buying the area turning it into "shore line" protected property.

Is there a course of action we can take beyond being angry? What does reconciliation look like? Can we make a difference in what the future holds?

Another example of taking positive steps

Part of our war for independence in 1776 involved waging war on civilian population centers. The US killed non-combatants on their raids into Cherokee land holdings west of the Appalachian mountains.  A Lieutenant Francis Marion wrote with eloquent terms what he saw take place in the middle towns. 

“We proceeded by Colonel Grant’s orders to burn the Indian cabins.  Some of the men seemed to enjoy this cruel work laughing hardily at the curling flames, but to me it appeared a shocking sight.  Poor creatures, thought I, who surely need not grudge such miserable habitations, but when we came according the orders to cut down the fields of corn, I could scarcely refrain from tears.  Who, without grief, could see the stately stalks with bared ground leaves and tasseled tops?  The staff of life sink under our swords with all their precious load to wither and rot un-tasted in their mourning field.  I saw everywhere around the footsteps of little Indian children where they had lately played under the shade of their rustling corn.  When we are gone, thought I, they will return and peeping through the weeds with tearful eyes will mark the ghastly ruin where they had so often played.  ‘Who did this?’ they will ask their mothers and the reply will be, ‘The white people did it, the Christians did it’.  Thus for cursed mammon’s sake, the followers of Christ have sowed the selfish tares of hate …….”

Many people are choosing to walk a different path. For almost two decades the prayer movement has chosen to face a less than stellar past.   Reconciliation is active in many parts of our society.  Old wounds are being closed for the first time in history.

It is only out of our insecurities that we build walls of racial, economic and religious segregation. When one of us stumble we all do. However, hope is not lost. What lies in the past can be reconciled thru the graces of those involved. History no longer needs to be an open wound that continues to fester in hatred and bitterness. Reconciliation can and is taking place among those who have a heart to change. The pendulum is swinging back in the right direction.


  

With our social transgressions confessed and forgiven, many are joining hands on behalf of our common good. Let's all get on board as witness to a brighter tomorrow.