Saddened by Society

Wed, 20 May 2009 17:22:09 -0600

If you heard of a couple of men from any particular ethnic group who committed horrible crimes, is that a good reason to assume that all men from that ethnic group should be reviled and treated as the worst possible criminals?

The way current laws stand, sex offenders are treated much that way. When citizens hear of a particularly heinous sex offense, they assume that all people labeled as sex offenders have committed similarly serious crimes.

Recently on NPR I heard the story of the sex offender camps that have formed under bridges in Florida. My heart went out to the people who are forced to live in those conditions, but my stomach sank at the realization that I live in a country that can always manage to find some group to pick on. How wonderful to always have a group available to persecute.

When will this society pull its collective head out of its collective ass and realize that something ought to be done about this?

I'm amazed at the callousness of a society who feels a homeless life is good enough for some people. Now, I know most people will say, "Well, they actually committed a crime that deserves the punishment they've received." Really? Is that really true?

Is it really right for a 14-year-old boy to be tried as an adult for murder and a 17-year-old girl to be made the victim when she has sex with her 18-year-old boyfriend? Who can reconcile that in their minds? Apparently, our society can. After all, she wasn't an adult, she didn't know what she was doing, he had power over her of which she was unaware. Anyone who has ever been or known an 18-year-old boy knows that the 17-year-old girlfriend is probably much more adult-like than him. But I digress.

At the present time, sex offenders are lumped into two categories, generally. Sex offenders and violent sexual predators. Most people who live near one of these offenders don't know the difference. There is little in society's mind.

What comes to mind when you think of a male sex offender living next door to you? Perhaps the most common image is that of a weird pervert trying to mess with pre-pubescent children. And yet this is a small fraction of the people who actually have to register. For one thing, most people who have done something really egregious are in prison where they belong. Most of the people who are registered and living in neighborhoods are people who either were having a relationship with another adult, or were within one or two years of each other's age.

Picture this scenario: A bunch of guys are out in the woods on a hunting trip. One of them has to pee, so he steps behind a nearby tree to relieve himself. If he were caught by law enforcement, he would be charged with public urination and would have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life. How would you feel if you knew your next door neighbor took a leak in the woods once? How would you feel if you knew your neighbor was a registered sex offender?

Here's another: A guy goes into a bar. While there, he meets a girl. They hit it off, go back to his place and have sex. Later, it turns out she was only 17. He gets prosecuted, goes to jail for a while and has to register for the rest of his life. What happens to the girl for being in a bar when she's under 21? Nothing. She's a poor innocent victim. Did she know she was doing anything wrong?

Laws that create this kind of mass societal misunderstanding need to be revisited. Isn't it possible to come up with some sort of scale that makes registration appropriate for those who really ought to be on that list, but keeps others off the list unnecessarily?

The Great Commission

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 13:57:01 -0600

For some time now, I've been considering the Christian's role in society. It seems that many Christians, especially those on the far right, have taken it upon themselves to be the judge and tell others what they are doing wrong. As if the Great Commission from Christ was, "Tell others that you're right and they're wrong."

I can accomplish nothing good by trying to convict others of their sin -- especially when I am such a master sinner myself. I don't even know what their sins are! I only think I know because of the religious orientation in which I was raised.

If I tell an atheist that they are wrong and God DOES exist, what proof do I have? The same proof they have that He doesn't exist. When it comes down to it, the only valid argument I've got is, "Because I believe it, that's why."

The Great Commission is to tell other people about who Jesus Christ is. That's it. If I go beyond that and tell someone that I have the ultimate truth and what they believe is wrong, I suddenly lose my footing and all my credibility with them.

I don't agree with everybody. I DO believe that I stand on the truth, but I have to leave room for the beliefs of others and even let them continue to believe whatever they want. The only thing I can do is let them know about Jesus. It is up to Him to convince them of the truth, if they are wrong.

Recently, I heard a story about a preacher who told his congregation to boycott a restaurant because of their advertising and to boycott another store because of the way they decorated for Christmas. I wish he had encouraged people to focus on who God is instead of how the world is wrong. I don't believe preaching condemnation from the pulpit is what Christ meant for us when He told the disciples to go and teach others to obey everything He had commanded them. It is the role of the Christian to show people how to focus on everything that is pure and kind and true. It is Christ's role to take advantage of that and draw sinners closer to Him.

If you don't believe in the Bible or Christ or the disciples, fine. Now you know where I stand. If you'd like to share what you DO believe, this is an open forum for your thoughts. As the list of articles grows so will the breadth of subject matter. Feel free to add your comments and reflections.