By John Grant, Hamilton
ANTIFA, QAnon, Socialist, Nazi. Epithets thrown around carelessly to describe someone with whom we do not agree?
What defines a “TRUE” Montanan? 10 years? 30 years? One generation? Five generations? Does it matter? Who is more entitled and to what?
What defines a “TRUE” patriot? A flag on a porch? A flag on a vehicle? Multiple flags on anything? Labeling any who are not “us” as a threat?
Pizzagate? How do we have conversations (with no hard evidence) about cults of pedophilia and leave out the Catholic Church, the Boy Scouts of America, the Penn State locker room, the Ohio State wrestling program or U.S.A. Gymnastics for which there are mountains of evidence?
How about we embrace “JUSTICE for ALL” as embedded in our Pledge of Allegiance? And how about we live it without imposing our personal beliefs upon ALL who do not share them such that we dismiss as evil the beliefs of our neighbors?
“It does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods or no God. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg”–Thomas Jefferson
Roger Mitchell says
Living “justice for all” without imposing our personal beliefs on our neighbors simply means that we live the Golden Rule. “Do unto others as you would like them to do unto you.”
This doesn’t work when we are certain that our beliefs and opinions are Gospel and the beliefs and opinions of our neighbors are evil which must be corrected by force. Which is why political solutions to moral and social problems will never make anything right. Everyone has their own idea as to the nature of evil. Most people are quite willing to address this politically, but the real solution is to tackle it on a personal, individual, spiritual level. Unfortunately, this doesn’t happen often enough.
Good word, John.