Stephanie Keith Photo/Getty Images: Students camp out in protest at Columbia University.
“First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out – because I was not a socialist. Then, they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out – because I was not a trade unionist. Then, they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out – because I was not a Jew. Then, they came for me – and there was no one left to speak for me.”
Martin Niemöller, Jan. 6, 1946. Niemöller was a Lutheran pastor in Germany who spent several years as a POW in Adolph Hitler’s Nazi prison camps.
Column By Mike Bibb
With Muslim, Christian, and Jewish worlds in turmoil, and college campuses being split apart with cries of “Hitler was right” from students and certain faculty, it seems to me it’s way past time for leaders and officials of school and church organizations to begin fervently speaking out against these disruptions.
While they still can.
“Oh, but Mike, we must carefully maintain the separation of church and state policies, or we could get into big trouble,” the plea goes.
As if to imply we are not already in big trouble? Look around, what do you see? Our country is being racked from coast to coast by Communist-Marxist proponents — within and outside our city, state, and federal governments.
Including, colleges and universities.
These destructive policies are inflicting extensive damage to the safe continuance of society.
Can we be so naive as to believe religious institutions will not eventually suffer the same fate? That, somehow, these houses of worship will be exempted from the demolition?
If other traditions and Constitutional provisions can be intentionally neutered by unsympathetic academia, managed by brain-washed administrators and protesting college students, then common sense would surely indicate churches, representing tens of millions of citizens, would be equally susceptible.
Riots, currently taking place on numerous university campuses, reveal legions of our nation’s future leaders have been indoctrinated with this crap by professors and staff who are already corrupt.
As a result, the madness intensifies with each succeeding generation because the safeguards enumerated in our Bill of Rights and U.S. Constitution are rapidly eroding within an educational system once entrusted with the duty of teaching the basic principles of individual responsibility and limited government.
Sadly, those concepts have been nearly flipped. Scholastic learning and skills development have been replaced by social mandates and government decrees. Containers of taxpayer money and handouts are regularly bestowed upon expensive educational institutions offering the most accommodating leftist curriculums.
Little Johnny and Judy ride the bus to school in the morning with a fresh, untarnished brain, and return home that afternoon spouting something about Drag Queen Story Hour, porn in the library, and wanting to burn down the admin building.
A few years later, Johnny is running for Congress, and Judy sits in the Supreme Court – still trying to figure out what a woman is.
Meanwhile, the ancient struggle of Muslim v. Jew has been exported into the United States and is now erupting on our own campuses. A previous German dictator is heralded as a hero, while little to no information about this psychotic lunatic is taught in the classrooms.
Adding to the confusion, we have a president who seems totally bewildered by all of this. Finally, after nearly two weeks of student upheavals, he mumbles a few brief remarks in hopes of calming a turbulent environment.
He’s received a lukewarm response. Campus encampments continue to create havoc. An indication of Joe’s popularity waning among the dumb-downed collegiate crowd – in spite of his efforts to gain favor by partially “forgiving” student loans.
As if – somehow – he has the lawful authority to modify individual loan contracts. The Supreme Court doesn’t think so, but Joe doesn’t bother with such minor details.
He’s his own law.
Which brings me back to my original inquiry – where are the church leaders in this controversy? Particularly, the larger denominations. How many have taken to the pulpits and voiced concern over a situation rapidly descending into chaos?
It might be well to remember Christianity and Communism – and its variants – are on opposite ends of civilization’s spectrum. They have nothing in common.
Regardless, of what university professors and lame wristed preachers spout.
Keep in mind, since this same mentality had no problem nailing Jesus to the cross, it certainly wouldn’t lose any sleep over doing the same to you and me.
Out of curiosity, ask your pastor, priest, rabbi, bishop, minister, or other members of the clergy, what their church’s position is in exposing and opposing this growing menace.
You may be surprised how many talk the talk, but are reluctant to walk the walk. Even by announcing in church their personal opinions of a failing government refusing to restrict the entrance of millions of unknown foreigners to prowl, live among, and cause harm to our nation’s citizenry.
That’s not making a random political statement within a church sanctuary. To the contrary, it’s stating an undeniable truth.
And, last time I checked, the 1st Amendment still clearly states “Congress shall make no law prohibiting the free exercise (of religion) thereof; abridging the freedom of speech, or to peaceably assemble.”
Nowhere is “Except, in churches” mentioned or suggested.
I see that as meaning pastors – and their congregations — are absolutely entitled by the U.S. Constitution to freely discuss any topic of interest. Including, current events involving their elected and appointed government officials, or the unusual number of errors committed during the Diamondbacks/Dodgers baseball game last evening.
There’s more to preaching than illustrating the path of brotherly love, forgiveness, salvation, and Sunday socials. There’s also the subject of responsibly preserving – at least, in this country – the principles of individual loyalty in sustaining the law outlined within the divinely inspired documents bequeathed to us by our ancestors.
They did their part – now, we must do ours. Or, as President Ronald Reagan reminded us “Freedom is a fragile thing and it is never more than one generation away from extinction.”
