We Had Been Warned - out leadership "effectively becoming a government unto themselves"
Opinion by Stew Richland
President Obama’s remarks at the National Prayer breakfast yesterday created a fire storm when he said that we should, ”remember that during the Crusades and the Inquisition, people committed terrible deeds in the name of Christ. In our home country, slavery and Jim Crow all too often was justified in the name of Christ. “
The great tragedy about Obama’s remarks is how it illustrates his ignorance about world history and foreign affairs. News media outlets, both Democratic and Republican leaning sources have also remarked about the limited knowledge that many of the candidates running for national office and many that have just been elected to Congress have on historical events and foreign affairs.
There is a truism found in historical events, and that is, more people have been killed in wars over religion then in any other type of conflict and this includes World War One and Two combined.
All World History textbooks refer to the Middle East as the birth place of the world’s three major religions. What these religions have in common is the belief in One God. Based on this belief the Western world has a stake in the events of the region.
Greece and Rome had a long history of conquest over their weaker neighbors. These two empires were polytheistic, that is they believed in multiple gods. When the Romans conquered the Holy Land, it became clear that the monotheism of the Judaic/Christian beliefs were inconsistent with a nation that believed that their Emperor was the true God. Thus the Romans began to exterminate these groups. Despite the attempts of the Romans to eradicate the Christians, they failed. Rome became the center of Catholic belief, Roman Catholicism was born. Part of Catholic belief is to proselytize, that is to actively seek converts. Judaism does not support this action. Historically, Islam accepted Jesus and Moses as prophets living prior to Muhammad. Muslims believe that Muhammad is the last prophet and none will come after him. This led to the idea Islam is the true religion and their God is the true God, resulting in the invasion of the Holy Land by Muslim leaders, driving the Christians out and denying them the right to visit their holy sites.
The Crusades were called by Pope Urban II, (it was considered a holy war) to win back the Holy Land from the Muslims. The Crusaders were successful for a time. As with all crusades, people’s interest began to wane and the Muslims were able to reestablish their control over the area. However, this time they allowed Christians free access to their holy places. Historically the evidence is clear that both religious groups committed genocide against each other. This is the first error in the President’s presentation. Both sides were guilty of vile acts not just the Christians. As President of a predominantly Christian nation he should have know this.
The second reference was to the fact that in the name of Christianity, African slaves were subject to inhuman treatment and Jim Crow laws and segregation was based on white Christian beliefs.
African were enslaved because the South needed to fulfill their labor needs on cotton and tobacco plantations. (Native Americans could not be enslaved) African slaves had no idea of monotheism. Their religious culture was based on Animism. Multiple gods which were found everywhere in their environment. Over a period of years, Africans began to co-mingle their religious heritage with the Christianity of their owners. This explains why most African-Americans are Protestant and attend the Baptist church. The roots of slavery within the United States and other areas of the world namely Africa and Asia was based on economics. Africans were easy marks for enslavement. Powerful African tribes attacked their weaker neighbors and sold their captives to the highest bidders. Slaves who were sold to Southern plantation owners, did not have a recognized nation to prevent their enslavement. They were helpless victims of a class of people who were only concerned about maintaining their aristocratic heritage.
Jim Crow Laws were a series of laws enacted by southern states after the Civil War in order to keep African-Americans in some form of servitude. These laws were enacted in southern states in reaction to the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments to the Constitution. Jim Crow was designed to segregate and limit African-American participation in all phases of Southern life. Eventually these laws were declared un-constitutional. I doubt if the President was referring to the burning crosses placed on the lawns of homes and churches by the KKK. These southern racists were not committing these sins in the name of religion, it was designed to keep southern society segregated and deny African-Americans from becoming part of main stream America.
It is sad when people shy away from confrontation. Confrontation is very positive because it encourages debate. You don’t have to impale your adversary with it. It just means that there are two sides to issues. Obama does not understand this and neither does the leadership of UCO. As president either of the US or UCO you become the target, the bull’s eye in on you. Your administration is defined by what you say and how you go about achieving your goals. In our village we have been subjected to what I call “Overreach” by our President. “Overreach” can be defined as the IRS asking charities about the contents of their prayers. This behavior is akin to totalitarian regimes and demands undivided attention by the “MALCONTENTS” and those who support intelligent confrontation. I urge all the delegates to support those candidates that support change you can believe in and come out and vote in the upcoming UCO elections.
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