Dear America,

A "stunt" he says.

"Listen to those better angels..."

It's not that we don't all agree with what he said; it's just that once again, he, the president, is failing to recognize the wisdom behind when to speak and when not to speak -- and that is my ponderance today.

"If he's listening,

I hope he understands that what he's proposing to do

is completely contrary to our values as Americans...

that this country has been built

on the notion of freedom and religious tolerance."

First of all, stop calling it "a notion;" our founders were not speaking generally not one iota, okay. Every word was hand picked and specific to the very nature of the depth and breadth of the divine providence at play.  You can't just throw around angels, harps and Martin Luther, all willy nilly and irreverently. But the broader question is this,

Do you liken the building of the mosque to a stunt? -- because it is.

Sure, you did come out and question the "wisdom" of building the Cordoba House Community Center -- but did you go so far as to call it like you see it, for what it really is, as in a stunt? -- because it is.

Sure, duly noted that you proclaim that everybody has the right, the freedom to express, but did you call on the imam to listen to his better angels and refrain from pulling a stunt like this?  -- because it is.

It never ceases to amaze me when inferences of religious tolerance comes up in question these days; the opportunity to chime in, in unison with the church bells, seems to be more in tune with serving a point of view, than that of humble followers simply being aligned with Spirit.  For with 73% of the community we call America hoping and praying for "religious tolerance" in ceasing the construction of a celebratory mosque at the foot of Ground Zero, the president reserves the wisdom of such an act to other Americans to rise up and speak -- never to dare to call it a stunt -- even though it is.

Yes, Mr. President, the preacher down south is pulling a stunt -- as is the imam to the north; do we have to have another civil war to figure this one out, or could you just slap some cold water on your face and snap out of it?

Did you ever consider "the notion" that perhaps if your general had not given this Quran burning any attention, that perhaps the church of fifty ignorant followers of the gospel according to Terry would go unnoticed?  Or think that if by chance the mainstream media did not use it as just one more reason to nail all evidence of Christianity to the cross and leave it for dead upon this era of no country for old men mentality --and hey, just maybe kill two birds with one stone, throwing all remnants to the bottom of a nasty dungeoness coal mine and sealing it up for good?

WE are free in this country to do as we please, yes, there is that.

And surely as it has taken us 234 years to get here, if the good Lord willin' and the creek don't rise, we have no intention of turning back now.

WE do live by the principles set forth by our founders, allowing for the common man to live and work and eat, pray, love according to one's own belief and good graces.  Without question, this is how America was made.

The truth is, both the preacher and the imam are taking advantage of this free to be you and me country of ours -- trying to pull off a couple a stunts.

Now granted, I'm taking pot shots at the messenger here, but for you Mr. President, to wave your own personal bias in the air, sheltered under something called "freedom" and this country's "religious tolerance" is utter blasphemous, really; for clearly, you have no idea what you are talking about.  Our natural and self-evident reverance to a Higher Power in this country -- and our great responsibility to align ourselves with It -- grew from an understanding never before seen; but it is as if you say the words and have no idea what they truly mean.

This religion of ours...has absolutely no resemblance to the black liberation theology you followed for twenty years, under a man who became widely known as a father figure and mentor, a man who became so easily and suspiciously quick for you to bury when seeking, shall we say, a higher calling. Whatever.

Our life and times were fully integrated according to the word of God, living in the image of God as best we possibly could, while representative of the deeper aspirations for both ourselves and our country. For it was this cherished embodiment of God's grace and teachings which divinely led us into the new world to begin with -- and everything from that point, was forever guided by our undying gratitude, our compassion for all people, of all faiths, and our absolute and resounding adherence to living a life under God as a nation.

But above all,  our religion came from within, beginning with just one person, as our individual duty became more apparent; while in order for it to work within a system of governance, our founders recognized the state could not dictate a belief -- or use it to control the people -- as in the Church of England, which they couldn't leave fast enough, and as in Sharia, which goes against everything this nation was founded. 

The state's responsibilities and duties stopped at the rule of law, beginning with our Bill of Rights -- as it was the state that needed the control, not the citizenry. Our "inalienable rights" came from God, as individuals, free to be you and me and free to believe in any way we so choose, and most importantly, we were free to live in faith fully and recognizably in every aspect of our lives.

The thing is, no matter what your faith, a true believer, one that listens to angels and Higher Powers, and lives by honor, humility and a happy heart, does not give credence to religious stunts of any kind; when our actions come from a Higher Source, we not only recognize it in ourselves, feeling It's magnificence and reeping It's rewards, others see it too -- and through it all, when It's coming from the right place, everything works.

Perceptions are kind and receptive, the commoners rally around it and embrace it with ease, as community backlash is all but nonexistent.  The thing is, we know, deep inside, when our own actions are misguided; and this knowing doesn't come from a president telling you so, or a general, or a family member from 9/11 -- it comes from Spirit, the inner guidance known only to us as God as ourselves.

What our founders declared over and over again in both the governance and by proclamation, is that as a people, IF we were to ever lose this connection to Spirit, to the Source of all Good Things, we would surely falter; our nation was designed to recognize God in every way -- not by decree -- but by the individual, inherent connection to that which is Maker of all that is seen and unseen. It wasn't our penance or punishment -- it was by design, a divine design, and one that we had to remain forever mindful and most certainly, one that we were entirely grateful as a people.

Paying particular attention to this ever loving detail was the key -- while teaching our children paramount --while allowing for all people to be free to be you and me on a wing and a prayer so that we could continue to live under God, under the rule of law, in peace and harmony -- became everything we stood for, providing for everything our freedom of religion to speak up for.

The thing is, the Higher Wisdom of all that we do does not play favorites; you can do your best to mask hidden agendas and intentions, but deep down, the people can see right through it and Heaven takes unkind to it -- no matter how big or how small; and unless you were born yesterday, no matter the country, we pretty much all know a stunt when we see one.

To be sure, I think, if we could sit down with God, God would say something like this:

"let me be clear, using religion for pulling jihad, waging war, committing massive death and inhumanities against other human beings, bearing false witness and otherwise manipulating faith like a game or a stunt, is not condoned in any way, shape or form...just sayin'...got a few more, but let's just leave it there for now."

The word of God was written in stone, with a history of time travelling by men who spoke softly and carried a big stick, to a time when all men were created equal, to a time when the word of God comes under question in thought, word and deed.

The common denominator behind every wrong action is man -- not the Omnicience.

So, in review:

The mosque, a stunt.

The burning of a special book, a stunt.

The calling out by a president of one event over another, on one hand, utterly priceless -- while on the other slight of hand, ho hum, is just another stunt... but without the proverbial bunny and top hat.

Are we the kid looking to the bottom of the Happy Meal box saying, "I don't see no hope" -- or the kid who knows real Hope, seen and unseen, and doesn't even need to look -- knowing full well It simply IS.

True religion calls upon us to be, if nothing else, true to the wisdom of a Higher Love; while in our communities across this great land, real religion -- humble as it comes -- does really good things, day in and day out.

How about we give our attention to all the ways our reverence to a nation under God saves lives and fills us with hope?

How about we observe people of all faiths choosing to do God's work and live a life accordingly?

No matter right action or wrong, Spirit expressing through us, decides our fate and our defines our world, indiscriminate to all creatures great and small.

A stunt can only get you so far, only sustenance and right intention builds a strong and vibrant community -- country and congregations alike.

Just sayin'...



Make it a Good Day, G


also, as much as the stunts outlined above are not sanctioned by a loving God, never you mind that Bibles sent to our troops in Afghanistan last year were actually burned by our military, at the request of Muslim leaders...true story.  just an interesting twist, that's all this is...just an interesting twist...