Monday, August 14, 2017

August 14, 2017

"Go ahead and be angry. You do well to be angry—but don’t use your anger as fuel for revenge. And don’t stay angry. Don’t go to bed angry. Don’t give the Devil that kind of foothold in your life." Ephesians 4:26-27

It's Monday morning and the appropriate outrage over the violence that erupted in Charlottesville on Saturday has been expressed. Those were despicable actions from detestable people that lead to senseless deaths and injuries.

Having consented to the obvious and appropriate outcries against the violence and hatred that stoked it, there are a couple of equally troubling factors contributing to the chaos that erupted Saturday morning in that beautiful city. I have heard no one call out these dangerous ideologies so I will be the one to do it.

You won't hear the media talk about history revisionism but it is a major factor in instigating the rally that resulted in violence.

What is history revisionism? It is the ideology that if something from the past offends you remove the things that remind you of it. As you remember, it was a movement to remove the statues of Confederate Generals that initiated the furor that precipitated the gathering on Saturday.

Now don't misunderstand me, that in no way justifies the violence that was committed but it did provide a motivation for these racist nationalistic thugs to show up.

Slavery marks a regrettably dark period in American history. Every sane reasonable American deeply despises this evil dehumanizing system that existed in our nation for over a century. It breaks our hearts every time  we think of it and the statues of those who fought to preserve that way of life force us to reflect on the shameful past. Honestly, I don't like to be reminded of it, either.

If removing those statues could actually remove that part of our past I would be first in line to endorse it. But it doesn't. And it shouldn't because the pain of this moral evil from our past motivates us to make sure it never happens again!

It has been wisely stated that, "Those who fail to remember history are doomed to repeat it." I believe that and do not want that evil visited upon America ever again!

What could and should happen when an American views a statue of a Confederate General or a Confederate flag is to remember the U.S. is the only nation that fought a war and suffered the loss of 600,000 citizens in order to correct a moral wrong within its borders. See those images and remember that we struggled through this painful period but managed to preserve the Union and with a century rise to become the most powerful and prosperous nation on earth! When you have a proper perspective that only comes from history you can bear the shame but distill the hope from it!

We have seen efforts by some insidious groups to deny the holocaust. Again, another racist atrocity that is agonizing to remember but can never be allowed to  be forgotten. We pray to God it never gets repeated!

So, history revisionism was indeed a contributing factor to the chaos and violence in Charlottesville on Saturday. You won't hear the media mention it. Few, if any commentators will decry it. But it is real. It is dangerous. It exists. And it must called out, debated and resisted just as we have done with racism.


America is far from perfect and never will be the utopia many hope for. But she is still the best hope for our weary world. And we are better than we were because we learned from our past and rejected it's evil. If we erase our past we may become more comfortable but we won't become greater.

In tomorrow's post I will identify another troubling trend that contributed to the melee in our back yard this week-end.
















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