Curiosity Cured the Cat – by Silver Ink

Love in Disagreement

We can’t make the mistake of thinking that agreement is a sign of acceptance. It’s not. You can accept someone, and not agree with them on everything.

Likewise, we can’t think that because a friend voted for a politician, liked a celebrity or befriended another person that they agree 100% with everything that politician, celebrity or friend espouse. That’s ridiculous.

If we only loved people with whom we 100% agreed, we’d be alone

Such thinking is a false trap that keeps us isolated…and silent.

I posted this article on a social media platform. Basically, it says that one cannot be a Christian and a Wiccan at the same time. Something that I believe.

Later, I posted this article about the VA allowing Bibles back into their chapels (IKR?). I believe freedom of religion is noble.

I stated: ” Our own beliefs or lack of beliefs should never stop others from their own personal worship! Do I wish everyone chose the Bible? Yes. But, supporting religious freedom means allowing other people their personal space to practice the religion of their choice, or not practice any religion at all.”

A friend of mine commented on this post, stating: “I am sorry Cat, but you recently posted an article that was highly critical and VERY inaccurate about my religion and I can’t see how that was supporting religious freedom, but rather spreading fear and hatred of a religion.

She’s right that I posted it, but she’s wrong that I didn’t support her freedom of religion. The article I posted was written FOR Christians, espousing the belief that you cannot be a Wiccan and a Christian.

All religions eschew other religions, because you can’t simultaneously be one AND another. I believe with all my heart that you are FREE to practice whatever religion suits you and you are free to talk to others about it. But, I am ALSO free to talk to people about my religion and what I believe. I can support your FREEDOM to choose a religion, but that does not mean I must support your religion, in fact, I cannot support it based on the tenets of my own religion.

Allowing someone their freedom does not mean condoning their choices.

Christian pastor Rick Warren said it best: “Our culture has accepted two huge lies. The first is that if you disagree with someone’s lifestyle, you must fear or hate them. The second is that to love someone means you agree with everything they believe or do. Both are nonsense. You don’t have to compromise convictions to be compassionate.”

One Moment…

One moment you’re posting a cute dog picture on fb and the next, you’re not here.

A high school connection of mine passed away quite suddenly. It’s always shocking when it’s unexpected and a peer.

So, savor every sweet moment in life! Even the not-so-sweet ones!

Please, condolences only for her family and close friends, we weren’t close, but rather merely acquainted.

The Enemy’s Playground

Vote Democrat. Vote Republican. But, don’t tell me that one is “godly” or more “loving.”

There’s no perfect politician, no perfect person, only Jesus. Wrapping up energy in fighting against one politician or the other, or one political fight or the other, is the enemy’s doing.

Wrapping up energy fighting invented issues or supposed affronts is the enemy’s doing.

Look at the enemy’s execution. See what he’s doing?!? He’s causing us to hate each other! He’s causing fights among us Christian believers!
The enemy’s bringing down our church leaders, one by one. He’s having leaders eschew God’s teachings for non-confrontational versions of Christianity. When the opposite is true! God has always been confrontational! Jesus wasn’t a hippie, but he loved hippies! Jesus was and is a fighter! The enemy causes church leaders to denounce their faith, to outright question the existence of Jesus.

You know, I expect such chaos and flesh in the world, but I don’t expect it in the church community. We need to fight against it. By the Spirit of God we have POWER to live in God’s Kingdom, not the enemy’s playground.

Name-Calling is Not a Political Stance

I think as a society we risk doing more harm than good when valid critique of policy is not met with honest debate but instead with personal attacks and name-calling.

Imagine being a white person who judges on character not on skin tone or culture, and simply because that white person doesn’t agree with a political position of a person with different skin tone or culture, that white person is called a “racist.” Imagine how hurtful that is because there is no way to defend it. They are guilty and cannot possibly prove their innocence. It doesn’t matter how loving the person is, or how much virtue signaling they do, if one is called a “racist” or “homophobe” or what-have-you, they cannot defend it because it must be true based on the accepted belief that all white people are racists, or all Republicans and all straight people or Christians are homophobic, etc.

Due to the media’s, public personas’ and politicians’ complicity in creating this deceitful narrative, we have a situation where a vast number of otherwise decent people are maligned regardless of their actions and hearts.

The fallout is grave for both sides: anger, resentment, hostility, and division. In the act of bending facts and truth to create desired narratives, we’ve created a powder keg that only can be diffused with love and truth. And, that has to start small. In our neighborhoods and towns with average people helping one another, talking to one another, interacting, loving, seeking to understand and leaving the hate behind.

I’m a Christian and I follow my Lord’s command that I must love my neighbor as myself. I don’t have to agree with your choices, your lifestyle, your politics or whatever, but I DO have to love you.

Allow me the decency of my right to have an opinion that is different than yours, and I’ll allow you the same. Let’s just not call each other names.

Summer Reads 2019

GREAT SUMMER READS (or, if you’re like me, *listens* on Audible)! WHAT ARE YOURS?!?!?

“Where the Crawdads Sing” (Delia Owens) just finished this superb novel. Gripping and great, get it!

“Of Mess and Moxie” (Jen Hatmaker) Authentic, Christian, and crunchy. Says for *any* woman, but really geared toward moms.

“The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” (Rebecca Skloot) Gritty, phenomenal true story behind the woman who gave a most important gift to science. Not for the squeamish. Leaves you with healthy questions about medical research.

“Educated” (Tara Westover) Exceptional memoir of growing up in poverty without formal education and excelling in academia. Amazing story.

“The Very Worst Missionary” (Jamie Wright) Hilarious and thought-provoking view on missionaries and the church in general. Bad language throughout. Author doesn’t understand theology, but gets people. See my expanded review.

“True Crime Addict” (James Renner) Story of author’s obsession with a real-life mysterious disappearance and how it affects his life. If you’re on webslueths or other internet crime solving forums, this appeals.

“Holding: A Novel” (Graham Norton) Yes, THE Graham Norton. This mystery novel is so superbly written that I question the singular author presentation and wonder at the ghost writers in the room. BUT, it’s a terrific tale with colorful characters and clever twists and turns.

“Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail” (Cheryl Strayed) You are on this journey with her, and you are rooting for her!

“A Girl Named Zippy” (Haven Kimmel) PRECIOUS and hilarious stories of growing up in the 1960s/1970s in Indiana. (Ms. Kimmel is a current resident of Durham, NC and sometimes hosts writing workshops.)

Another School Shooting, and Another…Will it End?

One hit close home for me, as it happened in my home state of North Carolina, and two of the college student victims (who survived after surgeries) were from my hometown. Another just happened at a school in Colorado.

Resource officers are key. But, so are alert parents, friends and educators who can reach out to those kids who may be exhibiting depression or anxiety or any number of mental issues.

So, what’s the solution?

Too often, we expect teenagers to act like mature adults, and too often we ignore their cries for help in attitude and behavior as just “being teens.” The anger that festers and manifests in violence does so in solitude, or blossoms with a comrade of like dark mindset.

Everyone wants a quick fix. Ban guns! Hire more psychologists! Put gun detectors in schools!

But, this is a multifaceted problem, and with multifaceted problems there are multifaceted paths to resolution. As ALWAYS, it starts with one kid at a time. We need to ensure that all kids have access to help in whatever manner they need.

Take away the guns, and the anger is still there. Look at London. Without guns, their violent crimes are up. They’ve had to ban knives! Knives! Crazy.

It’s always the heart. Some have cried that guns are the problem and if we just get rid of guns are schools will be safe. But, we know that’s not the case, because every issue starts with the heart. The heart is the center of the violence, and weapons are the means to dispel that anger from the individual. Those weapons could be anything: hands/fists, bombs, knives, trucks or cars, clubs or bats, guns…etc.

Until we take responsibility for helping kids (and adults) work through anger and mental issues, we can’t just keep taking away various weapons to make the problem go away, because the problem will still be there long after the weapon is out of reach.

Edgy Rebel Meets Radical Jesus – book review of “The Very Worst Missionary,” by Jamie Wright

There is much to love here! Real, raw, and righteous, Jamie is an awesome example of living the Christian life as a person figuring out this Jesus-thing. My church has a motto, “love people where they are and help them grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ.” That’s what Jamie gives us, the ability to love people where they are and help them grow. She starts with herself, and her own story and Jesus trek, then brings us into the bigger picture of examining what the church is doing in communities and in missions. She ponders the question, “Have Christians become Pharisees?” Her tale is a wild ride that leaves you reeling but also meditative. She gives us soul-searching questions regarding what it means to help our fellow man, and how we impact those around us and in our world. How we love our “neighbors.”

Thankfully, I hear the editor’s saving suggestions manifest in her writing when she goes all flat-jammy on someone, then walks it back. Which is necessary for memoir writing, especially for a Christian writer. It’s almost as if you get to the point where you’re like, “gal, please don’t go there”…”oh, yeah, you went there”…and, “oh, okay now you’re walking it back.” Writers must remember that they have a voice, but the people they write about do not. The supporting characters, as it were, lack a public platform that the writer enjoys. It’s teetering on a tightrope to talk about someone else’s foibles and not come across judgmental. Jamie handles it well and I think she’s had some great advice on how to do that.

One of the things I must caution any reader is that Jamie swears constantly. Like, all the time. She doesn’t quite get why people don’t swear. It’s not about being a “good Christian,” it’s about being mature and taking the time and effort to explore the richness of the English language. She’s on her path, as we all are, and she might get there, or she might decide that swearing is her identity. I’m not going to judge, except from what I read of scripture it’s not pleasing to God. Do I swear? Yeah, press a hot cookie sheet against my hand and I’ll go all navy midshipman. Do I use it in my everyday language? No, it’s not necessary. I can make a point with other words, and frankly have a bigger impact.

Overall, I loved this book. It’s real and it’s honest. Jamie has great points to make about what the church is doing, and I’m like, “right on, sistah!” I hope she writes a sequel. There’s more life to be lived!

Getting the Full Picture

CBS journalist Lara Logan is trending on Twitter today because she made what some are calling an “outrageous claim.” She said the news media is biased and that people need to read Breitbart to get the full picture.

She’s right!

She said, “Although the media has historically always been left-leaning, we’ve abandoned our pretense — or at least the effort — to be objective, today. … We’ve become political activists, and some could argue propagandists, and there’s some merit to that.”

To get the entire picture of what is going on, we need to seek our various viewpoints. Not just the mainstream press, which has liberal bias, but conservative news organizations and international ones, as well.

I’ve been doing this for years. Some of my go-to media outlets: BBC, Fox News, PBS, MSNBC, Breitbart, AP, The Washington Post, The Washington Examiner, Wall Street Journal, The Blaze, etc.

Also, I follow certain individuals: James T. Harris, Steven Crowder, Ben Shapiro, Piers Morgan, Katie Hopkins, et. al.

Ms. Logan states that one of the issues of following the mainstream press is that 85% of their journalists are Democrat. Everything printed about Trump is negative, and all issues are reported in black and white. She says that’s simply not akin to the real world, which we know exists in shades of grey. She claims when there’s nothing positive reported about Trump, Republicans or conservative issues, then it cannot be real, because it’s not in line with what we know of the world which is comprised of both positives and negatives.

She emphasizes that the way the press portrays the right and Trump cannot be factually accurate due to the nearly 100% negative coverage.

So, Ms. Logan will get excoriated by the media, Dems and the left for her position that we just need more well-rounded input from a variety of sources.

My challenge to you: seek out info that opposes your belief system, and test the waters of another line of thought. You may not be swayed, but you’ll be INFORMED.

Socialism Doesn’t Work

Margaret Thatcher said it best: “The trouble with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people’s money.”

Truth.

Have you seen Venezuela in the news lately? If not, please research it. A country with immense wealth and prosperity reduced to ruins by socialism. Sad.

A friend of mine, one who I thought was pretty bright, told me that social programs were socialism. She thought that the US would do better with more socialism. I had to explain to the poor dear that social programs aren’t socialism. She countered that the government pays her Medicare and Social Security, so it’s socialism. I explained that the government earns money by taxing people who work in capitalism. Government money = Taxes. This is not socialism.

Without taxes on working ventures and people our government runs out of funds. Thanks, Maggie! Sure, in socialism the government takes over industry, but truthfully, when was the last time you’ve dealt with a “well run” government office? There’s a reason for the DMV jokes!

It amazes me this new push for socialism. I understand the impetus: we all want to help our fellow man. We all want to be compassionate.

But, we conservatives want to teach humans to fish, not just give humans fish. There are times people need fish. But, there are many more times people need to be taught how to bait a hook.

Sidenote: Democratic socialism is a hybrid of capitalism and socialism, but it balances a dangerous tightrope of two opposing systems. Wanting something to be so, and having it be so, can be incongruous. I want my dog to lose weight, but I can’t stop feeding her table scraps is akin to the logic behind this philosophy.

Those of us who can, work. We pay taxes so those who can’t will live. It’s a great system that has worked for many decades. Is it wrinkle-free? No. Nothing is. But, is it compassionate? Yes.

We don’t need to become socialists to provide for others. There are many religious and non-profit organizations that fill in those gaps that the government misses. There are neighbors helping neighbors, and companies offering free and reduced services and products. There are many instances of compassion in our capitalistic society.

Capitalism isn’t an ill. Through government taxation, it pays for the social programs that help our fellow humans.