Troubled community, troubled church, troubled USA

The Norman Rockwell ideal

Wednesday is Thanksgiving eve. It's a stepping-off point for the Christmas holiday season. We used to have a community Thanksgiving meal at the Catholic Church, was a grand event for a long time. What happened? Well, what happened to Prairie Pioneer Days? We no longer deem community events as being worthy of continuing. People "get away to the lake" in summer and "go to the Cities" for outings the rest of the year. 

People associated with UMM can be so transitory. I question whether it's good to even get to know these people. We had two choir directors at First Lutheran Church over the past few years who were a delight to get to know, then "poof" they're gone. UMM is like a way station for these people - fine in the short term because of a lack of options at the time. Then they move on. 

I used to think it was OK to start listening to Christmas music right after Thanksgiving. Later I moved the timetable later. Is there less Christmas spirit now? The Christian faith is not so dominant now. The Christian faith is being tossed and turned by what has happened in politics. That trend never abates. 

My church of First Lutheran was very up-front in showing sympathy for the Palestinian people for a long time. While I would not put this forward as a high priority for church, I would not really object to it. I mean, if facts clearly show the Palestinians are suffering because of Israel, there ought not be countering of facts. None of us should feel content about the persecution of a people. Or am I off-base here? 

The turbulence surrounding Israel creates arguments that are unresolvable. I wish Israel would just go away. Why are so many of us so eager to have a bond with a religious-based nation, the "Jewish state?" Oh, I'm anti-Semitic, am I? Not only am I not anti-Semitic, I don't understand what the basis for anti-Semitism is. Only in vague terms might I understand that, like with the idea that Jewish people are good with money? They're very smart and ambitious? They value education? Is it the naive part of me that asks "aren't these in fact good traits?" 

I have written previously that I would love to be accepted as a "Jewish intellectual." There is a cynical but very honest base to their thinking, rather in line with how I am reputed to think. I love honesty, candor and a keen insight. Thus we see Jews engaging in satirical humor a lot. Yours truly appreciates the attitude. But I cannot accept the religious nation-state of Israel. 

I agree fully with the late famous journalist Helen Thomas, a pioneer for her gender, who said of the Jews of Israel that they should "go home." "Go back to Europe," she pleaded. 

 

Adjustment?

I am guessing that some of my fellow congregants at First Lutheran have insisted that we at least tone down our sympathy for the Palestinians. I would guess there's a push to eliminate that priority of ours. Maybe it's already too late and we've lost even more viability. It's challenging enough that we are in the ELCA which has gone through great adversity generated by gay rights. 

What about gay rights? I think most of us think reasonable gay rights is most defensible. Just on the basic moral criterion. We want fairness and non-discrimination. But the issue surfaced and "metastasized" at one time. Became an overzealous cause? Well, such I am implying. 

We are all being judged. Gays are not perfect people just as none of us are perfect. They can "come out of the closet" but they can also make an effort to blend in with the rest of us. 

I will wager we don't hear any more pro-Palestinian thoughts at my First Lutheran Church. I could be wrong so I shouldn't wager. It has gotten so bad now that if you espouse any sympathy for the Palestinian people, there are people out there who will point fingers and call you "terrorist sympathizers." 

People my age are sick of hearing about Israel and its problems. 

The muppets' take

Tomorrow night (Wednesday) is one of those rare occasions where my First Lutheran will have a joint event with Faith Lutheran. These are the two ELCA Lutheran churches in town. The separate churches would never be created today. But the two are working to survive today in a time when the ELCA has lost so much ground. We are "liberal" or so the image gets presented. And I guess we are, based on how most of rural western Minnesota has taken on the tone of conservatism or beyond conservatism. 

Our congressperson is going to be primaried "from the right." Do not bet against any Republican that mounts a challenge from the right. Any Republican's biggest fear is being challenged from the right. 

So we have the challenge here from a guy who openly talks down Michelle Fischbach, who herself is an election denier, or who has at least shown behavior that would indicate she's an election denier. She voted against certifying the 2020 election results. And that's not good enough by the standards of western Minnesota now? So we're an extension of the Dakotas? 

Fischbach's challenger says the incumbent has done certain things merely for "keeping her job," the insinuation goes. So I take that to mean Fischbach might work across the aisle just a little sometimes. I mean, for the sake of getting things done for the people. That objective has to be figured in sometimes IMHO. But the steamroller of MAGA makes itself felt increasingly. "Nationwide abortion ban." That sort of thing. And this must sell from the pulpit of most Stevens County churches. 

 

Schools, pay heed

Again, our public schools should stop designating Wednesday as church night, if the objective of church now is pure politics. Pure right wing politics or MAGA politics. Open up Wednesdays for regular school activities like sports and music. Oh what a breath of fresh air that would be. 

Pastors are learning that it's risky to quote Jesus Christ himself sometimes, like from the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus could sound a little Bernie Sanders-ish sometimes. Most people out here are more infuriated by that than anything. 

Republicans like Mike Lee want a literal end for Social Security. So what's to become of older Americans? To be taken care of hopefully by their adult children? That is how it used to be. Senior citizens used to live in fear. So we want to resurrect that? Is this what the older parishioners of our western Minnesota churches really want? Do you think Lee really cares about you? Or might his priority be to keep taxes low for wealthy Americans, for multi-national corporations? Wink. Don't you see? Well, I don't think you do. 

Most of you are still so upset over gay rights, you have allowed our ELCA churches to almost die - you flock instead to churches like Good Shepherd. And because this is an issue you have never been able to handle, you have signed on to the whole Steve Bannon agenda. I see no reversal in these trends out here. 

So for that reason, I am feeling zero Christmas spirit in 2023. I have had a good life. I am prepared for the U.S. as we've known it to devolve into a full-on Fascist dictatorship. You all seem to want this. You may vote out Michelle Fischbach. I'll just try to get by for as long as I can.

 

Addendum: So the Pentagon cannot account for $3.8 trillion? Where did the money go? And yet if I ask for an appointment with a dietician when I visit SCMC today, I may end up getting a letter from Medicare saying the claim is denied. Well, this is the kind of USA you apparently want, even you older Americans who need some assistance. Just keep waving your MAGA flags. Go get those "libs." You are lemmings.

 

Addendum #2: I must have guessed five times at spelling of "metastasizing" before I looked it up.

 

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com