The Day After

I’m still in shock. I don’t want to read any articles, watch any videos, or do anything that would allow my mind to accept this as reality.

But I have to. We all have to. Trevor Noah put it best: “Feel discouraged and upset, but don’t let it turn into fear, because fear is what Trump uses.”

Trump won because of fear. Fear is the enemy of love.

Even though it seems like we’re doomed, it’s not really over. Love can still win. Our job now is to protect those who suffer under a Trump presidency, including those who voted for him. That’s what loves does.

God give us strength.

Why I Love America

Equal laws protecting equal rights are the best guarantee of loyalty and love of country. –James Madison

Equal and exact justice to all men, of whatever persuasion, religious or political. — Thomas Jefferson

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It’s difficult for me to be patriotic. I’m never filled with pride at the mere sight of a waving flag. I never liked “pledging my allegiance” to anything other than a cross or my fellow human beings every morning at school. I never bought the whole “America-is-exceptional” story. I know too much history and read too much news for that.

It’s difficult for me to be patriotic. At least according to the definition that society has crafted over the years.

Being patriotic is not about denying the fact that America has a dark past and continues to portray itself as a savior of the world while playing the same game that all empires have played for thousands of years. For me, patriotism is about holding America to the standards that the founding fathers established. They may have been a group of old, white, and most likely racist men who would be shocked at cars, the Internet, women’s rights, gay rights, and so on, but they were smart enough to know that America would change. Their values were purposely vague, and I believe that’s because they knew that the America they founded would not be the same America hundreds of years later. A lot of people make a big deal about “what the founding fathers intended,” but if we asked them, they would probably throw their hands up in the air and say, “That doesn’t matter now! Things are different. Why are you asking us? We gave you some guidelines, now make it work.”

Patriotism is also about unity. There are two things I cannot stand: 1) Questioning someone’s religious devotion based on politics and 2) Questioning someone’s patriotism because of their politics. Assuming someone is not outright saying, “America is the worst. It shouldn’t exist. I revoke my citizenship,” they are most likely invested in politics and what is going on because, ultimately, they love their country and the people in it. You can say, “Your idea is terrible for America, mine is better,” but DO NOT say, “You hate America, and that’s why you have this idea.” A bunch of conservative pages on Facebook featured two pictures, one of President Bush and one of President Obama, and were trying to make a statement about the “difference” between the two’s patriotism. This was on the Fourth of July. That is a very low blow and the Fourth is not the day for partisan politics. Come on.

I love America because it is my home. Something about this country drew my ancestors from Europe, Japan, and Okinawa, and something about it is keeping me here. I have been given great opportunities and because I love America, I want to make sure that everyone gets those same opportunities.

 

 

 

Hobby Lobby: A City On A Hill

Trigger warning: Incest, sexual abuse 

Hobby Lobby has been in the news a lot recently and its 5-4 victory is being heralded by many Christians as a moral victory. There’s a lot of emphasis over the fact that Hobby Lobby was not objecting to every kind of birth control, but only the kind that “could cause abortions.” Let’s say for a moment that this is true, even though the science on that is very much questionable. 

So Hobby Lobby cares about life. They don’t want to be party to any abortions. I guess that’s sort of admirable. 

Why then, are they making money off of companies that create the very products that they claim contradict their Christian faith? You can review Hobby Lobby’s 2012 Annual Report of Employee Benefit Plan (as filed with the Department of Labor) and see that about 3/4 of Hobby Lobby’s 401(k) assets are tied up in companies like Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, who makes Plan B and ParaGard. Other companies include Forest Laboratories, whose Cervidil is used to induce abortions. That is not a question of science – that pill will cause abortions. And yet Hobby Lobby won’t pay for a pill that they only “believe” might cause an abortion? 

This is textbook hypocrisy. This is not a company that should be exalted as “super Christian.” This is a very shrewd, very successful company that somehow managed to use religion as a way to get out of paying for “certain birth control.” You can call this a victory for employer rights, but don’t call it a moral victory. 

This is only one of the questionable actions Hobby Lobby has taken. In 2013, there was an uproar in the Jewish Community over the company’s unofficial/official policy of not carrying Chanukah goods. When a customer asked an employee at her local store where they were, shes was told, “We don’t cater to you people.” When the customer called another store in Marlboro and asked again why they didn’t carry anything for Chanukah, the employee replied, “Because Mr. Green is the owner of the company, he’s a Christian, and those are his values.” 

Whether or not Mr. Green actually feels this way is not known. Hobby Lobby has since apologized and promised to start stocking Chanukah items. It should also be noted that the company was not breaking any laws by not selling Chanukah goods. However, this definitely makes me feel a little sick and hope that those insensitive and, frankly, dumb employees were fired. 

Most revealing of all though, is Hobby Lobby’s decades-long support of The Institute of Basic Life Principles, which has recently been in the news because of the accusations against its founder Bill Gothard. For years, Gothard has led a radical sect of Christians and taught on the evils of rock music, dating, and public education, which he claims teaches kids “how to commit suicide.” He has always dismissed mental illnesses as “varying degrees of irresponsibility” and held to a very rigid and extreme view of gender roles. He resigned this past year after more than 30 women stepped forward and accused him of molestation and sexual harassment. One woman describes how after sharing with Gothard about how her father had raped her, Gothard used her desire for a father figure to draw her close to him so he could molest her. This was in the early ’90s. 

Hobby Lobby’s support of Gothard’s organization has been mostly through purchasing expensive property and buildings. Gothard has said the Green family was led to support him after attending a conference. The Hobby Lobby CEO David Green has even endorsed a book of Gothard’s in the past. Since the accusations and Gothard’s resignation, Hobby Lobby has not commented on their support of his ministry or their personal relationship with the man. 

Again, supporting a certain organization is not a crime. I don’t mean to suggest that Hobby Lobby gave money or property to a man they knew was violating the women he ministered, too. However, even if Gothard had not molested anyone, his teachings are radical enough to cause many Christians to pause before buying from Hobby Lobby, or call them a shining example of a Christian, American business. 

They are a business. A company. A corporation. And corporations cannot be Christian. Their owners can be, but their owners can also be Christians who hold some very troubling and at the very least, confusing views. 

When Rick Santorum makes his movie about the Hobby Lobby case, I doubt any of these details will make it into the final cut. 

 

Sources:

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/hobby-lobby-accused-anti-semitism-article-1.1473330

http://www.forbes.com/sites/rickungar/2014/04/01/hobby-lobby-401k-discovered-to-be-investor-in-numerous-abortion-and-contraception-products-while-claiming-religious-objection/

http://www.religionnews.com/2013/10/03/update-hobby-lobby-apologizes-hanukkah-flap/

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2014/07/hobby-lobby-bill-gothard-institute-basic-life-principles

http://www.recoveringgrace.org/2014/02/charlottes-stori/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/01/hobby-lobby-movie_n_5549725.html