Powered By Blogger

Share

Bookmark and Share

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Real Sin

Yesterday was the holiest of days in the religion of my family tradition. It is a day to ask for forgiveness for all one's sins. Each year I do so. My sins, from which I derive personal embarrassment, seem to reappear each year: too much swearing, not listening or paying enough attention to my loved ones, impatience, an occasional white lie and abruptness toward others whose values and beliefs conflict with my own. I am a good person. I care deeply about others and would do more for my friends and loved ones than I do for myself, but as all humans, I am imperfect. So, each year, I apologize for my imperfections, ask for forgiveness and consciously try to improve. After all, aren't we all works in progress? I am proud to say that I am not a person that commits Real Sin. I do not hate others who believe or look different than I do. I do not wish to see others hurt or harmed, and I do not try and scare people with vicious lies and violent deeds. Real Sin, as I just described it, comes from those people who hate for reasons based on prejudice, bigotry and ignorance. Worse than they, however, are those who commit Real Sin because it is profitable. Beck and Limbaugh and Gingrich and Palin and Buchanan all stand to economically gain through their hateful, vitriolic and divisive talk. They use the ignorance that exists in the hearts and minds of an active minority to scare people into believing that a whole religious group, or race, or ethnicity are dangerous and Un-American and should be stopped. When Beck calls the President a racist, he knows that this will sell well to White Americans that still harbor prejudices against Blacks. When Limbaugh protests the Islamic cultural center in NYC, he uses 9-11 to bang the drumbeat of hate against Muslims. When Gingrich compares the President to a tribal Kenyan colonialist, he knows that the bigots will love it and when Palin rails against seculars, she knows that extreme fundamentalists will respond with hateful rallies against Abortion doctors, first amendment protectors and brings out gay bashers. These people are out to get ratings, sell books and get elected and they use the hate in our hearts and the ignorance in our minds, to create a maelstrom of divisiveness, argument and fear. These are the real sinners. So as I ask for forgiveness for my own sins, I also ask for an awakening and a battle against these real sinners, whose lives have little value to me and to the values that our nation stands for. Hate may sell, but it is truly the only Real Sin. It is time for the haters to be held accountable for their actions by the simple, peaceful and appropriate message of American tolerance, acceptance and appreciation of all. It is time to move Rush, Glenn, Sarah, Newt and Pat to the ashbin of history along with those who fail to condemn them for their self serving acts of Sin. Where are you Americans for reason and truth?

No comments:

Post a Comment