I grew up in the Southern Baptist Church-babble so I understood what newly sworn-in Alabama Governor Robert Bentley meant by his comments on Monday when he said, "anybody here today who has not accepted Jesus Christ as their savior, I'm telling you, you're not my brother and you're not my sister, and I want to be your brother."
Sad. Offensive. Threatening. Inappropriate. Questionable. Embarrassing. Shameful.
Interesting language for someone who claims, as most politicians do, to be a governor for all people. It is the kind of language that is offensive and threatening to people like me who do not fall into his definition of brothers and sisters. Makes you wonder what he means when he says, "I am color blind". Think he only sees in white, too?
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
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2 comments:
Was the Alabama Governor not in a church?... A Christian Church when he made these remarks? I am Christian, and quite frankly, I don't care if Governor Bentley (or anyone else) is my brother or not... I also don't care about other people's religious beliefs or lack thereof (so long as they are not forcibly imposed upon me). Nor should anyone else. It's no one else's business. We should live our lives to "show" what we believe. Anyone who is sad, offended, or threatened by the governor's remarks... should be - but instead of themselves for not having anything better to focus their attention on, and believe me, there are A LOT of more worthy causes. People need to STOP looking for ways to undermine others and learn/accept that people make mistakes and that this is FINE. We are all human, and I don't think that any of us want to have our everyday lives analyzed and re-analyzed under a microscope to find something that we could've said/done wrong. The question continues to be asked as to why more worthy people don't run for political office. Well, gee... it's because they've learned by watching other politicians be torn apart and are too smart to put their lives/sanity in jeopardy to try to make improvements to a government that has lost sight of what is real and right. We all need to keep this in mind before posting something like this... What we should all be "offended and ashamed" about is all the negativity. Quite frankly, these kinds of things are a HUGE part of what is wrong with our society. If there is nothing positive to blog/say, then maybe it is best not to... I guess you can tell that I am passionately offended...
(FYI - I don't know anything else about the governor of Alabama. The majority elected him, and I hope that he will do the very best he can to do what is right in leading the state.)
PS... No one can get past the black/white issues until people can stop working people up over it. Unfortunately, there will always be uneducated racists, and those of us who are not, need to be the leaders in positive ways to rid our world of such things as much as we can - not remind everyone by striking a negative note... By doing this, it only gives the bad more press/attention, and that is what they want.
Lori -
Thank you for commenting. It is clear from your thoughtful comments that you are passionate. I, too, am passionate about the separation of church and state, something the Southern Baptists supported vigorously when I was a child but have since abandoned.
Yes, Gov. Bentley was in a church but immediately following his swearing-in ceremony (on a federal holiday) so this was his first address as a public servant. Therein lies my concern.
I know Dr. Bentley; I was a patient in his dermatology office for years. I have heard nothing but good things about him personally.
I write both positive and negative posts so I hope you will continue to visit and comment.
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