The Grand Jury will hand down its findings very soon
regarding the police shooting in Ferguson. The community has been in constant turmoil
since the tragic event took place; much of the unrest coming in the form of
rioting, looting and burning down store front businesses. Waiting to find out whether or not the police
officer will be charged has most everyone on edge.
An article appearing in the Conservative Tribune doesn’t do
anything to make the public feel any more comfortable, Alert: New Video Shows Ferguson Protesters Training to “Shut Down” a Community.
“Protests
have been ongoing since the Aug. 9 shooting of Michael Brown by Ferguson Police
officer Darren Wilson. A grand jury has been investigating the shooting and leaked testimony points to it
exonerating the officer of any wrongdoing. Some
have promised violence, even civil war, if Wilson is not indicted for Brown’s murder despite
there being seemingly no evidence for such a charge.”
In an article posted to
Time.com’s website a similar tone was set, Ferguson Braces for the Worst Ahead of Grand Jury Decision. Fear has gripped the residents of the area
and the sale of firearms has skyrocketed as the threat of chaos takes hold.
“Throughout
the St. Louis
area, citizens fear the riots that engulfed the city over the summer are about
to return. A grand jury deliberating whether to indict police officer Darren
Wilson in the Aug. 9 shooting death of Michael Brown is expected to come to a
decision this month, perhaps as soon as late this week. And amid a steady drip of leaks that appear to corroborate Wilson‘s account
of the encounter, protesters are readying for the possibility that the officer
won’t be indicted on murder or manslaughter charges.”
Switching gears a bit…
Yesterday during one of our several meetings at church the lesson
material was, Love and Concern for All Our Father’s Children, as found
in the Teachings
of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Fielding Smith, who served in that
capacity from 1970 – 1972.
My thoughts immediately returned to the civil unrest going
on in and around Ferguson. Two paragraphs in the lesson manual leapt off
the pages and distracted my thoughts, coming back to me over and over as the
day pressed on.
“The God we worship is a glorified Being in whom all power
and perfection dwell, and he has created man in his own image and likeness,
with those characteristics and attributes which he himself possesses.
And so our belief in the dignity and destiny of man is an
essential part both of our theology and of our way of life. It is the very
basis of our Lord’s teaching that “the first and great commandment” is:
“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul,
and with all thy mind”; and that the second great commandment is: “Thou shalt
love thy neighbour as thyself.” (See Matt.
22:37–39.)”
I
suppose the good folks in Ferguson wish those who place themselves above the
law, those who intend to shut down society, riot, loot and burn…the good folks
in Ferguson hope they don’t have to confront any of these individuals in the
next day or so; let the findings of the Grand Jury represent the voice of the
people, all the people.
During
our church discussion my friend, Mike Hunter, raised his hand and shared, “Most
of us are jumping to our feet demanding justice, when we should be dropping to
our knees pleading for mercy”, though he couldn’t recall who should
get credit for the original quote.
Wouldn’t it be so much better if, instead of going head on into the fray
looking to get even, wouldn’t we be better off getting on our knees and
thanking our Father in Heaven for the tender mercies we’ve been shown? (forgive me while I preach to the choir)
I tried to find the ‘author’ of the quote Mike supplied by
doing a Google Search. The closest idea,
as pertain to the protests in Ferguson,
was by William Shakespeare from his play, Romeo and Juliet.
“You think you are getting justice but really all you are doing is causing havoc…”
Shakespeare
had it right, then and now; the protesters in Ferguson aren’t looking for justice. They are looking for social justice, which
isn’t justice at all; it’s revenge of the dirtiest sort. They want to destroy all that is good around
them so that everyone will be as miserable as they are. In short, the protesters in Ferguson are following Satan and have no
interest in the teachings of our Savior.
The Golden Rule teaches that we should treat people as we
wish to be treated; something to think about as events in Ferguson unfold in the days ahead.
The good folks up Ferguson
way, being afraid for their safety and well being, have recently armed
themselves preparing for those who might do them harm. Your choice, the Golden Rule… or should we
bone up on a line from Shakespeare’s, Julius Caesar,
“Cry ‘Havoc,’ and let slip the dogs of war”.
This article has been cross posted to
The Moral Liberal, a publication whose banner reads, “Defending The
Judeo-Christian Ethic, Limited Government, & The American Constitution”.
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