In all the years I questioned how God saw me, wondered what I was capable of or how He would use me, I never suspected.
America's birthday party has passed, but the ash-streaked streets are a sacred reminder of neighbors and strangers celebrating like a brotherhood. Under colorful explosions and patriotic songs, together we cheered our nation's freedom and self-evident principles endowed by our Creator--that all men are created equal with certain inalienable rights. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness! God Bless A-mer-i-ca!... And then the street sweeper comes along.
Growing up as a conservative Christian, I proudly placed my right hand over my heart uttering the words “under God” as part of my cultural pride and core belief. I loved the stories and movies made to stir our heroic patriotism with brave battles against any who dare assail us, including space aliens. But in some peoples’ eyes, our country's recent frightful events seem to be more fateful of a real assault. That's right. What's more nefarious than mere world dominance? The gay agenda.
Evidently, it doesn’t matter whether I still value claiming “under God” as part of my allegiance to the United States of America, as I hope it still is a nation God protects rather than condemns. But apparently, since coming out as a lesbian, I'm now part of a powerful coup taking down my entire country by enticing God’s wrath via ISIS or earthquakes or the U.S. presidency. In all the years I questioned how God saw me, wondered what I was capable of or how He would use me, I never suspected.
It’s been one year since SCOTUS doomed America with its interpretation regarding marriage. It is also, and forever will be, just around the corner from Independence Day. Since then, we are no longer a nation under God, or a country worthy to even ask for His protection as our government continues to sanction gay lives, or, as my conservative friends' deem, our “lifestyle” (but that's a different conversation).
Today, I’m wondering, having so affected God’s view of America, why me? Why now? Upon reflection, it does seem naïve and careless taking part in squandering God’s blessing and not really know when that was, you know, when He actually imparted it.
Were His seeds of care planted in 1492 when Columbus sailed the ocean blue and stumbled upon the Americas while evolving the slave trade in the name of Gold?
Was it in the 1620’s when the Puritans established Plymouth in their desire for religious freedom while, in a mere 30 years, Native Americans would be slaughtered over the demand for more land and officially relegated as unworthy heathens over the next hundreds of years?
Technically, we didn't distinguish ourselves as an independent country until 1776. Could we claim our American birthright as God’s elect once the Declaration of Independence was penned and signed by several men of differing faiths, chief among them two Universalist deists? One of which created his own bible by cutting out words and phrases while claiming the New Testament writers were “idiots.”
Perhaps it was in 1864 when our government literally coined “In God We Trust” after a four year civil war was needed to free our Black brothers and sisters after two hundred years of slavery.
Or maybe it happened nearly a hundred years later when "under God" was added to the pledge of allegiance in 1954. Never mind “separate but equal” was still open for debate.
Somewhere along the line, our great nation was preferred and blessed by God. Indeed, we have many honorable things to commemorate. However, we really started hindering His hand in 1973 with legalized abortion. Never mind our government would endorse wives as husbands' property for two more decades and continue to turn a blind eye to marital rape until 1993 (with exemptions for physical or mental disabilities, or if she was simply sleeping); or the bans on interracial marriage still officially on the books until Y2K with nearly half of Alabama and other Bible Belt supporters; or that we are one of the wealthiest countries in the world yet consistently rank lower in taking care of our poor and needy than 26 other developed countries. Forget about going that extra mile or giving our shirt and jacket to the foreigner. The republic rifts as we hold tight to what’s “ours.”
If only our freedom firework ashes atoned for the broken pledges of liberty and justice for all. Still, “We, the People” are God’s favored. Well, at least we were, until us powerful gays got our committed relationships an equal opportunity.
Sincerely, Christian America. As the Scripture says, “Come, let us reason together…" We should certainly have our trepidations.
*Isaiah 1:17Learn to do good; Seek justice, Reprove the ruthless, Defend the orphan, Plead for the widow. 18"Come now, and let us reason together," Says the LORD, "Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They will be like wool. 19"If you consent and obey, you will eat the best of the land [English Standard Version]