I have just finished reading “Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy” by Eric Metaxas. The book is superb. It is about Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who was a pastor of the “Church of Luther” during the rise and reign of Hitler’s Nazi Germany. This man of Christ conducted a principled fight against what Hitler and the corrupted Church of Germany were doing, and eventually was imprisoned and executed for his efforts and beliefs. But he was unafraid, because he was doing what knew his God wanted him to do. Regardless of our religious faith or beliefs, how many of us can genuinely say that we are standing up for our principles and Liberty for ourselves and others anywhere near to this degree? This is an inspirational book, and I strongly recommend it to anyone.
Many insightful comments permeate the book, which all people who treasure Liberty should be aware of – today and every day. Here are some of them:
- For Hitler, ruthlessness was a great virtue, and mercy, a great sin. This was Christianity’s chief difficulty, that it advocated meekness. (Meekness has its place but, as stated in the musical Camelot: “I find humility means to be hurt. It’s not the earth the meek inherit, it’s the dirt.”)
- Bonhoeffer believed it was the role of the church to “speak for those who could not speak.” (Thus he saw Jesus Christ as a “man for others.”)
- One of Bonhoeffer’s thoughts was “Absolute seriousness is never without a dash of humor.“ (We should never lose the ability to laugh at ourselves.)
- The Nazi regime always cast their aggressions as defensive responses to actions against them and the German people. (Virtually always the justification for war.)
- Bonhoeffer was the principal point of connection between his new “Confessing Church” and the Ecumenical movement, seeing the best and the worst in both. But each saw the best in itself and the worst in the other. (Is this not how the various politically “warring groups” see themselves and others in our country today?)
- Bonhoeffer was quite clear in his convictions, he saw the truth and spoke it out with absolute freedom and without fear. (Bless him, his memory and his legacy!)
- He knew his classics in art, music, literature before he criticized; he knew how to read and listen before voicing his opinion. (Don’t we all wish that all people were more like this?)
It is not always easy to stand up for Liberty for ourselves and others. But Dietrich Bonhoeffer provides great inspiration for doing just that!
Judge Jim Gray (Ret.)
2012 Libertarian candidate for Vice President,
along with Governor Gary Johnson as the candidate for President
** Here is an additional comment for the week: “Let us speak courteously, deal fairly and keep ourselves armed.” Teddy Roosevelt
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News flash: We Think in Words. So if people do not understand the difference between (or among) different words, they do not understand many nuances or even concepts. For example, there are many dialects in the languages of the world that do not make a distinction between the word “stranger” and the word “enemy.” So if some unknown person were to stumble into a small village of people who did not understand that distinction, the stranger would automatically be their enemy. Imagine how much needless violence, or at least how many lost opportunities, has been caused simply by that reality. Over the years, I have found similar problems for people saying they advocate “legalizing” marijuana. I don’t favor that, because if you think of a legalized drug, think aspirin. Your 12 year-old daughter could buy a case of it at any pharmacy if she so chose. No restrictions on advertising, price, licensing or age of the buyer. So the connotation of legalizing a substance is that you don’t care if my children get hooked. But if you were to ask the question, “Would you like to strictly regulate and control for adults marijuana like wine?” the answer is increasingly Yes. It’s all in the nuances of the words, and it is also more accurate.
War is not glorious! And with war, of course, comes coldly arbitrary destruction, deaths and serious injuries which, in turn, exact a lasting cost not only for combatants who sustain both visible and non-visible wounds, but also to many of the people who have been left behind. So war is devoutly to be avoided, if at all possible. Nevertheless, and even with those understandings firmly in mind, there are some values that must constantly be fought for. And foremost among those are our national safety and protecting our national interests, which vitally includes Liberty! But tragically – and realistically – there are and have always been people in power around the world who see a reluctance in others to go to war as a sign of weakness. And almost never can those people be appeased! So sometimes the threat of war, or even war itself, is necessary. But it is the sacred obligation of our national leaders only to pursue war when our core issues are truly involved.
In my view, the most important thing in life is Gratification. Not power, prestige, money or even love. We can get gratification from all of those things. But I define gratification as people inwardly knowing that the world is a better place for their having been here. Of course, Gratification can come from many sources, such as having raised wonderful children, helping to defeat cancer or saving the Whales or the Redwoods. It can also come simply from having been patient, considerate and kind in every facet of your life, including socially, politically and religiously. So when I am on my deathbed looking back over my life, Gratification is what I hope to feel.
It is fundamental in a democracy that the laws must be enforced equally as to all people. But did you know that back in 1995, Congress created a slush fund of our tax money that is used to settle claims against members of Congress for the sexual harassment of others, and then to require the victims to be secret about it? Since that time, more than $17 million has been spent for this purpose! I hope that you agree with me: The answer is No! This cannot be sustained! Not on our watch!
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