Why Freedom Matters

Source:  Abeka History for High School

Lately, many of my peers are talking about socialism, and seems to be the "Cool" thing to be a 'Progressive.'  There are many who rebel against the founding fathers of our country, and what they had in mind for our nation.  January 6th was a scary display of horror to many.  There are lies and truth floating all around, but it is difficult to discern which is which.  Today, our country celebrates the life of a great citizen in the history of our great nation.  

This man supported civil rights when it was not so popular to do so.  Martin Luther King, Jr. believed in equal rights for the civilians of the USA.  He died because of his public proclamation of his noble beliefs.  I am home educated, and this week we are studying the life of this martyr.  

Source:  Conterfactual in the USA, by A. Meclellan

     

Civil Rights is a buzz word from this time in the 1960's.  It was an unbelievable time when blacks were treated unfairly and like they were inferior as human beings.  It is hard for me to even grasp the way they were treated. 

Source:  The Kennedy Family by Kurt Amig

Discrimination used to be big in this country because we had slavery, and the poor black people got ripped from their homes in Africa to come here and work in this country.  People said blacks were 3/5ths human.  That angers me.  I have many black friends.  I hope that if I were living back in that time, I would help them escape from slavery. 

Source:  TimeMagazine.com

  Rosa Parks was arrested for not giving up her bus seat to a white man in 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama.  Martin Luther King, Jr. led peaceful protests, and gave a speech that helped to make him famous.  President John F. Kennedy made discrimination against black people illegal in 1963.    But we still have discrimination in our country.  I see discrimination all the time in my life.  In Soccer, the Captains pick the best players first.  The worst players are left to be picked last.  Usually, the worst soccer players get put in a place where they barely play at all.  Lots of places discriminate against people because they are different, even though it is illegal.  Jesus said, "Love your neighbor as yourself." (Matthew 5:48).  If we did this all the time, we wouldn't need laws for Civil Rights!

      Another place I see discrimination is in business.  Just because a person is a little bit different, he doesn’t get raises or move up in the business.  I am talking about someone’s accent, or their looks, or their clothes.  These things should not be used to judge if they get a raise. 

Source:  A Year without a Home

     At my Summer Camp this past summer, there was a kid who was very different from the others.  He had Autism.  The other kids said, “I don’t want to hang with him, he’s gross and he is always in trouble.”  But I tried to be nice to him.  I tried my hardest to be a good friend to him.  It was pretty hard, because he was really eccentric.  Some of my friends put pressure on me to NOT spend time with the him.  I had a lot of talks with the Counselors, and with my parents about all this.  In the end, he got sent away from the Camp because of his behavior, and had to go to a special school in another town.  I felt really bad about that because I did not get to say goodbye to him. Plus, I am not really sure he understood what he did wrong.

Source: Kids fromPanama Medical Missions, a Mission
Trip my Mom took in 2018

 In conclusion, Civil Rights are rights that prevent discrimination, but not they are not always practiced, even though it is the law.  People are not treated equally all the time. I will admit, sadly, that I am not even great at treating people equally.   Sometimes certain people "get to me," and I don’t want to be around them.   I don’t want to give them a second chance.  I get mad at them more easily than certain other people.  John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. both were assassinated for trying to end discrimination.  And our own President Trump was given a hard time for standing up for unborn babies, Christians, and other people.  So you can see that we still need improve on treating people equally in this country. 

Submitted to the co-op for History Class, Week 2 of Semester 2, 10th grade 
      


 

Being a Servant: Keep on singing those hymns

How Great THOU Art...  

Have you ever had a song get stuck in your head? 

 

This one got stuck in my brain today:

"Oh Lord my God, 

I in awesome wonder consider all the Worlds THY hands have made"

"I see the stars... I hear the rolling thunder ... 

THY power throughout the universe displayed..."

       Then sings my soul, my Savior God to THEE, How Great THOU Art, How Great THOU Art... "

I talked to a small group of Christians  on Wednesday during the Devo service at our church building, and when I stood up in front of the group, this hymn kept playing in my mind.  I think it was because I have been thinking about how important it is that we can be together as a group of believers, and so many of my other friends cannot. 

We had a thunder storm last night, and while it was storming, I kept thinking of the words... "I hear the rolling thunder..."   

God's power is displayed all through the world in so many ways.  He is GREAT.  In our School (Home School Co-op), we sing a hymn every time we gather.  I try to keep time with my hand, practicing so that I will be comfortable leading songs in worship.  We sing many hymns, &  I like the old Hymns.  But this one is one of my very favorites.  

Especially the last verse... "that God, His Son not sparing."  

God did not spare his son of the pain, but what about the Father?  Think about that.  God hurt, too, when His Son died on the cross.  My Dad says the separation hurt the most, more than seeing Jesus get hit or whipped or die, the fact that God and Jesus were NEVER really apart before hurt God the most.  I never thought of that before! Have you?  Drop a comment in the box below and let me know your thoughts.  And keep on singing those hymns!