"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." --- Galations 5:1
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So here's what I shared at Facebook:
Yesterday after I opened the mail, I took this to Tom, looked side to side then whispered, "Shhh... My evil contraband arrived. It's one of the banned books! Shhh...." We both laughed.
Bought it last week for a whopping $4.50 at Ebay. Checked there today and they're all $20 to $25,000. (Give me a break, People.)
Do you know what's wild? The cloak of darkness over people's eyes.
A couple (pleasant) Facebook pages celebrated Dr. Seuss' birthday and his stories and while reading down the (many) comments, I agreed with those ridiculing the banning of six of his books. But other commenters insisted, "It's not censorship." Over and over, "It's not censorship."
Oh really? Here's the first definition of censorship I spied online:
Censorship: the suppression or prohibition of any parts of books, films, news, etc. that are considered obscene, politically unacceptable, or a threat to security.
Dr. Seuss' own company stopped printing six of his books. I can no longer walk into a book store and buy them either at all or for a sane price nor (most likely) find them in libraries. They've been pulled, culled, deemed racist and not fit for me to read.
My right to decide and think for myself was snatched away. How is that not censorship?
2020 was a shocking year, yet what's shocked me most? The way tons of folks haven't minded being told how to live. What to do, to think. The way mature adults became afraid and appreciated being guided like 6-year-olds at a new school!
Frankly, it makes me sick. There, I said it.
This nearly 62-year-old lady has lived on this planet long enough to recognize censorship. Tyranny. Loss of freedom. Lies. Confinement. Cheating. Communism. Evil.
And will you find me hiding in my house waiting for the corruption to simply go away? No. Will I just say, "God's in control," put everything off on Him and then do nothing to push back darkness or expose it (Ephesians 5:11)? No again.
Instead, I'll continue doing what God asks of me to remind people He created them to be free--
--and to show them how to discover true, led-by-the-Spirit freedom found only in Him, the freedom Jesus died to give all of us even during our temporary stay upon Earth.
And no, this post is not just about Dr. Seuss. If that's all you gleaned, please reread it while asking for additional clarity.
"As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit--just as it has taught you, remain in him." --- 1 John 2:27
It's (past) time to begin acting like the grown-ups we are.
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Now, here are some folks who didn't put all responsibility upon God. They took Jesus seriously when He told us to go, teach, give, visit, heal, love, preach, pray, serve, work, sow, share, clothe, learn, feed, encourage, etc.
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Don't you love it when you open your egg carton and you see a Bible verse? I do.
See these?
Guess who finally ordered a couple from Etsy near Winter's end? Yep, me. The grey and blue ones. Love their warmth! I just might need to order two more.
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"For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." ... Matthew 6:14,15
I couldn't agree more. I'm glad you got the contraband before they were taken off the shelves completely. It's all ridiculous, but we were told these days would come.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this post and we need to keep on keeping on in the faith.
Blessings and hugs,
Betsy
Oh it makes me sick too! Unbelievable! Our freedom of speech is no more!😢
ReplyDeleteI love your post and agree that censors of speech and books are never the good guys. Like you, I push back as I can, and ordered a pillow and dog bed from mypillow.com, his company had 20 chain stores pull his pillows from their shelves. I am also not buying from Cocacola which includes Honest Tea.
ReplyDeleteI, too, have been shocked with how many people have argued with me when I talk about lost freedoms this year... I can not understand why SO many people are SO blind...shakes head slowly.... I really enjoy your honesty! :O)
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Betsy! Please know I'm still praying for you, what with all that's happened in the past few days. Believing for better times ahead!
ReplyDeleteAngela--yes, freedom of speech seems to be fading. But here and there, we do still have it. Like here at my blog, fortunately--hooray! :) I believe God will always make a way where there appears to be none. He's super-great at that.
That's wonderful to hear, Terra! It's so important that we do what we can. I really believe we'll be held responsible for doing good and pushing back darkness during these turbulent days.
Hey Lisa! I'm always glad to know you're still reading here. You're one of my longest longtime readers! And that's so true--others ask just how have we lost our freedoms and then don't believe me when I tell them. :)
Thanks so much, Everyone! Blessings, Debra