The scene is nothing new. People marching in the name of something in which they espouse an unquestionable belief.

But when religious tradition dictates the harming of the body that God taught me to love, IF God IS love then it becomes extremely difficult for me to understand hurting someone in the name of a belief systems, not to mention hurting oneself.

First and foremost, understand that these views are written as an observer who believes in peace, and not war. They are written from the standpoint of one who believes in caring for the body, not subjecting the body to pain because I'll tell you right now I'd give up my belief in a heartbeat if it meant I had to inflict pain upon myself or someone else in any way shape or form. Not just physically, but mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

When I read about the million or so marchers in the streets of Karbala, Iraq, those people march in the name of what they believe. They have the freedom now, since the removal of Saddam Hussein, to just do whatever, including beating themselves in the name of religion. And if that's cool with them, there ain't nothin' I can say about it.

Free speech has its limits. Just ask anyone who has been wiretapped without their knowledge.

(Oh, hold up a minute, we elected people who said snoopin' was cool. Guess these nothin' we can do about that either including runnin' around naked in our own homes without being accused of being unpatriotic since conservative politicians never run around naked. Back in the day there was a rap song called "You can't see what I can't see." Catch my drift y'all?)

So knowing that this article is probably going to be an exercise in me just talkin' to myself and my monitor which might be under surveillance right now because I typed the word "unpatriotic" let's talk about choices.

We have the choice to question religion. The pope ain't gotta like it; and neither does the bishop or the elder or the deacon or the preacher-butcher-baker-candlestick maker. We do have THE RIGHT!

I believe there is only one God, one church (that is a body of believers and not a building) and also believe that the God I does not care about the right to vote, the right to beat oneself, the right to democracy or Congress that swings toward the left, the right or the middle. But I do know that we should have ONE law. . . . the law of LOVE.

But unfortunately when it comes to love, people tend to screw that up too. Some think of love as selfish, but it is anything but that. Even if one does not believe in Christianity (and the one known as Jesus never called himself or others "Christians", he called people "friends." And if you you weren't his friend, then he called you a bunch of other not-so-nice terms like a pig, (we get in trouble for that in America), a viper, a hypocrite, an open tomb--now that's nasty!-- oh yeah, he called religous people "fools!"

That's not to say that a very cool middle eastern ethnic dude--whom I believe was a spiritual entity in a human body on this Earth who is no longer in a grave and promised His spirit of LOVE would dwell in us if we'd only accept his teaching model--is down with all this division. I don't think he is.

But I do know that his teaching is what others strive for, even if they get it all wrong with a bunch of man-made traditions. Let's just say that I know my ancestors, this being the commemoration of Black History Month got burned, hung, disemboweled, raped, shot and beaten etc. etc. I honor that, but I severely doubt that my long gone ancestors would ask me and my kind of pretty brown people to just go out into the street and say, "Okay haters! Come on and let me have it!"

Again, to each his or her own in all things. But there are some things that this little black woman just can't understand.

But God does, and I'm leavin' the ball in HIS court.

blessin's,
cynth'ya

© 2006, cynth’ya lewis reed

All rights reserv’d