I used to donate to the Right to Life Committee, because I am an ardent supporter of the right of the pre-born to live and not be murdered. I say, I USED to donate, but I don’t anymore. Why? Don’t I want to save the baby humans? (I saw that on a bumper-sticker a few times, “SAVE THE BABY HUMANS!” in imitation of, “SAVE THE BABY SEALS!” which I have also seen many times. And by the way, I abhor the slaughtering of baby seals too. I also will not eat veal.) I DO want to save the baby humans, the pre-born humans, from slaughter by those who should love them and protect them with their lives. But I will no longer pay money to the RTL Committee. Why? Because I found out that my donations went to two places: the RTLC “operating expenses” and the campaign coffers of Donald Trump and of other Republicans who support Donald Trump. I guess it was naivete on my part to think the money went to support strongly pro-life candidates, rather than just pro-Trump politicians. (News Flash: they are not always the same.)

So, I stopped donating… there. I stopped donating to that organization. Because I don’t believe sending money to President Trump or his allies is the best way to support the rights of the pre-born.

By the way, I have never stood outside an abortion clinic and protested. I have never terrorized or tried to shame the women and girls who enter therein. I have never held public prayer vigils in front of Planned Parenthood. My prayers are for God, and not to be heard of men.

I strongly support the right of the people to bear arms (yes, including scary-looking rifles with non-wood stocks), but I am NOT a member of the National Rifle Association. There are those who say, if you’re not in the NRA, you’re not supporting the Second Amendment. And to them I say, “Baloney.” Personally, I think there are better ways to uphold the right to bear arms, as anyone who has ever been to my medieval weapons classes can attest. In my case, these ways include education and teaching by personal conduct. When I have sung, “Down by the Riverside” with the Tabernacle Choir, I have been known to sing, “I’m gonna lay down my sword and shield… When they pry ’em outta my cold, dead fingers.” (Don’t worry, Mac and Ryan, I’ve never sung it that way in a broadcast or concert. But I’ve thought it.)

I supported (after the fact, of course) the tragic killing of Harambe the gorilla, because I believe the life of a human child is infinitely more precious than the life of a magnificent animal. And to those who cry, “Harambe didn’t have to die!” I’m sorry, but once he had hold of that little boy, yes, unfortunately, he did have to die. And to those who contend that the zookeepers could have shot the gorilla with a tranquiller dart, you have been watching too many TV shows. In the time it would have taken for an already agitated Harambe to become incapacitated (up to ten minutes), he would have had plenty of time to kill (intentionally or otherwise) that human child. Once that child was in danger, the child’s life took the ultimate priority, even over a beloved and endangered gorilla.

But, hey, memes are fun, right? Memes and bumper-stickers help stoke outrage over a tragedy that was, once the child was endangered, unavoidable. You know what would have been a greater tragedy? If Harambe had actually killed the child. That would have been far worse.

I strongly believe that George Floyd was murdered by a man who showed a flagrant disregard for human life. I believe the murderer needs to be tried, and if found guilty by a jury of his peers, punished according to the law. Anyone who knows me can attest that, throughout my life, I have vehemently and vocally opposed racism. I’m not going to detail my anti-racism “creds,” because that would demean both me and them. I oppose racism in all its ugly forms, but I will never support Black Lives Matter. While some of their goals and my goals may overlap, they, as an organization, do not have my support. To quote from their own website, “We disrupt the Western-prescribed nuclear family structure requirement by supporting each other as extended families and ‘villages’ that collectively care for one another, especially our children, to the degree that mothers, parents, and children are comfortable. We foster a queer‐affirming network. When we gather, we do so with the intention of freeing ourselves from the tight grip of heteronormative thinking, or rather, the belief that all in the world are heterosexual (unless s/he or they disclose otherwise).” (Emphasis added, but this is a direct quote.) These goals are not mine. If they are yours, then perhaps that organization is for you. It’s not something I can be a part of.

The ends do not justify the means. Good never justifies evil. Love is not affirmed by hatred.

While it is probable that you can find racists in any group of people, to say that all cops are racists is an act of prejudice and an outright lie. To say that all protestors are looters and thugs is equally reprehensible. That would be judging a whole group of people based on the actions of a few. That is—yes, I will dare to say it—BIGOTRY. It is a false narrative.

False narratives have ever been a tool of the enemy of all humanity, Satan. He has used them to inflame passions and hatreds, to incite violence. Recently, I saw someone attempt to use the Savior’s clearing of the temple as a justification for looting and violence. Seriously? Jesus went into the temple—The House of the Lord—to clear out the filth from His own house. Let me repeat that—it was His own house. He didn’t burn down a low-income apartment complex, rob a jewelry store, or steal a 4K UHD TV. He also didn’t shoot a cop in the head for daring to enforce a curfew. He didn’t demand that everyone bow down to His will. He didn’t force all of us to be good. That was Satan’s plan in the beginning. And forcing someone to “be good” doesn’t change anything.

What did Jesus do? How did He solve the problem of hatred and bigotry? He taught us by word and by deed. He taught us to love one another. He taught us to love our neighbor as ourselves and to not covet our neighbor’s stuff. He taught that, if a Roman soldier (a member of the occupying army) demanded someone to carry his pack for a mile, then we should carry it for TWO miles. He taught love unfeigned. He gave commandments that, if we live by them, will make us happy and more like Him. He commanded us to love them that hate us, to do good to them who despitefully use us and persecute us. He never called evil “good,” nor good “evil.” He never justified or condoned sin, but He commanded that we abstain from even the appearance of it. Rather than forcing us to be good, He was good. And He invites us to learn from His example. He healed the ear of the man who came to him with a sword after Peter had smitten the man’s ear off. Then He gently rebuked Peter. He forgave the soldiers who crucified Him and asked that His Father forgive them as well. He said, “I the Lord will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men.” He also taught that those who will not forgive have committed the greater sin. Imagine that! Refusing to forgive is WORSE than the sin committed by the person who hurt us!

In short, He taught us that the only way to be happy. And that is to love, to do good, and to forgive everyone.