Human Rights - The Q Question, Let's Be Civil

I've always had a passion for Chinese culture, especially the various martial arts styles seen in their cinema. I saw how they used every part of their bodies as very lethal weapons even their queue braids. Traditional Chinese faith dictated they could not cut their hair because it represented their family history given to them by their ancestors and eventually the ruling Quin dynasty found it easy to control society by strict laws imposing the queue braids on the general public. 1 I learned how very cruel imposing government can be when laws have too much power over human life and how very necessary man's free moral choices are to the survival of any civilization. 2

Another Chinese 'Q' that always intrigued me was the importance of Qi or Chi. The Qi or Chi represented the vital life energy in all human beings.3 The Qi or Chi taught me that self-discipline is the drive we must have to achieve. What drives me to achieve? What drives me to follow my convictions? I worship God in hopes to honor the Creator in my thoughts, words, and actions; the innermost, secret places of my soul.

When I was little, my Wesleyan church elders preached against sins that were contrary to our belief system. The earliest platforms focused on materials: Women should not wear men's clothes or cut their hair, men should cut their hair, not wear women's clothes; no costly array as jewelry, no makeup, no dancing, no smoking, no drinking fermentation, no card or dice usage that resembles gambling; no television because it brought the sin of the world into the home, and only King James Bibles were allowed. Later the divorce and remarriage issue was the prevailing concern: No divorce or remarriage allowed, if divorced, no remarriage was allowed until the living spouse dies; no living together without legal marriage; of course, no sex outside the marriage but only with one's own married spouse. Our churches had the freedom to believe and trust in the principles taught in our Bible with no threat to ourselves or others. As a local church, we simply chose a common belief in the Bible as a guide to our own church body and home.

We believe in God as an all-wise Creator Artist who allowed many faiths and beliefs in which to believe the Bible. We enjoyed the different denominations who believed very differently than our church; we knew that if everyone believed as we did, God would not be the perfect Artist all Christians can trust. If there were visitors who wanted to remarry, smoke, or dress like another gender, we recommended another church that enjoyed those freedoms and our visitors knew we had a loving friendship with people of other faiths and beliefs. Diversity was thought of as a very sacred gift from God Himself. We firmly believe in the sanctity of individual faith freedom.

In time our churches have tried to survive as Laws were created to accommodate human life choices. Laws have been created to govern how we should dress, content on broadcasting media, what ingredients should be used in our foods and beverages, and regulate the gaming industry. Now I've seen laws that restrict the use of Holy scriptures and prayers in public places and media, and schools now have policies and curriculums unknown or disagreeable to helpless parents who are stripped of any influence in their children's lives.

Recently it has been suggested that laws will penalize places of worship that refuse to comply with laws that are contrary to our faith and with no regard to the worship opportunity in another compliant church in the vicinity. If my family church does not condone same-sex marriages and multi-gender practices, we should be penalized. Why? Why would my local church, my faith group, be dictated and penalized by secular laws when we are not a threat to ourselves or others? Yes, all God's people...all human beings are welcome to visit my place of worship when they honor God and humanity by respecting the local church discipline. 

Why would anyone who loves and honors the Creator and creation demand a following rather than the One True God? Why would they demand any local church to comply with ideas that are not in keeping with that local church? God have mercy on me and the whole world if there is any threat to God's House (places of worship: churches, synagogues, mosques). Why would I demand every woman to only wear dresses? Why would I demand every place of worship to deny their preferred freedoms and embrace my personal convictions? Should I say to every smoker they are going to hell because I don't smoke? Should I enter a non-charismatic church demanding they speak in tongues so I can enjoy their church? Should I visit a united church and demand they preach trinitarian doctrine for my own amusement? As  Apostle Paul said, 'Nay, God forbid may it never be' in Romans 6.1. God forbid I ever impose my own faith convictions on others. God forbid I sin against God and His creation.

Exhausted from constant efforts to fight discrimination with my own preaching and protesting, and now saturated by the imposing and most dreadful opinions of others, I decided to think on my own. My platform, my conviction, my only purpose I want to have in this world:

Nothing matters but Creator and Humanity...Nothing matters but Jesus who took my sins (all creation's sins) away on the cross, rose on the third day, ascended to the right hand of God and pleads for me and all creation.

1. https://agamya.wordpress.com/2014/10/16/chinese-hairstyles-and-foot-binding/
The queue was a specific male hairstyle worn by the Manchu people from central Manchuria and later imposed on the Han Chinese during the Qing dynasty. The hairstyle consisted of the hair on the front of the head being shaved off above the temples every ten days and the rest of the hair braided into a long ponytail.

2. https://www.visiontimes.com/2019/05/05/ancient-chinese-hairstyles-through-the-years.html and http://www.chinaknowledge.de/History/Qing/qing.html
Qing Dynasty 清 (1644-1911) During the time of the Qing Dynasty, the empire passed the “Queue Order,” which mandated that Han Chinese males tonsure the front parts of their head as the Manchu people do. This was imposed violently by the Manchus as they saw it necessary to assert their rule in China. Men sporting full or short hair were also executed since it was seen as treason.

3. http://www.shen-nong.com/eng/principles/qi.html
Qi can be interpreted as the "life energy" or "life force," which flows within us. Sometimes, it is known as the "vital energy" of the body.

Looking for a Shade Tree

The search for enlightenment and truth is often blinding.

If God actually opened my eyes to myself and I saw myself as He sees, what would I see? Because God is holy and cannot tolerate or look at sin, can He see me? Does God want to see me? Could I tolerate the brightness of God's Truth about me?

I actually dread discovering trues others claim to know as they express their opinions. If only there was a shade tree from the blistering light of truth others say they know.

Religious masters seem untouched by evil as they live in a bright state of enlightenment and yet find answers about evil others can't solve.

When I was little, my mother read a Psalm about the captive Israelites who hung their harps on the willow tree because, at a moment's notice, their captors demanded the songs of Zion. Their harps reminded them of their lost nation and freedom because of their sin against God. I spent a lot of time playing under my neighbor's Weeping Willow Tree in hopes God would be with me.

My adult years and a constant stranger in small towns, I always look for the Weeping Willow Tree and I find God.

In loving memory of my Good Roman Catholic Neighbor who always taught God's Truth is not like the world.