“But in giving this instruction, I do not praise you, because you come together not for the better but for the worse. For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that divisionsexist among you; and in part I believe it.”(1 Corinthians 11:17-18)(Bold added)(Italics added)
“For there is no partiality with God.”(Romans 2:11)
“Sexual deviants infecting the race . . .” Wolf, Dick, and Rene Baller. “Hate.” Law & Order, season 9, episode 10, 6 Jan. 1999. (Bold added)
“In 1967, when miscegenation [mixture of race] laws were overturned in the United States, 3% of all newlyweds were married to someone of a different race or ethnicity. Since then, intermarriage rates have steadily climbed. By 1980, the share of intermarried newlyweds had about doubled to 7%, or (230,000). And by 2015 the number had risen to 17% or (670,000).”(Bold added)(Italics added)(Parentheses added) Https://www.pewresearch.org
“The long-term annual growth in newlyweds marrying someone of a different race or ethnicity has led to dramatic increases in the overall number of people who are presently intermarried – including both those who recently married and those who did so years, or even decades, earlier. In 2015, that number stood at 11 million – 10% of all married people. The share has tripled since 1980, when 3% of married people – about 3 million altogether – had a spouse of a different race or ethnicity.” (Bold added)(Italics added)Https://www.pewresearch.org
“Overall increases in intermarriage have been fueled in part by rising intermarriage rates among black newlyweds and among white newlyweds. The share of recently married blacks with a spouse of a different race or ethnicity has more than tripled, from 5% in 1980 to 18% in 2015. Among recently married whites, rates have more than doubled, from 4% up to 11%.”(Bold added)(Italics added) https://www.pewresearch.org
God loves the sinner . . . God hates the sin. . .“
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdomof God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.” (1 Corinthians 6:9-11)
“In research done by Boston Area Rape Center Roesler et.al.(1994) reported heterosexual rape versus homosexual molestation . . . “ (Bold added) http://www.barcc.org.
- “82% child sexual abusers were in heterosexual relationships with a relative of the child.”
- “The child’s risk is 100x’s greater by a relative’s heterosexual partner than being molested by homosexual, lesbian or bisexual.”
“According to a study conducted in Massachusetts, young lesbians and bisexual girls versus heterosexual girls.” (Bold added) http://www.barcc.org.
- Girls ‘called sexually offensive names’ by their peers (72% of lesbian and bisexual girls as compared to 63% heterosexual)”
- “Girls ‘touched, brushed up against, or cornered in a sexual way’ (63% as compared to 52% of heterosexual girls)”
- “Girls ‘grabbed or have their clothing pulled in a sexual way’(50% compared to 44% heterosexual).”
- “Girls who’s peers ‘attempted rape or raped’ 23% compared to 6% of the heterosexual girls.”
“According to a Massachusetts study on transgender women . . . “ (Bold added) http://www.barcc.org.
- “60% were forced to have sex against their will”
- “38% were subject to multiple incidents of sexual assault”
“According to the First National Survey of Transgender Violence . . . “Http://www.barcc.org.
- “13.7% of 402 persons reported being a victim of rape or attempted rape.”
“For there is no partiality with God.”(Romans 2:11)
“It is the same for all. There is one fate for the righteous and for the wicked; for the good, for the clean and for the unclean; for the man who offers a sacrifice and for the one who does not sacrifice. As the good man is, so is the sinner; as the swearer is, so is the one who is afraid to swear. This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that there is one fate for all men. Furthermore, the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil and insanity is in their hearts throughout their lives. Afterwards they go to the dead.”(Ecclesiastes 9:2-3)
I. LOVE IS PATIENT, LOVE IS KIND . . .
“Live in peace with one another. We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone. See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people.”(1 Thessalonians 5:13-15)(Bold added)
“For there is no partiality with God.”(Romans 2:11)
https://atlantablackstar.com/2015/07/15/first-time-black-children-poverty-overtakes-number-white-kids
- “There were 73 million children in the U.S. in 2019—22 percent of our nation’s population.”(Bold added)(Italics added)
- “In 2019, children of color made up 49.8 percent of all children and the majority of children under 5.”(Bold added)(Italics added)
“CHILD POVERTY: Children remain the poorest age group in America, with children of color and young children suffering the highest poverty rates.”(Bold added) https://www.childrensdefense.org/state-of-americas-children/soac-2021-overview/
- “Nearly 1 in 7 children—10.5 million—were poor in 2019. Nearly 71 percent of poor children were children of color. More than 1 in 4 Black children and more than 1 in 5 Hispanic and American Indian/Alaska Native children were poor compared with 1 in 12 white children.”
- “The youngest children are the poorest. Nearly 1 in 6 children under 6 were poor and almost half lived in extreme poverty below half the poverty line.”
“INCOME AND WEALTH INEQUALITY: Income and wealth inequality aregrowing and harming childrenin low-income, Black and Brown families.”(Bold added) (Italics added) https://www.childrensdefense.org/state-of-americas-children/soac-2021-overview/
- “The share of all wealth held by the top one percent of Americans grew from 30 to 37 percent and the share held by the bottom 90 percent fell from 33 to 23 percent between 1989 and 2019.”(Bold added)(Italics added)
- “Today, a member of the top 10 percent of income earners makes about 39 times as much as the average earner in the bottom 90 percent.”(Bold added)(Italics added)
- “In 2019, the median family income of white households with children ($95,700) was more than doublethat of Black ($43,900), and Hispanic households with children ($52,300).” (Bold added)(Italics added)
“HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS: The lack of affordable housing and federal rental assistance leaves millions of children homeless or at risk of homelessness.” (Bold added)(Italics added) https://www.childrensdefense.org/state-of-americas-children/soac-2021-overview/
- “More than 1 in 3 children live in households burdened by housing costs, meaning more than 30 percent of their family income goes toward housing.”(Bold added)(Italics added)
- “More than 1.5 million children enrolled in public schools experienced homelessness during the 2017-2018school year.”(Bold added)(Italics added)
- “74 percent of unhoused students during the 2017-2018 school year were living temporarily with family or friends.”(Bold added)(Italics added)
All of the aforementioned child homelessness data above can be found at Childrens Defense https://www.childrensdefense.org/state-of-americas-children/soac-2021-overview/
II. LOVE DOES NOT ENVY . . .
“Do not envy a man of violence
And do not choose any of his ways.
For the devious are an abomination to the LORD;
But He is intimate with the upright.
The curse of the LORD is on the house of the wicked,
But He blesses the dwelling of the righteous.
Though He scoffs at the scoffers,
Yet He gives grace to the afflicted.
The wise will inherit honor,
But fools display dishonor.”(Proverbs 3:31-35)(Bold added)(Italics added)
“For there is no partiality with God.”(Romans 2:11)
Homeownership, racial segregation, and policy solutions to racial wealth equity” by Rashawn Ray, Andre M. Perry, David Harshbarger, Samantha Elizondo, and Alexandra Gibbons, September 1, 2021 https://www.brookings.edu/essay/homeownership-racial-segregation-and-policies-for-racial-wealth-equity/
“Homeownership is often viewed as the entree to the American dream and the gateway to intergenerational wealth. However, this pathway is often less achievable for Black Americans who post a homeownership rate of 46.4% compared to 75.8% of white families. Compounding matters, homes in predominately Black neighborhoods across the country are valued at $48,000 less than predominately white neighborhoods for a cumulative loss in equity of approximately $156 billion. . .” (Bold added) https://www.brookings.edu/essay/homeownership-racial-segregation-and-policies-for-racial-wealth-equity/
“In 2016, white families posted the highest median family wealth at $171,000. Black families, in contrast, had a median family wealth of $17,600. Because wealth (as measured by the total amount of assets a person owns minus debts) is a critical predictor of education, health, employment, and other quality of life metrics, a strategy to maximize homeownership and home value is needed.”(Bold added)(Italics added) https://www.brookings.edu/essay/homeownership-racial-segregation-and-policies-for-racial-wealth-equity/
“Lower Black homeownership and the racial wealth gap are byproducts of systemic racism, including the legacies of slavery, Jim Crow segregation, redlining, and other anti-Black policies that targeted Black people and predominately Black neighborhoods. Residential segregation facilitates the extraction of wealth and other vital resources that fuel economic and social mobility. The loss of wealth in Black communities hastens a downward socioeconomic spiral. For instance, schools predominated by Black, Latinx, and Asian students receive $23 billion less in funding than predominately white districts. This is because schools primarily rely onlocal property taxes rather than a broader pool of funding to equalize school resources.” (Bold added)(Italics added) https://www.brookings.edu/essay/homeownership-racial-segregation-and-policies-for-racial-wealth-equity/
III. LOVE DOES NOT BOAST . . .
“Boast no more so very proudly,
Do not let arrogance come out of your mouth;
For the LORD is a God of knowledge,
And with Him actions are weighed.
“The bows of the mighty are shattered,
But the feeble gird on strength.”(1 Samuel 2:3-4)
“I said to the boastful, ‘Do not boast,’
And to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up the horn;
Do not lift up your horn on high,
Do not speak with insolent pride.’”
For not from the east, nor from the west,
Nor from the desert comes exaltation;
But God is the Judge;
He puts down one and exalts another.
For a cup is in the hand of the LORD, and the wine foams;
It is well mixed, and He pours out of this;
Surely all the wicked of the earth must drain and drink down its dregs.” (Psalms 75:4-8)
“For there is no partiality with God.”(Romans 2:11)
“Racial Inequality in the Labor Market and Employment Opportunities” by K. Steven Brown, September 15, 2020 https://www.workrisennetwork.org/racial-inequality-labor-market-and-employment-opportunities
“One foundational study found that resumes with white-sounding names received 50 percent more callbacks than Black-sounding names, and subsequent research has found similar results (Bertrand and Mullainathan 2004; Bertrand and Duflo 2017). This discrimination also extends to perceptions of criminality. Additional paired-tester research found that white applicants with a criminal record were more likely to get callbacks for entry-level jobs than Black men without a criminal record (Pager 2003).”(Bold added)(Italics added)https://www.workrisennetwork.org/racial-inequality-labor-market-and-employment-opportunities
“The evidence suggests that between 1989 and 2017, the amount of hiring discrimination experienced by Blackand Latinx job applicants did not decrease (Quillian et al. 2017). Discrimination against people of color in hiring up continues to be a standard feature of the labor market. This discrimination leads to diminished job opportunities and more time looking for work, which likely contributes to the consistently elevated racial gapsin the unemployment rate.”
“Discrimination continues after hire as well. In many firms, Black and Latinx employees are prevented or discouraged from face-to-face client engagement, such as by being tasked to work in a stock room rather thanthe floor of a retail assignment or by having diminished access to high–net-worth clients to build out a portfolio (Pager, Western, and Bonikowski 2009; Bielby 2012; Moss and Tilly 2001). This post-hire discrimination restricts many workers of color from accessing the roles, responsibilities, and opportunities that lead toward promotion and upward mobility (Collins 1997).”https://www.workrisennetwork.org/racial-inequality-labor-market-and-employment-opportunities
IV. LOVE IS NOT PROUD . . .
“Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD;
Assuredly, he will not be unpunished.
By lovingkindness and truth iniquity is atoned for,
And by the fear of the LORD one keeps away from evil.” (Proverbs 16:5-6)
“For there is no partiality with God.”(Romans 2:11)
“Meth Lab Found in Million-Dollar Lake-Front Home, Cops Say” ABC News by Gillian Mohney, April 19, 2014 https://abcnews.go.com/US/meth-lab-found-million-dollar-lake-front-home/story?id=23393944
“Police in Ohio say they have found materials to create a meth lab at a million-dollar lakefront home near Cleveland. . . they also found three handguns and 11 shotguns at the home. . . During the search they found chemicals and equipment that would be used to produce meth, he said. . . home was on lakefront property in an affluent area and according to property records, bought for $1,125,000 last year.”(Bold added)(Italics added)
“Dennis Cavanaugh, chief deputy of the Loraine County Sheriff’s Office Drug Task Force said. “I don’t care where you are in this county or the state, you never know when anything like this is going to happen.”https://abcnews.go.com/US/meth-lab-found-million-dollar-lake-front-home/story?id=23393944
“Police said they found 47-year-old James Lee Acord and 50-year-old Rhonda L. Pasek overdosing in a Ford Explorer in East Liverpool, Ohio, on Wednesday, with a 4-year-old boy in the back seat. His face has been digitally altered to protect his identity. (Courtesy of the City of East Liverpool)”The Washington Post by Christopher Ingraham and Carolyn Y. Johnson, September 9, 2016.”
“When a drug epidemic’s victims are white” . . .“How racial bias and segregation molded a gentler rhetorical response to the opioid crisis.” By German Lopez, April 4, 2017. https://www.vox.com/identities/2017/4/4/15098746/opiod-heroin-epidemic-race
“This friend, however, had a drug problem. Starting with a back injury from running, he was prescribed opioid painkillers. That initial prescription eventually grew into a full-blown addiction. And despite Christie’s and others’ attempts to help, the addiction consumed his friend, whom Christie has kept anonymous to protect the family from media attention. Over the next 10 years, despite some stints in rehab, his friend lost his wife, his home, his money, the ability to see his girls, his law practice, andeven his driver’s license. Then, he overdosed and died at 52 years old.” (Bold added)(Italics added)
“Similarly, President Donald Trump, who appointed Christie to a commission studying the opioid epidemic, often brings up the alcohol addiction that consumed and killed his brother. Businesswoman Carly Fiorina, who briefly ran for president in 2016, also mentioned her daughter’s death due to drugs on the campaign trail. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush wrote an article on his daughter’s drug struggles on Medium. And that doesn’t even begin to get into the many, many state lawmakers who have shared similar stories about husbands, wives, sons, daughters, friends, and coworkers who struggled with addiction.”(Bold added)(Italics added)
“This, they all say, has led them to believe in the need for better, comprehensive drug treatment.”(Bold added)(Italics added)
“These stories show how lived experiences and personal relationships can influence serious policy discussions. After all, politicians bring up the people in their lives who they saw needlessly suffer and die due to drugs for a specific purpose: to call for an approach to addiction focused on public health over criminal justice.” (Bold added)(Italics added) https://www.vox.com/identities/2017/4/4/15098746/opiod-heroin-epidemic-race
“But in this way, these stories also expose the impact of another issue that may not seem related at first: race.” (Bold added)(Italics added) https://www.vox.com/identities/2017/4/4/15098746/opiod-heroin-epidemic-race
“Consider the opioid epidemic, which contributed to the record 52,000 drug overdose deaths reported in 2015. Because the crisis has disproportionately affected white Americans, white lawmakers — who make up a disproportionate amount of all levels of government — are more likely to come into contact with people afflicted by the opioid epidemic than, say, the disproportionately black drug users who suffered during the crack cocaine epidemic of the 1980s and ’90s. And that means a lawmaker is perhaps more likely to have the kind of interaction that Christie, Trump, Bush, and Fiorina described — one that might lead them to support more compassionate drug policies — in the current crisis than the ones of old.”(Bold added)(Italics added)
https://www.vox.com/identities/2017/4/4/15098746/opiod-heroin-epidemic-race
“Ithaca, New York, Mayor Svante Myrick, who’s black, told me this has led to resentment in much of the black community in his predominantly white town. “It’s very real,” he acknowledged. The typical response from his black constituents, he said, goes something like this: “Oh, when it was happening in my neighborhood it was ‘lock ’em up.’ Now that it’s happening in the [largely white, wealthy] Heights, the answer is to use my tax dollars to fund treatment centers. Well, my son could have used a treatment center in 1989, and he didn’t get one.” (Bold added)(Italics added)
Stories like Christie’s, Trump’s, Fiorina’s, and Bush’s show one of the many ways we got to this point, where a political response can varylargely based on avictim’s race. They demonstrate that it’s not just personal racism that can lead to racially disparate politics and even policies, but structural factors like segregation as well.”(Bold added)(Italics added)https://www.vox.com/identities/2017/4/4/15098746/opiod-heroin-epidemic-race
V. LOVE DOES NOT DISHONOR OTHERS . . .
“Let those be ashamed and humiliated together
Who seek my life to destroy it;
Let those be turned back and dishonored
Who delight in my hurt.”(Psalms 40:14)
“For there is no partiality with God.”(Romans 2:11)
“In 2019, the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program collects data about both single-bias and multiple-bias hate crimes. For each offense type reported, law enforcement must indicate at least one bias motivation. https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2018/crime-in-the-u.s.-2018
“A single-bias incident is defined as an incident in which one or more offense types are motivated by the same bias. . .”
“. . . As of 2013, a multiple-bias incident is defined as an incident in which one or more types are motivated by two or more biases.”
“In 2013, the FBI’s UCR Program initiated the collection of rape data under a revised definition within the Summary Reporting System. The term “forcible” was removed from the offense name, and the definition was changed to “penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim.”
“In 2016, the FBI Director approved the recommendation to discontinue the reporting of rape data using the UCR legacy definition beginning 2017.”
“The offenses of fondling, incest, and statutory rape are included in the crimes against persons, other category.”https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2018/crime-in-the-u.s.-2018
“’There’s no escape’: Memories of being raped by Catholic priest haunt Columbus man . . .” The Columbus Dispatch, By Danae King, September 12, 2021. https://www.dispatch.com/in-depth-news/2021/09/08/Columbus-man-raped-catholic-priest-child-haunted-memories/7504888002/
HOMOSEXUAL SERIAL RAPIST, WHITE MALE, PRIEST . . .
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.”(1 Corinthians 6:9-11)
“He was a beloved priest who had had more than a dozen assignments locally before arriving at the church shortly before Graham was abused, just a few years before he retired after 43 years as a priest in 2000.”(Bold added)(Italics added)
“For there is no partiality with God.”(Romans 2:11)
“Chris Graham shares his story of being sexually abused by a Catholic priest when he was 14, and how the memories of it have impacted his life.”https://www.dispatch.com/in-depth-news/2021/09/08/Columbus-man-raped-catholic-priest-child-haunted-memories/7504888002/
“On the day of the rape, Lavelle told Graham to drink leftover sacramental wine during Mass. Graham noticed the priest had poured much more than was needed for the assembled parishioners, but he did as he was told, happily. He felt like the instruction from Lavelle was an honor since priests usually drank the leftover holy wine.”The Columbus Dispatch, By Danae King, September 12, 2021. (Bold added)(Italics added)
“When the service ended, he followed Lavelle into the sacristy, a changing room for priests. The other priests and altar servers left, leaving the two of them alone as Graham waited for his mom to come later for choir practice.”(Bold added)(Italics added)
“I had had a lot of wine,” Graham said. “I’m feeling kind of weird, like I don’t know how to describe it, just like the dynamic of the room seemed to shift really quickly.”
A few minutes later, the priest stormed out. Then, “he flew back into the room with a big grin on his face, and next thing I knew it was over,” Graham said of the rape.”(Bold added)(Italics added)
“Graham can remember Lavelle unbuckling his belt, then grabbing him and turning him around. Lavelle partially undressed the teen and then pushed him slowly down to the floor of the room, raping him before standing back up and asking if Graham would like to do the same to him.”
“The boy declined.”Https://www.dispatch.com/in-depth-news/2021/09/08/Columbus-man-raped-catholic-priest-child-haunted-memories/7504888002/
VI. LOVE IS NOT SELF-SEEKING . . .
“Keep far from a false charge, and do not kill the innocent or the righteous, for I will not acquit the guilty.”(Exodus 23:7)
“The LORD descended in the cloud and stood there with him as he called upon the name of the LORD. Then the LORD passed by in front of him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.” (Exo 34:5-7)
“For there is no partiality with God.”(Romans 2:11)
“Panel: Racism compounds the clergy sex abuse crisis for Black Catholics” (Bold added)(Italics added)NCRby Madeleine Davison, April 28, 2021. https://www.ncronline.org/news/accountability/panel-racism-compounds-clergy-sex-abuse-crisis-black-Catholics
“Systemic racism in the Catholic Church compounds the impact of the sexual abuse crisis on Black Catholics and makes it more difficult for Black survivors to speak up or get justice, speakers said during the virtual panel discussion, hosted by Fordham University on April 21. (Unsplash/Josh Applegate)”(Bold added)(Italics added)Https://www.ncronline.org/news/accountability/panel-racism-compounds-clergy-sex-abuse-crisis-black-Catholics
“Because of a long history of racism, the U.S. Catholic Church’s leadership is overwhelmingly white, said Massingale, who is the author of Racial Justice and the Catholic Church. In addition, many white diocesan employees lack the cultural competency to interact with Black people, and diocesan offices are often located in white neighborhoods or places that are inaccessible by public transportation, he said.”(Bold added)(Italics added) Https://www.ncronline.org/news/accountability/panel-racism-compounds-clergy-sex-abuse-crisis-black-Catholics
“Because of this, many Black Catholics don’t feel that the diocese is their ally, she said. Black survivors may notwant to come forward out of fear that speaking up might negatively affect their churches, she added.”(Bold added)(Italics added)
“You’re at risk of being labelled a troublemaker,” she said. “Then your parish is full of troublemakers. And that precipice that your parish is on all the time — [reporting abuse] might just be the thing that tips you over.”(Bold added)(Italics added) Https://www.ncronline.org/news/accountability/panel-racism-compounds-clergy-sex-abuse-crisis-black-Catholics
“Abusive priests often prey on young people who have had interactions with the criminal legal system, Massingale said. These victims are less likely to report abuse out of fear that they might draw attention to their own legal situation, he said.”(Bold added)(Italics added) Https://www.ncronline.org/news/accountability/panel-racism-compounds-clergy-sex-abuse-crisis-black-Catholics
“Racial power dynamics within parishes and the desire to see their parishes survive discrimination and neglect can also make Black parishioners more reluctant to report abuse or misconduct by white clergy and staff, said Resurrectionist Fr. Manuel Williams, director of Resurrection Catholic Ministries of the South, Inc.”(Bold added)(Italics added)
“When Williams first arrived at his current parish, Resurrection Catholic Church in Montgomery, Alabama, he found out that one of his predecessors — 40 or 50 years prior — had allegedly fathered a son with a parishioner. But nobody really talked about it, he said.”(Bold added)(Italics added)
“It wasn’t until Williams had been at the church for over a decade that a church employee brought him two photos — one of the priest and one of the man rumored to be his son — and showed them to Williams, side by side.”(Bold added)(Italics added)
“She looked at me and she said, ‘Do you see something similar?’ ” Williams said. “And I went, ‘Oh, my God. Yes, I do.'”Https://www.ncronline.org/news/accountability/panel-racism-compounds-clergy-sex-abuse-crisis-black-Catholics
“Racist stereotypes about Black people’s sexuality that started during the era of slavery mean that, when they do come forward, Black victims of sexual abuse are even less likely to be believed than white victims, Massingale said.”(Bold added)(Italics added)
“Black women are often portrayed as sexually promiscuous “Jezebels,” incapable of being raped, Massingale said. Meanwhile, Black men are depicted as the “insatiable stud” or the “dangerous predator or rapist,” he said.”(Bold added)(Italics added)
“It’s very difficult to have a serious conversation about this issue and how it relates to the Black body, when the Black body has already been coded from the time of enslavement to the present as something that is … able to be sexually debased with impunity,” Massingale said”(Bold added)(Italics added)
“Black victims and survivors are also erased from the narrative about clergy sexual abuse, Massingale said. The typical portrait of a victim is a white male, he said — Catholics don’t typically think of Black faces when they think of abuse victims.”(Bold added)(Italics added)
“If I’m an African American victim of clergy sexual abuse … I don’t even see my place in that discussion,” Massingale said. “And so I’m even less likely to come forward and to identify myself.”(Bold added)(Italics added)Https://www.ncronline.org/news/accountability/panel-racism-compounds-clergy-sex-abuse-crisis-black-Catholics
“Pratt and Massingale said research on the racial demographics of victims in the clergy sex abuse crisis is lacking, largely because most dioceses don’t keep records on race, or if they do, they won’t disclose them.Https://www.ncronline.org/news/accountability/panel-racism-compounds-clergy-sex-abuse-crisis-black-Catholics
“Many Black parishes have also closed or been merged with other parishes, changing names in the process, Pratt said, increasing the amount of “detective work” needed to understand the scope of the crisis.”(Bold added)(Italics added)
“Keeping that information, and being able to see the racial disparities … will force dioceses to admit their own systemic racism, which we know is not something that dioceses are inclined to do,” Pratt said. (Bold added)(Italics added) Https://www.ncronline.org/news/accountability/panel-racism-compounds-clergy-sex-abuse-crisis-black-Catholics
“All of these factors make reporting abuse challenging, if not virtually impossible, for many Black Catholics, Massingale said.”(Bold added)(Italics added) Https://www.ncronline.org/news/accountability/panel-racism-compounds-clergy-sex-abuse-crisis-black-Catholics
VII. LOVE IS NOT EASILY ANGERED
“Behold, all those who are angered at you will be shamed and dishonored;
Those who contend with you will be as nothing and will perish.
“You will seek those who quarrel with you, but will not find them,
Those who war with you will be as nothing and non-existent.”(Isaiah 41:11-12)
“For there is no partiality with God.”(Romans 2:11)
“Ahmaud Arbery’s Killers, Travis and Gregory McMichael, Sentenced to Life in Prison Without Parole”(Bold added) AP by Ethan Shanfeld Jan 7, 2022. https://variety.com/2022/politics/news/ahmaud-arbery-killers-sentenced-prison-1235149075/
“A judge has sentenced the three men convicted of murdering Ahmaud Arbery to life in prison. Travis McMichael and his father Gregory McMichael were sentenced to life plus 20 years without the possibility of parole. Their neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole.”(Bold added)(Italics added)
“In Georgia, life in prison is the minimum sentence for murder, leaving the question of parole up to presiding judge Timothy Walmsley.”(Bold added)(Italics added)
“In February 2020, Travis McMichael, Gregory McMichael and Bryan followed the 25-year-old Arbery, who was on a jog, with their pickup trucks in the Georgia suburb of Satilla Shores. The pursuit ended after five minutes when 35-year-old Travis McMichael fatally shot Arbery, who was unarmed.”(Bold added)(Italics added)
“In November, a jury found the three men guilty on multiple murder counts, among other charges. Travis McMichael was found guilty on all charges, including malice murder, four counts of felony murder, two counts of aggravated assault, false imprisonment and criminal attempt to commit a felony. Gregory McMichael, who rode armed in the bed of a pickup truck as his son chased Arbery, is guilty on all charges except malice murder. Bryan, who joined and filmed the pursuit, is guilty on three counts of felony murder, one count of aggravated assault, false imprisonment and criminal attempt to commit a felony. The jury cleared Bryan of charges of malice murder, felony murder involving aggravated assault with a firearm and the count of aggravated assault with a firearm.”(Bold added)(Italics added)
“Many activists and civil rights leaders viewed the verdict as a hard-earned victory, as the case saw no arrests until two months after Arbery’s death, when video footage of the killing went viral and sparked national outrage.”(Bold added) https://variety.com/2022/politics/news/ahmaud-arbery-killers-sentenced-prison-1235149075/
“Report: Black people are still killed by police at a higher rate than other groups” by Chandon Khanna, NBC News, March 3, 2022 https://nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/report-black-people-are-still-killed-police-higher-rate-groups-rcna17169
“. . . New data show that the number of Black people killed by police has actually increased over the last two years.”(Bold added)(Italics added)
“According to data collected by The Washington Post, police shot and killed at least 1,055 people nationwide last year, the most since the newspaper began tracking fatal shootings by officers in 2015. That is more than the 1,021 shootings in 2020 and the 999 in 2019.”
“Black people, who account for 13 percent of the U.S. population, accounted for 27 percent of those fatally shot and killed by police in 2021, according to Mapping Police Violence, a nonprofit group that tracks police shootings. THAT MEANS BLACK PEOPLE ARE TWICE AS LIKELY AS WHITE PEOPLE TO BE SHOT AND KILLED BY POLICE OFFICERS.” (Bold added)(Caps added)(Italics added)
“It’s bad and it’s sad, but it’s not shocking that we’re still being killed at a higher rate,” said Karundi Williams, the CEO of re:power, a national organization that trains Black people to become political leaders. “When we have moments of racial injustice that is thrust in the national spotlight, there is an uptick of outrage, and people take to the streets. But then the media tends to move on to other things, and that consciousness decreases. But we never really got underneath the problem.” (Bold added)(Italics added)
“And the problems are many. Rashawn Ray, a seniorfellow at the Brookings Institution, a think tank, said it is a flawed notion that paying more attention to police brutality will result in less police brutality.”(Bold added)(Italics added)
“People perceive that people protesting in the streets leads to people caring more, and sometimes it leads to people resisting the changemore. And in this case, we’re talking about officers resisting the change,” said Ray, who is also a professor of sociology at the University of Maryland. “What we see in the immediate aftermath of the demonstrations is police officers’ hunkering down and standing behind the blue wall of silence even more.”(Bold added)(Italics added)
“Williams said there is also an inherent foe that prevents widespread change.”
“The system wasn’t built to protect Black people,” Williams said. “And until we get to the root cause of policing and police brutality and the differences in the way police treat Black folks versus white folks, we’re not going to get to change.”(Bold added)(Italics added)
“Williams said the data mean that “until we get to policies that dismantle the system that exists, we’re not going to see this stop.”(Bold added)(Italics added
https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo/white-supremacist-groups.html
“Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”(Genesis 6:5)
“The LORD has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men To see if there are any who understand, Who seek after God. They have all turned aside, together they have become corrupt; There is no one who does good, not even one.”(Psa 14:2-3)
“A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that run rapidly to evil, A false witness who utters lies, And one who spreads strife among brothers.”(Pro 6:18-19)
“For there is no partiality with God.”(Romans 2:11)
“Follow-up research, based on death certificates and interviews with family members, found an additional 300 AIDS-related priest deaths nationwide.”
“However, researchers were unable to count AIDS-related deaths in the nearly two-thirds of states that do not disclose death records, and experts say that the “exact AIDS death toll among U.S. priests will never be known.” In the 14 states that allowed the Star to access death records, the paper found that the AIDS-related death rate among priests was “more than double” the rate among all adult males in those states and more than six timesthe rate among the general population in those states. The Star reports that these rates “exceeded the estimates and projections reported earlier this year by the newspaper,” and the follow-up investigation reveals that “there is no longer any question that hundreds of priests have died of AIDS and that many bishops were aware of their plights.” https://khn.org/morning-breakout/dr00000875/
“Root of the Problem Through interviews with priests, AIDS experts, doctors, psychologists and educators, the Star found a general consensus that more education and communication is needed to curb the “tragedy of priests dying of AIDS. (“Bold added) (Italics added) https://khn.org/morning-breakout/dr00000875/
Rev. Thomas Reese, editor ofAmerica magazine, a national Jesuit publication, cited the biggest issue as the “silence surrounding … gay priests.” Reese said, “The silence highlights a tension in a church that defines homosexuality as ‘intrinsically disordered’ but relies on many gay men to celebrate the sacraments and carry out the work of the church.” https://khn.org/morning-breakout/dr00000875/
“Jon Fuller, a Jesuit priest and Boston physician who specializes in AIDS, lamented the fact that the Vatican discourages open discussions on sexuality, considers homosexual relations a sin and opposes “modern practice” of safe sex.” https://khn.org/morning-breakout/dr00000875/
Up to 3.7 million kids (under age 19) are infected with HIV, the virus that can lead to AIDS. The vast majority of cases are in sub-Saharan Africa; in fact, it’s the leading cause of death among preteens and teens there.
Most children who have HIV got it from their mothers when they were pregnant, during the birth process, or from breastfeeding.
Kids in communities affected by AIDS who have lost parents and family members are also more vulnerable toHIV infection. They may lack caregivers, access to school, or the ability to stand up for their rights.
Children can be infected through sexual abuse or rape. In some countries, child marriages are culturally accepted, and a young girl could get HIV from their older husband, and then pass it to their babies, too. The younger a child is when they first have sex, the higher their chances of getting HIV are. https://www.webmd.com/hiv-aids/guide/hiv-in-children
“Investigation of the key factors that influence the girls to enter into child marriage: A meta-synthesis of qualitative evidence” by Kohno A, Techasrivichien T, Suguimoto SP, Dahlui M, Nik Farid ND, Nakayama T (2020) Investigation of the key factors that influence the girls to enter into child marriage: A meta-synthesis of qualitative evidence. PLoS ONE 15(7): https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0235959
“Child marriage refers to formal or informal marriage that involves children who are below the age of 18 [1]. Although the term applies to both boys and girls, girls are the most commonly affected by this practice [2]. It is a harmful practice that violates children’s rights; unfortunately, it remains widespread.”
Meanwhile, “12 million girls per year still get married before the age of 18 [3]. Thus, we have approximately 650 million women today who were married as children. The highest levels of child marriage are found in Sub-Saharan Africa (38%), with Niger reporting a prevalence as high as 76%, followed by South Asia (30%)and Latin America (25%) [3]. According to data from the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) in Bangladesh, 59% and 22% of women were married before the age of 18 and before the age of 15, respectively. In Latin America, the numbers are also alarming. In the Dominican Republic and Brazil, 36% of women were married before the age of 18 [4].”
“Child marriage often results in adverse health, economic, and social consequences [8]. Catalyzed by socio-economic imbalance, spousal age gap, power imbalance, social isolation, and lack of female autonomy,studies show a significant association between child marriage and all dimensions of intimate partner violence (physical, sexual, and emotional) [9–14].”
“For girls, child marriage translates into early sexual activity. They are more likely to report no contraceptive use and are at a greater risk of unintended pregnancy [8] and sexually transmitted infections including HIV andcervical cancer [15].”
“Among women aged 15–19 years, pregnancy-related death is the second leading cause of death [16]. Physical immaturity for childbearing, combined with lack of power, information, and access to services, place them at a heightened risk of maternal morbidity and mortality.”
“However, the practice of child marriage not only affects the girls who are getting married at a young age, but also affects the girls’ offspring. This has been associated with adverse child outcomes including preterm birth and intrauterine growth restriction, infant mortality, and child undernutrition [16].”
All footnotes contained in the aforementioned study can be found in the original research posted online at https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0235959
IX. LOVE REJOICES WITH TRUTH . . . “
These are the things which you should do: speak the truth to one another; judge with truth and judgment for peace in your gates. Also let none of you devise evil in your heart against another, and do not love perjury; for all these are what I hate,’ declares the LORD.” (Zechariah 8:16-17)
“For there is no partiality with God.”(Romans 2:11)
“Fact check: Fentanyl present in George Floyd’s system but not enough to cause his death, experts say” by Mariam Fauzia, USA TODAY, April 16, 2021. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2021/04/16/fact-check-fentanyl-george-floyd-not-enough-to-cause-death/7239448002/
“The claim: George Floyd had enough fentanyl in his system to kill three grown men”
“References to a fatal-seeming level of the synthetic opioid were suggested back in August by conservative media outlets like The Blaze, and recently again by conservative political pundit Ben Shapiro.”
“But fentanyl isn’t what killed Floyd, and the amount in his system was similar to that found in people who took the drug and were arrested for DUI, but didn’t die. Here’s what we found.”
“Fentanyl level not fatal”
“Blood tests conducted as part of Floyd’s post-mortem autopsy revealed 11 nanograms per milliliter, or ng/ml,of fentanyl present. According to expert witnesses, this wasn’t enough to be considered fatal”
“Dr. Daniel Isenschmid, a toxicologist at NMS Labs in Pennsylvania, presented data at trial from more than 2,300 blood samples in fentanyl DUI cases from the last year. He showed that while the average fentanyl blood level was close to 9.6 ng/ml, a quarter of people tested had 11 ng/ml or higher. (Important to note: Blood samples were taken from drivers who tested positive for fentanyl and were alive at the time of collection.)”
“Isenschmid also showed that Floyd’s blood ratio of fentanyl to norfentanyl, the molecule fentanyl is broken down to once in the body, was lower than the average ratio both for people who died of overdoses and thosearrested for DUI who lived.”
“Overdose victims who die rarely have norfentanyl in their blood, since death often occurs before the body can break the drug down, he said.”
“Isenschmid’s testimony was supported by pulmonologist and critical care specialist Dr. Martin Tobin of Loyola University Medical Center.”
“Mr. Floyd died from a low level of oxygen, and this caused damage to his brain that we see. And it also caused a PEA (pulseless electrical activity) arrhythmia that caused his heart to stop,” he told the court. He explained Floyd’s body position on the street, handcuffs pulling his arms back and a knee on his neck, back and sides, led to his low oxygen levels.”
“All of these four forces are ultimately going to result in the low tidal volume, which gives you the shallow breaths” that can’t effectively bring oxygen into the lungs, Tobin said.”
“He stated because fentanyl typically slows down a person’s breathing, the drug was not a contributing factor based on his calculations of Floyd’s breathing rate based on witness video, which at the time appeared about the same as a healthy individual.”
“Our ruling: False”
“We rate the claim Floyd had enough fentanyl in his system to kill three grown men FALSE, based on our research. While Floyd’s toxicology report did reveal fentanyl present, expert witnesses at his murder trial have stated there was not enough to be considered fatal or impact his breathing and oxygen levels. . .
Floyd died due to lack of oxygen from the force of Chauvin’s knee on his neck.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/09/09/ohio-city-shares-shocking-photos-of-adults-who-overdosed-with-a-small-child-in-their-car/
“On Wednesday afternoon, a police officer in East Liverpool, Ohio, stopped a vehicle for driving erratically and made a shocking discovery: The driver was barely conscious. A woman was slumped across the passenger seat next to him, turning blue.”
“In the back of the vehicle, a 4-year-old boy sat restrained in a car seat, according to a police report. The report identified the woman as the boy’s mother. However, a family friend said she is his paternal grandmother.”
“The officer called an ambulance, and when the EMTs arrived, they administered the lifesaving drug Narcan, used to reverse opioid overdoses. After 47-year-old James Lee Acord and 50-year-old Rhonda L. Pasek were revived, police arrested them and contacted Columbiana County Children’s Services.”
“Acord pleaded no contest and was sentenced to 180 days in jail on charges of driving under the influence and endangering children, according to a local news report. Pasek pleaded not guilty to charges of disorderly conduct, endangering children and a seat-belt violation.”
“It seemed like just another day of near-tragedy on the front lines of America’s opioid epidemic. But the East Liverpool incident was unique in one key respect: Someone at the scene snapped photos of the adults passed out in the car with the grim-faced child sitting in back. The city of East Liverpool then took the surprising step of posting those photos to its public Facebook page.”
“THE HEROIN EPIDEMIC’S TOLL: ONE COUNTY, 70 MINUTES, 8 OVERDOSES”
“It is time that the non drug using public sees what we are now dealing with on a daily basis,” the city wrote in the accompanying post. “We feel we need to be a voice for the children caught up in this horrible mess. This child can’t speak for himself but we are hopeful his story can convince another user to think twice about injecting this poison while having a child in their custody.”
“Ohio is in the throes of a heroin and opioid epidemic that shows no sign of abating. Last year, a record 3,050 people in Ohio died of drug overdoses.”
“The crisis affects all parts of the state, but it has been particularly severe in small cities such as East Liverpool and in other rural areas in the eastern and southern parts of the state near the Ohio River. Once a mighty industrial artery for Middle America, the Ohio River is now dotted with communities that have lost much of their economic strength as factories have closed and jobs have vanished.
“THE HEROIN EPIDEMIC WAS ONCE MOSTLY IMMUNE FROM POLITICS. NOT ANYMORE.”
“Kathleen McCoy, a chemical dependency specialist at the Counseling Center of Columbiana County, said that heroin is a big problem in the county. She said that there are resources to help people struggling with substance abuse but that a big barrier is getting people to seek help.”
“More recently, the state has seen a rise the use of CARFENTANIL, an ELEPHANT TRANQUILIZER so dangerous that a tiny flake can trigger an overdose. Carfentanil was implicated in an explosion of overdose cases late last month in Cincinnati. At least eight people have died of carfentanil overdoses, the Hamilton County coroner determined, according to CNN.”
“ACORD has been ARRESTED for MULTIPLE OFFENSES across SEVERAL STATES, according to PUBLIC RECORDS, including DRIVING UNDER the INFLUENCE, PUBLIC INTOXICATION and UNARMED ROBBERY. . .”
“COURT RECORDS indicate PASEK was ARRESTED for a NUMBER of OFFENSES . . . INCLUDING MENACING, INTOXICATION, RESISTING ARREST and LEAVING the SCENE of an ACCIDENT”
Allen, the public safety director, said the county has been overwhelmed by the opioid problem and doesn’t have enough places to send people who have become addicted to the powerful drugs. “We have no place to send them,” he said. “We arrest them, they go back out and they do it again.”
- The city of Huntington, W. Va., (pop. 49,000) recently saw 26 heroin overdose cases in a span of four hours.
- ‘This is unprecedented’: 174 heroin overdoses in 6 days in Cincinnati
- Nationally, heroin overdose deaths have risen sharply, from 1,960 in 1999 to 10,574 in 2014, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- Ohio heroin deaths jumped more than tenfold between 2003 and 2014, from 87 to 1,196 according to the state Departmenti of Health.
- “Overdose deaths involving heroin rose from 1,960 in 1999 to 15,469 in 2016. Since 2016, the number of deaths has trended down with 13,165 deaths reported in 2020” (https://nida.nih.gov/drug-topics/trends-statistics-overdose-deaths-rates)
“Viral Photos of Drug Overdose Victims Expose Pitfalls in Fighting Addiction”. . .The photos have opened a new front in the drug battle, with addiction experts saying the photos violate people’s privacy and can fuel stigma.”By Jon Schuppe, ABC News November 12, 2016. https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/americas-heroin-epidemic/viral-photos-drug-overdose-victims-expose-pitfalls-fighting-addiction-n677456
“The images are both repellent and captivating: men and women, often with children in their care, passed out from drug overdoses in near-death moments captured just after cops arrive at the scene.”
“In another era, they might have only appeared in tabloid newspapers, like the work of street photographer Weegee. Instead, they catch fire first on social media, rocketing across the internet and turning what would have been an anonymous, small-town tragedy into a public spectacle.”
“Police chiefs who’ve distributed the photos in recent months — in Ohio, Massachusetts and Indiana — say they had no intention of making the images go viral. Their sole goal, they say, was to get residents of their own communities to recognize that they were not immune from America’s opioid epidemic.”
“THAT PERSON IS NOT VOLUNTEERING TO BE THE SPOKESPERSON,”said Levele Pointer, a recovering heroin addict from New York who counsels addicts and policymakers on ways to CURB DRUG USE by TREATING it as a MEDICAL PROBLEM, RATHER THANone that REQUIRES PUNISHMENT. “You’re throwing THAT PERSON out there and MAY CAUSE MORE HARM THAN GOOD.” (Bold added)(Caps added)(Italics added) https://www.no news.com/storyline/America’s-heroin-epidemic/viral-photos-drug-overdose-victims-expose-pitfalls-fighting-addiction-n677456
https://pin.it/cnE9Vmm
X. LOVE ALWAYS PROTECTS. . .
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an INHERITANCE which is IMPERISHABLE and UNDEFILED and WILL NOT FADE AWAY, reserved in HEAVEN for YOU, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your FAITH being more precious than gold which is perishable, EVEN THOUGH TESTED BY FIRE, may be found to RESULT in PRAISE and GLORY and HONOR at the REVELATION of JESUS CHRIST; and though you have not seen Him, you LOVE HIM, and though you do not see HIM now, but BELIEVE in HIM, you greatly rejoice with JOY INEXPRESSIBLE and FULL of GLORY, obtaining as the OUTCOME of YOUR FAITH the SALVATION of YOUR SOULS.”(1 Peter 1:3-9)
“For there is no partiality with God.”(Romans 2:11)
“The Brutality of ‘Corrective Rape’” The New York Times by Clare Carter, July 27, 2013. http://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/07/26/opinion/26corrective-rape.html
“Just as disturbing is a practice called “corrective rape” — the rape of gay men and lesbians to “cure” them of their sexual orientation.”(Bold added)(Italics added)
“South Africa has one of the world’s highest rates of sexual assault. According to a 2009 government survey, one in four men admit to having sex with a woman who did not consent to intercourse, and nearly half of these men admitted to raping more than once. An earlier government study found that a majority of rapes were committed by friends and acquaintances of the victim.” (Bold added)(Italics added) http://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/07/26/opinion/26corrective-rape.html
“In 2011, Noxolo Nogwaza, 24, was raped, and stabbed multiple times with glass shards. Her skull was shattered. Her eyes were reportedly gouged from their sockets. Ms. Nogwaza had been seen earlier that evening in a bar with a female friend.”(Bold added)(Italics added) http://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/07/26/opinion/26corrective-rape.html
“In one of the few cases to attract press attention, in 2008, Eudy Simelane, a lesbian, was gang- raped and stabbed to death. Her naked body was dumped in a stream in the Kwa Thema township outside Johannesburg. A soccer player training to be a referee for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, she was targeted because of her sexual orientation.”(Bold added)(Italics added)
“Over two years, it became evident to me that multiple layers of South African society were responsible for the epidemic of corrective rape and that bias, apathy and culpability ran deeper than I could have imagined: in educational and religious institutions, the criminal justice system, and even within families. I met victims whose loved ones let rapists back into their homes, or even abetted the sexual assaults, sometimes under the influence of local ministers. Police officers did not document or investigate these assaults.”(Bold added)(Italics added)
“One woman I met, Simphiwe Thandeka, was “correctively” raped three times. A tomboy, she was raped at age 13 by an uncle who didn’t approve of her “boyish” ways. “I didn’t know at the time it was rape, because I was only 13,” she told me. The next morning, she awoke bleeding and in severe pain. She spoke to her mother and grandmother, who insisted it was a family matter and was not to be spoken of again.” (Bold added)(Italics added)
“Some years later, Simphiwe’s uncle decided that marriage would “cure” his niece of her sexuality. So he arranged a marriage for her. “He took me to his friend’s house and told me I must have sex with this man, because I was going to marry him next month,” she recounted. “I had no idea what was going on.” (Bold added)(Italics added)
“The friend raped Simphiwe multiple times, and beat her with a clothes hanger. “He told me I was going to be his wife and not a lesbian,” she said. The following morning, the friend returned her to her uncle’s house. “He told my uncle he couldn’t marry me because I was still a lesbian, and returned the money my uncle had given him,” she said.
During a hospital visit, Simphiwe learned that she had contracted H.I.V. from her uncle and had become pregnant by his friend. “My Mum had known my uncle was positive, but she never told me,” she said. (Bold added)(Italics added)
After giving birth to a son, she was raped again, this time by a priest in her township — who also impregnated her. She gave birth to a daughter. She gave her children Zulu names: her boy Happiness, and her daughter Blessing.
“I opened a case against the priest but nothing happened,” she said. “They kept losing documents; there was a lot of confusion. There were a lot of people against me, this man was a priest, and they love him so much so they took his side.”
She added: “I don’t have any support from my family or the community, so what could I do? I just left it like that. The only thing I can do is love my children.”http://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/07/26/opinion/26corrective-rape.html
ALL OF YOU WRONG ! ! !
BIBLICAL OUTCOME FOR ALL RAPIST . . .
“Then behold, an old man was coming out of the field from his work at evening. Now the man was from the hill country of Ephraim, and he was staying in Gibeah, but the men of the place were Benjamites. And he lifted up his eyes and saw the traveler in the open square of the city; and the old man said, “Where are you going, and where do you come from?” (Judges 19:16 – 17)(Bold added)(Italics added)
“He said to him, “We are passing from Bethlehem in Judah to the remote part of the hill country of Ephraim, for I am from there, and I went to Bethlehem in Judah. But I am now going to my house, and no man will take me into his house. Yet there is both straw and fodder for our donkeys, and also bread and wine for me, your maidservant, and the young man who is with your servants; there is no lack of anything.” (Judges 19:17 – 19)(Bold added)(Italics added)
“The old man said, “Peace to you. Only let me take care of all your needs; however, do not spend the night in the open square.” So he took him into his house and gave the donkeys fodder, and they washed their feet and ate and drank.”(Judges 19:20- 21)(Bold added)(Italics added)
“While they were celebrating, behold, the men of the city, certain worthless fellows, surrounded the house, pounding the door; and they spoke to the owner of the house, the old man, saying, “Bring out the man who came into your house that we may have relations with him.” (Judges 19:22)(Bold added)(Italics added)
“Then the man, the owner of the house, went out to them and said to them, “No, my fellows, please do not act so wickedly; since this man has come into my house, do not commit this act of folly. Here is my virgin daughter and his concubine. Please let me bring them out that you may ravish them and do to them whatever you wish. But do not commit such an act of folly against this man.” (Judges 19:23-24)(Bold added)(Italics added)
“But the men would not listen to him. So the man seized his concubine and brought her out to them; and they raped her and abused her all night until morning, then let her go at the approach of dawn.” (Judges 19:25)(Bold added)(Italics added)
“As the day began to dawn, the woman came and fell down at the doorway of the man’s house where her master was, until full daylight.”(Judges 19:26)(Bold added)(Italics added)
“When her master arose in the morning and opened the doors of the house and went out to go on his way, then behold, his concubine was lying at the doorway of the house with her hands on the threshold.”(Judges 19:27)(Bold added)(Italics added)
“He said to her, “Get up and let us go,” but there was no answer. Then he placed her on the donkey; and the man arose and went to his home. When he entered his house, he took a knife and laid hold of his concubine and cut her in twelve pieces, limb by limb, and sent her throughout the territory of Israel. (Judges 19:28-29)(Bold added)(Italics added)
“All who saw it said, “Nothing like this has ever happened or been seen from the day when the sons of Israel came up from the land of Egypt to this day. Consider it, take counsel and speak up!”(Judges 19:30)(Bold added)(Italics added)
“Then all the sons of Israel from Dan to Beersheba, including the land of Gilead, came out, and the congregation assembled as one man to the LORD at Mizpah. The chiefs of all the people, even of all the tribes of Israel, took their stand in the assembly of the people of God, 400,000 foot soldiers who drew the sword. “ (Judges 20:1-2)(Bold added)(Italics added)
“(Now the sons of Benjamin heard that the sons of Israel had gone up to Mizpah.) And the sons of Israel said, “Tell us, how did this wickedness take place?” (Judges 20:3)(Bold added)(Italics added)
“So the Levite, the husband of the woman who was murdered, answered and said, “I came with my concubine to spend the night at Gibeah which belongs to Benjamin. But the men of Gibeah rose up against me and surrounded the house at night because of me. They intended to kill me; instead, they ravished my concubine so that she died. And I took hold of my concubine and cut her in pieces and sent her throughout the land of Israel’s inheritance; for they have committed a lewd and disgraceful act in Israel. Behold, all you sons of Israel, give your advice and counsel here.”(Judges 20:4-7)(Bold added)(Italics added)
“Then all the people arose as one man, saying, “Not one of us will go to his tent, nor will any of us return to his house. But now this is the thing which we will do to Gibeah; we will go up against it by lot. And we will take 10 men out of 100 throughout the tribes of Israel, and 100 out of 1,000, and 1,000 out of 10,000 to supply food for the people, that when they come to Gibeah of Benjamin, they may punish them for all the disgraceful acts that they have committed in Israel.” Thus all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, united as one man.”(Judges 20:8-11)(Bold added)(Italics added)
RAPISTS . . .“WORTHLESS FELLOWS” WORTHY OF DEATH DEATH . . .
“Then the tribes of Israel sent men through the entire tribe of Benjamin, saying, “What is this wickedness that has taken place among you? Now then, deliver up the men, the worthless fellows in Gibeah, that we may put them to death and remove this wickedness from Israel.” (Judges 20:12-13)
“But the sons of Benjamin would not listen to the voice of their brothers, the sons of Israel. The sons of Benjamin gathered from the cities to Gibeah, to go out to battle against the sons of Israel. From the cities on that day the sons of Benjamin were numbered, 26,000 men who draw the sword, besides the inhabitants of Gibeah who were numbered, 700 choice men. Out of all these people 700 choice men were left-handed; each one could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.”(Judges 20:16)
THEN THE MEN OF ISRAEL BESIDES BEJAMIN WERE NUMBER 400,000 MEN WHO DRAW THE SWORD; ALL THESE WERE MEN OF WAR.”(Judges 20:17)(Bold added)(Caps added)
XI. LOVE ALWAYS TRUSTS . . .
“The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as the native among you, and you shall LOVE HIM AS YOURSELF . . . I am the LORD your God.”(Leviticus 19:34)(Bold added)(Caps added)(Italics added)
“For there is no partiality with God.”(Romans 2:11)
https://www.cup.gov/border-security/human-trafficking
HUMAN TRAFFICKING
“In 2000, Congress signed the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act into law, representing the beginning of a large-scale, coordinated effort by the United States government to fight human trafficking.”Https://www.cup.gov/border-security/human-trafficking
“Twenty years later, human trafficking still remains prevalent. According to recent figures available.” (Bold added)
- “At any given time in 2016, an estimated 40.3 million people are in modern slavery, including 24.9 million in forced labor and 15.4 million in forced marriage.”
- “1 in 4 victims of modern slavery are children.”
- “Out of 24.9 million people trapped in forced labor, 16 million people are exploited in the private sector such as domestic work, construction or agriculture; 4.8 million persons in forced sexual exploitation, and 4 million persons in forced labor imposed by state authorities.”
- “Women and girls are disproportionately affected by forced labor, accounting for 99% of victims in the commercial sex industry, and 58% in other sectors.”
WHAT IS HUMAN TRAFFICKING?
“Although the legal definition of human trafficking is complex, the simple meaning of it is not. It occurs when a person is induced by force, fraud or coercion to:”(Bold added)(Italics added)
- “Work under the total or near-total control of another person or organization (slavery or involuntary servitude)”
- “Forced to pay off a loan by working instead of paying money, for an agreed-upon or unclear period of time (debt bondage) or even without an agreement as the timeframe (peonage)”
- “Perform a sex act for money or anything of value”
“Black kids go missing at a higher rate than white kids. Here’s why we don’t hear about them.” By Harmeet Kaur, CNN, November 2, 2019. https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/03/us/missing-children-of-color-trnd/index.html
“The chilling story of Jayme Closs, the 13-year-old Wisconsin girl who was kidnapped after her parents were killed last year, was national news.”
“But people might be less familiar with the story of Arianna Fitts, a 2-year-old who went missing in 2016 before her mother was found brutally murdered in the San Francisco Bay Area.”
“Each of these cases is compelling, but the two didn’t receive the same amount of media attention. Some experts believe it’s because Closs is white and Fitts is black.”(Bold added)(Italics added)
“In fact, data shows that missing white children receive far more media coverage than missing black and brown children, despite higher rates of missing children among communities of color.”(Bold added)(Italics added)
“The FBI’s National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database lists 424,066 missing children under 18 in 2018, the most recent year for which data is available. About 37 percent of those children are black, even though black children only make up about 14 percent of all children in the United States.”(Bold added)(Italics added)Https://www.cup.gov/border-security/human-trafficking
https://www.cup.gov/border-security/human-trafficking
”It’s harder to say how many Hispanic kids are missing. The FBI’s report groups white and Hispanic children together. Based on other reports, about 20 percent of missing children are Hispanic or Latino, according to Robert Lowery, Vice President of the missing child division at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). But the real number, he said, is likely higher.” (Bold added)(Italics added)
“I think there’s a false belief that white children make up the biggest number of missing children when in fact (proportionally) it’s just the opposite,” Lowery said, adding that the high number of black girls reported missing is particularly concerning.”
“Here are some reasons experts say we don’t hear more about missing children of color.”
- “Their families are hesitant to call police . . . “
- “There is a sense of distrust between law enforcement and the minority community” said Natalie Wilson, co-founder of the Black and Missing Foundation.”
- “That distrust contributes to a “silent code of ‘no snitching’” Wilson said, adding that it is important for people who suspect a child is missing to speak up.”
- “It could be your child, your mother, your father that’s missing because they fear it could have unintended, negative consequences.”
- “Latino children are underreported because some families with undocumented members might not contact police for fear of being deported,” suspected Lowery.”
- “They don’t get as much media coverage . . .”
- “A 2010 study found that black children were significantly underrepresented in TV news. Even though about a third of all missing children in the FBI’s database were black, they only made up about 20 percent of the missing children cases covered in the news.”
- “A 2015 study was bleaker: though black children accounted for about 35% of missing children cases in the FBI’s database, they amounted to only 7% of media references.”
- “Families don’t have the resources . . .”
- “They might not be able to afford a private investigator or take off from work to help look for their child and follow up with law enforcement and the media.”
- “They may not know what to do.”
- “Some are under the misconception that they must wait 48 hours before filing a police report, when that waiting period varies by location.”
- “Some get classified as runaways . . .”
- “Missing children can refer to kids who are abducted by relatives or children who leave home, either voluntarily or after being lured by someone else.”
- “Data shows black children are over represented in foster care and are at a much higher risk for homelessness.”
- “Law enforcement often classify children of color as runaways without having all the details . . . Because those kids are considered to have voluntarily left home, Amber alerts aren’t sent out about them and they typically aren’t covered in news.”
- “Runaway cases and abductions by family members don’t get the same attention that abductions by non-family member or strangers do.”
XII. LOVE ALWAYS HOPES . . .
“As everyone watches the current show in theater called “Ukraine” today, thousands of people are committing suicide in Shanghai, China, as its 25 million residents continue to be locked down and many of them reportedlystarving because they cannot get food.” (Bold added)(Italics added)
“Protests and looting have reportedly started, and horrible images are appearing of people jumping to their deaths from buildings while others hang themselves. Dogs and cats are being murdered on the streets.”(Bold added)(Italics added)
“And this is Shanghai! I have spent time in Shanghai in the past, and it is the most modern city in China. It’s financial and shopping district would rival Manhattan in New York, the Magnificent Mile in Chicago, or Beverly Hills in Los Angeles.” (Bold added)(Italics added)
“If this can happen in Shanghai, it can happen anywhere.”
“Words cannot describe what I have watched today from reports coming out from people on the ground there, so I have created a short video montage that will communicate what is going on in Shanghai right now, better than anything I can write.”
“THIS IS VERY GRAPHIC! IT WILL DISTURB YOU. I cry like a baby every time I watch these clips.“(Bold added)(Caps added)
“But the Big Tech social media platforms are censoring much of this, and I am not seeing much of this at all in either the corporate media nor the alternative media.”
“But it should be headline news everywhere right now!”https://www.bitchute.com/video/bhscvLke2Iu4/
“For there is no partiality with God.”(Romans 2:11)
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to PROSPER YOU and NOT to HARM YOU, PLANS to give YOU HOPE and a FUTURE. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”(Jeremiah 29:11-13) (Bold added)(Caps added)(Italics added)
“Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU,” so that we confidently say,
“THE LORD IS MY HELPER, I WILL NOT BE AFRAID.
WHAT WILL MAN DO TO ME?” (Hebrews 13:5-6)(Bold added)(Caps added)(Italics added)
“For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.”(Romans 8:24-25)(Bold added)(Italics added)
“God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.” (Psalms 46:1)(Bold added)(Italics added)
“Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.”(2 Corinthians 12:10)
“Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”(Philippians 4:11-13)
“For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. If we have food and covering, with these weshall be content.”(1 Timothy 6:7-8)
“For there is no partiality with God.”(Romans 2:11)
“The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me. Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.”
“O righteous Father, although the world has not known You, yet I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me; and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”(John 17:22-26)
XIII. LOVE ALWAYS PERSEVERES . . .
“According to the census of June 16, 1933, the Jewish population of Germany, including the Saar region (which at that time was still under the administration of the League of Nations), was approximately 505,000 people out of a total population of 67 million, or somewhat less than 0.75 percent. That number represented a reduction from the estimated 523,000 Jews living in Germany in January 1933; the decrease was due in part to emigration following the Nazi takeover in January. (An estimated 37,000 Jews emigrated from Germany during 1933.)” (Bold added)(Italics added)
“Some 80 percent (about 400,000) of the Jews in Germany held Germain citizenship. The remainder were mostly Jews of Polish citizenship. Many of the Polish Jews had been born in Germany and had permanent resident status.”(Bold added)(Italics added)
“About 70 percent of the Jews in Germany lived in urban areas, with 50 percent of all Jews living in the 10 largest German cities. The largest Jewish populations center was in Berlin (about 160,000 in 1925), representing less than 4 percent of the city’s entire population included Frankfurt and Main (about 26,000), Breslau (about 20,000), Hamburg (about 17,000), Cologne (about 15,000), Hannover (about 13,000), and Leipzig (about 12,000). Nevertheless, in 1933 one in five German Jews still lived in small towns.”(Bold added)(Italics added)https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/germany-jewish-population-in-1933
ANTISEMITIC LEGISLATION 1933–1939
“During the first six years of Hitler’s dictatorship, government at every level—Reich, state and municipal—adopted hundreds of laws, decrees, directives, guidelines, and regulations that increasingly restricted the civil and human rights of the Jews in Germany.”(Bold added)(Italics added)https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/germany-jewish-population-in-1933
1933
March 31 “Decree of the Berlin City Commissioner for Health suspends Jewish doctors from the city’s social welfare services.” (Bold added) (Italics added) https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/germany-jewish-population-in-1933
April 7 “The Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service removes Jews from government service.”(Bold added) (Italics added) https://fuse.education.vic.gov.au/Resource/LandingPage?ObjectId=8e0b0f1f-3304-4209-8f4c-f1905f46dae1
April 7 : “The forbids the admission of Jews to the bar.”(Bold added) (Italics added)https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/germany-jewish-population-in-1933
April 25 “The Law against Overcrowding in Schools and Universities limits the number of Jewish students in public schools.”(Bold added) (Italics added) https://perspectives.ushmm.org/item/law-against-overcrowding
July 14 “The Denaturalization Law revolkes the citizenship of naturalized Jews and ‘undesirables’.”(Bold added)(Italics added) https://www.lbi.org/1938projekt/detail/denaturalized/
October 4 “The Law on Editors bans Jews from editorial posts.” (Bold added) (Italics added) https://www.ushmm.org/learn/timeline-of-events/1933-1938/editors-law
1935
May 21 “The Army Law expels Jewish officers from the army.”(Bold added) (Italics added)https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/germany-jewish-population-in-1933
September 15 “The Nuremberg Race Laws exclude German Jews from Reich citizenship and prohibit them from marrying or having sexual relations with persons of “German or German-related blood.”(Bold added) (Italics added) https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/nuremberg-laws
1936
January 11 “The Executive Order on the Reich Tax Law forbids Jews to serve as tax consultants.”(Bold added) (Italics added) https://artsandculture.google.com/entity/reich-flight-tax/m0jwr8b0?hl=en
April 3 “The Reich Veterinarians Law expels Jews from the profession.” (Bold added) (Italics added)https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/germany-jewish-population-in-1933
October 15 “The Reich Ministry of Education bans Jewish teachers from public schools.” (Bold added) (Italics added)https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/germany-jewish-population-in-1933
1937
April 9 “The Mayor of Berlin orders public schools not to admit Jewish children until further notice.” (Bold added)(Italics added) https://www.ushmm.org/learn/timeline-of-events/1933-1938/law-limits-jews-in-public-schools
1938
January 5 “The Law on the Alteration of Family and Personal Names forbids Jews from changing their names.” (Bold added) (Italics added) https://www.ushmm.org/learn/timeline-of-events/1933-1938/law-on-alteration-of-family-and-personal-names
February 5 The Law on the Profession of Auctioneer excludes Jews from the profession. (Bold added) (Italics added) https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/antisemitic-legislation-1933-1939
March 18 The Gun Law bans Jewish gun merchants. (Bold added) (Italics added) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_control_in_Germany#History_of_firearms_restrictions_in_Germany
April 22 The Decree against the Camouflages of Jewish Firms forbids changing the names of Jewish-owned businesses. (Bold added) (Italics added) https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/antisemitic-legislation-1933-1939
April 26 The Order for the Disclosure of Jewish Assets requires Jews to report all property in excess of 5,000 Reichsmarks. (Bold added) (Italics added) https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/antisemitic-legislation-1933-1939
July 11 “The Reich Ministry of the Interior bans Jews from health spas.” (Bold added) (Italics added)https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/germany-jewish-population-in-1933
August 17 “The Executive Order on the Law on the Alteration of Family and Personal Names requires Jews bearing first names of “non-Jewish” origin to adopt an additional name: “Israel” for men and “Sara” for women.” https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/antisemitic-legislation-1933-1939 (Bold added) (Italics added)
October 3 “The Decree on the Confiscation of Jewish Property regulates the transfer of assets from Jews to non-Jews in Germany.” https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/antisemitic-legislation-1933-1939 (Bold added) (Italics added)
October 5 “The Reich Ministry of the Interior invalidates all German passports held by Jews. Jews must surrender their old passports, which will become valid only after the letter “J” has been stamped on them.”https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/germany-jewish-population-in-1933 (Bold added) (Italics added)
November 12 “The Decree on the Exclusion of Jews from German Economic Life closes all Jewish-owned businesses.”https://www.ushmm.org/learn/timeline-of-events/1933-1938/exclusion-of-jews-from-german-economic-life (Bold added) (Italics added)
November 15 “The Reich Ministry of Education expels all Jewish children from public schools.” https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/germany-jewish-population-in-1933 (Bold added) (Italics added)
November 28 “The Reich Ministry of the Interior restricts the freedom of movement of Jews.”https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/germany-jewish-population-in-1933 (Bold added) (Italics added)
November 29 “The Reich Ministry of the Interior forbids Jews to keep carrier pigeons.”https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/germany-jewish-population-in-1933 (Bold added) (Italics added)
December 14 “The Executive Order on the Law on the Organization of National Work cancels all state contracts held with Jewish-owned firms.”https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/germany-jewish-population-in-193dart.com/web_images/pdf2016/6997222-czech-gold-paper.pdf (Bold added) (Italics added)
December 21
”The Law on Midwives bans all Jews from the profession.” https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/germany-jewish-population-in-1933 (Bold added) (Italics added)
1939
February 21 ”The Decree concerning the Surrender of Precious Metals and Stones in Jewish Ownership requires Jews to turn in gold, silver, diamonds, and other valuables to the state without compensation.” (Bold added) (Italics added) https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/germany-jewish-population-in-193dart.com/web_images/pdf2016/6997222-czech-gold-paper.pdf
August 1 “The President of the German Lottery forbids the sale of lottery tickets to Jews.” (Bold added) (Italics added) https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/antisemitic-legislation-1933-1939
WHAT DOES GOD SAY ABOUT THE JEWS AND THE JEWISH CULTURE . . .
”THE LORD SAID, “I HAVE SURELY SEEN THE AFFLICTION OF MY PEOPLE WHO ARE IN EGYPT, AND HAVE GIVEN HEED TO THEIR CRY BECAUSE OF THEIR TASKMASTER, FOR I AM AWARE OF THEIR SUFFERINGS.” (Exodus 3:7)(Bold added)(Caps added)(Italics added)
I WILL ABANDON THE REMANT OF MY INHERITANCE AND DELIVER THEM INTO THE HAND OF THEIR ENEMIES,AND THEY WILL BECOME AS PLUNDER AND SPOIL TO ALL THEIR ENEMIES; BECAUSE THEY HAVE DONE EVIL IN MY SIGHT, AND HAVE BEEN PROVOKING ME TO ANGER SINCE THE DAY THEIR FATHERS CAME FROM EGYPT, EVEN TO THIS DAY.”(2 Kings 21:14-15)(Bold added)(Caps added)(Italics added)
“Then I Myself will gather the remnant of My flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and bring them back to their pasture, and they will be fruitful and multiply. I will also raise up shepherds over them and they will them; and they will not be afraid any longer, nor be terrified, nor will any be missing,” declares the LORD.”(Jeremiah 23:3-4)
“There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.” (Isaiah 9:7) (Bold added)(Italics added)
THE ANSWER BEGINS WITH HIS AUTHORITY . . .
“HE WHO COMES FROM ABOVE IS ABOVE ALL. He who is of the earth is of earthly origin and nature, and from the earth as a source he speaks. HE WHO COMES FROM HEAVEN IS ABOVE ALL.” (John 3:31)(Bold added)(Caps added)(Italics added)
And Jesus, having come, spoke to them, saying, There was given to me all authority in heaven and upon earth. (Matthew 28:18)(bold added)(italics added)
“AND NO ONE HAS ASCENDED INTO HEAVEN EXCEPT HE WHO CAME DOWN OUT FROM HEAVEN, THE SON OF MAN.” (John 3:13)(Bold added)(Caps added)(Italics added)
“And He was saying to them, As for you, from beneath you are. As for myself, from above I am. As for you, of this world you are. As for myself, I am not of this world. Therefore I said to you, You shall die in your sins, for if you do not believe that I AM, you shall die in your sins.” (John 8:23-24)
BENEATH HIM YOU ARE . . . YOU SHALL DIE IN YOUR SINS
HE IS A GOD OF TRUTH . . .
GOD IS NOT A MAN, THAT HE SHOULD LIE, Nor a son of man, that He should repent; Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” (Numbers 23:19)
“Also the Glory of Israel will not lie or change His mind; for He is not a man that He should change His mind.” (1 Samuel 15:29)
“Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.” (John 17:17)
HE IS A JUST GOD . . .
“Then the LORD passed by in front of him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet HE WILL BY NO MEANS LEAVE THE GUILTY UNPUNISHED, VISITING THE INIQUITY OF FATHERS ON THE CHILDREN AND THE GRANDCHILDREN TO THE THIRD AND FOURTH GENERATIONS.” Moses made haste to bow low toward the earth and worship.
AS FOR YOU, YOU MEANT EVIL AGAINST ME . . .
“As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.”(Genesis 50:20)
GOD CHOSE JOSEPH TO PRESERVE A JEWISH REMNANT . . .
“God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth, and to keep you alive by a great deliverance.” Genesis 45:7)
THE JEWISH CULTURE . . .
“The surviving remnant of the house of Judah will again take root downward and bear fruit upward. For out of Jerusalem will go forth a remnant, and out of Mount Zion survivors. The zeal of the LORD will perform this.”(2 Kings 19:30-31)
GOD WILL RESTORE THE JEWISH CULTURE IN THE LAND OF ISRAEL . . .
“Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Son of man, your brothers, your relatives, your fellow exiles and the whole house of Israel, all of them, are those to whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, ‘Go far from the LORD; this land has been given us as a possession.’ Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “Though I had removed them far away among the nations and though I had scattered them among the countries, yet I was a sanctuary for them a little while in the countries where they had gone.”’ Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD,“I will gather you from the peoples and assemble you out of the countries among which you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.”’ When they come there, they will remove all its detestable things and all its abominations from it. And I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them. And I will take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances and do them. Then they will be My people, and I shall be their God. But as for those whose hearts go after their detestable things and abominations, I will bring their conduct down on their heads,” declares the Lord GOD.”(Ezekiel 11:14-21)(Bold added)(Italics added)
ISAIAH PROPHESIED ABOUT THE REMNANT . . .
Isaiah cries out concerning Israel, “THOUGH THE NUMBER OF THE SONS OF ISRAEL BE LIKE THE SAND OF THE SEA, IT IS THE REMNANT THAT WILL BE SAVED; FOR THE LORD WILL EXECUTE HIS WORD ON THE EARTH, THOROUGHLY AND QUICKLY.”(Romans 9:27-28)
Consider it a matter for unadulterated joy [without any admixture of sorrow] whenever you fall into the midst of variegated trials which surround you, knowing experientially that the approving of your faith, that faith having been put to the test for the purpose of being approved, and having met the test, has been approved, [that this approving process] produces a patience which bears up and does not lose heart or courage under trials. But be allowing the aforementioned patience to be having its complete work in order that you may be spiritually mature and complete in every detail, lacking in nothing.( James 1:2-4)
“For there is no partiality with God.”(Romans 2:11)
“The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had put to death by hanging Him on a cross. He is the one who whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.”
XIV. LOVE NEVER FAILS . . .
“Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.”(Luke 24:44-47)
“Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.” (Romans 6:8)
“Hate crimes in New York City are up 76% this year compared to the same period in 2021” by Laura Studley and Emma Tucker CNN, April 16, 2022.https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/16/us/hate-crimes-rise-in-new-York-city/index.html
“Hate crimes in New York City have increased 76% so far this year compared to the same period last year, according to data from the New York Police Department Hate Crimes Task Force (HCTF) released this week.”
There were 194 hate crimes between January 1 and April 10 of this year, in comparison to the 110 hate crimes from the same dates in 2021, the report shows.
Crime incidents targeted at Jewish people increased from 28 crimes last year to 86 so far in 2022, according to the HCTFA data. Some examples of such crimes against Jewish people so far in 2022 include a swastika being painted on a school bus, multiple people being physically assaulted in Brooklyn, and a teen accused of threatening six Jewish boys with a sword in the Upper West Side.
Crimes against Black people doubled, with the number of targeted incidents this year standing at 26 compared to 13 in the same time period last year, according to the data. . . Hate crimes against against Asians were down 32% compared to 2021, with 47 last year and 32 in the same period this year, the data shows. Crimes targeted over sexual orientation increased by 12, according to the HCTF summary.
“For there is no partiality with God.”(Romans 2:11)
WHEN SATAN ENTERS . . . BEFORE YOU ACT . . . PRAY!
HOW MANY TIMES DOES LOVE AND HATE OCCUR IN THE BIBLE
| HATE | 93 | LOVE | 363 |
| HATED | 43 | LOVED | 95 |
| HATES | 32 | LOVES | 70 |
| HATFUL | 2 | LOVERS | 28 |
| HATERS | 2 | LOVELY | 10 |
| LOVER | 3 | ||
| LOVESICK | 2 | ||
| LOVE’S | 1 | ||
| LOVELINESS | 1 |
THE FBI HIGHLIGHTS “2020 HATE CRIME STATISTICS” REPORTING THAT “OF THE 6,780 KNOWN OFFENDERS . . .”
“ . . . 55.1% WERE WHITE” https://www.justice.gov/hate crimes/hate-crime-statistics#barchart-description.
‘ . . . 21.2% WERE BLACK OR AFRICAN AMERICAN” https://www.justice.gov/hate crimes/hate-crime-statistics#barchart-description.
. . . OF THE 6,264 KNOWN OFFENDERS FOR WHOM AGES WERE KNOWN
“. . . 89.1% WERE 18 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER” https://www.justice.gov/hate-crimes-statistics#barchart-description.
WHAT DOES GOD SAY. . .
“Therefore you have no excuse, everyone of you who passes judgment, for in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. “(Rom 2:1)
Overcoming the World . . .
“And we know that the judgment of God rightly falls upon those who practice such things. But do you suppose this, O man, when you pass judgment on those who practice such things and do the same yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God?”(Rom 2:3)
“Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?”(Rom 2:4)
“There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek, but glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For there is no partiality with God.”(Rom 2:9-11)
“For all who have sinned without the Law will also perish without the Law, and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law; for it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified.”(Rom 2:12-13)
“For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them, on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus.”(Romans 2:1-16)
THE ROOT OF ALL HATE . . .
“ENMITY . . .“
“And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her seed . . . ”
(Gen 3:15)
אֵיבָה ;’êḇâ; ay-baw’; feminine noun
1. enmity, hatred; personal hostility, between men
EVE’S SEED . . .
“Now the man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all the living.” (Genesis 3:20)
SATAN’S SEED, “THE BORN ONES OF THE DEVIL . . .”
“In this is apparent who are the born-ones of God and theborn-ones of the devil.Everyone who is not habitually doing righteousness isnotof God, also the one whois not habitually loving his brother [Christian] with a divine and self-sacrificial love. Because this is the message which you heard from the beginning, namely, We should habitually be loving one another with a divine and self-sacrificial love; not even as Cain [who] was out of the Pernicious One, andkilled his brother bysevering his jugular vein. And on what account did he kill him? Becausehisworks wereperniciousand those of his brother righteous.” (1 John 3:10-12)
“You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires ofyour father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does notstand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me. Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If I speak truth, why do you not believe Me? He who is of God hears the words of God; for thisreason you do not hear them, because you are not of God.”(John 8:44-47)
“ENMITY . . .“
אֵיבָה ;’êḇâ; ay-baw’; feminine noun
1. enmity, hatred; personal hostility, between men
“Recent studies support the idea that race-based differences in penis size may exist. For instance, in a 2013 paper published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences, researches reviewed penis size reports from 113 countries. What they found was the men of African decent tended to report the longest penises (an average of 16.07 cm, or 6.33 inches) while those of East Asian decent tended to report the shortest penises (an average of 10.95 cm, or 4.31 inches). Men of European decent tended to fall somewhere in the middle (an average of 14.51 cm, or 5.71 inches).”
“Much of the data utilized in this paper were based on self-reports of penis size . . . these findings were corroborated . . . in a new study published in the International Journal of Impotence Research . . . This Study took place in Brazil and involved 627 men aged 18-86.”
“The analysis only focused on self-declared races; Black or White. Black participants had any average penis length of 16.5 cm (6.50 inches) while White participants had an average penis length of 15.6 cm (6.22 inches).”
“The results do appear to support the idea that there are racial differences in penis size. The differences are notably smaller than those found in previous self-reported data . . . statistically significant, the actual differences were not huge (we’re only talking about one-third of an inch between the two groups compared here).”
“For there is no partiality with God.”(Romans 2:11)
ENMITY . . .“
אֵיבָה ;’êḇâ; ay-baw’; feminine noun
1. enmity, hatred; personal hostility, between men
“For there is no partiality with God.”(Romans 2:11)
“Comparative Data of Childhood and Adolescence Molestation inHeterosexual and Homosexual Persons” by Marie E. Tomeo, PhD,1 Donald I. Templer, PhD,1,2 Susan Anderson, PhD,1 and Debra Kotler, PhD1
“The purpose of this study was to determine and compare the incidence of childhood molestation of homosexual and heterosexual adults. The previous literature suggests that a history of childhood molestation may be more common in homosexual men and women than in their heterosexual counterparts.”(Bold added, Italics added) (Tomeo, Templer, Anderson and Kitler, p 536)
SATAN COMES TO KILL, STEAL AND DESTROY
“Queen Latifah revealed for the first time publicly she was sexually abused as a kid by a male babysitter—and it has kept her from getting married and becoming close to any one.” NBC Washington, June 11, 2009 https://www.nbcwashington.com/local/natl-queen-latifah-i-was-abused/2092330/
- 25% of 1,925 lesbians surveyed had been sexually abused or raped as children.
- 31% of the perpetrators were male relatives
- 45% other known men
- 45% male strangers
- and 1% women
(“it is not known why this totaled 122%”).
“In research done by Bradford et al. (1994) reported that . . .”
“In research done by Hall (1996) interviewed 35 lesbian women in alcoholic recovery . . .”
- 16 (46%) revealed sexual abuse.
- The onset of the molestation ranged from <4 years to 12 years.
- 10 of the women were younger than 7 at the time of molestation.
- 14 of the 16 women were molested only by men.
- 1 was molested by multiple intrafamilial males.
- 1 molested by extrafamilial females.
- Another was molested by her father and 1 extrafamilial female.
“In research by Simari and Baskin (1982) determined the extent of incestuous experiences in 54 gay men and 29 gay women . . .”
“Bunny blames the siblings’ woes and struggles on the rough childhood they endured living with their father. Robert Sr denied ever abusing his family, but something certainly scarred them for years to come, even leading them to a life of drugs and crime.”Https://radiofacts.com/Robert-debarge-sr-patriarch-debarge-family-dies/
- 25 (46%) of the gay men reported experiencing incest (all of the homosexual sort)
- Their ages ranged between 9 and 16 with a mean age of 13 years old.
- 24 (96%) of the 25 men who experienced incest viewed themselves as homosexual before the incest.
* 11 (38%) of the 29 gay women reported experiencing incest.
* 7 (64%) of the cases were heterosexual women who experienced incest.
* 2 (29%) of these women regarded themselves as homosexual before the incest.
* 4 (36%) of the 11 women experienced homosexual incest.
* 3 (25%) of the 11 regarded themselves as homosexual before the incest.
“While in prison, [Robert Louis DeBarge Jr.] DeBarge confided to his family that he had contracted HIV. When he became gravely ill, his family sent him to hospice in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He died of AIDS complications there on August 16, 1995 at age 39.” https://en.Wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_DeBarge
“In research by Doll et al. (1992), 1,001 homosexual and bisexual men in sexually transmitted disease clinicswere interviewed.”
SERIAL INCEST RAPIST, WHITE MALE
“My father sexually and physically molested a lot of my brothers and sisters,” Chico DeBarge told Vibe. Https://radiofacts.com/Robert-debarge-sr-patriarch-debarge-family-dies/
- 37% of these men reported having been forced or encouraged to have sex by an older and more powerful person, before the age of 19.
- The median age of these events was 10 years.
- The median age difference between the younger and older participants in the sex acts was 11 years.
- In 94% of the cases, the older person was male, in 5% female, and 1% involved both male and female perpetrators.
“In research by Cameron and Cameron (1995) 5,182 adults were surveyed.”
“While we can’t say for sure, because Bobby never came out, there are rumors that he had several relationships with men before he married Teri. https://parole agent.com/2021/12/the-Bobby-debarge-story-what-the-movie-didn’t-tell-you/
- 22.3% of homosexual men had a history of incest
- 1.2% of heterosexual men had a history of incest
- 3.4% of homo- sexual women had a history of incest
- 0.3% of heterosexual women had a history of incest
“The authors did not provide any information about the age of molestation.“
“Bobby was physically and sexually abused by his father and in turn Bobby did the same to James.” https://parole agent.com/2021/12/the-Bobby-debarge-story-what-the-movie-didn’t-tell-you/
“Bell et al. (1981) reported a history of sibling incest, (consistent with Cameron and Cameron). . . “
- 15.6% of homosexual men
- 9.0% of heterosexual men
- 10.4% of homosexual women
- 5.6% of homosexual women
“The gender of the other partner in the incestuous acts were not specified.” (Bell et al.)
“Gundlach (1977) surveyed 225 lesbian and 233 heterosexual women . . .”
- 30% of the heterosexual women were raped
- 21% of the lesbian women were raped
- 26 out of 30 homosexual women were raped before the age of 14
- 9 of the 30 had an adult heterosexual orientation.
“ENMITY . . .“
אֵיבָה ;’êḇâ; ay-baw’; feminine noun
1. enmity, hatred; personal hostility, between men
“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them.”(Romans 1:18-19)
“For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.”
(Romans 1:21)
“Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.”
“For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.”
“And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.” (Romans 1:24-32)
“These are the ones who cause divisions, worldly-minded, devoid of the Spirit. But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life. And have mercy on some, who are doubting; save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh.”(Jude 1:19-23)
“Then He left the crowds and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.” And He said, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one; and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels. So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 13:36-42)
“Does any one of you, when he has a case against his neighbor, dare to go to law before the unrighteous and not before the saints? Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? If the world is judged by you, are you not competent to constitute the smallest law courts? Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more matters of this life? So if you have law courts dealing with matters of this life, do you appoint them as judges who are of no account in the church? I say this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not among you one wise man who will be able to decide between his brethren, but brother goes to law with brother, and that before unbelievers?”
“Actually, then, it is already a defeat for you, that you have lawsuits with one another. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be defrauded? On the contrary, you yourselves wrong and defraud. You do this even to your brethren.”
“Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.”(1 Corinthians 6:1-11)
“By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which [sacrifice] it was testified that he was righteous, God bearing witness to his gifts, and through it [the sacrifice], though he is dead, yet he speaks.”(Hebrews 11:4)
STEP 12: HAVING HAD A SPIRITUAL AWAKENING AS THE RESULT OF THESE STEPS, WE TRIED TO CARRY THIS MESSAGE TO ADDICTS, AND PRACTICE THESE PRINCIPLES IN ALL OUR AFFAIRS.
#1. “Love is patient, love is kind . . . “. How is “patience and kindness”demonstrated when Black and Brown children are less economically stable than White children?
GOD’s ANSWER . . .
“If among you, one of your brothers should become poor, in any of your towns within your land that the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother.”(Deuteronomy 15:7)
“For the poor will never cease to be in the land; therefore I COMMAND YOU, saying, ‘You shall freely open your hand to your brother, to your needy and poor in your land.’” (Deuteronomy 15:11)(Bold added)(Caps added)(Italics added)
“But WHOEVER has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in NEED and CLOSES HIS HEART AGAINST HIM, how does the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in DEED and TRUTH.” (1 John 3:17-18)(Bold added)(Caps added)(Italics added))
#2. “Love does not envy . . . “ With Black median family wealth at $17,600 versus White median family wealth at $171,000, how can Black families “replace you” when Black families are redlinedand targeted with policies that effectuate residential segregation?
GOD’s ANSWER . . .
“Woe to those who add house to house and join field to field,
Until there is no more room, So that you have to live alone in the midst of the land!”(Isaiah 5:8)(Bold added)
“They covet fields and then seize them, And houses, and take them away. They rob a man and his house, A man and his inheritance.” (Micah 2:2)(Bold added)
“Woe to him who gets evil gain for his house To put his nest on high, To be delivered from the hand of calamity! “You have devised a shameful thing for your house By cutting off many peoples; So you are sinning against yourself. “Surely the stone will cry out from the wall, And the rafter will answer it from the framework. “Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed And founds a town with violence!” (Habakkuk 2:9-12)
“Woe to him who builds his house without righteousness And his upper rooms without justice, Who uses his neighbor’s services without pay And does not give him his wages, Who says, ‘I will build myself a roomy house With spacious upper rooms, And cut out its windows, Paneling it with cedar and painting it bright red.’ “Do you become a king because you are competing in cedar? Did not your father eat and drink And do justice and righteousness?Then it was well with him. “He pled the cause of the afflicted and needy; Then it was well. Is not that what it means to know Me?” Declares the LORD. “But your eyes and your heart Are intent only upon your own dishonest gain, And on shedding innocent blood And on practicing oppression and extortion.” (Jeremiah 22:13-17)
#3. “Love does not boast . . . “ Why does your race equate more money and how are you being good stuarts over your money if your neighbor of a different race is poor?
GOD’s ANSWER . . .
“Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.” (1 Timothy 6:17-19)
“The generous man will be prosperous . . . “(Proverbs 11:25)
“He who is generous will be blessed . . .”(Proverbs 22:9)
WHAT DOES GOD SAY . . .
#4. “Love is not proud . . . “ Why do you think that abusing your temple with illicit substances is not as sinful as the Black race who abuses their temple with illicit substances? Which should God punish more?
GOD’s ANSWER . . .
“Woe to those who enact evil statutes And to those who constantly record unjust decisions, So as to deprive the needy of justice And rob the poor of My people of their rights, So that widows may be their spoil And that they may plunder the orphans. Now what will you do in the day of punishment, And in the devastation which will come from afar? To whom will you flee for help? And where will you leave your wealth?”(Isaiah 10:1-3)
“But with righteousness He will judge the poor, And decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth; And He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked.”(Isaiah 11:4)
“Thus I will punish the world for its evil And the wicked for their iniquity; I will also put an end to the arrogance of the proud And abase the haughtiness of the ruthless.”(Isaiah 13:11)
#5. “Love does not dishonor others . . .”Is it loving if I, [the heavenly Father] violate My children (in the most sensitive part of their life) as the Priest violate my children? Am I a God of darkness and sexual perversion or am I God of purity and light? You decide and let your life coarse follow that,” thus Sayeth the Lord.
GOD’s ANSWER . . .
“No, my brother, do not violate me, for such a thing is not done in Israel; do not do this disgraceful thing!”(2 Samuel 13:12)
LEVITICAL LAWS REGARDING IMMORALITIES . . .
“‘If there is a man who takes his sister, his father’s daughter or his mother’s daughter, so that he sees her nakedness and she sees his nakedness, it is a disgrace; and they shall be cut off in the sight of the sons of their people. He has uncovered his sister’s nakedness; he bears his guilt. If there is a man who lies with a menstruous woman and uncovers her nakedness, he has laid bare her flow, and she has exposed the flow of her blood; thus both of them shall be cut off from among their people. You shall also not uncover the nakedness of your mother’s sister or of your father’s sister, for such a one has made naked his blood relative; they will bear their guilt. If there is a man who lies with his uncle’s wife he has uncovered his uncle’s nakedness; they will bear their sin. They will die childless. If there is a man who takes his brother’s wife, it is abhorrent; he has uncovered his brother’s nakedness. They will be childless.” (Leviticus 20:17-21)
“But we know that the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully, realizing the fact that LAW IS NOT MADE FOR A RIGHTEOUS PERSON, but for THOSE who are LAWLESS and REBELLIOUS, for the UNGODLY and SINNERS, for the UNHOLY and PROFANE, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers and IMMORAL MEN and homosexuals and kidnappers and liars and perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching, according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, with which I have been entrusted.”(1 Timothy 1:8-11)(Caps added)
“YOU SHALL NOT LIE WITH A MALE AS ONE LIES WITH A FEMALE; IT IS AN ABOMINATION.” (Leviticus 18:22)
#6. Love is not self-seeking . . . you, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that one shall not steal, do you steal? You who say that one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who boast in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God?”(Romans 2:21-23)
GOD’s ANSWER . . .
“But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy.”(James 3:14-17)
“. . . but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation. There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek, but glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For there is no partiality with God.” (Romans 2:8-11)
#7. Love is not easily angered. . . If I am slow to anger why are my “so-called” people [Christians] not slow to anger as well?
GOD’s ANSWER . . .
“BE ANGRY, AND yet DO NOT SIN; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity.”(Ephesians 4:26-27)
“For anger slays the foolish man, And jealousy kills the simple.” (Job 5:2)(Bold added)
“A fool’s anger is known at once, But a prudent man conceals dishonor.” (Proverbs 12:16)(Bold added)
“A stone is heavy and the sand weighty, But the provocation of a fool is heavier than both of them.” (Proverbs 27:3)(Bold added)
“Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and acts on them, I will show you whom he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood occurred, the torrent burst against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who has heard and has not acted accordingly, is like a man who built a house on the ground without any foundation; and the torrent burst against it and immediately it collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great.” (Luke 6:46-49)(Bold added)(Italics added)
#8. Love does not delight in evil . . . Why do you “Thank God for AIDS”— when YOU YOURSELVES are AGAINST HOMOSEXUALITY yet YOU are the ONES taking SACRAMENTS inside the CATHOLIC CHURCH from HOMOSEXUAL MEN who have AIDS?
“Now Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob, went out to visit the daughters of the land. When Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land, SAW HER, HE TOOK HER AND LAY WITH HER BY FORCE. He was deeply attracted to Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the girl and spoke tenderly to her. So Shechem spoke to his father Hamor, saying, “Get me this young girl for a wife.” (Genesis 34:1-4)(Bold added)(Caps added)(Italics added)
“Now Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter; but his sons were with his livestock in the field, so Jacob kept silent until they came in. Then Hamor the father of Shechem went out to Jacob to speak with him. Now the sons of Jacob came in from the field when they heard it; and the men were grieved, and they were veryangry because he had done a DISGRACEFUL THIING in Israel by LYING WITH JACOB’S DAUGHTER,for such a thing ought not to be done.(Genesis 34:5-7)(Bold added)(Caps added)(Italics added)
“And the LORD said, “The outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah is indeed great, and THEIR SIN is exceedingly grave.”(Genesis 18:20)
“. . . Two angels came to Sodom in the evening as Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them . . . And he said, “Now behold, my lords, please turn aside into your servant’s house . . . They said however, “No, but we shall spend the night in the square.” Yet he urged them strongly, so they turned aside to him and entered his house . . . Before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, surrounded the house, both young and old, all the people from every quarter; and they called to Lot and said to him, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may have relations with them.” (Genesis 19:1-5)(Bold added)(Italics added)
“Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.”(Romans 6:12-13)
“But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.” (Romans 13:14)
#9. Love rejoices with truth . . . “Why is there partiality in your view of sin? Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to thosewho are under the Law. . . for through the Lawcomes the knowledge of sin. There is NONE righteous, not even ONE!”(Bold added)(Italics added)
“But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? The God who inflicts wrath is not unrighteous, is He? (I am speaking in human terms.) May it never be! For otherwise, how will God judge the world? But if through my lie the truth of God abounded to His glory, why am I also still being judged as a sinner? And why not say (as we are slanderously reported and as some claim that we say), “Let us do evil that good may come”? Their condemnation is just.
What then? Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are allunder sin; as it is written,
“THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE;
THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS,
THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD;
ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS;
THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD,
THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE.”
“THEIR THROAT IS AN OPEN GRAVE,
WITH THEIR TONGUES THEY KEEP DECEIVING,”
“THE POISON OF ASPS IS UNDER THEIR LIPS”;
“WHOSE MOUTH IS FULL OF CURSING AND BITTERNESS”;
“THEIR FEET ARE SWIFT TO SHED BLOOD,
DESTRUCTION AND MISERY ARE IN THEIR PATHS,
AND THE PATH OF PEACE THEY HAVE NOT KNOWN.”
“THERE IS NO FEAR OF GOD BEFORE THEIR EYES.”
Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God; because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin. (Romans 3:5-20)(Bold added)(Italics added)
#10. Love always protects . . .
“Please, my brothers, do not act wickedly. Now behold, I have two daughters who have not had relations with man; please let me bring them out to you, and do to them whatever you like; only do nothing to these men . . .” (Genesis 19:7-8)(Bold added)
“But they said, “Stand aside.” . . . “This one came in as an alien, and already he is acting like a judge; now we will treat you worse than them.” (Genesis 19:9)(Bold added)
“They struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they wearied themselves trying to find the doorway.”(Genesis 19:11)(Bold added)
“Then the two men said to Lot, “Whom else have you here? A son-in-law, and your sons, and your daughters, and whomever you have in the city, bring them out of the place; for we are about to destroy this place, because their outcry has become so great before the LORD that the LORD has sent us to destroy it.”(Genesis 19:12-13)(Bold added)
“Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were to marry his daughters, and said, “Up, get out of this place, for the LORD will destroy the city.”(Genesis 19:14)
“When morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Up, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away in the punishment of the city.” But he hesitated. So the men seized his hand and the hand of his wife and the hands of his two daughters, for the compassion of the LORD was upon him; and they brought him out, and put him outside the city. (Genesis 19:15-16)(Bold added)
“When they had brought them outside, one said, “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you, and do not stay anywhere in the valley; escape to the mountains, or you will be swept away.” But Lot said to them, “Oh no, my lords! Now behold, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have magnified your lovingkindness, which you have shown me by saving my life; but I cannot escape to the mountains, for the disaster will overtake me and I will die; now behold, this town is near enough to flee to, and it is small. Please, let me escape there (is it not small?) that my life may be saved.” He said to him, “Behold, I grant you this request also, not to overthrow the town of which you have spoken. Hurry, escape there, for I cannot do anything until you arrive there.” Therefore the name of the town was called Zoar.
The sun had risen over the earth when Lot came to Zoar. Then the LORD rained on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven, and He overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.” (Genesis 19:17-25)(Bold added)(Italics added)
#11. Love always trusts . . . “Why do you think you can get away with abusing my children? You will SURELY PERISH and I will have NO PART part of you,’ thus Sayeth the LORD!
“. . . but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.”(Matthew 18:6)
“Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe to stumble, it would be better for him if, with a heavy millstone hung around his neck, he had been cast into the sea. If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life crippled, than, having your two hands, to go into hell, into the unquenchable fire, [where THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE, AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED.] If your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame, than, having your two feet, to be cast into hell, [where THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE, AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED.] If your eye causes you to stumble, throw it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than, having two eyes, to be cast into hell, where THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE, AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED.” (Mark 9:42-48)
“It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea, than that he would cause one of these little ones to stumble. Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.” (Luke 17:2-3)
“And so, by sinning against the brethren and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ.” (1 Corinthians 8:12)
#11. Love always trusts . . . “Why do you think you can get away with abusing my children? You will SURELY PERISH and I will have NO PART part of you,’ thus Sayeth the LORD!
“. . . but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.”(Matthew 18:6)
“Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe to stumble, it would be better for him if, with a heavy millstone hung around his neck, he had been cast into the sea. If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life crippled, than, having your two hands, to go into hell, into the unquenchable fire, [where THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE, AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED.] If your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame, than, having your two feet, to be cast into hell, [where THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE, AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED.] If your eye causes you to stumble, throw it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than, having two eyes, to be cast into hell, where THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE, AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED.” (Mark 9:42-48)
“It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea, than that he would cause one of these little ones to stumble. Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.” (Luke 17:2-3)
“And so, by sinning against the brethren and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ.” (1 Corinthians 8:12)
#12. Love always hopes . . .
“For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles— if indeed you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace which was given to me for you; that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in brief.” (Ephesians 3:1-3)
“By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit; to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel, of which I was made a minister, according to the gift of God’s grace which was given to me according to the working of His power.”(Ephesians 3:4-7)
“To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things; so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places. This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him. Therefore I ask you not to lose heart at my tribulations on your behalf, for they are your glory.” (Ephesians 3:8-13)
“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullnessof God.” (Ephesians 3:14-19)
“Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.”
#13. Love always perseveres . . .
“And you shall be hated by all on account of my Name. But he who has persevered to the end, this one shall be kept safe and sound and rescued from danger and destruction.”(Matthew 10:22)
“But he who has persevered to the end, this man shall be preserved from destruction.” (Matthew 24:13)
“Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”(James 1:2-4)
“Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.”
(1 Timothy 4:16)
#14. Love never fails . . .
“You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the LORD.”(Leviticus 19:18)
‘“Vengeance is Mine, and retribution, In due time their foot will slip; For the day of their calamity is near. And the impending things are hastening upon them.’ “For the LORD will vindicate His people, And will have compassion on His servants, When He sees that their strength is gone, And there is none remaining, bond or free.” (Deuteronomy 32:35-36)
“Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away.”(1 Corinthians 13:4-8)
“For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery—so that you will not be wise in your own estimation—that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, “THE DELIVERER WILL COME FROM ZION, HE WILL REMOVE UNGODLINESS FROM JACOB.” “THIS IS MY COVENANT WITH THEM, WHEN I TAKE AWAY THEIR SINS.”From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers; for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. For just as you once were disobedient to God, but now have been shown mercy because of their disobedience, so these also now have been disobedient, that because of the mercy shown to you they also may now be shown mercy. For God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all.” (Romans 11:25-32)
Ultimately in His service,
Water Walker
