Civil War or Christmas Cheer?

Did you know there is a coming Civil War in the United States? Well, I didn’t either until someone posted about it on Facebook. Well … not to be too incredulous, I decided to at least Google “coming civil war in America,” and sure enough, I got some results! From the League of the South. Never heard of the League of the South? That’s okay. They explain themselves very forthrightly on their website:

The League of the South is a Southern nationalist organization, headquartered in Killen, Alabama, whose ultimate goal is “a free and independent Southern republic.” The League defines the Southern United States as the states that make up the Confederate States of America.

Okay, now that you have an idea of what this organization is all about, what do they have to say about the coming civil war? Again they mince no words:

The coming civil war in America. With each passing day, we move closer to open conflict in America – civil war, if you will – between the forces of Western Civilization (which is founded on a biblical understanding of nationalism) and the forces of Judeo-Marxism or godless international leftism in general.

Gotta’ hand it to them on one count: They’re very clear and straightforward in their statements! If you’re like me, though, you might want a second opinion. So … I got one. This time from an article, penned back in January 2017, in The Trumpet, an ostensibly Christian webzine focusing on current events and Bible prophecy, particularly “the end times,” or eschatology. The writer of the article, “America’s Coming Civil War,” Gerald Flurry, had this to say:

Protests occurred in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Miami and several other cities (following Trump’s election.) Dozens of people were arrested. Many journalists reported these as if they were spontaneous, but everything indicated that they were all organized and planned. Many of these protesters are professionals who are paid to stir up demonstrations! Many of them don’t even live in the cities where they march and riot… Bill O’Reilly asked, “Is a civil war brewing in the U.S.A.?” 

That is an important question! Clearly there are many people who want a fight — a revolution — a race war! And they are going to get it — and a whole lot more…! Average Americans just want everything to calm down so they can get back to their lives and their pleasures and so forth. But the shocks for America aren’t going to go away. You can see that if you are watching what is happening with open eyes. But beyond that, you can be sure of it because of the prophecies in the Bible.

Alrighty, then … maybe a third opinion? Well, just for kicks, I looked at a number of other websites touting the idea (or prophecy) of Civil War, but I won’t bother to share any more of what I found because, quite frankly, it all began to sound like the same person(s) wrote basically the same article with just a few tweaks here and there. More importantly, though, I was reminded just today that not only should I not focus too intently on all the negatives, I should also be careful not to spread despondency, doom and gloom. So I choose to look on the brighter side of life ~ not through rose-colored glasses, mind you, but just, you might say, realistically with a definite bent toward the optimistic.

Besides, the same person who posted on Facebook about an impending Civil War, and his friends and compatriots, also talks frequently about an evil “New World Order,” the wicked United Nations, Communists, the unholy Freemasons, illegal immigrants infiltrating our country for the purpose of overthrowing the government, and of course Muslims, etc. etc. ad infinitum, ad nauseum. I could add a few to their list, such as: the Illuminati, the world banking system, the Federal Reserve, and China. In one sense, it might be kind of fun, but then, why add fuel to the fire?

All in all, it’s better to live life in peace with joy, as much as reasonably possible. Besides, it goes against almost every belief I hold dear, including that really most people living on this globe, while certainly not perfect, are nevertheless good folk. I am also a dreamer, who, with Christian moorings, looks toward an ever-brighter future for our world, and I believe that, despite all of the wars and hunger and poverty, overall progress has been made down through the centuries, and I hold fast to the hope-filled belief that we can and will still progress now and in the future.

Life is filled with obstacles, yet it is also filled with opportunities, and something tells me that we really couldn’t have all the opportunities we do without at least some of the obstacles. After all, obstacles present us with opportunities to overcome, do they not? And with all the advancements in technology, literally linking the peoples of the world together in (possible) daily communication, we might just find (as I believe we are) that we have more of a unified voice than ever we before allowed ourselves to imagine.

At least I know I have friends on both Facebook and in the Blogosphere from every corner of the earth, and you know what? We not only get along … we actually like each other, and encourage each other. And when one weeps, we all weep; when one rejoices, we all rejoice. And while this may sound to some overly simplistic and, perhaps, too starry-eyed, I would rather live this way than constantly looking over my shoulder, finding in every different face another prospective boogeyman, waiting on pins and needles for the next Civil War or Revolution, and cringing at the daily news.

No, I won’t blind myself to the harsher realities of life, but in looking around me with eyes wide open I will say with the early 20th century minister, William L. Watkinson, that “it is better to light one candle than to curse the darkness.” And this, my friends, is all one important reason I can (and will) have a very merry Christmas, indeed … and, yes, I trust a happy New Year, too!

 

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Yuletide Song of Enchantment

Can I sing to you songs of the season for the reason of the joy we share,

And might I dare to lay bare love for you so soon as my holiday boon?

Dance with me round the tree ‘n prance in snow as a child free ‘n wild,

And leave me beguiled by beauty so perfect an object of lordly grace,

Giving chase to the better part of my infatuated heart I give but to you

In  our passionate Christmas rendezvous to imbrue with an innocence,

Nevertheless so wise that my soul could never despise,

And oh! How you hypnotize me with your angelic eyes,

But please never leave me to languish in monstrous anguish of desire

That burns like fire unquenchable, so condemnable in courts on high,

So never say goodbye nor fare-thee-well but let me live in your spell,

As we dance around an evergreen tree ‘n prance in pure white snow

Below the sight of the One torn from heaven to be born on this earth

To give us our full worth, while I sing the songs of this sacred season

For reason of the joy we share as we lay ourselves bare forevermore