Let me begin by saying: I denounce violence.
But, let’s say, a couple has been married for four years. (A man and a woman, for clarity’s sake.) For those four years, the man abuses the woman. It starts with verbal abuse, but then escalates with him forbidding her to visit any friends or family. Isolated, he bullies her, relentlessly. Her days are filled with both verbal and physical abuse. She is now terrified to say anything in fear that he will, once again, pummel her. Her every move is measured because she knows that, at any time, for any reason, he could lose control and beat her, again. Possibly even to death. One day, in the midst of one of these horrible beatings, the wife realizes that she cannot take it, anymore. She grabs a cast iron frying pan and smacks him with it. He’s not dead, but as he lays unconscious on the floor, in this moment, after years of constant abuse, she finally feels like she has some control.
Is she wrong?
Or did she have a right to stand up for herself after years of abuse?
I believe most would say she had every right to stand up for herself because no one deserves to be treated like that.
That’s how I see the events at the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Hundreds of thousands of people were in DC, that day. Some may have been hardcore Trump supporters. But many were just regular Americans, from all different backgrounds and experiences, who showed up because they felt like they were being robbed of their right to a free and fair election. Many were parents who fear for the country they will, one day, leave to their children. I think parents from every political background probably share that concern.
Politicians and media scream “Insurrection!” and blames President Trump for “inciting violence.” And while Trump did make a speech, he is not the reason for what happened. Or, at least, not the ONLY reason.
Conservatives have been in an abusive relationship for four years (longer, actually). Leftists (Progressive/Socialist Democrats – NOT classical Liberals. There is a BIG difference), who have taken over the Democratic Party, as well as, the mainstream/legacy media, have been bullying and abusing Conservatives, relentlessly. Most Conservatives guard what they say, and measure every move they make, because they never know when any one of the Leftist groups will attack. Conservatives have been labeled racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Nazi, etc… Violence has been encouraged against them by people who hold political office.
And they have been threatened to be put on “lists.” (If you are familiar with Communism, you know that doesn’t end well for the person on said list.)
Many Conservatives remain quiet about their political views for fear of losing their jobs, businesses, friends, and even family members. If they mention any kind of support for Trump, they are harassed. If they question the actions of Leftist groups (such as BLM or Antifa) they are gaslighted and bullied. Sharing concerns – not even totally disagreeing with, but simply asking some crucial questions – about things like intersectionality, white privilege, defunding the police, systemic racism (which I do believe exists, but not in the way that is being pushed by current, popular narrative), racism in the Democratic Party, CRT, Marxism & Marxists organizations, the riots, the Hunter Biden scandal, the possibility of voter fraud, the US Southern border, allowing children to begin gender transition, the fact that people in our government are telling us to stay home and sacrifice our livelihoods and mental health for the protection of our most vulnerable from COVID, but then are photographed in restaurants, resorts and beaches, etc… Mention any of these, and you get censored. Maybe even cancelled.
Conservatives have been leaving Big Tech social media platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter, because they want to be able to discuss these issues, freely. And while there will always be trolls – on both sides – who want to stir the pot, these other sites, such as Parler, are not the “havens of white supremacy,” and “insurrection,” that the media has made them out to be. *At least, not as far as I have seen.
I believe the momentary violence that broke out at the Capitol (again, I do NOT condone what happened), was the result of a build-up of years of silenced voices – either by self-censoring or, when brave enough to say something, being censored, gaslighted, or disregarded (I’m sure many of us, regardless of color, sex, or religious/political background, understands how that feels). So, unfortunately, it only took a few bad characters to stir up a highly emotional group, within the crowd. Does it justify what they did? No. Are we surprised that something like this happened? We shouldn’t be.
*side note: If you are able to find raw video footage, with sound, from that day (especially of the crowd that was outside of the Capitol building when the violence started), I encourage you to watch it. Situations seen and heard, in context, tend to tell a different story. Again, I do not condone what happened in the Capitol. And if you watch, and listen to, some of the raw footage, you’ll see that most of the people there didn’t condone it, either.
What appeared to be evidence of mass voter fraud has been adamantly denied by both the Left, and the mainstream/legacy media. Common sense would conclude that, in every election, there is cheating going on, to some degree. We’re human, and some human beings are willing to break the rules in order to get what they want. The question in this election is: Was there enough voter fraud to affect the election results? When there is a question of the legitimacy of an election, because we are governed by rule of law, there are specific routes of legal action that can be taken. When these routes are taken, unhindered by outside sources, this is, generally, enough to satisfy the question of legitimacy.
What Conservatives saw was that, investigations into the 2020 election produced evidence, with signed affidavits, of massive voter fraud…possibly even enough to change the results of the election. Regardless of how any of us “feels” about the current president, the process should be followed. Presidents come and go. The Constitution, rule of law, and the process of free and fair elections, must be protected and preserved. But investigators were dragged through the mud, witnesses were bullied and threatened, and courts refused to hear evidence. And the entire time, the Democrats, and some in the GOP, the mainstream/legacy media, and big tech platforms were already calling Joe Biden the President-Elect…even though an election is not officially over until the election results are certified. Which brings us back to why hundreds of thousands of Americans were in DC on January 6th. They wanted their voices to be heard.
When asked, Conservatives will usually state that they are willing to accept the results of an election – even if their candidate didn’t win – as long as the results are the actual will of the people, and the election process was handled in a legal manner. Honestly, had Joe Biden (and the rest of the Democrats) actually encouraged the legal process that is supposed to follow a questionable election (something that he has supported in the past), and allowed the results to speak for themselves, most Conservatives would have been really disappointed, but would have carried on with their lives, feeling secure that our Constitutional Republic still stands.
A handful of people storming the Capitol building is not an actual threat to democracy. But rigging an election is. And IF the election was rigged, the American people have a right to know. Because those votes would not have been stolen from Donald Trump – those votes would have been stolen from the American people, who have a right to a free and fair election.
If the desecration of a government building was truly a sacrilege, then we would be up in arms over the government buildings, and property, that have been destroyed during the rioting. But we’re not.
No, what truly threatens democracy is when people lose faith in the documents, laws, and processes that have upheld this great experiment, that is the United States of America. What truly threatens democracy is the end to free and fair elections. What threatens democracy is when members of the government live by “rules for thee, but not for me.” What threatens democracy is when an entire segment of America is censored, bullied, and dehumanized. What threatens democracy is when anarchists are allowed, and even encouraged, to “burn it all down.” What threatens democracy is when we ignore world history, dooming ourselves to repeat the same mistakes made by other once-thriving democracies. Democracies that no longer exist.
I love this country. It is not the awful place that some have made it out to be. If it was, then people, from all over the world, would not bother coming here.
I do believe that there is room for improvement. There always will be. There will also always be a need for give and take; checks and balances; speaking and listening.
And to my dear brothers and sisters, in Christ,
We need to be an example…of love, grace, humility, forgiveness, peace, and unity. While we live in this world, we are not of it. The security of the identity that we have found in Christ, transcends the intersectional identity groups by which we are currently being defined. Yes, our bodily form may fit into some of these groups, but we become a new creation when we trust Jesus to be our Lord and Savior. I think some of us have forgotten that.
My recent return to social media has left me speechless and heartbroken. I am seeing people with whom I have worshiped and served, quoting Scripture and talking about prayer in one post, and then spewing hate in the next…all in the Name of Jesus. I would encourage all of us (myself, included) to be continuously examining Scripture (in context) and then examining ourselves in light of it.
And pray. For our country. For the Church. For those who do not know Christ. For those who are ill, isolated, grieving, struggling with addiction, in financial ruin, full of fear and anxiety, and for those who have lost hope.
As for me, I still have hope. Not in the outcome of anything in this world. But my hope is in the Lord, and in the sovereignty of God.
I’m adding an additional video to this post. I just finished listening to it. It was recorded on January 6th. I’m not sharing for any particular reason, really. I guess it’s just refreshing to listen to “grownups” talk about politics, and actually discussing issues that should be taking priority, right now. While I’m more right-leaning, politically, I do find myself agreeing with them more than I disagree. I find that when we take the time to listen to each other, we are able to find common ground. Not always, but usually.
Discernment Unfolding 