National Bullying Prevention Month

Bullying. Its been around forever. I think its a pretty immature word, though. I prefer to call it what it really is: persecution.

Uh-oh. The whole topic falls into a different light the moment that word is applied, doesn't it? You see, the agendas of the secular world prefer 'bullying' because they can twist this whole idea of "Bullying Prevention" to suit their own pet causes specifically. If you call it "Persecution Prevention," though, it draws in connotations of religious persecution.

So, lets talk about persecution. How about Juan Williams getting fired for expressing his quite common fears about boarding an airplane with Muslims aboard? He was accused of bigotry and fired. Why? Can you imagine him being fired for saying he would be loathe to sit next to an obvious Christian or Catholic minister carrying a Bible? No, of course not.

The fact is that our rights are being violated every day in our country, but not in the way that the political left would have you believe.

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

So why are people losing their jobs, suffering social ostracism, and enduring open hostility because of what they say?

I find it odd that the liberals of our country seem to have so little interest in actual liberty. It seems like every time my wife speaks up on political or social matters someone from the left tries to shout her down. Why? What about her Freedom of Speech? It seems to me that a patriot should approach political disagreements with conversation. "I don't agree with you. Let's talk about it. Let's exchange some ideas and see if we can arrive at something." But it seems like no one wants to do that anymore. Every time I see a Christian trying to have a conversation with a Liberal, invariably, the Liberal seems to advocate censoring "intolerant and hate-filled" messages.

I submit to you that it is not Christians who are intolerant and hate-filled, but rather the very same individuals who make the accusation. They are intolerant of our worldview. They hate the fact that we express that worldview.

But this is not new, is it? Judeo-Christian worldviews have been persecuted by the world for 8,000 years. Now, certainly, we have done our share of persecuting, as well, and I do not count us blameless in that regard. The Crusades are frequently cited as examples. But the fact remains, Jews and Christians are well acquainted with persecution.

What, then, shall we do? There is persecution going on in our schools today. Well, the first is obvious: Do not participate in it. Whether it be a homosexual or as elementary as a "four-eyes" with glasses, its nothing short of sinful to persecute another person. Do not dare to try to justify your bullying by couching it in religious language, either. Organized religion has enough trouble in our world today without mean-spirited thugs and tongue-lashers nominally in our own ranks making it worse.

Additionally, we should stand up for those being persecuted. Don't we know what its like? Are we to stand aside and allow that sort of suffering to be heaped upon someone else? Have some courage and be a witness to whoever is being trampled when you see it. If you succeed only in drawing their persecutor's ire to yourself, at least you know you have God to sustain you - their previous target may not be so fortunate. Men, what is the aggressive nature God has given many of us for if not to defend others?

Many people want to make light of this issue. They insist that hazing and bullying is just part of growing up and that it is unavoidable. To a certain extent, that is true. At some point, all of us have to deal with it. But for some, whether it be due to emotional fragility or due to extremes of persecution that most of us are not familiar with, it can be a terrible burden. It has already driven some to suicide. Clearly, this is a topic in need of attention.

I don't know how to stop bullying in our schools. I'm sure more legislation isn't the answer. But I don't have the answer. I don't know how to heal the diseases in our society overnight. The only answer I have is the same one I use for every social or political problem: More Christians acting in God's will.