America, I would like to speak to you at this time. For decades you have been gazing upon me as a symbol of freedom and hope. I now look upon you. Are you listening? Could you stop for just a moment? Richard Markland: I have been watching you since Tuesday morning, as I hear crying throughout the land. Your spirit is quenched with helplessness as an enemy has stricken at your very heart and soul. Your eyes are to the ground as you wonder in desperation.
I too am crying. The water you felt coming down on Friday morning were my tears. The grey sky you saw was the mourning of my spirit. I realize that conditions dampened your hope, but I thought perhaps I could remind you that with this horror I have lost in this tragedy as well.
Do you understand what has happened? As a helpless parent I watch you crying out for your loved ones. My torch is still burning, but the fire is not as bright, as I realize the freedoms of this land have been threatened. I want to continue to be a beacon of brightness, but I fear that many will now look upon me very differently.
When I looked upon you Tuesday morning I saw something strike at your twin towers of greatness and my two symbolic brothers. A bright light mushroomed in all directions as a sound of war was heard throughout the land. It is as if a trumpet of war came out of nowhere. Even I was caught unaware. I wish I could have warned you. My torch almost went out as I was touched inside by the blast from the shuddering glass and concrete.
Slowly I heard the cries and screaming hit my ears with the sharpness of a knife. My eyes widened as I searched to know what happened. Yes, I have been watching over you day after day. I cannot move, but my sheer presence has been a reminder to everyone around the world that God has blessed you above all other nations. But today I could not help but wonder if this is still the case.
I do have a question I would like to ask you. I heard many of you scream, "Oh my God", when I saw you gazing upward at the horror. Was this a cry for divine help, or was it something that has become as easily said as a hello in the morning because it is said everyday? I want to know because I heard the expression used over and over. I have noticed many of you are also crying out, "God Bless America". Do you know He has, but you have never stopped to thank Him because you are taking the credit for your greatness.
I see an oppressive dust hanging over this land that is as thick as the aftermath of the explosion. So many are groping to see the light. I watched as millions sat side by side in places of worship searching for comfort and answers. It has been very difficult to hold my torch, as my spirit has been deeply burdened by the death of your loved ones.
I listened as your spiritual leaders tried to comfort you. I also waited for an answer as to how God could let this happen. My beacon now burns a little dimmer after hearing your religious figures say that they did not know why God allows suffering. Since the Bible is what millions claim is a source of strength during hard times, I was taken back by the deafening silence from those you look to for answers. After your proclamation of prayer and remembrance was over, I took time to reflect on why this country has been so severely wounded. I hope you will listen to what I have to say.
I reflect back on how your children used to stand at attention and pledge allegiance to the flag at school. I remember bygone days when you use to say a prayer in your institutions of education, but it soon became apparent that the God of America was not welcome in the schools across the country. Ever since, I have noticed little direction in your youth and I have cried tears when I see how your children are now killing other children in the very buildings where God use to be a source of direction. I hurt so deeply when you cannot understand why this is happening.
I continued to look across the land and can see how many married couples tire of one another so easily and divorce is as a plague across the country. It is as if someone has become as disposable as the very trash that is dumped on the side of the beautiful and majestic areas of the most blessed nation on earth. Families are so unstable and I see the very moral fiber and strength of the family institution in disarray. So many of your children walk the streets of the land with anger and bitterness.
I next reflected on how a debate has burned as hot as a fire throughout the country as to whether the killing of unborn children violates personal rights. I have often wondered why those who promote such freedoms never stop to consider that they could have been a victim themselves of the very personal rights they are fighting for.
I see a nation that thrives on entertainment and distraction. I see a people from coast to coast running to find a way to have fun and not stop to think about the more serious aspects of life such as the very freedoms that have been threatened through laws and legislation. Does freedom now mean more to you?
I watch as your political leaders argue and bicker for personal gain while the American flag waves briskly in front of your political institutions. I am soon reminded, however, when all is still, and the flag hangs limp and lifeless, that it represents an American spirit that is also limp and lifeless inside with no sense of direction.
I am deeply disturbed that money and wealth has become an obsession. Your homes, automobiles and bank accounts are top priorities in life. I see row upon row of beautiful homes that is a reminder that as long as personal lives are running smoothly there is no need for an urgency of any kind. But most of all there is no need for God.
I watch as demands for personal sexual preference and perversion cry out to the heavens that has become a stench in the nostrils of God. I hear your screams everyday that you do not believe that God wanted only a husband and wife relationship. I have become heavier in spirit as I look at how people simply want to demand personal rights over a strong moral foundation. After all, your religious leaders are constantly reminding the nation that your "God is a God of love and He accepts you as you are".
I finally had to stop thinking about the many problems you are having because I was afraid my torch would completely die, but the biggest question I continued to contemplate is the spiritual state of the nation. This one area is the very reason America is what it has been for over 200 years. I fear that Tuesday morning I watched you be spanked by the very God you claim to look to in times of trouble.
America, I fear I am watching you living in the last days as a country. I listen as you search day after day to understand why this has happened. Many of you are saying, "Oh God, how can you let so many people die", instead of asking "Why wouldn't He"? You ask your religious leaders in your places of worship for an answer and they simply do not know.
As a guardian that has been a beacon of hope I have to end my outcry with words that will hurt, but I say this because it needs to be said. You are wanting to go to war. Have you wondered if the God of your forefathers will help you in this endeavor? Have you considered that because you find God convenient only during national and personal calamity that He will allow you to be defeated by your enemies in order for you to learn a lesson? Have you ever thought that perhaps it is a wake-up call to the religious leaders that they do not know why people suffer because they don't want to accept the reason?
America, I fear that unless you turn completely and wholeheartedly to God without conditions attached, you will find the days ahead a horror beyond anything you can imagine. Tuesday morning I fear God decided that the lifestyle of millions of Americans had reached a point of having to be severely corrected. Have you learned anything from this calamity? I have a feeling deep inside that you have not because you are once again reminding one another that the American spirit will prevail. I fear another day is soon coming that the God your forefathers looked to as a source of strength will soon be visiting you again. I fear the spankings are going to become more severe.
I realize many of you will not listen to what I have said because you simply can't believe that the greatest country in the history of the world could collapse. I have kept quiet for over 200 years and after Tuesday morning I just had to finally say something.
I will now stop, but I wanted to speak to you before you go to war. Many of you I will not see again as you leave this country in the planes that fly above me and ships that float by my feet. You now are going to fight an enemy that is totally unknown. I will look for you to return as I gaze across the land. At least I tried to warn you. This after all is all I can do because I am merely a symbol. I do hope that I am still here as a reminder of who you are and I hope that your enemies do not destroy me as well. If I am one of the future targets of your enemies, I truly hope that you will remember what I said.
Perhaps instead of saying "God Bless America ", I should say "God Be Merciful to America As You Spank Her As A Loving Parent Would A Child."
To comment on this article or request more information, please contact James McBride by e-mail at the comment form below.
For PDF or mailed copy, see CGOM. Excerpt from New Horizons Volume 5 No. 6, November/December 2001. Edited by James McBride of the Churches of God, United Kingdom.
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