The Link Between Early Childhood Development and Emotional Illness

Written by Alberta Parish

As soon as a baby is born, he or she needs immediate medical attention. They need to be cleaned and fed. They need somebody's protection. As they mature, they need to know someone cares about them. They need love, discipline, and guidance. If a child grows up in an environment where he or she is neglected, unfed, abused and unloved, more than likely this child will become a dysfunctional adult. When kids are constantly ignored by their parents, they often do things just to get their parents' attention. Sometimes, these kids end up doing things that cost them their freedom or their lives. I've met a lot of adults that need extra attention, especially men. There are so many adults who are exceptionally needy even more than their own children. If your needs outweigh the needs of your child, that could be a serious issue. When you become a parent, there is absolutely no room for selfishness. You really should not put the needs of yourself above the needs of your child, because you as a parent are responsible for the life of your child. You are responsible for ensuring your child gets fed, clothed, and cleaned daily. You’re responsible for his or her personal hygiene. You are responsible for ensuring that your child is in a safe environment. It is your job to protect your child at all times. You must ensure that your child has a roof over his or her head, and has a warm bed in which to rest.

Even though my mother was a single parent, she always provided a roof over my head, clean running water, a bed, clothes, shoes, food, and safety. She didn't have men coming in and out of her house. She didn't bring all kinds of strange men around me. In fact, I only remember me and my mother always together. My mother only had two girls. However, my sister and I were not brought up together in the same household. I never wanted kids that I had to raise by myself, because I saw what my mother went through. Furthermore, I could not afford kids. I figured that if I wasn’t married, there was no need for me to have any children.  

As long as there is breath in our bodies, we will be a needy people. However, there are individuals that need so much because they didn't get the love, attention, compassion and empathy that they should have gotten from their very first relationships, which involved their parents and siblings (if any). All family ties are important to a child. However, a child’s parents are his or her first teachers.

There are adults that act just like children when they don't get recognized for their achievements, if they're rejected, if they're not receiving attention from their immediate family members, or if they feel like the wife or husband or kids doesn't show them love and attention. You'd be surprised at how many men often feel depressed, because their wives or girlfriends don’t cater to them in every single way. Some people constantly want to be the center of attention. You have to ask yourself, "Why do I need so much attention all the time?" Usually, the answer to your question is that you was ignored and neglected as a child, which is why you crave so much attention as an adult. When people who constantly crave the attention of others are not the center of attention, they often do things to gain attention from their significant other or family. However, the type of attention they often end up gaining is sometimes very destructive.

If a young woman needs so much attention and, as a result, enters bad relationships looking for love in all the wrong places, usually she was neglected or abused as a child by her father or both parents. The father may never have been around for her, or the mother kept him from coming around. My dad passed when I was six years old. I don't remember him coming around all that much before he passed. I know my mother didn’t keep him away from me. I have my dad’s last name. Sometimes, people don’t make an effort to be in their child’s life. Sometimes, people make excuses for why they haven’t seen their child.

Over the years, I've been rejected by people that I believed cared about me. People even tried to get my mom to turn against me, but were very unsuccessful. My mom and I stuck by each other’s side until she passed away. I came to the conclusion a long time ago that people are fickle. They are unreliable. What I realized later in life is I had to find some inner peace. There are people that are still carrying deep levels of emotional trauma, because they have not found inner peace, or they have not forgiven themselves or the persons who harmed them. Some individuals have been greatly traumatized as children, and are currently self-medicating themselves to death through pharmaceutical drugs, recreational drugs, cocaine, heroin, alcohol, and the list goes on and on. When you find true inner peace, you won't worry about whether your family cares about you, or whether your friend is a real friend, or whether that woman or man wants to be with you. The question is why do you care so much about whether somebody else loves you or doesn’t love you? Some people that you’re in relationships with don’t care about anybody except themselves. There are individuals unable to love anyone, because they are self-centered.

Sometimes, people don't want to hear the truth coming from you. They see that you are a real person, and they cannot handle your essence because they see that you're not about any nonsense. They cannot control you. Therefore, they often don’t want to be bothered with you because they know that you’re not easily controllable. They see that they have to be real when they come around you, because they will be exposed if they're not. Some people are unable to handle real people. We live in a world where most people are natural liars. They lie about everything. They're constantly lying on Instagram and Facebook about their finances, relationship status, where they work, etc. Finding inner peace is not easy in a world of chaos. Finding real truth is not easy in a world of lies and deceptions. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to find real, straightforward, and honest people.

A lot of people are suffering from childhood trauma. Instead of calling for help and guidance, many people would rather pop pills and self-medicate. It’s easier for them to medicate themselves to sleep at night rather than face their demons. Pharmaceutical drugs are the gateway to more pain and suffering. I truly believe that the people have been cast under a spell through the use of pharmaceutical medicine. Thus, a large majority of Americans today are functioning prescription drug addicts. In fact, the word "pharmacy" originates from the Greek word "pharmakeia," which means administer drugs; poisons; sorcery. You have to ask yourself, "Why are every few commercials about some new drug approved by the FDA that treat depression, anxiety, or sleep disorder?" Depression, anxiety, and difficulty sleeping are symptoms of a chaotic society controlled through the use of mass media as well as social media. There are more depressed teenagers and young adults than there ever has been in the history of the United States of America. Why? I can say with certainty that teenagers who fought in World War II were not as depressed as the majority of today's American teens. Teenagers living today grew up in a world of social media. They also grew up being force-fed pills on a regular basis, which is why many have various psychological and/or emotional problems. Many are unable to cope with the various challenges that life brings to each of us. The ability to reason or resolve issues are difficult for a lot of young adults. The Internet and social media have made many people unable to resolve difficult challenges using their own reasoning powers. Many are unable to interact face to face with each other due to the Internet and social media. A lot of people can talk to others via social media for hours, but when it comes to holding at least a 30-minute conversation face to face with people, many find it very difficult. Like mass media, social media is a tool of mind control programming.

There are some very dark entities that inhabit the Internet. Like the predator pouncing on an unsuspecting victim, many pedophiles and sexual predators hunt for victims using the Internet and various social media accounts. Don’t allow your little ones to be on the Internet and social media for hours upon hours. Many parents do not have a clue what their teenage girls and boys are involved in using the Internet and social media, because they are too busy worrying about themselves and their needs. You have to be vigilant, which means you cannot always be high out of your mind on drugs and alcohol. You have to remain sober-minded, because the society we live in is full of predators that prey on innocent people, especially children.

When Sky Beings Walked the Earth

Written by Alberta Parish

We are in the Second Earth Age. During the First Earth Age, the world was very different. The Watchers were assigned to watch over humanity. However, during the First Earth Age, malevolent extraterrestrials (i.e., otherworldly beings; angels; heavenly host; sky beings) who had been cast out of heaven by the Almighty were ruling over humanity in the earth. They were destroying the cities and the human population. The Almighty had to destroy the kingdom that they had set up in the earth through a Great Flood. This happened during the First Earth Age. The earth is actually millions upon millions upon millions of years old. There are human and animal fossils to support that man and beast existed millions upon millions upon millions of years ago. The First World was corrupted by the Fallen Ones (i.e., otherworldly beings; sky beings). In fact, there are non-biblical sources to support the arrival of "sky beings" that primitive humans believed were gods because of their appearances and the technology that they showed and taught man in the earth.

Jeremiah Chapter 4 gives an excellent account of what happened to the FIRST WORLD. Jeremiah 4:23-27: "I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light. I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly. I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled. I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the Lord, and by his fierce anger. For thus hath the Lord said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end." 

Scientists have confirmed that the earth is billions of years old. During the Second Earth Age, the Watchers were also assigned to watch over humanity. The Book of Enoch says that these Watchers had cohabited with human women and produced offspring known as the Nephilim, according to Genesis Chapter 6. In Strong's Concordance #5303, the word "Nephilim" means giants. Again, the primitive humans worshiped "sky beings" as gods because of their appearances and the technology they possessed. These beings were very tall in stature. The Sumerians called these beings the Annunaki, which mean "those who from heaven to earth came."

The Book of Enoch says, "These are the names of their chiefs: Samyaza, who was their leader, Urakabarameel, Akibeel, Tamiel, Ramuel, Danel, Azkeel, Saraknyal, Asael, Armers, Batraal, Anane, Zavebe, Samsaveel, Ertael, Turel, Yomyael, Arazyal. These were the prefects of the two hundred angels, and the remainder were all with them.

(6) The Aramaic texts preserve an earlier list of names of these Watchers: Semihazah; Artqoph; Ramtel; Kokabel; Ramel; Danieal; Zeqiel; Baraqel; Asael; Hermoni; Matarel; Ananel; Stawel; Samsiel; Sahriel; Tummiel; Turiel; Yomiel; Yhaddiel (Milik, p. 151).

Then they took wives, each choosing for himself; whom they began to approach, and with whom they cohabited; teaching them sorcery, incantations, and the dividing of roots and trees.

And the women conceiving brought forth giants, Whose stature was each three hundred cubits. These devoured all which the labor of men produced; until it became impossible to feed them;

When they turned themselves against men, in order to devour them;

And began to injure birds, beasts, reptiles, and fishes, to eat their flesh one after another, (8) and to drink their blood."

Again, a Great Deluge destroyed these giants because of the corruption they committed in the earth along with the sinners who worshiped other gods, and also committed violence on the face of the earth. The "Epic of Gilgamesh" also gives an account of the Great Deluge that occurred.

Frank Lorey wrote, "The Epic was composed in the form of a poem. The main figure is Gilgamesh, who actually may have been an historical person. The Sumerian King List shows Gilgamesh in the first dynasty of Uruk reigning for 126 years.11 This length of time is not a problem when compared with the age of the pre-flood patriarchs of the Bible. Indeed, after Gilgamesh, the kings lived a normal life span as compared with today.12 The King List is also of interest as it mentions the flood specifically—"the deluge overthrew the land."13

The story starts by introducing the deeds of the hero Gilgamesh. He was one who had great knowledge and wisdom, and preserved information of the days before the flood. Gilgamesh wrote on tablets of stone all that he had done, including building the city walls of Uruk and its temple for Eanna. He was an oppressive ruler, however, which caused his subjects to cry out to the "gods" to create a nemesis to cause Gilgamesh strife.14

After one fight, this nemesis—Enkidu—became best friends with Gilgamesh. The two set off to win fame by going on many dangerous adventures in which Enkidu is eventually killed. Gilgamesh then determines to find immortality since he now fears death. It is upon this search that he meets Utnapishtim, the character most like the Biblical Noah.15

In brief, Utnapishtim had become immortal after building a ship to weather the Great Deluge that destroyed mankind. He brought all of his relatives and all species of creatures aboard the vessel. Utnapishtim released birds to find land, and the ship landed upon a mountain after the flood. The story then ends with tales of Enkidu's visit to the underworld.16 Even though many similarities exist between the two accounts, there still are serious differences" (The Flood of Noah and the Flood of Gilgamesh). 

The bible is a book of history. It gives a detailed account of the early history of man as well as the creation of the universe. The bible comprises the old laws handed down to the Israelites by Moses, which formed a covenant between the Most High and His people. The bible also comprises the new covenant through the sacrifice that Christ gave through His blood that He shed for the propitiation of our sins. Furthermore, it gives an account of the first humans who were created as eternal beings, and how they were placed in Eden, which was another name for the continent of our ancestors—the motherland from which all human families developed. Of course, the first man and woman in Genesis were NOT the only humans that the Most High created. There were other PEOPLE that existed before the first man and woman in Genesis. The man and woman in Genesis were made LIVING SOULS, which means they were made of a different substance other than the previous humans that existed on the planet. We are created as eternal beings. This is why we comprise three parts: mind, body and spirit. According to Genesis, the first man who was made a LIVING SOUL was made in the image/likeness of the Most High. According to the bible, the Ancient of Days (i.e. Most High) is described as having hair like pure wool, and feet like brass. Daniel 10:6 says, "His body also was like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in colour to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude."

American Medical Industry, Pharmaceutical Drugs, Modern Sorcery & Mental Illness

Written by Alberta Parish

On Sunday, November 5, 2017, a gunman entered First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas and opened fire killing 26 people and injuring others.  The youngest victim was 5 years old.  The 14-year-old daughter of the church pastor was also killed.  The perpetuator was a white man in his mid-20s whom authorities claimed took his own life.

In the daughter of Babylon, there is great confusion.  Right now, the confusion is over whether the ordinary citizen must lose his or her right to bear arms for the greater good of the country.  There is only a matter of time when Congress will pass a law prohibiting the use of firearms throughout the United States despite the power of the NRA.  There is nothing that will lead me to believe that crime will drop when guns are removed from the ordinary citizen.  When the framers of the Constitution guaranteed the citizens the right to bear arms, they never had semi-automatic weapons in mind.  Instead, the goal of the citizen’s right to bear arms was to be a last line of defense against a tyrannical government or foreign invaders.

          All that we see with the naked eye is not always the reality behind the events.  Events occurring in the natural world first originate in the spirit realm.  The truth is Babylon is a morally decaying society, overran by demonic entities, and void of truth and justice.  Babylon has rejected the counsels of the Most High to execute justice in the land.  Babylon is full of the blood of the innocents whose blood cries from the ground.  Babylon has held God’s people captive for hundreds of years.  Babylon’s system is based on inequality, economic oppression, war, genocide, violence, racism, domestic terrorism, human slavery, etc.  Babylon is under judgment, and it cannot be healed.   

          The gunman whose name is Devin Kelley was a former U.S. airman, who had a wife and child, according to RT.  The U.S. Air Force had dishonorably discharged him in 2014, the report further said.  In 2012, Kelley was court-martialed for assaulting his wife and their child (ABC News).  It doesn’t look like this guy was doing very well in his life despite the fact that he had more privilege than most people. 

          There are things that happen to people while in the military from which they never fully recover.  Many veterans upon returning from deployment also suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, which is a serious mental health crisis in America.  The U.S. Government’s answer to veterans who suffer from PTSD is to keep them heavily intoxicated with anti-psychotic and anxiety medications.  Sometimes, these drugs don’t cause significant alterations in a person’s mood or behavior.  However, in most cases, these drugs cause people to go absolutely insane.  All pharmaceutical drugs are a gateway for demonic possession, and are casting spells on people.  In other words, the people are being bewitched through the pills they’re taking.  While thinking that these pills are helping them, these pills are doing great harm to them.

          There is no current report that Devin Kelley suffered from PTSD.  But there are millions of U.S. military personnel who do suffer from PTSD.  As an ordinary citizen, there is no way for me to know what it’s like to be in the middle of a dangerous war zone for six months or more, or see people blown to pieces before my eyes, or witness the deaths of fellow soldiers on the battle field, or know a fellow soldier who committed suicide because he or she couldn’t take it anymore.  The human psyche is fragile.  The last thing that I want to see is images that will haunt my dreams at night.  Looking at a motion picture is different from seeing events in real time.  Everyone cannot be a soldier in the U.S. military, and I’m one of those persons.  I wouldn’t be able to come out of a deployment of a year with my mind still intact, if I’d witnessed a few gruesome scenes before my eyes. 

          Since sorcery is the practice of administering drugs, many people are under a spell through pharmaceutical medications.  Being under a spell means you do not have complete control of your bodily functions and mind.  You are being controlled like a puppet on a string by an unknown hand pulling the strings.  The word “pharmacy” derives from the Greek pharmakeia, which means administer drugs; poisons; sorcery. Thus, pharmacy is another word for sorcery.  When a person is heavily toxified through pharmaceutical drugs, they do not think straight and neither do they behave straight.  They’re usually out of it or out of their mind.

          Babylon has caused the world to be deceived by her sorceries.  Revelation 18:23 says, “And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.”

          Sorcery is a very ancient practice.  Pharmaceutical drugs have been around for a very long time.  The leaves and barks of most trees were originally meant for our healing.  However, there are many bad trees/leaves like opium.  Marijuana, despite its medicinal value, is still a bad tree.  Furthermore, marijuana is being mixed with other chemicals, which produces damaging side effects.    

It is imperative that we use the good trees/leaves for our healing.  The medical world does not recognize alternative methods of healing such as herbal teas.  For the American “Murder” System (i.e., American Medical System), money is the number one priority.  Your health comes second and if not second, third.  The medical world pushes pills to make money.   They are the real drug dealers.  Yet, they continuously criminalize the ordinary citizen for doing the same things they’re doing.  They’re killing people through pharmaceutical drugs, and should be locked away in prison.  But the laws protect them while criminalizing the two-bit hustler on the street corner.  A man or woman who sells marijuana may get twenty years in prison while the makers of pharmaceutical drugs never see one day in prison for causing the deaths of millions of people each year.  What is the difference between the doctor prescribing oxycodone, and the two-bit hustler prescribing heroin?  Both drugs belong to the opium plant, which is very bad for your health. 

          Before Congress outlaws the use of firearms by ordinary citizens, they should first outlaw prescription medications with highly toxic side effects such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, OxyContin, morphine, and thousands of other drugs.  Also, outlaw alcohol.  The real problems that are causing much of the illnesses and diseases people are experiencing must be addressed instead of simply throwing pills at them.  However, the American “Murder” System doesn’t care about real healing and good health.  The American “Murder” System will only perpetuate its sorceries.

                 

Works Cited

"Texas church shooting: What we know about alleged gunman Devin Kelley."  RT.  6 Nov. 2017.  Web.  6 November 2017.

            Retrieved from https://www.rt.com/usa/408865-texas-shooter-identity-name/.

Thomas, Pierre.  "Texas church shooting suspect was court-martialed for assault on spouse    and child."  ABC News.  5 Nov. 2017.  Web.  6 Nov. 2017.

            Retrieved from http://abcnews.go.com/US/texas-church-shooter-identified-white-male-     mid-20s/story?id=50949455.

A Teen Commits Suicide Due to Bullying

Written by Alberta Parish

          Recently, a 13-year-old boy in Georgia killed himself after being continuously bullied by students at his middle school.  It was stated that he was bullied for two years by students.  As a result, the boy hung himself. 

          The suicide statistics among teens and young adults are daunting as it is a sign of not only emotional illness but a bully culture.  Whether it is the whole of society that produces bullies or bullies are products of their parents and other family members.  No one can really know what is inside anyone’s mind and heart before they decide to kill themselves.  One thing we can all be sure of is the suicide rate among American teens is a staggering example of a culture that really doesn’t care about its own children.  Kids go missing in this country every day due to sex trafficking, slave trafficking, human sacrifice and so forth.  Although the government tries to make it seem like it is going after all pedophiles in America, there are pedophile rings that’s been in full operation for years in the highest echelons of society whose perpetuators will never see one day in jail or prison for the atrocities they have committed.

          Why didn’t the adults do something to stop this boy from being bullied by his classmates?  Why didn’t his mother remove him from the school?  There are many black children who are left to their own devices, because they are missing their fathers in the home.  If the fathers are missing from their lives, this means they have only their mothers to see about them.  But mother can’t really keep a good eye on her children if she has to work a 40-50-hour work week.  I think there is something seriously wrong with a woman who has multiple kids by multiple men, none of whom are in their child’s life.  Who deluded women to think they can be both the mother and father in the lives of their children?  It is impossible for a woman to be both mother and father.  The Most High never designed the woman to play the role of both mother and father.  A lot of unmarried black women with multiple kids are looking for men with money.  She will often pick a man based on what he can do for her and her children monetarily.  Any man who chooses to date a woman with children inadvertently becomes the child’s daddy and provider whether he wants to be in that role or not.  A woman who is struggling to keep a roof over her and her children’s heads will often pick a man based on his wallet and not on his qualities.  The man may not be right for her.  He may be abusive and controlling toward her and her children.  He may not respect her or her children.  He may not ever marry her, because she has a bunch of kids by other dudes.  She wants the financial security, because it’s all about survival.  Let’s face it.  Up to 75% of households in the black community comprise the single mother with multiple kids.  Sometimes, there is a live-in boyfriend.  He is not the child’s father.  Most times, the real daddies are not even in the picture for various reasons.  Much of it has to do with child support issues.  Sometimes, there is a lot of bitterness between the kid’s parents.  Other times, the real daddies are in prison or dead. 

         

          Whenever a child kills himself especially when it could have been prevented were proper measures taken, it is a clear sign of failure by the adults surrounding him including the parents and other family members.  This kid really did not feel like he had someone he could rely on or someone who truly took an interest in him.  He felt alone with the voices in his head telling him that nobody cares about you, this will never stop, you don’t want to be here anymore, nobody likes you.  This was a soul lost for nothing.  This was a soul that could have been prevented from being lost.  But in this bully culture, most people do not have empathy for others.  Most Americans do not care about their fellow Americans.  Neither do they care how they talk disrespectfully to you or treat you with disrespect.  You see it every day.  Child bullies often grow up to be adult bullies that you have to work with on the job.  If your mom or dad is a bully, how do you handle that?  Do you become like them or choose another path?  How do you handle a sibling who is a bully?  Are you a bully?  If so, why? 

         

          There is a law that states, “Whatsoever a man sow, that will he also reap?”  Many people truly believe they can bully others, and nothing will ever happen to them as a result of what they did.  They believe they have escaped the harm they’ve done to someone in causing him/her to commit suicide.  This is the average mentality of most bullies.  This is also arrogance.  Only an arrogant person would believe that the evil they do to others won’t somehow have detrimental effects in their own lives.  Although they may want to forget they’ve caused a young boy’s death, their subconscious mind won’t ever let them forget it.  They will probably have all kinds of health issues as they get older due to stress-related problems.  Whenever you are stressed out, your body automatically reacts to stress increasing your chances of heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, and neurological as well as emotional problems.  When you think you have gotten away with causing another person’s demise, your body and subconscious mind won’t ever let you forget it.  You are responsible for someone’s death!  Therefore, all kinds of bad luck are coming your way unless you ask the family of your victim to forgive you and more importantly do everything you can to atone for the life you have taken.  You must also go before the Most High God and ask for His forgiveness for what you have done.  You cannot ask the victim to forgive you, because he is dead.  But you can make amends to his family.

          Most kids are dumb.  Their brains are not fully developed.  Therefore, many do not have the capacity to understand the magnitude of their actions and decisions, which often end up being lifetime problems.  Kids are not taught how to think for themselves.  They’re taught how to follow the regulations of the school administrators and instructors.  They’re mostly taught how to be followers of others.  Our culture has produced drone-like citizens, many of whom are unable to formulate a full thought on their own without being told what and how to think.  Mass media and social media have shaped the minds of our youth for the worse.  The powers do not want the people to be true thinkers, because they do not want people to ever wake up.  An awakened population is not beneficial to the controllers.  An awakened person perceives the world differently than the average drone-like human.  An awakened people are trouble for their controllers.  Therefore, there is an active war being waged on the mind of every human being, starting with the youth. 

          Most kids want to be popular and fit in.  They want to be one of the cool kids in school.  Instead of many kids standing out from the pack of wolves and not allowing the majority to bully other kids, they often join in and become bullies themselves.  But I blame the school administrators and instructors that are teaching kids to follow the status quo and do as I say and not as I do.  A lot of kids are mean, because their parents are mean to them.  A lot of kids hurt other kids, because someone close to them has hurt them.  There are kids living with abusive parents and their boyfriends who come to school angry at everybody and want to take their frustration out on everybody.  There are kids with severe emotional problems, because they’ve been physically and sexually abused by adults.  There are kids who are physically abused by older kids in the neighborhood and, in turn, they physically abuse other kids.

          I grew up in a single-parent home with a loving mother who had experienced some traumatic experiences in her life.  But she never punished me for her past negative experiences.  This is a woman who grew up in the Deep South, during the Jim Crow era.  She was born during World War 2.  She came up in a time when black people were regularly hanged by white citizens, and there were separate public facilities for black and whites.  My mother was 14 years old at the time 14-year-old Emmett Till was brutally beaten to death by white adult males.  She went to a segregated school.  She was also made to stay home from school to work in the cotton field, because the family needed money.  Her daddy wasn’t working.  She saw Martin Luther King’s I Have A Dream speech.  She witnessed the Civil Rights Movement, and the passing of the Civil Rights Bill.  As a young woman, something very horrible happened to her.  Yet, none of these traumatic experiences turned my mother into a bitter person.  In fact, these experiences made her a loving and kind person.

          Unfortunately, many emotionally and physically-wounded black men and black women take their past experiences out on their children.  I live in a generation in which a lot of parents do not care anything about the well-being of their children.  Many do not possess a nurturing attitude toward their own offspring.  They love everything but their own children.  They love their boyfriends or girlfriends.  They even love somebody else’s children before they love their own children.  They neglect their children for a job and for a man.  They put their children to the side in order to go party.  They do not understand the concept of sacrifice.  Having children means you must sacrifice your time and your own self-will to make sure your children are safe and have what they need.  The concepts of sacrifice and self-denial are lost to much of my generation.

          The teen suicide rate among gay boys and girls are far worse than among heterosexual boys and girls.  There are thousands of gay American teens who run away from home each year, because their families have rejected them.  Many of these kids end up as sex trafficking victims.  Many others go missing and are never found.  A lot of gay male teens are taken advantage of by older gay males in the twenties, thirties, forties, and fifties.  Some of these kids become very tough after they’ve been beat up a few times by bullies in their school.  In fact, a lot of gay teenage males can fight.      

         

          It is imperative that parents take a very active role in the daily lives of their children.  If you are the only parent raising a child, you may have to take a job with only part-time hours so that you can spend more quality time with your children.  You may need to take a job in which you can work from home.  You need to be able to go to your child’s school, and see what’s going on.  Working a part-time job means you may not be able to buy a new car or go shopping for apparel each week.  But you will know everything that is going on with your children.  As the only parent of a child and working a 40-50 work week, it is impossible to know everything your children are doing.  This is why women should never have children without a husband.  It is not a good idea for women to have multiple kids by multiple men, none of whom are in the home and helping you raise the kids.  A male authority and voice is powerful to a child.  Children sometimes run over their mothers, but they will calm down when their daddy opens his mouth and exerts his authority. 

          The 13-year-old that recently committed suicide probably didn’t have his father in the household.  He probably didn’t trust another man to talk about what he was dealing with at school.  A lot of boys develop mistrust for other men when their daddies abandon them and leave them to fend for themselves.  We must ask ourselves, “Why are men abandoning their sons?”  Is it due to bitterness for the mothers of their children?  Is it because women are actively keeping their children from spending time with the father due to selfishness?  All of this goes back to the concepts of sacrifice and self-denial.  As a parent, you must put aside your pride for the greater good of your children.  You may not like your child’s father, but don’t punish him by keeping his kid away from him.  He may have really hurt you.  But if he wants to be in his child’s life, don’t hinder him.  Men should never give up on their children whether he is still married or attached to his child’s mother or not.  Don’t abandon your children, because their mother is acting crazy.  You may need to get full custody of your children.  Don’t be the parent who wasn’t around if your child end up committing suicide.

    

Should Preachers Carry Guns Into the Church?

Written by Alberta Parish

          

There was a time when churches were greatly esteemed as “houses of refuge” where one could go and feel safe from the reckless violence often perpetuated on the city block. As recent news of deadly shootings in churches have stained the pristine image of the Christian faith, we are now faced with the question of whether preachers should carry firearms into the pulpit or put their faith in the very God they preach about on Sunday mornings for protection against evil. After all, how can a preacher who brings a firearm into the pulpit have any credibility in persuading his congregation that God is real and is a protector of His people if he does not believe that God can protect him from danger?

Detroit pastor (left) who shot 
and killed 25-year-old 
Deante Smith (right).

            It is more common to hear about deadly church shootings than it is to hear about charitable deeds done by the clergy. Often, rhetoric concerning gays, lesbians and transgenders are great subjects of conversation among churchgoers. However, what you don’t hear about are the consequences of ungodlike behavior that occur inside some churches such as preachers sleeping with a member’s spouse. According to the Detroit News, “A man, who police say attacked a pastor with a brick at a church service before the pastor whipped out his Glock handgun and fatally fired back, ranted weeks before on Facebook that his pastor had gotten his wife pregnant” (Hunter, Dickson, and Williams 1). As a representative of Christ’s teachings, the pastor is alleged to have abused his authority and betrayed a fellow member. If the pastor had never carried a firearm into the pulpit, his victim would still be alive today. The pastor could’ve easily retreated and called 911. Instead, the pastor allowed his emotions to overtake his moral judgment.

Dylann Roof opened fire in a black 
church killing nine people on 
June 17, 2015.

Recent church shootings, most notably the shooting at the historic Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, S.C. where a white man opened fire during Bible study on June 17, 2015, reignited the national debate on whether preachers should carry firearms into the church (Chuck 2). But when is violence ever truly been justified in the church? When has violence ever put an end to racism and white supremacy? Furthermore, how can a preacher talk about God’s existence when he does not believe that God is real enough to protect Him from danger? One of the many Bible stories that preachers often talk about is the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego who were delivered from the fiery furnace after disobeying the commandment of King Nebuchadnezzar to bow down before his image and worship it. The story beautifully illustrates God’s protection and deliverance of His people. However, some preachers do not practice what they preach to others. Some murder when God commanded them not to kill. Then justify the deed by claiming self-defense. Under no circumstances should a preacher ever bring a gun inside the church. If killings occur at church by a preacher, why would people want to listen to that preacher? If a preacher whips out his Glock handgun and shoots a fellow parishioner when he only has a brick in his hand, what does that say about the mentality of the preacher? At a time when Christians are being persecuted and put to death in Islamic countries, church attendance and Christianity in the United States is in decline. When there are acts of violence being perpetuated by a few ungodly preachers, it certainly does nothing to boost one’s confidence in wanting to attend church. Nevertheless, Christians are encouraged to assemble themselves together just as the early Christian Church had regular meetings of fellowship and worship, according to the writings of Luke featured in the Book of Acts, chapter 2, and verse 46.

            Some Christian leaders would say that recent church shootings are all the more reason why they should protect their parishioners by having a gun. According to the Huffington Post, “Deb Kluttz, a Protestant evangelical minister from Manhattan, Kan., bought a gun about a year ago and has received user training. Her motto is “prepare for the worst, but pray for the best.” Katherine Bindley of the Huffington Post also wrote “some of the outreach the church offers — counseling for couples with marital troubles and those involved in custody disputes, and helping former sex workers — made Kluttz think about the possible risks to her church community. So when she feels her church’s 550 members might be vulnerable to a violent person, she drops her pistol in her purse and brings it to services.” But there are those who disagree with Kluttz’s stance. Franciscan priest, Paul Williams said “being a member of the clergy, I would think that you would want to set an example and not treat violence with violence.” He further said, “To be a witness may mean that one would have to put oneself in harm’s way” (Bindley 19). However, some churchgoers including preachers have no desire to sacrifice themselves, and will tell you emphatically, “I’m not Jesus.” They would rather shoot first and think about the consequences later. Putting oneself in harm’s way should never be the result of a misdeed such as the one characterized by the Detroit pastor who killed the husband of the woman with whom he was having an affair. Although my pastor has taken a strong position against preachers carrying firearms into the church, her voice is only among the few that openly condemn preachers putting their faith in their guns instead of in God’s protective power.

            In conclusion, a preacher who carries a gun into the pulpit has lost credibility as a true representative of Christianity. Some churches once considered as “houses of refuge” have deteriorated into houses of chaos where churchgoers can expect the preacher to be packing a pistol and shoot to kill if necessary. The purpose of attending church is to escape the madness that is blatantly in your face all day long, and to receive positive messages of hope, love and forgiveness through the life, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The need for preachers to carry guns into the church only shows a lack of faith in God, and sends a negative message that God is nonexistent and fails to protect His people, which is furthest from the truth. Therefore, preachers should not be permitted to carry firearms into the church, because it is not representative of the principles espoused in Christianity.

Works Cited

Bindley, Katherine. “Guns In Church, The Debate Over Armed Preachers Heats Up.” Huffington Post. 11 Aug. 2013. Web. 11 Nov. 2015.
           Retrieved from Huffington Post, 08/11/13.

Chuck, Elizabeth. “Charleston Church Shooter Dylann Roof ‘Caught Us With Our Eyes Closed’.” NBC News. 10 Sep. 2015. Web. 11 Nov. 2015.
           Retrieved from NBC News, Shooter Caught us with our Eyes Closed.

Hunter, George, James David Dickson, and Candice Williams. “Love triangle probed in Detroit
church shooting.” The Detroit News. 19 Oct. 2015. Web. 10 Nov. 2015.
           Retrieved from Detroit News, Pastor kills brick wielding man during Church Service.