
Ana Paula Valadão’s unholy selective indignation and boycott of C&A;

By Hermes C. Fernandes
In some ancient societies like Greece, children with physical disabilities were sacrificed as soon as they were born. There was a practical reason for this and religious justification. According to their belief, the gods would only have created perfect people, and therefore only these people deserved to live. Such children were believed to be freaks, cursed beings. To kill them was to render a service to the gods. At least, that was how they appeased their conscience after murdering their own children. However, the real and not always confessed reason was that letting them live would be detrimental to society since they would not be productive, they could not fight a war, and on top of that, they would hinder others in an eventual escape. Thus, such helpless beings were seen as an extra weight that they should get rid of as soon as possible. Saving them would jeopardize the survival of others. Therefore, in the name of the common good, the maintenance of order, they only had one thing left to do: eliminate them.
For centuries we have lived with the shame of slavery. Certain ethnic groups were entitled to enslave others, using their beliefs as justifications. Whites claimed to be superior to blacks and even questioned whether they had a soul or were just irrational beings, similar to animals. Biblical verses were devised to justify the use of slave labor. Setting them free would jeopardize the social order. For this reason, abolitionists were accused of progressives, of subversives, of enemies of the order who conspired against the well-being and prosperity of the nation. Genocides were perpetrated and justified by mistaken beliefs. Biblical episodes like that of Jericho and the Canaanite cities conquered by Israel were evoked. Entire societies like pre-Columbian have been decimated“In the name of God”.
Who would be the victims of our prejudices today? The women? The gays? Muslims? What biblical passages would we be using to justify them? Whose side would we be on if we lived during the time when slavery was seen as a divine right? How would we stand about killing disabled children if we lived in Ancient Greece?
God did not create the disabled! Some shouted.
Black people are a freak! They have no soul! They deserve to be enslaved.
In the name of this same fundamentalism, many cries out God created male and female! He didn’t create homosexuals or transsexuals or anything like that! So, what special rights should they have? They want is privileges!
An American pastor declared in a warm sermon that homosexuals have no right even to exist. According to some, their existence would jeopardize the traditional family model that we cherish, just as the existence of disabled children jeopardized the security of ancient Greek society, and the freedom of slaves would implode the social order in force at the time.
In fact, God did not create gays, nor did he create blacks, whites or yellows, nor the disabled, nor the hermaphrodites. He created human beings, subject to various conditions, circumstances, contingencies, and limitations. Nothing is more complex than the being whom the Bible calls “the image and likeness of God”.
I watched a news story about a transsexual child and his struggle to be able to use his school’s women’s bathroom. Your twin brother is a boy like any other. However, since he is understood by people, he perceives himself as belonging to a gender distinct from his anatomy. Dress like a girl. Speak, feel, think, and act as such. What to say to this child? Was she possessed of a demon? Would an exorcism solve your problem? Would it be that simple? Or would it be the education received at home? So why didn’t your twin behave the same way?
I was touched by this child’s story. I imagined how difficult it must be for parents to face a hypocritical society that claims to believe in biblical precepts, but they use them to justify one of the greatest sins committed by members of our race: prejudice. My soul cried. This little human being may be condemned to the limbo of existence.
Not even society, least of all churches, is prepared to deal with this. Some societies that adopt a more radical and fundamentalist type of Islam give the problem the same solution that the Greeks gave to disabled children: homosexuals and transsexuals are condemned to death, thrown from buildings or stoned.
It is worth making a distinction here. The homosexual usually has no problem with his anatomy. He seeks to reconcile his homo-affection with his biological sex. Transsexuals, on the other hand, experience a crisis, because they feel like a woman in a male body or vice versa. Many choose to undergo sex-change surgery.
How would we react if an operated transsexual converted to the gospel? Would we accept his new condition or would we pressure him to reverse his operation? And how to reimplant a male organ that had been removed? Many other questions arise from there and demand honest and frank answers. However, the first step that needs to be taken is to become aware that such people are human beings created by God and that they live in an endless crisis, not so much with their impulses as with the prejudices of society. Should we welcome or discriminate against them? Would it be ethical to impose any conditions so that they are received? What condition did we impose to receive other types of people? How do we welcome a dishonest businessman who exploits his employees without giving them labor rights and still evades taxes by issuing cold notes? Are we condescending to them? Why are we so radical when it comes to sexuality, but so malleable on other issues? What are we afraid of, anyway? Is homosexuality contagious? Would our children’s sexuality be at risk if the church welcomed such individuals? Were there any of us poorly resolved on this issue? after all? Is homosexuality contagious? Would our children’s sexuality be at risk if the church welcomed such individuals? Were there any of us poorly resolved on this issue? after all? Is homosexuality contagious? Would our children’s sexuality be at risk if the church welcomed such individuals? Were there any of us poorly resolved on this issue?
The truth is that there are already homosexuals in our churches, however, they remain veiled, fearful of being discovered, exposed, and excluded. I have the impression that we value hypocrisy more than sincerity and transparency. Everything that happens under the cover of clandestinity only promotes all kinds of promiscuity and perversion. There are people harassing and being harassed in the churches. But as long as it doesn’t go public, that’s fine. The important thing is to avoid the scandal, some would think.
We have taken the opposite of what Paul presents as being ideal for the worship environment. According to the apostle of the Gentiles, where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. In an environment devoid of prejudice, each person is free to be exactly what he is, presenting himself to God “with his face uncovered” [1]in order to be transformed into the image of Christ. The transformation brought about by the Spirit has as its starting point what we are and not what we pretend to be. However, in an environment steeped in legalism and moralism, people prefer to use religious masks, keeping their inner conflicts confidential. The problem is aggravated when the church pressures the homosexual individual to marry. The purpose of façade marriage is to prove that behind the effeminate antics there is a closed-in straight. I know the case of an “ex-gay” who married to prove his conversion. A year later, his wife came to the pastoral office to confess that she remained intact. He had never touched her. I would love to believe that this was an exception.
Homosexuality cases even affect pastoral families. I recently learned of a pastor who sent his only 15-year-old son out of the country after he confessed to being a homosexual. Worse than this was the case of the son of a renowned American preacher, who after admitting his homosexuality, committed suicide by shooting himself in the heart.
I must clarify that at no time do I defend any kind of promiscuity, whether of a homosexual or heterosexual nature. If there are six biblical passages that condemn libidinous acts between people of the same sex, there are more than two thousand verses that denounce social injustices and condemn the abuse of economic power. It seems that the Bible is more concerned with social issues than with sexuality. Nor would Freud be able to explain our obsession with issues of this nature.
How about being more compassionate? How about letting go of our stones instead of throwing them? Before we arrogate ourselves with the cure for homosexuality, I suggest that we seek in Christ the cure for our own prejudices. The remedy has in its formula two components: grace and love. Grace to forgive. Love to welcome. The rest, let us leave it to the Holy Spirit.
[1] 2 Corinthians 3:18
PS So long after the abolition of slavery in Brazil, blacks are still discriminated against. Apparently, a pen on a piece of paper is not enough to abolish one of the cruelest human ills: prejudice. What happened to journalist Maju Coutinho, the time girl at Jornal Nacional is sad proof of that. And by the way, even if homosexuals manage to guarantee all their civil rights, they will still have to deal with prejudice for a long time. It is the type of stain that is only removed with the continuous application of the most powerful bleach: love. It may take a few generations before we get rid of this curse that has been with us since the dawn of humanity.
“In this there is neither Jew nor Greek; there is neither servant nor free; there is neither male nor female; because you are all one in Christ Jesus. ” Galatians 3:28
“So if God gave them the same gift as us, when we had believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I then, that I might resist God? And when they heard these things, they were appeased, and glorified God, saying, Verily even the Gentiles gave God repentance for life. ” Acts 11: 17-18
“And it will be that afterwards I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will have dreams, your young people will have visions. I will also pour out my Spirit on servants and servants in those days. ” Joel 2: 28-29
“You too, like living stones, are built a spiritual house and a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices pleasing to God through Jesus Christ… But you are the chosen generation, the royal priesthood, the holy nation, the acquired people, announce the virtues of him who called you from darkness to his wonderful light. ” 1 Peter 2: 5,9
“I recommend our sister Febe, a servant of the church in Cencrea. I ask that you receive it in the Lord, worthy of the saints, and give you the help that you may need; because it has been of great help to many people, including me. Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my collaborators in Christ Jesus. They risked their lives for me. I am grateful to them; not just me, but all the Gentile churches. Also greet the church that meets at their home. Greet my beloved brother Epénetus, who was the first convert to Christ in the province of Asia. Greet Maria, who has worked hard for you. Greet Andronicus and Junias, my relatives who were in prison with me. They are notable among the apostles, and they were in Christ before me. ” Romans 16: 1-7
“I said in my heart: This is because of the children of men, so that God can test them, and they can see that they are in themselves like animals. Because what happens to the children of men, this also happens to animals; the same thing happens to them. As one dies, so does the other. They all have the same breath, and men have no advantage over animals … ” (Ec.3: 18-19).
“Everyone goes to the same place; all are dust, and all to dust will return. Who knows if the spirit of the sons of men goes up, and if the spirit of animals goes down to earth? ” (vv.20-21).
“Then I looked, and heard the voice of many angels around the throne, and of living beings, and of elders; and their number was millions of millions and thousands of thousands, proclaiming with a loud voice: Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power, and wealth, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and praise. Then I heard EVERY CREATURE THAT IS IN HEAVEN, AND ON EARTH, AND UNDER EARTH, AND IN THE SEA, and to all the things that are in them, say, To the one who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be praise, and honor, and glory, and power forever and ever. And the four living beings said, Amen. And the elders fell down and worshiped. ”
“Finally, a time has come when everything that men had considered inalienable has become an object of exchange, of trafficking and can be sold. The time when the very things that until then were co-participated, but never exchanged; given, but never sold, acquired, but never bought – virtue, love, opinion, science, conscience, etc. Now all of this is done in trade. The time of universal corruption has broken out or, to speak in terms of political economy, time has opened in which anything, moral or physical, once it becomes renal value, is brought to the market to receive its price. “
“From each one, according to their abilities, to each one, according to their needs.” (attributed to John Stott).
“If the appearance and essence of things coincided, science would be unnecessary.” (attributed to Augustine).
“If a person loves without inspiring love, that is, if he is not able, in manifesting himself as a loving person, to become loved, then his love is helpless and a disgrace.” (I attributed it to Spurgeon).
“The eyes that only see the lie when they realize the truth, are blind.” (I attributed it to Luther).
“Whoever uses the name of justice to defend their mistakes is capable of much more to distort a right.” (I attributed it to Calvin … lol).
And he answers the question in the post: perhaps we demonize Marx so much because his theories end up revealing that we are not as Christian as we should be. As one Martin Luther King said, “Communism only exists because we are not sufficiently Christian.” We could sleep without this, right?
The name “Sebna” means “young”, “vigorous”, someone self-confident, almost self-sufficient.
In Isaiah 22: 15-19 we read a serious warning that God gives to steward Senna:
“Thus says the Lord God of hosts: Come, go to this administrator, Sebna, the butler, and say to him: What are you doing here, and who gave you permission to dig a grave here? Digging your grave high, carving in the rock dwelling for yourself! Caution! The Lord will throw you violently, O strong man, and will surely seize you. It will roll you up like a ball, and throw you into a spacious country. There you will die, and there the cars of your glory will remain, O you, the reproach of your lord’s house. I will resign you from your post, and I will tear you out of your position ”.
In contrast, the Lord says of Eliakim:
“On that day I will call my servant Eliakim, the son of Hilquias, and I will put him on your tunic, and I will gird you with your belt, and I will give your dominion into your hands, and you will be like a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah. I will drive it like a nail in a firm place; as a throne of honor he will be for his father’s house. All the glory of your father’s house will hang on it; the branches and the descendants, all the smaller vessels, from the bowls to the jars ” (Isaiah 22: 20-24).
“May there be peace within your walls, and prosperity within your palaces” (Psalm 122: 7)
A peace that exceeds human understanding, and that the world cannot give. Prosperity that goes beyond material possessions.
Paul also reveals to us what lies behind the doors of the royal palace:
“O depth of riches, both of wisdom and of the knowledge of God! How unfathomable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! Who understood the Lord’s mind? Or who was your advisor? Or who gave it to him first, that he might be rewarded? Because of him and for him and for him are all things. So glory to him forever. Amen ” (Rom.11: 33-36).
The words were spoken to Peter also apply to each of us:
“And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loosen on earth will be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:19).
“Truly I say to you, whatever you connect on earth will be connected in heaven, and whatever you disconnect on earth will be disconnected in heaven. I also tell you that if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask for, it will be granted to you by my Father, who is in heaven ”(Matthew 18: 18-19).
“If you remain in me, and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want, and it will be done to you” (John 15: 7).
Dear friends, I am happy to inform you that we have signed a contract with Amazon and on 7/7 (next Thursday) we will be officially launching my first novel “O Ninho da Fênix” under the pseudonym HC Ferny in electronic version at the price of just R $ 10.09. The book will be available worldwide, varying in price according to the country. In the USA, for example, it will come out at $ 2.99. Get ready to purchase yours on launch day and invite your friends. SYNOPSIS Two lives intertwined by fate in a turbulent flight from Paris. He, William Saint-Clair, an archaeologist who defines himself as an obstinate defender of the past. She, Melissa Fujiwara, known as Mel, a biologist and environmentalist, an idealistic defender of the future.
An oracle found in Egypt points to a mysterious connection between east and west, past and future, and between the world’s most important archaeological site and the largest ecological sanctuary on the planet. And to increase the suspense, the plot is watched closely by a viewer sent by the future, whose eventual intervention would trigger an irreversible collapse in the flow of history, so that nothing will ever be the same again.
Raziel, the visitor from the kairos here [1] is William’s alter ego, sent to accompany him for a while in order to learn important lessons that went unnoticed during his stay in the chromosphere [2]. Raziel belongs to a time when human civilization will have reached its ethical and technological peak. His presence cannot be perceived by William, leaving Raziel to communicate through insights and dreams. There is also a protocol to be followed during your kenotic journey. [3] If you exceed the limits, the consequences will be harmful.
William and his twin brother Wallace are the main heirs of a mining empire. Despite their physiognomic resemblance, they have completely different personalities and characters.
Mel is the daughter of a Japanese immigrant and a Brazilian. His father presents himself as a family man, modest and austere. However, he hides a secret that made him leave the land of the rising sun to save his own life.
A story of love and hope that brings together elements abundantly found in every human plot, such as betrayal, conspiracies, lies, undeniable interests, envy, but also, dreams, ideals, altruism, and the desire to make this world a more just place. William and Mel team up to ensure that after their epic flight, the phoenix has its nest preserved, and thus, returning to it, can be reborn.
[1] Kairosfera or wasKairótica – post-secular Age and post-historical, in which humans come to dominate the ability to travel in time.
[2] Chronosphere – temporal sphere in which history takes place.
[3] Kenotic Journey – Journey to the chromosphere, made possible by the process called Kenósis in which the apprentice submits to the state of Kenoma (Process in which the consciousness is subjected to an emptying, enabling it to travel in time. After entering the chromosphere, the individual will remember the facts as he experiences them again, providing him with a constant sense of Déjà vu).
* The book will be available only in the digital version by Amazon.
Contact: hcferny@hotmail.com