We Gazed Upon the Chimes of Freedom Flashing


I'm a bit late in commenting on this one, but with the 4th of July being today, a day we celebrate America's birthday and remember the best of our country, it seems like a good time to bring up an amazing day in New York last week.Last weekend, New Yorkers were given the oppurtunity to express true freedom in two ways. First, as made national news, The Reverend Billy Graham brought his message that 'Jesus Saves' to New York City for what would probably be the last time. The Reverend Graham is probably the best known and most popular evangelist in modern American history, and he is so because he kept politics out of his speeches. Sure, I would have preferred that he used his pulpit to further equal rights and acceptance of other religions; but Graham the man showed no signs of hostility towards those of different faiths, and in a post 9-11 world would defend Islam and the Muslim People if asked.
Of course, last Sunday was also the annual Gay Pride parade. A lesser speaker or religious leader would have used the parade as an excuse to go on the attack, but Graham did no such thing.
While I use this forum to complain about many of the stupid things this country's leadership does in our name, its good to every now and then remember that this is a pretty cool place to live. Any place where an evangelist and a gay pride parade can occupy the same city at the same time is pretty cool. Of course, we still have a long way to go, but on this holiday, I think I'm going to enjoy how far we've come.
- posted by Damien Newton @ 5:10 PM