A Lesson From Bellamy

Bellamy Dreher Vass

AKA The baby Duck

I want to share a lesson I learned from my little grand daughter Bellamy. I have learned and relearned this lesson over the course of my 68 years on earth. The lesson simply has to do with the foundations that we draw upon.

One of the favorite activities that Bellamy and I enjoy together is building with blocks. She hauls out this immense box of building blocks and usually against the back drop of Sid the Science Kid, Curious George or Word World we spend time constructing huge towers and buildings. Her favorite move is to slide out the blocks on the lower portion of our edifices which naturally brings the structure crashing downwards. She laughs a hardy laugh deep down from her little belly and always makes the pronouncement. " It falled over !!!!!"

I was reading an op ed in our local newspaper, The Tallahassee Mullet wrapper, this weekend. The editor was opining concerning how ludicrous it was for individuals across America to oppose any trend in society that moves us in the direction of tolerance for any ideology that extends freedom to choose to various elements. His position was that rooted in the Hobby Lobby supreme court decision. His take was that it was really a shame that a privately held corporation had the right to reject participation in the new Affordable Care Act based on their religious beliefs that dispensing birth control pills to their employees violated their first amendment rights to religious freedom. He gave several fringe arguments that you would expect to come out of California.

Echoing in my recent memory was another clash of this sort whereby a man who was in the photography business in a western state, where reason has long been abandoned, refused to provide his services at a same sex marriage. He was sued and taken to court and found guilty of discrimination. He was fined heavily and threatened with jail time because of his first amendment stance that his religious beliefs were violated in making him provide those services. Argument noted and ' No soup for you !!'.

Debate in the public square has been dealt a mortal wound by this trend. Religious Freedom has been swept aside as we seek to become more tolerant and anything goes in our public conscience. But not so fast, my friend. What makes your position more valuable than the other fellow's opinion? In case you need some help in analyzing this alarming trend please think back over the 20 or so years where political correctness has evolved on every front in America. It is unduly concerning that most of the fronts are foundational premises having their roots in the very early beginning of our republic as we know it today.

I attended a Christmas program last year at my grand children's elementary school. Not one of the little skits or songs sung had any reference to the birth of Jesus Christ. Now I am not the sharpest knife in the drawer but is that not what CHRIST-mas is all about? The birth of the saviour of mankind? I heard all sorts of little songs about dradles, snow men and Santa but not any mention of Christ. I queried my daughters and sons-in-laws about this phenomenon and I was advised that they had been mandated by the district office and the local school board that such expressions were strictly prohibited.

It is beyond alarming to people of my maturity that religious freedom has been relegated to the back rooms in America in favor of letting all sorts of philosophies of men prevail. Liberal judges, left wing attorneys and grass roots advocacy groups have taken the foundation out of our country. Soon we will look around and ask the question what happened to the America in which we grew up where families prayed together at a church of their choosing. Where what a mom and dad elected to teach their children and pray to our God when we felt we needed to has disappeared. Then we can make the statement to that query the simple little Bellamy response " It falled over." The foundations have been removed.

Have a look at this and see if you agree. You may have to copy and paste this into your browser.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAJGkQGz4yI