I am afraid By Bjorna Posted April 19, 2021 In Featured, Pastor Sandy's Blog I am afraid2021-04-192021-04-19https://popmn.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/pop-logo_horizontal_color-e1473696608865.pngPrince of Peace Lutheran Churchhttps://popmn.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/pop-logo_horizontal_color-e1473696608865.png200px200px 5 As a kid I spent most of my elementary school years in Massachusetts and Connecticut. One of my favorite things to do was to play outside. My friends and I would love to explore. We collected pinecones and rocks, we made forts in the woods and would catch tadpoles, frogs, and snakes by the ponds. We would bring our collections home and put them in buckets. I never had a fear of walking in the woods or catching reptiles. That all changed when a family of copperhead snakes moved into our yard. Copperheads are venomous. And that is when my fear started. To this day I am afraid of snakes. Even though I know most of them won’t ever hurt me, I am afraid. My automatic response when I see a snake is to scream and my heart rate goes sky high. Fear is my automatic response even though I know most snakes won’t hurt me. This past week another black man was shot by police. He called his mom to tell her he was afraid. It was an automatic response. What needs to change so that all people feel safe? Is there something that I can do, that you can do? Let’s take some time to ponder that this week. Bjorna Recent PostsRespectA Special Word from Amy Kalsow, Director of Community LifeTrustAnnual Congregational Meeting and Voting to Extend Letter of Call Showing 5 comments Mike April 19, 2021 Quote from Sandy’s Blog: “This past week another black man was shot by police. He called his mom to tell her he was afraid. It was an automatic response. What needs to change so that all people feel safe? Is there something that I can do, that you can do? Let’s take some time to ponder that this week.” I do not know how we can do anything to overcome your fear of snakes. You note that another black man was shot by police. Maybe you chose that example as a popular example of fear. You could have noted that just this year 96 police officers in the US have been killed when on duty. The number in 2020 in the US was 264 killed. I imagine all officers have some fear for their life every day they go to work. They voluntarily act on our behalf and accept this fear. In your example, this specific black man was stopped for a traffic violation. He was subjected to arrest because of an outstanding gun warrant. He chose to attempt to flee arrest placing all officers present at risk. It is exceptionally sad he was shot. I would submit that his fear was self-generated and a poor example for you to use to express the fears we all may have. Sandy Rothschiller April 21, 2021 Thank you for taking the time to read and comment on the blog post. Sandy Lois April 19, 2021 As long as we continue to make a distinction, as Pastor Sandy has, based on the color of our skin, I believe we will never reach the point that Dr. King prayed for “that children will one day live in a nation where people will not judged by the color of their skin but by the by the content of their character”. Sandy Rothschiller April 21, 2021 Thank you for taking the time to read and comment on the blog post. Sandy Mark Finholt April 29, 2021 I did take time to ponder this as you suggested. The more I though about your analogy the more it bothered me. Really Sandy, you chose to compare police to a poisonous serpent? How inappropriately biblical. To answer your question, there is something you can do. Please stop demonizing and vilifying police. Secondly, please stop beating the race drum and defining people by color. And finally, but simply, we would all feel safer if people would stop committing crime. That will not happen without police. Sadly, you are not the only one on staff at POP that has expressed this opinion. I am disappointed.
