On Wednesday, July 18th, George Zimmerman, presently awaiting trial for the murder of seventeen year old Trayvon Martin on February 26, 2012, in Sanford, Florida, introduced a strange, yet not altogether foreign theological argument in justification of his actions in an interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity.
Zimmerman theologized Martin's loss of life at his hands, stating, "I feel that it was all God's plan and not for me to second-guess it or judge it." It can be surmised then that in Zimmerman's thinking, the events of February 26th, wherein he followed Trayvon Martin, disobeyed dispatcher's instructions not to pursue Trayvon, and then fatally shot Trayvon was the providential handiwork of God preordained before the commencement of time itself.
This makes total sense to me.
Zimmerman's theological argument for killing Trayvon Martin makes total sense to me in that I actually believe that Zimmerman has convinced himself of what he has verbally stated -- that this is God's plan. While such an argument might seem outrageous to many, the argument itself boasts deep and extensive roots anchored in the blood-stained soil of the Western World's racial history. God has often been implicated as the impetus behind the rape, pillage, mutilation, and death of others.
European conquests to the New World fueled by the unintended weaponry of biological warfare which decimated entire nations? It was all a part of God's plan. The Trans-Atlantic slave trade more popularly taught to children today as the Triangular Trade Route? Yep, God's plan to bring salvation to African savages upon the Dark Continent. Manifest Destiny, the westward movement to lay claim to already settled lands via broken treaties, war, and outright theft? Undoubtedly, this was God's plan. Segregation and Jim Crow? You guessed it! These too were God's plan!
Enlightenment Bible scholars theologized the Genesis story of Ham as God's curse against all people darkly pigmented (Genesis 9:20-26). The story of the Tower of Babel, also from Genesis, was exegeted such that it was used to justify the segregation of the races (Genesis 11:1-9). Hatred of President Obama has been justified by some in his being the Anti-Christ of biblical record, and of course, God is against the Anti-Christ! It is worth noting that the first movie viewed in the White House, The Birth of A Nation, originally called The Clansman, closes with the appearance of the image of Christ, a not-so-subtle divine endorsement of the movie's racist claims.
God-sponsored racism is an old-story, a tactic that has been leveraged for years to justify inhumane and diabolical practices against those who have been deemed less than human.
Despite its common usage, the roll of history is replete with those who courageously rejected its claims. One such person was Thomas Paine, a white abolitionist. In an essay published on March 8, 1775, in the Pennsylvania Journal and the Weekly Advertiser, Paine penned:
"To Americans:That some desperate wretches should be willing to steal and enslave men by violence and murder for gain, is rather lamentable than strange. But that many civilized, nay, Christianized people should approve, and be concerned in the savage practice, is surprising; and still persist, though it has been so often proved contrary to the light of nature, to every principle of Justice and Humanity...
Our Traders in MEN (an unnatural commodity!) must know the wickedness of the SLAVE-TRADE, if they attend to reasoning, or the dictates of their own hearts: and such as shun and stifle (sic) all these, willfully (sic) sacrifice Conscience, and the character of integrity to that golden idol."
Paine rightfully discerned that God-sponsored racism is the procreative results of conscience sacrificed and reasoning shunned. Those who, like Zimmerman, implicate God in their actions would do well to revisit the claims of Scripture. There they will find recorded in 1 John 4:20, "If someone says, 'I love God,' and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?"
A statement released by Trayvon Martin's father, Tracy Martin, read "We must worship a different God, because there is no way that my God would have wanted George Zimmerman to kill my teenage son."
And while it may be true that Tracy Martin's God did not, it is unfortunately clear that George Zimmerman's god did.
Trayvon, rest in peace.
Follow Michael W. Waters on Twitter: www.twitter.com/RevDrMikeWaters
Its the sort of thing when you loose a loved one, or your parents and you see the pastor or reverend to get solace and an explanation of why this weight of having someone taken away, and is pulling you down!......."Its Gods Plan"
Its the reply you get when you question your faith as to why something happened, and its logical and illogical at the same time.....but, if you are a believer, you must believe, that there is a reason that is not so obvious to you, for your problem......but it is....Gods Plan!
However, no matter what GOD" spoke to Trayvons assassinator, he is a small minded ignorant, subtle poker faced racist who was so angry and psycho that he waylaid the 6ft teen.
And when Trayvon Martin "STOOD HIS GROUND" and threw a whoop A^^ his killers life changed forever.
Trayvon Martin, spirit has arrived to join the ancestors BUT" is never forgotten Trust me never!
Me: I find it disgusting that people would try to pick apart everything GZ says; he's obviously not the most articulate person on the planet. Some Christians think that "everything happens for a reason", or "everything that happens is God's will". I am not of this mindset; but everyone has their own walk with God, or with gods, or without, as is their choice; and only they can decide for themselves how they will view the circumstances that occur in their lives.
Another thing to consider: slavery has been outlawed for over a century in the USA, and measures have been taken to guarantee equality for all. However, slavery still exists in Africa, Asia, and other nations.
"Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
āNot everyone who says to me, āLord, Lord,ā will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, āLord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?ā Then I will tell them plainly, āI never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!ā -Matthew 7 Verse 20-24, New Internatial Version Bible
If local and state police and prosecutors; a law firm and its investigators; and FBI agents, on a mandate from a black U.S. attorney general and president, can find no proof of racism, what evidence do you have to believe, without a shadow of a doubt, that GZ is racist?
In the interview, GZ was being asked about various steps leading up to the shooting, and that's when he said he couldn't question God's plan. Imagine for a moment that he's telling the truth about what happened. For him, this would be a terrible tragedy, in which he killed a teenager, and his own life is ruined and endangered. Many Christians console themselves with the idea that tragedies must be part of God's plan. Otherwise, they might question why an all-knowing, all-powerful, loving God created imperfect creatures, knowing they would do horrible things.
Because God gave them free will and the power to change their own destiny by making choices and doing horrible things they know they will be judged and punished for.
What would be the point of Hell if an all-knowing, all-powerful, loving God would have created only perfect creatures ? What would be the point of "confession" if everyone was perfect ? What would be there to "forgive" if nobody wronged anyone ? What is the point of God "judging" anyone if everyone was perfect and doing everything according to his plan ?
Don't be silly. Nobody's perfect. Not even that god who was violent and vengeful, and then changed his mind and sent Jesus to inform everyone about it.
Why didn't she complain last year? Or, two years ago, five years ago, ten years ago? Why didn't she tell her parents?
Maybe that stuff never happened...
George Zimmerman DID NOT have a racist bone in his body but he had a mind saturated with racism in his head ...
.He thinks with his brain not his bones...That FBI investigation was supposed to be a criminal investigation.
At the expense of the tax payers it turned out to be a list of character references for George Zimmerman's to turn in with his resume when he makes his next application to be a police officer.
This alleged FBI investigation was spurred on by the lack of activity by the SPD and now the SPD is putting the FBI to shame when it is compared to this farce of a report that they have submitted.
They merely used the opinions which were favorable to George Zimmerman , the opinions of the actual witnesses that actually described him as the aggressor were not used...the AfrAm male that had made a complaint against him as a NW person was not used .they used practiaclly no AfrAm residents of the gated community.....I need go no further.
This was not a murder investigation but a poll in which select individuals were polled.
In addition to boarderline mucking things up. The screams were inconclusiveā¦ a voice expert, who is
1 of 9 IN THE WORLDā¦ said the voice is NOT ZIMMERMANās.
I am waiting for someone to locate and interview the two black kids GZ says he mentored. He even said in the video interview that he had been with them that very evening, before leaving for Target. (for some strange reason I do not believe this story.)
George Zimmerman's rendotion of what happened is made up 99% fabrications, and his relatives made further fabrications to back up what he had fabricated so what they have created is a mass of lies, which will never be sorted out.