Greatest abuse is isolation/denial of God

My greatest pity is for those who do not know the strength, comfort, and love that belief in God enfolds them with. Everyone talks about the types of abuse that exists in society today, such as child abuse, elder abuse, substance abuse, etc. But the secret abuse that is universally cruel is the denial of belief in the one God who created, gave birth to, and sustains everyone. It is "human abuse" to deprive someone of their knowledge of God and desire to be sustained by God throughout the day, and not just hidden behind their own home's walls or in the permitted religious institutions.

Back in 1995 I traveled alone to Turkey. I remember my first morning in Istanbul, waking up pre-dawn to the sound of the call to prayer. Rather than feeling like a lone Catholic I felt enormous comfort and familiarity, because I was surrounded by people who love God with their whole hearts and souls. They stop what they are doing five or more times a day to praise God, and to include God in their daily thoughts, problems, and activities.

In the US there are dark hearted furious people who will not even allow a moment of silence in school that is prayerful, say nothing of actual prayer, and even begrudge the mention of God in the pledge of allegiance. They want statuary that speaks of the Ten Commandments or the Christian's view of God to be torn out of public buildings. They have robbed the baby Jesus out of the manger at Christmas time, because that "oppresses" others. I guess these are the same people who shovel money into abortion, to be "equal" in their ripping out of babies from their God given lives. They'd rather see an empty manger.

I cry whenever I think of a Christian child who is born into a family who does not believe in their own faith and honor God, because when that child faces the darkness that life will bring, they don't even have knowledge of the love of Jesus to comfort and strengthen them. I grew up in a small town and all of the children knew that Jesus knew about them individually, and loved and guided them. But the 1960's and 1970's poisoned belief in God. Now those with dark hearts believe that they are oppressed if they are exposed to pious and believing people around them (unless of course it's a "spirituality" that pulls God down to their own baseness, that they manufacture in their new age mental factories, stoked by substance and ego.) When I grew up, children who were deprived of a parent knew they could turn to God, to the intercession of Jesus and Mary, to St Joseph who could be their adopted father. Now there are millions of lost children who know nothing of their own faith, who know nothing of the love of Jesus. And also they know nothing of the necessity to be honorable and faithful in order to save their own souls.

Even though I am very distressed when I read about Christianity being oppressed and persecuted in foreign countries, unlike communism and socialism, I do still feel the tremendous faith and love for God there, as I did when I woke in Istanbul. God is alive and strong there, and I will always think very fondly of Turkey, even when I'm distressed at hurtful incidents against Christians. Because in my own country, I do not feel the day to day love of the Lord; it no longer permeates the daily life of too many people. At best God is "tolerated" and not welcomed. So I feel no discomfort around the devout Christian, the devout Muslim, or the devout Orthodox Jew, because they live truly liberated God centered lives. A truly liberated life lives within God, within God's love and strength, and keeps ones ears open to being informed by the Holy Spirit. That is true equality and that is true liberation - to be equally immersed in life within the one God.