Son of The South

If you know me you know I am a son of the South. I have in my lienage several Confederate officers and even a Chaplin who served under Leonidas Polk. Lots of family and a long, long line that stretches back to the very beginnings of this part of the country. Lawmen, lawyers, judges and Indian fighters. Cowboys, carpenters, lumbermen, motorcycle racers and preachers. The stuff legends are made of. The stuff of the South.

It might have been Faulkner who said that “in the South, history is not in the past”. Whoever said it was right though. I love history. I love the history of the South and I love setting the record straight about the war that was between the States. Much may be said and of course to the victors go the spoils along with the writing of the history, therefore its pretty certain the South has gotten the short end of the stick, when it comes to the telling of it. I have sympathy for the cause at many points. I have heroes and family that fought in that war, who fought for their country and their land.

I love the South and yet the South was dead wrong. At the end of the day she failed and Southern slavery was her  failure. Southern slavery made her cause wrong, made it stink to heaven. Slavery was her sin. Slavery undid her good. Slavery made her stumble. Slavery made her immoral.

So, the South was wrong. That one issue made her horribly so. So wrong in fact that for all the above I could not lend her my support.

I have a a few young friends. Guys at work, smart fellows who on more than one occasion have questioned my politics.  They know me. For the most part they know how I think. They see how I conduct myself and they wonder;  “How on earth can you vote for a Republican?” How can a man like you, a Priest who loves his fellow man and is demonstrability concerend with social justice, not a racist or a bigot, no chauvinist. An educated guy with a good sense of humor, how can such a man not vote Democratic?

Its a good question because truth be known I am very sympathetic to some of the big aims of the Democrats. Yet there is that one issue. One issue that makes them wrong. Horribly wrong. Wickedly wrong. Catastrophically wrong. That issue is abortion. I simply cannot support murder. Like slavery in the South this one issue completely undoes the good. This one issue makes the whole thing corrupt.

At the end of the day my loyalty lies with Christ. I cannot serve death. I cannot promote murder in the name of doing good anymore than I can say a black man is less than human and another man’s property. I may be a Southerner but I pray I am no monster.

And I want no part of them.