Fight back against 'the cancer of negativity'

 The latest spat about the choirs from Flathead, Glacier and Whitefish high schools performing In the annual "Multi-Denominational Community Christmas Celebration” got me wondering why there is always a problem with some people when others join together and celebrate and have a good time with each other. 

I think I know the answer! Some people react to others’ kindness and camaraderie as a sign of weakness much like a bully does. And then they set out to bully those people into doing things their way. It’s the old “we play by my rules or I'm taking my ball and none of you can play" attitude. 

Now personally I don't care what these people and organizations believe in because I am a born and raised United States of America citizen and am immensely proud of that fact. Nowhere else in the history of mankind has one collection of such diverse people come together as one and guaranteed that each one of us will have the right to freedom of speech, religion and the opportunity to live a good life. Anyone is free to believe or not believe in anything they want as long as it does NOT restrict the rights of another.

The leaders of this revolt against this wonderful tradition we have had here in Kalispell seem to be the Flathead Area Secular Humanist Association and the Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation — yes, the same organization trying to get rid of the Jesus statue on Big Mountain. The Flathead Secular Association is one I am not familiar with, but they claim they have been contacted by high school students who were victims of hateful actions and words at school for expressing their non-Christian beliefs. If this is true these cases need to be investigated on an individual basis, and Kalispell Public Schools Superintendent Darlene Schottle has previously stated her willingness and enthusiasm to stop this kind of bullying. 

The Freedom FROM Religion Organization however is an entity I am familiar with. Remember what I said In the first paragraph about a bully? This organization doesn't even hide this fact. It advertises it in its name! They want... not freedom OF religion as the First Amendment states — they want freedom FROM it. As these organizations are prone to do about us, permit me please to speculate and label them: They would have no mention of God or religion or any reference to any non-manmade ideology in any public supported place, institution, gathering or monument. Imagine the repercussions of this thinking if it were to happen in a place like Rome or Greece. 

My goodness, the towns would have to be leveled! Thousands of years of history bulldozed because "we're going to play my way or else." Now let me state here and now that what I just said, whether accurate or not, was formed by assumptions and speculation on my part and perhaps therein lies the problem.

In the last decade or two l have witnessed the cancer of negativity overtake our nation like never before. The reasons for this, again, require speculation and another several columns in the newspaper; however, the real culprits, in my opinion, are the labels we are prone to putting on people. Democrat-Republican, Christian-atheist, conservative-liberal, Catholic-Lutheran, rich-poor,old-young — it goes on and on. We have become a nation of statistics telling us who to idolize, what to buy and how to live. 

The human part of the equation, the part that tells us there is a problem here and that we should put down our iPhone and help fix it is slowly but surely going away. This applies to everyone from the panhandler on the street corner to the halls of our hallowed institutions and government. People of differing ideas can’t even talk anymore without their differences overshadowing any solution. And, yes, I am guilty too! 

When we label, we judge. When we assume, we judge. And when we do either, we tell everyone that "this ball is mine." Maybe if we all stopped this type of behavior, we would get along and play nice with each other. And maybe the Flathead Area Secular Humanist Association and the Freedom From Religion Foundation would see that the Flathead area school choirs just enjoy singing and couldn't care less about agendas.

Michael Thoennes is a resident of Kalispell.