Beech Tree News Network

A Message to Butler's Christians

I’m a politically conservative Christian who believes strongly that separation of church and state is in the best interest of the church. I believe the message of my faith, in its essence, is demonstrated in the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, and I am constantly in awe of its beautiful message, and of its simplicity to understand and practice, if we seek to understand and practice it with selfless intent. I can’t be thankful enough for the promise and optimism it provides me for the challenges I face on earth, and for the gift of a perfect, eternal life hereafter. For me, it provides meaning to everything else, and it is a blessing to be shared with everyone. In fact, as a Christian it is my responsibility to share it. Yet when shared in its essence, not as a dictate, but as an opportunity to share true fulfillment, it's a rewarding and a pleasure to share.

I grow frustrated and discouraged with some in my faith, humans that they are, make God’s gift their personal whip to shore up their fledging self-esteem by imposing control and thus indulging in the worst of pride’s traps for Christians, self-righteousness. No where is that practice more damaging and overbearing than when they seek to use civil law to impose their moral code on others. How can you call it anything but self-righteousness when you need only look at the documented results of this practice of trying to govern morality, and accept that it not only has consistently failed, but has done almost immeasurable damage? God didn’t give us much of a brain, but he does expect us to use it as best we can, especially as it applies to accomplishing his goal on earth. We’re supposed to learn from failure, and if we appear to ignore it, then others are left to conclude that your prevailing purpose is not to enrich your community but to exert dominance. They think, you think you’re empowered with divine control over them. I think they, and God, don’t agree with you.

You may be under the assumption that Butler’s drinkers come from questionable backgrounds and reckless, rebellious natures. Some form of rebellion is expected as children approach adulthood. Still, many drinkers I know come from restrictive church backgrounds and controlling parents who strived to be the most upright family in the church. These young people soon become aware that the church was the force behind restricting everything fun and free, and they saw it in the civil and education laws as well. They couldn’t even buy a coke on Sunday, and the church controlled the school too with dress codes and dancing forbidden. Well, these youth, in rebellion, snuck off to drink and party, and they’ve drunk ever since.

Open arms and acceptance, followed by the selfless process of simply sharing the faith and showing by example the rewards Christian life, will go much farther than imposing your dictates. It's simply a flawed assumption to think you can both bridle them and welcome them with any real success.

Those opposed to alcohol consumption for religious reasons need to ask themselves a few questions.

—How effective have laws against liquor sales been?  Regardless of whether the laws are against sales are not, anyone who supports them ultimately wants to curtail the consumption of alcohol, not really the sale of alcohol. How successful has that been? Everyone that wants to drink in Butler County, already drinks, and it's readily available in adjacent counties. It's not sensible to assume that people who do not drink will be compelled to drink because it's available two miles away vs. twenty.

—Secondly, how significant a message does the banning of alcohol sales send to your youth? Most of them are in Bowling Green frequently.  Many, if not most, eventually move there or at least work there. They’re well aware that churches and liquor stores are thriving there side by side. They’ve seen alcohol in their own county and probably around their classmates. Meanwhile, at home they see an increasing high level of devastating poverty, a town with closed stores and next to no commerce, a county of abandoned and unkempt property, rural churches all but shuddered, dangerously low-funded law enforcement, an elected government that can’t seem to solve anything, but sure know how to entertain us with their tempers on Hometown Television, and yes, these young people can brag, if they choose, that their county has far too much integrity to allow liquor sales, but they should to be prepared to be laughed at. Fact is, the huge percentage have very mixed emotions when they must leave. On one hand, they feel nostalgic and saddened to move from their families and old home county, but there are far more reasons to be very glad they’re getting out.

—Thirdly, you need to share your alternate plan that won’t raise any scrutiny or discomforts. It can’t cost money (there is none), and the plan needs to raise a substantial amount of revenue within two years. Murray KY, a town of 17,000 plus, made nearly a million dollars in revenue in 2013, its first year of liquor sales. Is it possible, if a tax is grandfathered in, that Butler can generate $80,000 its first year? Apparently not, based on what you have concluded, but it probably is a good figure for you to consider as you provide us with your alternate plan. After all, if you use our government to deny us the possibility of generating that amount of revenue, it's only reasonable that you provide our government with an alternate plan. Off hand, I don’t know of any.  It's very hard to get optimistic about Morgantown’s bright industrial future given the recent disappointments we’ve endured, and given that there is every evidence that the nation’s entire industry sector has a dismal future.

This vote won’t be made by a majority of the county. Given the usual voter turnout, weather, etc., the final decision will probably be made by far less than half. Since the anti-sales supporters are more driven and organized, they may win this with as few as 1,800 votes.

Is that what the Christian anti-drinking community really wants: to legally impose their viewpoint on 12,500 people with 1,800 votes? Will that encourage even more resentment from the rest of the population, even from those that have no interest in liquor sales, but know this county is in trouble, and see no solutions? Will such practices of control increase your church participation or eventually decrease it?

If you believe that drinking is a sin, then obviously you should not vote “yes.” No one should fault you for reflecting your beliefs in your vote. No one should fault you sharing your beliefs at home, work, or in church. Still, to work toward inciting fervor in any and all that will listen, devote all available time to organizing, motivating, even pressuring people, encouraging them to donate money, organizing car pools, producing taped phone campaigns, and finally, petitioning to remove a public servant from his office—this reflects behavior that is more about beating others, and beating a majority of the county into having what you want. People must wonder what all you could have done with the thousands you spent to control the county. Regardless of whether your cause is right, your approach to achieving it can reflect badly on you and your faith. Meanwhile, a “no” sign in the yard makes a statement, but it doesn’t hold you to voting.

I see a touch of telling symbolism in the signs dotting the county these days, and it saddens me.  One is demanding, and orders me what to do: “VOTE NO!”  The other sign is more inviting, “Please Say YES.”  I regret that the church movement wasn’t the more inviting of the two.