My story | Elizabeth Smart | TEDxUniversityofNevada Kidnapped and Sexually Abused!
Sunday, February 22, 2015
Saturday, February 21, 2015
Nabeel Qureshi, in Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus
“Then I saw something that I had seen countless times before: a man walking down the sidewalk toward the medical school.
But that was not all I saw. Though I had no idea who this man was, I knew he had a dramatic story, replete with personal struggles, broken relationships, & splintered self-worth. Taught by the world that he was an outcome of blind evolution, he subconsciously valued himself as exactly that: a byproduct of random chance, with no purpose, no hope, no meaning except what pleasures he could extract out of the day. Chasing these pleasures resulted in guilt & pain, which caused him to chase more pleasures, which led to more guilt & more pain. Burying it all just beneath the surface, he went about his day with no clue how to break the cycle, how to find true hope.
What I saw was a man who needed to know that God could rescue him, that God had rescued him. This man needed to know about God & His power.
Did he know?
Did he know that God loved him from the foundations of the earth? With a power far exceeding the immensity of the cosmos, He turned all His attention to creating that man & declared, ‘You are My child. I love you.’
Did he know that God made him exactly how He wanted, knowing each hair on his head & each second of his life? God knew full well that the hands He gave to this man would be used to sin against Him, that the feet He gave to this man would be used to walk away from Him. Yet, instead of withholding these gifts, He gave him the most precious gift of all: His own Son.
Did he know that God entered into this world for him, to suffer in his stead? Received with slaps & fists by the very people He came to save, He was scourged until His skin fell off in ribbons, only to be pierced through both arms & feet, nailed naked on wood for all to ridicule. He scraped His skinless back on splintered wood with each rasping breath, His last breath finishing the task of rescuing us, of securing our eternity with Him.
Did he know?
Of course not. We have to tell him.
While I was wallowing in self-pity, focused on myself, there was a whole world with literally billions of people who had no idea who God is, how amazing He is, & the wonders He has done for us. They are the ones who are really suffering. They don’t know His hope, His peace, & His love that transcends all understanding. They don’t know the Message of the Gospel.
After loving us with the most humble life & the most horrific death, Jesus told us, ‘As I have loved you, go & love one another.’ How could I consider myself a follower of Jesus if I was not willing to live as He lived? To die as He died? To love the unloved & give hope to the hopeless?
This is not about me. It is about Him & His love for His children.
Now I knew what it meant to follow God. It meant walking boldly by His Spirit of grace & love, in the firm confidence of everlasting life given through the Son, with the eternal purpose of proclaiming & glorifying the Father.”
-- Nabeel Qureshi, in Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus
But that was not all I saw. Though I had no idea who this man was, I knew he had a dramatic story, replete with personal struggles, broken relationships, & splintered self-worth. Taught by the world that he was an outcome of blind evolution, he subconsciously valued himself as exactly that: a byproduct of random chance, with no purpose, no hope, no meaning except what pleasures he could extract out of the day. Chasing these pleasures resulted in guilt & pain, which caused him to chase more pleasures, which led to more guilt & more pain. Burying it all just beneath the surface, he went about his day with no clue how to break the cycle, how to find true hope.
What I saw was a man who needed to know that God could rescue him, that God had rescued him. This man needed to know about God & His power.
Did he know?
Did he know that God loved him from the foundations of the earth? With a power far exceeding the immensity of the cosmos, He turned all His attention to creating that man & declared, ‘You are My child. I love you.’
Did he know that God made him exactly how He wanted, knowing each hair on his head & each second of his life? God knew full well that the hands He gave to this man would be used to sin against Him, that the feet He gave to this man would be used to walk away from Him. Yet, instead of withholding these gifts, He gave him the most precious gift of all: His own Son.
Did he know that God entered into this world for him, to suffer in his stead? Received with slaps & fists by the very people He came to save, He was scourged until His skin fell off in ribbons, only to be pierced through both arms & feet, nailed naked on wood for all to ridicule. He scraped His skinless back on splintered wood with each rasping breath, His last breath finishing the task of rescuing us, of securing our eternity with Him.
Did he know?
Of course not. We have to tell him.
While I was wallowing in self-pity, focused on myself, there was a whole world with literally billions of people who had no idea who God is, how amazing He is, & the wonders He has done for us. They are the ones who are really suffering. They don’t know His hope, His peace, & His love that transcends all understanding. They don’t know the Message of the Gospel.
After loving us with the most humble life & the most horrific death, Jesus told us, ‘As I have loved you, go & love one another.’ How could I consider myself a follower of Jesus if I was not willing to live as He lived? To die as He died? To love the unloved & give hope to the hopeless?
This is not about me. It is about Him & His love for His children.
Now I knew what it meant to follow God. It meant walking boldly by His Spirit of grace & love, in the firm confidence of everlasting life given through the Son, with the eternal purpose of proclaiming & glorifying the Father.”
-- Nabeel Qureshi, in Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus
Dificuldades que Fortalecem
http://anchor.tfionline.com/pt/post/dificuldades-que-fortalecem/
Maria Fontaine
O Senhor sabe que encorajamento é muito importante para nós, e Ele quer nos dar em abundância. Encorajamento desempenha um papel fundamental para nos ajudar a continuar seguindo em frente, mesmo quando temos vontade de desistir. Encorajamento é uma das melhores injeções de ânimo — e quando vem do Senhor, eu diria que é a melhor. O encorajamento de Deus nos ajuda a saber que não estamos sós, que Ele entende o que estamos enfrentando, e que, se apenas aguentarmos um pouco mais, conseguiremos.
A Palavra de Deus aborda uma série de assuntos, mas à s vezes você simplesmente precisa ler algo que é puro encorajamento, que lhe dá um estÃmulo extra quando está se sentindo por baixo. A beleza da Palavra de Deus é que, quer se encaixe na sua situação “como uma luva”, quer os princÃpios se apliquem, quer possa ajustar o conceito à sua situação, ou o Senhor a use para falar com você sobre algo completamente diferente, quer lhe dê mais compaixão dos outros ou o ajude a compreendê-los — vai beneficiar você. Sempre ganhamos algo inestimável ao lermos a Palavra de Deus, se orarmos como o Rei Davi, “Desvenda os meus olhos, para que veja as maravilhas da Tua lei.”[1]
Oro que a seguinte mensagem de encorajamento dada em profecia, sejam palavras dadas no momento certo para você, como “maçãs de ouro em cestos de prata.”[2]
Jesus disse:
Pode ler as histórias de qualquer um dos Meus grandiosos homens e mulheres do passado, qualquer um que considere um cristão de destaque que fez um trabalho maravilhoso por Mim, e verá que nenhum deles teve uma vida fácil. Cada um deles lutou contra o Inimigo e contra as dificuldades que um mundo descrente jogou contra eles durante toda a sua vida. Às vezes lhes pareceu que Eu nem sempre respondi à s suas orações, ou que permiti coisas que eles consideravam difÃceis demais e que não conseguiriam suportar. Mas foram esses tempos difÃceis e obstáculos que os fizeram brilhar com tanto fulgor por Mim, e que fizeram deles eternos exemplos de dedicação e amor por Mim desde aqueles dias até agora, e por toda a eternidade.
“No mundo tereis aflições, mas tende bom ânimo, eu venci o mundo.”[3] Esta vida na Terra inclui tempos de sofrimento e dor, dificuldade e perda, luta e muito esforço. Se toda a fricção fosse removida e você pudesse planar pela vida sem esforço algum não seria a terra. Isso seria o Céu. OCéu é o Meu reino, onde há perfeição e nenhuma decepção. Mas a terra é um campo de batalha. É um lugar onde você passa por dificuldades e quebrantamentos, dor e lágrimas.
Você está fazendo a Minha luz brilhar neste mundo, apesar de todas as dificuldades que enfrenta, e por isto o exaltarei grandemente um dia. Mas não se surpreenda por a vida ser difÃcil. Todo o mundo que já fez qualquer coisa de valor por Mim se deparou com essas dificuldades. Enquanto estiver tentando viver por Mim neste mundo, sempre vai parecer difÃcil.
No Céu farei tudo perfeito. Mas não na terra. Não ainda. Não é o momento. Responder cada uma de suas orações, solucionar todas as situações e remover cada espinho, iria derrotar o propósito para o qual está na terra.
Um segredo para enfrentar tempos de provações é lembrar que nunca lhe prometi um mar de rosas, mas prometo ajudá-lo a passar pela tempestade. Deixe as provações atuais impeli-lo pela tempestade e ajudá-lo a ser um apoio e bênção para outros, pois já esteve em seu lugar e sabe como é.
A dificuldade o fortalece. O que você considera dificuldade eu considero a sua glória. Quero aproximá-lo de Mim e confortá-lo. Quero encorajá-o e lhe dizer que estou muito orgulhoso de você por guardar a fé e permanecer fiel a Mim. Há muita dor na terra, mas grandes recompensas no céu. Há muito sacrifÃcio na terra, mas grande glória no céu. Às vezes já confusão e dúvidas, mas um dia você Me verá face a face e conhecerá tudo plenamente, assim como é conhecido.[4]
Tenha coragem, e saiba que estou sempre aqui para você. Prometo que nunca permitirei que sucumba debaixo do fardo. Minha graça lhe bastará. Eu o farei sair vitorioso das tempestades e tribulações desta vida. Tenha bom ânimo, Eu venci o mundo!
Você sempre terá batalhas e problemas nesta vida, mas a vitória vem de simplesmente Me buscar. Confie em Mim e acredite, independente das circunstâncias nas quais se encontra, mesmo quando não entende. Lembre-se, se tu podes crer, tudo é possÃvel ao que crê.[5]
Moisés não entendeu como Eu o ajudaria a atravessar o Mar Vermelho. Gideão não tinha a mÃnima idéia de como Eu o ajudaria a ganhar a batalha com apenas 300 homens. O conhecimento de Noé sobre embarcações era nulo; ele nem mesmo sabia o que era um barco, e levou 120 anos para descobrir. Ele não conseguia ver o quadro final quando começou a anotar as dimensões daquele navio. Não tinha a mÃnima ideia do que seria o resultado final. Ele simplesmente Me seguiu um dia de cada vez, um passo de cada vez. E recusou se render ou ceder perante as multidões que o escarneciam. Ele fixou os olhos em Mim e não os desviou. Foi assim que passou aqueles 120 longos anos — levando as coisas um dia de cada vez, apenas por fé.
Então aproveite ao máximo a sua vida na terra. Aprenda a considerar tudo uma alegria e uma honra quando passar por batalhas e provações.[6] Você pode superar. Você consegue. Chegou até aqui por fé, não desista. Continue em frente por Mim. Continue combatendo o bom combate da fé. Sei que você consegue.
*
Que Deus maravilhoso nós temos—Ele é o Pai do nosso Senhor Jesus Cristo, a fonte de toda a misericórdia, e aquele que tão maravilhosamente nos conforta e fortalece nas dificuldades e provações! E por que Ele faz isso? Para que, quando os outros estiverem aflitos, necessitados da nossa compaixão e do nosso estimulo, possamos transmitir-lhes essa mesma ajuda e esse mesmo consolo que Deus nos deu. Podem estar seguros de que, quanto mais suportarmos sofrimento por causa de Cristo, mais Ele derramara sobre nós o seu consolo e o seu incentivo.
Nós estamos em sérios apertos por levar a vocês o consolo e a salvação de Deus. Mas em nossa dificuldade Deus nos tem confortado—e isto, também, para ajudar vocês; para mostrar-lhes com a nossa experiência pessoal como Deus nos confortará ternamente quando suportarem estes mesmos sofrimentos. Ele lhes dará forças para aguentar.—2 CorÃntios 1:3–7[7]
Publicado originalmente em março de 2007. Adaptado e republicado em junho de 2014. Tradução Denise Oliveira. Revisão H.R.Flandoli.
[1] Salmo 119:18, BV.
[2] Provérbios 25:11, SBB.
[3] João 16:33.
[4] 1 CorÃntios 13:12.
[5] Marcos 9:23.
[6] Tiago 1:2.
[7] NTLH.
Maria Fontaine
O Senhor sabe que encorajamento é muito importante para nós, e Ele quer nos dar em abundância. Encorajamento desempenha um papel fundamental para nos ajudar a continuar seguindo em frente, mesmo quando temos vontade de desistir. Encorajamento é uma das melhores injeções de ânimo — e quando vem do Senhor, eu diria que é a melhor. O encorajamento de Deus nos ajuda a saber que não estamos sós, que Ele entende o que estamos enfrentando, e que, se apenas aguentarmos um pouco mais, conseguiremos.
A Palavra de Deus aborda uma série de assuntos, mas à s vezes você simplesmente precisa ler algo que é puro encorajamento, que lhe dá um estÃmulo extra quando está se sentindo por baixo. A beleza da Palavra de Deus é que, quer se encaixe na sua situação “como uma luva”, quer os princÃpios se apliquem, quer possa ajustar o conceito à sua situação, ou o Senhor a use para falar com você sobre algo completamente diferente, quer lhe dê mais compaixão dos outros ou o ajude a compreendê-los — vai beneficiar você. Sempre ganhamos algo inestimável ao lermos a Palavra de Deus, se orarmos como o Rei Davi, “Desvenda os meus olhos, para que veja as maravilhas da Tua lei.”[1]
Oro que a seguinte mensagem de encorajamento dada em profecia, sejam palavras dadas no momento certo para você, como “maçãs de ouro em cestos de prata.”[2]
Jesus disse:
Pode ler as histórias de qualquer um dos Meus grandiosos homens e mulheres do passado, qualquer um que considere um cristão de destaque que fez um trabalho maravilhoso por Mim, e verá que nenhum deles teve uma vida fácil. Cada um deles lutou contra o Inimigo e contra as dificuldades que um mundo descrente jogou contra eles durante toda a sua vida. Às vezes lhes pareceu que Eu nem sempre respondi à s suas orações, ou que permiti coisas que eles consideravam difÃceis demais e que não conseguiriam suportar. Mas foram esses tempos difÃceis e obstáculos que os fizeram brilhar com tanto fulgor por Mim, e que fizeram deles eternos exemplos de dedicação e amor por Mim desde aqueles dias até agora, e por toda a eternidade.
“No mundo tereis aflições, mas tende bom ânimo, eu venci o mundo.”[3] Esta vida na Terra inclui tempos de sofrimento e dor, dificuldade e perda, luta e muito esforço. Se toda a fricção fosse removida e você pudesse planar pela vida sem esforço algum não seria a terra. Isso seria o Céu. OCéu é o Meu reino, onde há perfeição e nenhuma decepção. Mas a terra é um campo de batalha. É um lugar onde você passa por dificuldades e quebrantamentos, dor e lágrimas.
Você está fazendo a Minha luz brilhar neste mundo, apesar de todas as dificuldades que enfrenta, e por isto o exaltarei grandemente um dia. Mas não se surpreenda por a vida ser difÃcil. Todo o mundo que já fez qualquer coisa de valor por Mim se deparou com essas dificuldades. Enquanto estiver tentando viver por Mim neste mundo, sempre vai parecer difÃcil.
No Céu farei tudo perfeito. Mas não na terra. Não ainda. Não é o momento. Responder cada uma de suas orações, solucionar todas as situações e remover cada espinho, iria derrotar o propósito para o qual está na terra.
Um segredo para enfrentar tempos de provações é lembrar que nunca lhe prometi um mar de rosas, mas prometo ajudá-lo a passar pela tempestade. Deixe as provações atuais impeli-lo pela tempestade e ajudá-lo a ser um apoio e bênção para outros, pois já esteve em seu lugar e sabe como é.
A dificuldade o fortalece. O que você considera dificuldade eu considero a sua glória. Quero aproximá-lo de Mim e confortá-lo. Quero encorajá-o e lhe dizer que estou muito orgulhoso de você por guardar a fé e permanecer fiel a Mim. Há muita dor na terra, mas grandes recompensas no céu. Há muito sacrifÃcio na terra, mas grande glória no céu. Às vezes já confusão e dúvidas, mas um dia você Me verá face a face e conhecerá tudo plenamente, assim como é conhecido.[4]
Tenha coragem, e saiba que estou sempre aqui para você. Prometo que nunca permitirei que sucumba debaixo do fardo. Minha graça lhe bastará. Eu o farei sair vitorioso das tempestades e tribulações desta vida. Tenha bom ânimo, Eu venci o mundo!
Você sempre terá batalhas e problemas nesta vida, mas a vitória vem de simplesmente Me buscar. Confie em Mim e acredite, independente das circunstâncias nas quais se encontra, mesmo quando não entende. Lembre-se, se tu podes crer, tudo é possÃvel ao que crê.[5]
Moisés não entendeu como Eu o ajudaria a atravessar o Mar Vermelho. Gideão não tinha a mÃnima idéia de como Eu o ajudaria a ganhar a batalha com apenas 300 homens. O conhecimento de Noé sobre embarcações era nulo; ele nem mesmo sabia o que era um barco, e levou 120 anos para descobrir. Ele não conseguia ver o quadro final quando começou a anotar as dimensões daquele navio. Não tinha a mÃnima ideia do que seria o resultado final. Ele simplesmente Me seguiu um dia de cada vez, um passo de cada vez. E recusou se render ou ceder perante as multidões que o escarneciam. Ele fixou os olhos em Mim e não os desviou. Foi assim que passou aqueles 120 longos anos — levando as coisas um dia de cada vez, apenas por fé.
Então aproveite ao máximo a sua vida na terra. Aprenda a considerar tudo uma alegria e uma honra quando passar por batalhas e provações.[6] Você pode superar. Você consegue. Chegou até aqui por fé, não desista. Continue em frente por Mim. Continue combatendo o bom combate da fé. Sei que você consegue.
*
Que Deus maravilhoso nós temos—Ele é o Pai do nosso Senhor Jesus Cristo, a fonte de toda a misericórdia, e aquele que tão maravilhosamente nos conforta e fortalece nas dificuldades e provações! E por que Ele faz isso? Para que, quando os outros estiverem aflitos, necessitados da nossa compaixão e do nosso estimulo, possamos transmitir-lhes essa mesma ajuda e esse mesmo consolo que Deus nos deu. Podem estar seguros de que, quanto mais suportarmos sofrimento por causa de Cristo, mais Ele derramara sobre nós o seu consolo e o seu incentivo.
Nós estamos em sérios apertos por levar a vocês o consolo e a salvação de Deus. Mas em nossa dificuldade Deus nos tem confortado—e isto, também, para ajudar vocês; para mostrar-lhes com a nossa experiência pessoal como Deus nos confortará ternamente quando suportarem estes mesmos sofrimentos. Ele lhes dará forças para aguentar.—2 CorÃntios 1:3–7[7]
Publicado originalmente em março de 2007. Adaptado e republicado em junho de 2014. Tradução Denise Oliveira. Revisão H.R.Flandoli.
[1] Salmo 119:18, BV.
[2] Provérbios 25:11, SBB.
[3] João 16:33.
[4] 1 CorÃntios 13:12.
[5] Marcos 9:23.
[6] Tiago 1:2.
[7] NTLH.
What made Stonewall Jackson such a legend?
http://www.csmonitor.com/Books/chapter-and-verse/2015/0220/What-made-Stonewall-Jackson-such-a-legend
S.C. Gwynne's book 'Rebel Yell' details the life of the South's most beloved martyr, the Confederate general who left a brutal battlefield legacy that's still with us today.
By Randy Dotinga FEBRUARY 20, 2015
View Caption
By the numbers, the North should have easily smashed the South in the American Civil War. The North had more soldiers, more money, more supplies. But the numbers knew nothing about a man named Thomas Jackson, best known to us today as “Stonewall.”
An exceedingly ordinary physics professor who became an exceedingly extraordinary general, Jackson inspired the South and became its most beloved martyr.
Historian S.C. Gwynne, best known as the author of books about the American West, profiles Jackson in a new biography. Rebel Yell: The Violence, Passion, and Redemption of Stonewall Jackson is a remarkable book that deserves a place on any list of this century’s best Civil War histories.
Recommended: 10 best novels about the US Civil War
Gwynne vividly brings this most unusual man to life. He reveals how Jackson, an odd, gentle, and even meek man off the battlefield, revolutionized warfare by abandoning any pretense that war isn’t cruel or bloody. Like virtually no one else, it seems, he saw what was coming and was ready.
Jackson made his men fight, and he made his men die, and he left a brutal battlefield legacy that’s still with us today. “He understood the South had few resources, and the idea was to hit the North so hard and make it feel pain so acutely that they’d acknowledge Southern independence,” Gwynne said an interview with the Monitor. “It’s the same theory as dropping a bomb on Hiroshima.” And it had similar horrific results.
Q: Why did you choose to write a biography of someone from the South, which will forever be on the wrong side of history?
I’m as Yankee of a guy as you can possibly get, but when you study the Civil War, you discover that it was a very complex economic and social phenomenon. It’s possible to look at and understand the Confederacy without focusing on the single issue that slavery was a moral wrong. It’s a lot more complicated than that.
Q: What drew you to Stonewall Jackson?
I’ve been interested in the Civil War for the long time, and this seemed to be as dramatic a story as I could find. And he wasn’t one of the Confederacy’s great villains, obviously.
Q: In fact, he was on the progressive side, at least from a Southern perspective. What did he believe about racial issues?
Jackson came from what is now West Virginia, a part of the country where slavery was not really very common. He had slaves when he grew up, his uncles had slaves and he had slaves of his own, but he acquired three to help them avoid worse fates.
As a physics professor, he founded and ran a successful Sunday school for slaves. This was what he did in his spare time. He taught slaves to read, and he was accosted in the street by people who said, “You can’t do this.”
There’s even a church near Roanoke with a stained-glass window portrait of Jackson put up by one of his students in the Sunday school.
Q: The Civil War is remarkable because so many high-profile men were wretched generals. At the same time, men who failed or nearly failed in life before the war, like Jackson and Ulysses Grant, became unlikely heroes. What do you make of that?
The Civil War was a great transformer of men, and it cut both ways.
The political generals, these great wealthy men who were powerful before the war, are exposed as incompetent and cowards. On the other side, you have Grant, who’s failed at everything he’s ever done, and William Tecumseh Sherman, who failed at all of his business ventures, and Philip Sheridan, who was nothing.
Then there’s Jackson, who’s this peculiar, kind-of-failed physics professor and becomes the most famous military man in the Western world. His ascent was astonishing, 14 months from being a physics professor – whom the Army didn’t really want – to being compared to Napoleon.
Q: How did this fussy, odd man – a guy who was mocked by his physics students – transform so quickly?
Jackson was a hero in the Mexican War, but afterward he was kind of miserable. There’s no war, nothing to be great at, and his students threw spitballs and imitated him. Then the Civil War comes and he’s instantly great.
One of the reasons that men like Grant and Jackson moved up so quickly is because a lot of people fighting weren’t very good.
A lot of other generals wanted power, but they were scared of the responsibility. In the early war, there’s so much incompetence that it’s like the Keystone Cops. By year three of the war, most of the real incompetence had been weeded out.
Q: What were some of his best traits?
He had his eccentricities. He wouldn’t share information with anyone, which is not what you’d consider good management, and he didn’t get along with many of his generals. At one point, all of his principal generals were under arrest.
But he was good at deception, he was decisive, and he had an astounding ability to understand the terrain and maneuver his army to the right place at the right time.
A lot of his greatness was in his moral courage: You have an army, and you’ve got to make decisions, and a lot of men will be killed. The decision-making was crisp and thorough, and there was going to be no second-guessing. In the early war, there was hardly anyone who was as decisive as Jackson.
He also believed that he could get more out of his men than anyone thought possible. He was ahead of everyone else in understanding how cruel the war would be. He had an whole army in mutiny against him, but it worked.
Q: What did he understand about the war early on that others failed to perceive?
He understood very early that the war was going to be a lot harder and crueler than anyone thought it would be. He wanted to take an army north and burn Baltimore and Philadelphia and Pittsburgh and march to the Great Lakes. He supported a “black flag” war, which means no prisoners, you should kill everybody.
He understood the South had few resources, and the idea was to hit the North so hard and make it feel pain so acutely that they’d acknowledge Southern independence. It’s the same theory as dropping a bomb on Hiroshima.
His war department thought he was flat crazy and dangerous for advocating this. But look what happens to General Robert E. Lee a few years later: He marches into Pennsylvania.
Q: What was Jackson’s legacy in the long term?
Jackson had a profound effect on war in the 20th century, the ultra-fast movements and quick strikes. The German blitzkrieg is partially based on Jackson and his style of fighting.
Q: What was his legacy in the war itself after he was killed on the battlefield?
He was brave, and he was feared on the battlefield. He was seen as this underdog who could take small armies against bigger armies. It absolutely shattered the South when he died, and his death was as shattering as Lincoln’s was to the North two years later.
When Jackson died, it was the first outpouring of grief for a fallen hero in American history. The leaders who had fallen before tended to be old men.
His death touched every heart and hearth in the South and took away one of their great heroes. When he received that wound, Jackson and Lee had just engineered the South’s greatest victory. The immediate legacy was a shattering of Southern spirit.
Randy Dotinga, a Monitor contributor, is president of the American Society of Journalists and Authors.
S.C. Gwynne's book 'Rebel Yell' details the life of the South's most beloved martyr, the Confederate general who left a brutal battlefield legacy that's still with us today.
By Randy Dotinga FEBRUARY 20, 2015
View Caption
By the numbers, the North should have easily smashed the South in the American Civil War. The North had more soldiers, more money, more supplies. But the numbers knew nothing about a man named Thomas Jackson, best known to us today as “Stonewall.”
An exceedingly ordinary physics professor who became an exceedingly extraordinary general, Jackson inspired the South and became its most beloved martyr.
Historian S.C. Gwynne, best known as the author of books about the American West, profiles Jackson in a new biography. Rebel Yell: The Violence, Passion, and Redemption of Stonewall Jackson is a remarkable book that deserves a place on any list of this century’s best Civil War histories.
Recommended: 10 best novels about the US Civil War
Gwynne vividly brings this most unusual man to life. He reveals how Jackson, an odd, gentle, and even meek man off the battlefield, revolutionized warfare by abandoning any pretense that war isn’t cruel or bloody. Like virtually no one else, it seems, he saw what was coming and was ready.
Jackson made his men fight, and he made his men die, and he left a brutal battlefield legacy that’s still with us today. “He understood the South had few resources, and the idea was to hit the North so hard and make it feel pain so acutely that they’d acknowledge Southern independence,” Gwynne said an interview with the Monitor. “It’s the same theory as dropping a bomb on Hiroshima.” And it had similar horrific results.
Q: Why did you choose to write a biography of someone from the South, which will forever be on the wrong side of history?
I’m as Yankee of a guy as you can possibly get, but when you study the Civil War, you discover that it was a very complex economic and social phenomenon. It’s possible to look at and understand the Confederacy without focusing on the single issue that slavery was a moral wrong. It’s a lot more complicated than that.
Q: What drew you to Stonewall Jackson?
I’ve been interested in the Civil War for the long time, and this seemed to be as dramatic a story as I could find. And he wasn’t one of the Confederacy’s great villains, obviously.
Q: In fact, he was on the progressive side, at least from a Southern perspective. What did he believe about racial issues?
Jackson came from what is now West Virginia, a part of the country where slavery was not really very common. He had slaves when he grew up, his uncles had slaves and he had slaves of his own, but he acquired three to help them avoid worse fates.
As a physics professor, he founded and ran a successful Sunday school for slaves. This was what he did in his spare time. He taught slaves to read, and he was accosted in the street by people who said, “You can’t do this.”
There’s even a church near Roanoke with a stained-glass window portrait of Jackson put up by one of his students in the Sunday school.
Q: The Civil War is remarkable because so many high-profile men were wretched generals. At the same time, men who failed or nearly failed in life before the war, like Jackson and Ulysses Grant, became unlikely heroes. What do you make of that?
The Civil War was a great transformer of men, and it cut both ways.
The political generals, these great wealthy men who were powerful before the war, are exposed as incompetent and cowards. On the other side, you have Grant, who’s failed at everything he’s ever done, and William Tecumseh Sherman, who failed at all of his business ventures, and Philip Sheridan, who was nothing.
Then there’s Jackson, who’s this peculiar, kind-of-failed physics professor and becomes the most famous military man in the Western world. His ascent was astonishing, 14 months from being a physics professor – whom the Army didn’t really want – to being compared to Napoleon.
Q: How did this fussy, odd man – a guy who was mocked by his physics students – transform so quickly?
Jackson was a hero in the Mexican War, but afterward he was kind of miserable. There’s no war, nothing to be great at, and his students threw spitballs and imitated him. Then the Civil War comes and he’s instantly great.
One of the reasons that men like Grant and Jackson moved up so quickly is because a lot of people fighting weren’t very good.
A lot of other generals wanted power, but they were scared of the responsibility. In the early war, there’s so much incompetence that it’s like the Keystone Cops. By year three of the war, most of the real incompetence had been weeded out.
Q: What were some of his best traits?
He had his eccentricities. He wouldn’t share information with anyone, which is not what you’d consider good management, and he didn’t get along with many of his generals. At one point, all of his principal generals were under arrest.
But he was good at deception, he was decisive, and he had an astounding ability to understand the terrain and maneuver his army to the right place at the right time.
A lot of his greatness was in his moral courage: You have an army, and you’ve got to make decisions, and a lot of men will be killed. The decision-making was crisp and thorough, and there was going to be no second-guessing. In the early war, there was hardly anyone who was as decisive as Jackson.
He also believed that he could get more out of his men than anyone thought possible. He was ahead of everyone else in understanding how cruel the war would be. He had an whole army in mutiny against him, but it worked.
Q: What did he understand about the war early on that others failed to perceive?
He understood very early that the war was going to be a lot harder and crueler than anyone thought it would be. He wanted to take an army north and burn Baltimore and Philadelphia and Pittsburgh and march to the Great Lakes. He supported a “black flag” war, which means no prisoners, you should kill everybody.
He understood the South had few resources, and the idea was to hit the North so hard and make it feel pain so acutely that they’d acknowledge Southern independence. It’s the same theory as dropping a bomb on Hiroshima.
His war department thought he was flat crazy and dangerous for advocating this. But look what happens to General Robert E. Lee a few years later: He marches into Pennsylvania.
Q: What was Jackson’s legacy in the long term?
Jackson had a profound effect on war in the 20th century, the ultra-fast movements and quick strikes. The German blitzkrieg is partially based on Jackson and his style of fighting.
Q: What was his legacy in the war itself after he was killed on the battlefield?
He was brave, and he was feared on the battlefield. He was seen as this underdog who could take small armies against bigger armies. It absolutely shattered the South when he died, and his death was as shattering as Lincoln’s was to the North two years later.
When Jackson died, it was the first outpouring of grief for a fallen hero in American history. The leaders who had fallen before tended to be old men.
His death touched every heart and hearth in the South and took away one of their great heroes. When he received that wound, Jackson and Lee had just engineered the South’s greatest victory. The immediate legacy was a shattering of Southern spirit.
Randy Dotinga, a Monitor contributor, is president of the American Society of Journalists and Authors.
How 'Fifty Shades of Grey' is contributing to shift in norms on sexuality
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2015/0218/How-Fifty-Shades-of-Grey-is-contributing-to-shift-in-norms-on-sexuality?utm_source
The shift has implications not just for adults, but for children as well. While many agree that 'Fifty Shades of Grey' isn't for kids, its marketing has still reached that age group.
By Gloria Goodale, Staff writer FEBRUARY 18, 2015
Jonathan Alcorn/Reuters
View Caption
LOS ANGELES — The erotic movie “Fifty Shades of Grey” sold a record $94.4 million in movie tickets over Valentine’s Day weekend, but that is not all that the tale of two Seattle 20-somethings is selling, say some observers. The narrative of explicit and humiliating behavior is helping to reset the mainstream base line for acceptable sexual behavior, a shift that has been under way for years and has implications not just for adults but for children as well.
While many argue that "Fifty Shades of Grey" is for adults, "the media firestorm has pushed it into the awareness of children of all ages," says Dawn Hawkins, executive director of the National Center on Sexual Exploitation, via e-mail. A quick search of social media posts on the film, she says, shows throngs of teenage girls fantasizing about having their own Christian Greys. "These girls are wishing to have a man who intimidates, humiliates, and abuses them,” she adds.
“The sexual templates of children are being altered to think that sexual violence, emotionless sexual encounters, and fetishized practices are normal and healthy behaviors," Ms. Hawkins says.
Recommended: Think you're a film buff? Take our movie trivia quiz!
Much of this push has been driven by images from the pornography industry seeping into the popular culture, points out Gordon Coonfield, associate professor of communication at Villanova University nearPhiladelphia.
TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE Think you're a film buff? Take our movie trivia quiz!
PHOTOS OF THE DAY Photos of the day 02/18
Calvin Klein’s now-infamous ads from the early 1990s were staged, filmed, and photographed to appear as amateur kiddie porn, he says, “complete with wood paneling in the basement, too-young models, and an off-camera voice asking strangely inappropriate questions like he is ‘grooming’ them to do something no one should want to see.” Professor Coonfield made his comments via e-mail.
What’s important now is not the debate over conservative or liberal views on human sexuality, he says, but rather a deeper awareness of who is controlling what we think.
“I’m not saying we need a national conversation about how uptight and uncomfortable we are with these subjects,” says Coonfield, adding, “Nor do I think we need a national censorship board to make sure we neither see, hear, nor speak about it.”
If the film leads to conversations about sexuality, this is a good thing, he says. However, he says, “We have been letting advertisers, who rip off the aesthetics, themes, and genres of pornographers, talk to our children for us instead of really talking to them ourselves.”
Many parents find the issue inescapable, a trend only reinforced by the saturation marketing that accompanies a major studio film such as “Fifty Shades.” A study by the Parents Television Council found that 47 percent of TV ads for the film ran in the so-called family hour between 8 and 9 p.m. The push to market merchandise from the film has raised the visibility of sex toys, which are now marketed to mainstream consumers in such outlets as Target.
Los Angeles mother Rebecca Cody, shopping in Target with her 4-year-old daughter, Gwynne, and 9-year-old son, Tommy, says the conversations are being forced upon families by such marketing. “You have to explain everything to them anyway, with Viagra commercials on at dinner time,” she says.
The Los Angeles mother says the film’s billboards that are visible all over town have made it impossible to ignore the movie. “The one that just says, ‘Curious?,’ is something I had to explain to them,” she says, adding that parents almost can't keep adult themes away from children anymore.
Representatives of the adult merchandise industry say their products are aimed at informed adults. “Our corsets and handcuffs are pretty, almost like fashion accessories,” says Desiree Duffie, spokesperson for CaliforniaExotic Novelties. She is quick to add, “We do not market to teen girls.”
But “Fifty Shades” is a step backward in terms of the fight against all forms of domestic violence, in particular the current prevalence of rape on college campuses and in the military, says Patrick Wanis, a human behavior therapist based in Miami and Los Angeles. “This movie sends the message that a woman does not mean no when she says no,” he says.
Mr. Wanis sees this trend in the context of a much larger evolution.
“We are seeing the dissolution of all boundaries, particularly moral ones ... a concept of what is right and what is unacceptable,” he says. “For a culture to survive, it has to be able to draw some boundaries. If it doesn’t, it will slowly collapse from within.”
• Staff writer Daniel B. Wood contributed to this report.
The shift has implications not just for adults, but for children as well. While many agree that 'Fifty Shades of Grey' isn't for kids, its marketing has still reached that age group.
By Gloria Goodale, Staff writer FEBRUARY 18, 2015
Jonathan Alcorn/Reuters
View Caption
LOS ANGELES — The erotic movie “Fifty Shades of Grey” sold a record $94.4 million in movie tickets over Valentine’s Day weekend, but that is not all that the tale of two Seattle 20-somethings is selling, say some observers. The narrative of explicit and humiliating behavior is helping to reset the mainstream base line for acceptable sexual behavior, a shift that has been under way for years and has implications not just for adults but for children as well.
While many argue that "Fifty Shades of Grey" is for adults, "the media firestorm has pushed it into the awareness of children of all ages," says Dawn Hawkins, executive director of the National Center on Sexual Exploitation, via e-mail. A quick search of social media posts on the film, she says, shows throngs of teenage girls fantasizing about having their own Christian Greys. "These girls are wishing to have a man who intimidates, humiliates, and abuses them,” she adds.
“The sexual templates of children are being altered to think that sexual violence, emotionless sexual encounters, and fetishized practices are normal and healthy behaviors," Ms. Hawkins says.
Recommended: Think you're a film buff? Take our movie trivia quiz!
Much of this push has been driven by images from the pornography industry seeping into the popular culture, points out Gordon Coonfield, associate professor of communication at Villanova University nearPhiladelphia.
TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE Think you're a film buff? Take our movie trivia quiz!
PHOTOS OF THE DAY Photos of the day 02/18
Calvin Klein’s now-infamous ads from the early 1990s were staged, filmed, and photographed to appear as amateur kiddie porn, he says, “complete with wood paneling in the basement, too-young models, and an off-camera voice asking strangely inappropriate questions like he is ‘grooming’ them to do something no one should want to see.” Professor Coonfield made his comments via e-mail.
What’s important now is not the debate over conservative or liberal views on human sexuality, he says, but rather a deeper awareness of who is controlling what we think.
“I’m not saying we need a national conversation about how uptight and uncomfortable we are with these subjects,” says Coonfield, adding, “Nor do I think we need a national censorship board to make sure we neither see, hear, nor speak about it.”
If the film leads to conversations about sexuality, this is a good thing, he says. However, he says, “We have been letting advertisers, who rip off the aesthetics, themes, and genres of pornographers, talk to our children for us instead of really talking to them ourselves.”
Many parents find the issue inescapable, a trend only reinforced by the saturation marketing that accompanies a major studio film such as “Fifty Shades.” A study by the Parents Television Council found that 47 percent of TV ads for the film ran in the so-called family hour between 8 and 9 p.m. The push to market merchandise from the film has raised the visibility of sex toys, which are now marketed to mainstream consumers in such outlets as Target.
Los Angeles mother Rebecca Cody, shopping in Target with her 4-year-old daughter, Gwynne, and 9-year-old son, Tommy, says the conversations are being forced upon families by such marketing. “You have to explain everything to them anyway, with Viagra commercials on at dinner time,” she says.
The Los Angeles mother says the film’s billboards that are visible all over town have made it impossible to ignore the movie. “The one that just says, ‘Curious?,’ is something I had to explain to them,” she says, adding that parents almost can't keep adult themes away from children anymore.
Representatives of the adult merchandise industry say their products are aimed at informed adults. “Our corsets and handcuffs are pretty, almost like fashion accessories,” says Desiree Duffie, spokesperson for CaliforniaExotic Novelties. She is quick to add, “We do not market to teen girls.”
But “Fifty Shades” is a step backward in terms of the fight against all forms of domestic violence, in particular the current prevalence of rape on college campuses and in the military, says Patrick Wanis, a human behavior therapist based in Miami and Los Angeles. “This movie sends the message that a woman does not mean no when she says no,” he says.
Mr. Wanis sees this trend in the context of a much larger evolution.
“We are seeing the dissolution of all boundaries, particularly moral ones ... a concept of what is right and what is unacceptable,” he says. “For a culture to survive, it has to be able to draw some boundaries. If it doesn’t, it will slowly collapse from within.”
• Staff writer Daniel B. Wood contributed to this report.
