EMOTIONAL, MENTAL & MIND HEALTH

BULLY, PG13 VERSION

Christian Movie Review, John L. Decossaux, 6/14/13

[Independent Views on Homosexuality, Chistianity, & Bullying discussed]

We’ve all been bullied & bullied someone. What?!! Yes, it’s true. If, you’ve teased, rejected, hit, cursed, threatened, talked about someone in a negative-truth-attack in their presence, mocked, hated, forced & told the negative truth in order to crush someone’s self-confidence, self-love or belief system you’re a bully. If, you’ve lied about, gotten someone who is innocent in trouble, watched unfair bullying & didn’t speak out you might be a bully. If, you’ve felt like a victim when someone else was bullied then you are the victim & the bully, because you didn’t defend yourself or them. If you’ve thought, “They’ve asked for the trouble & they gotten it so, justice is done”—you’re ignorant of the fact that we’ll all made mistakes & we all deserve to be punished.

What about mercy? It sure feels relaxing & wonderful when someone,

parents or some justice system forgives us & gives us another chance.

We Christians sometimes understand this. We are sinners & human sinners one & all. If, we admit we are prone to bullying & being bullied then, we are living with & accepting the truth. Hopefully the next step is for us to organize our thoughts, present our truths, logically & convincingly. We can then publish this wisdom in a format or media, even just talking about it that helps & doesn’t hurt others. Hatred, cowardice & protecting: evil people, laws & partially wicked schools, empires & other bad systems is sin. We are not walking with Jesus at those moments that we are in fellowship with sin, wickedness & injustice.

If, we believe witches, pagans, LGBT or “sinful sexual practices & beliefs” are all wrong, do we have the right to bully, injure or exclude them from a public school, work place or playground? No, but we have the right to tell them what they are doing is “considered a sin by our God, Yahweh. If, they first attack us with their beliefs or ask us about our interpretation of Jesus then that is a good opening to calmly & with lovingly concern to tell them our belief system.

And yet if, those with any sin, pride, greed, bullying admit they are sinners

And turn from those sins they can be saved.

So-called Straight people have to be saved just like anyone else. Christian people have the right to speak the truth, though history tells us they will be persecuted, bullied & possibly killed under some governments, terrorists, mobs or competing belief systems. We are eventually ready to carry our cross which is an unpopular & a hated message. We are not that worried about dying for Jesus Christ, because HE has promised us Heaven after death. We never cease to live & so it is better to die for the Kingdom of God than, old age, bullies, alcohol, car accidents, suicide, drug addiction, anti Western medicines or being so fearful of death that we overuse Western medicines & facilities & they kill us.

Just as many Gays, hate, persecute & bully directly or indirectly. They think that the whole straight world is hateful, ignorant & preventing their glorious & obvious future as world leaders. We all scapegoat someone or something & proud Gays, Lesbians, Bisexuals & Transgender also scapegoat in ignorance. They delude themselves that they are the good guys & everyone else is bad in some way. Why do most Gays believe that many “straight religions”, ancient or modern, are evil & they have a right to say that, but others have to shut their hate-speech mouths?

It’s true that most people, even Conservative Christians think they are the good guys & everyone else is evil. It’s simply not true. Only Jesus (The TRINITY) is good. Good people do the works, deeds & actions of GOD. Can we be better?

Religious people, heterosexuals & Jesus-believers also have the right to say or act out what they believe without being bullied by the laws created by Liberals, Communists, Competing Religions, False Religions, Philosophies, Sciences, Socialists, Gays or Atheists. It doesn’t work that way because we all have a natural disposition to bully, make what we hate illegal & perform many other evils. It takes an effort to stop criticizing & condemning & judging others. We must admit our own critical, condemning & judgmental attitudes. To leave out the words: “sin & evil” in our quest to end bullying closes our eyes to the truth. Knowing the truth helps you to find the easily found answers. We sin as easily as we breathe & we need help to stop it!

If we can’t call our pseudo-superiority (pride or Ego) a sin

Then we are just as bad as those we condemn.

To act, say or imply that we are superior is a very antagonistic & provocative behavior. It’s wrong behavior. We are: sexier, healthier as vegetarians, more athletic, more in fashion, more popular, more dangerous, more intelligent, more street wise, better at crafts, more educated, more financially secure, etc. Many people will feel attacked, snubbed & demeaned by our superior claims. Smart nerds call jocks or muscular-team joining-teens “stupid”. In what universe is that so-called “truth” not bullying?? Jocks are known for saying or thinking to nerds, “You might be smart, but you know you wish you could be a hero that gets the girl--like me”. The teacher thinks & sometimes says, “You’ll never amount to anything unless you study, work harder & read more about the world you live in. Knowledge is power. I am greater than you.” Find your own examples of how you reject those who have accomplished more or less than you in fields that you either despise or have failed in.

America is a “competitive Nation”

This means that the winners are those who become wealthier & safer

Through crushing others.

(Include another nation that might say this or believe this way: Europe, China, Russia, Arabia, Israel & or the Vatican).

For adults to say, “boys will be boys” & implies that science & common sense has indicated that (1) normal teenage boys are cruel (2) to become a healthy adult the male victims must learn defend themselves verbally & maybe even with violence (3) to stop bullying will result in males that grow up effeminate, passive & vulnerable. Our society will become a bunch of weaklings & make it easy for bullying nations to conquer America. We don’t have to teach courage, physical strength or fighting techniques through bullying, but without it. We don’t need to use a negative attitude, hate & rape to encourage victory in a war, athletic or dating competitions. Those with character have courage in spite of their fear, have wisdom in battle, & forgiveness after the battle.

You can be saved by GOD if, you understand that Jesus is not a liar. Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem, protected from death in Egypt & then in Nazareth-a semi-religious Jewish town. When he was around thirty years old he suddenly started to do miracles & became a rabbi or wandering Hebrew teacher. He eventually said that He was God & came down from Heaven to live & die like a human being. He said: He lived a sinless life, performed real miracles & most prophesies & stories were written and were being fulfilled in Him. He said if, you lose your life & live for GOD and trust that Jesus will save you, even though you have been a sinner in general and specifically a bully, you can go to Heaven when you die. You won’t really die & cease to exist, but you’ll wake up in Heaven. He didn’t say you had to be a Jew to be saved & certainly never had said you have to be a Pentecostal, Baptist or Roman Catholic to be saved. HE said that anywhere on the earth, you could worship God, with or without a church. He gained many followers. Many rejected Him & He rejected many. He told Nicodemus, you must be born from Heaven to be a follower of Jesus. Many started to follow Jesus, but couldn’t keep up or tolerate HIS intolerance towards rejecting GOD, Yahweh’s ways & Roman, Greek & Hindu gods.

Follow whomever you like, but I presented what is my loving truth, the only truth worth dying for. You have to choose for yourself & I’ll like you no matter, but I won’t follow your ways if you reject God’s ways.

In the DVD Bonus materials the former As. U.S. Secretary of Education, Kevin Jennings was very helpful. There are laws in America to protect our children if, we have the courage, grit & persistence to help our children & potentially improve their schools. You can move your child to a safer school because of: the Unsafe Choice Option. There are Federal lawyers who will represent some parents in the U.S. Office of Civil Rights. His advice is “…desperate parents…the law is on your side! Do not quit until your child is in a safe place”.

“BULLY, PG13 VERSION, It’s Time To Take A Stand”, by Lee Hirsh, The Weinstein Company & Where We Live Films, www.anchorbayent.com, www.therbullyproject.com, [The “Bonus” materials should be watched].

WHAT DID JESUS DO?

HOW TO BULLY--PROOF YOURSELF

SOME EXAMPLES FROM JESUS’ LIFE

JOHN, 6/7/10

RUN AWAY FROM CAPITAL PUNISHMENT

First we have to examine the environment that Jesus grew up in. The first thing his father and mother did (Joseph & Mary) is to pack up and leave Bethlehem and hide out in Egypt where King Herod couldn’t kill Jesus. This story was probably told over and over to Jesus. In his ministry he warned the people of Jerusalem and his Apostles, not to fight the Romans, but to run away, when in the future they surrounded their city. He told them that total destruction was coming, just as many prophets had to tell the Jews and Kings of their time. To tell your Country that it must give up and not fight an enemy is considered treacherous and a ploy to weaken the courage of your country. You could be jailed or killed just for doing that. The Messiah was supposed to be a warrior, like Joshua, but Joshua Christ speaks more like Jeremiah the prophet, but does miracles like Elijah, he is an enigma.

RUN DUMMY RUN

If the government tries to kill you or your family—run away to a place that will protect you. Why should you wait for the axe to fall? Are you listening religious & ethnic minorities? Relatives try to send for these persecuted family. Foreign government should organize rescue flotillas, convoys or air lifts when possible.

DON’T REPEAT MISTAKES TWICE

Next , Jesus leaves his family behind at twelve years old and teaches the rabbis and great leaders in the Temple in Jerusalem. He is missing for three days, like he was after the crucifixion, his parents were very upset. Jesus realized than, he had to be obedient to his mere mortal parents, and so he never was that impulsive again. Mother Mary was given plenty of warning by her son that he would be killed and raised again in three days, so everyone was more or less prepared. Impulsiveness is rude, think of others and never repeat any mistake twice.

Never compliment someone else’s girlfriend.

Never get too chummy with the New Kid, but instead say to yourself,

“Once he finds friends, he won’t need me anymore. I’ll be nice to him and let him go gracefully, like Jesus would do.”

FIND GOOD HOBBIES AND BEHAVIORS

Try to find a hobby that you enjoy and are good at and try to hang out with like-minded people.

If you have no skills or hobbies then, be prepared to be alone a lot and try to understand what you truly value and why you don’ t value the popular things. If you want to be an engineer or a preacher, but you’re too young then study, study, study and research the college you will go to, etc.

Be a good person, don’t criticize and don’t take rejection seriously.

Be the person in the breach that helps, when no one else can, but when the experts/skilled come, humbly and quietly step aside.

Don’t seek glory or attention.

DON’T REJECT & YOU’LL GET LESS REJECTION

Expect rejection. After all, if you have nothing in common, then you don’t like them either and actually they feel rejected by you. If you don’t like someone then are you accepting or rejecting them? They are only rejecting you back.

Admire something in everyone and maybe they’ll find something in you that is admirable or at least they won’t criticize you. Instead of thinking:

“You’re a stuck up, ugly, show off Cheer Leader” you can better think:

“She worked very hard to gain those skills, suffered through injuries and she’s a hard working person. I bet she’ll be successful in life.”

DO EVERYTHING WITH A GOOD HEART AND MIND

Do your duties on the team sport in gym class.

Do the best on your homework or team lab assignments.

Do your best, not to stare at people or judge them in your mind.

Try to support your school activities and teams, even if you are just in the audience or cleaning up afterwards.

Do you duties: at home as a child, friend, a parent, renter, citizen & a child of God.

BE POSITVE & BE LESS OF A TARGET

Try not to count up all the injustice and unfairness of life, instead count all the good things that happened and the bad things that could have happened and thank God.

Don’t criticize people, things or events unless you are close friends with the person, even then be more positive than negative. In the memory, one negative statement is more powerful than a thousand positives.

When you are attacking something that someone likes they may turn the attack back towards you, especially if you’re not popular or successful.

WATCH YOUR MOUTH & MIND YOUR BUSINESS

Try to understand, that if you say the wrong thing then, you weren’t thinking and you rejected someone or something and that gives someone a right to attack you.

Think first. If you don’t have to speak, be quiet.

“If you can’t say something nice, don’t say it.”

JESUS INSULTS THE RELIGIOUS LEADERS

ATTACK EVIL

Gentle Jesus frequently attacked the rich and powerful religious leaders that upheld the letter of the law while neglecting the weightier aspects of the Law: love, mercy, justice, peace, charity, humility, chastity and all other virtues.

It seems self-destructive to attack such powerful leaders who are looked up to and have the Jewish authorities on their side. That’s a good way to get yourself in a lot of trouble, but that’s what Jesus did. They had the power to reject him; arrest him; ban him from the Temple worship and sacrifice; beat him or hand him over to the Roman’s for execution.

DEFEND THE GOOD

But, remember, he was defending God’s Law and godly religion and by doing so was lifting up the poor and powerless and reminding the powerful and corrupt of their obligation towards the: mercy & true judgment.

Did Jesus tell the poor to revolt?

I don’t think so, but they were to hold their leaders accountable and put pressure on them, with scripture and tradition. They weren’t to expose their religious squabbles in Roman courts, but in Jewish courts. The weak Jews were considered ignorant, rejected by God and rebellious, not as respectable Jews, who deserved the respect that the Romans denied them. Those Jew often couldn’t do the rituals required and keep the Sabbath properly; especially slaves, shepherds and lepers & they became “unclean” and treated like a Gentile or infidel. It was very sad. Christianity is a very considerate and loving religion.

Defend the righteous, innocent and powerless people you encounter.

For example, you have the right to ask a girl or woman that is contemplating an abortion if she wants to see her & her boyfriends’/husbands’ baby on a sonogram. If you know of an adoption or foster care agency you have the God-given right to ask her to go there or take her there and help her if she asks you. You have a right to be a witness against a bully or against a sinful adult who is breaking the law. You have the right to condemn evil as defined by your religion and it is your duty, even though you may be persecuted for it. Rejoice that you were chosen by God to do the right thing and suffer for it. You should blog, write letters and sign petitions, etc., condemning bad behavior by all leaders in the community, this is the duty of every competent adult. March, pray in public, protest in public, help the helpless and do good, whenever you can. This is how you can take charge of your life.

REPORT DANGEROUS HUMAN ATTACKS

Report parents, relatives, neighbors, coaches, teachers, therapists, ministers, priests, politicians who are deliberately or compulsively harming & destroying people. You can say,

“I’m not sure if I’m correct, but this is what I see this person doing and this is what this other person told me about it, so I thought I should tell someone.”

JESUS BEFRIENDS OR PRAISES TRUE BELIEVERS

Jesus picks twelve Apostles from the crowds. Some were poor rabble; some business owners (fishermen), some were lay leaders in the local synagogue, like Simon Peter; some were Greek converts like Philip, but Matthew was a literate, hated, Jewish & sinful tax collector for the Romans. But I bet you they memorized the first five books of Moses and much of the Jewish Bible. I bet you they wanted the Messiah to come so badly, at least one of them was a Zealot who wanted to help to defeat the Roman armies in Jerusalem threw war and violence. Jesus actually picked the best of the best for his new church. The Apostles were winners and Jesus looked into their hearts, saw their potential and challenged them to grow and they did.

This would have been a great insult to the scribes; Sadducees; rabbis; aristocrats; desert brothers, like John the Baptist; the king’s court, the lawyers, and the wealthy religious Jews. Aside from John the beloved and later James the step brother of Jesus & possibly the betrayer Judas, no one was part of the inside crowd of the Temple elite.

JESUS WAS NOT A MARXIST

“ For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor….[Jesus] For ye have the poor always with you….” Matthew 26:7-13, Mark 14:3,

Why did he mostly pick the working class instead of the religious class?

Most people weren’t working for the church or temple so Jesus was possibly looking to convert sinners, to raise up leaders that were following the virtues of the Bible, gather the working class, and put down the hard--hearted careerists in religion who interpreted the Law in the cruelest ways.

When you get paid for your religious duties, you aren’t always motivated by love and zeal for God, but volunteers are usually doing it out of love, although they also may have some bad motivations.

PRAISE THE GOOD PEOPLE

Praise the good people or at least be respectful and nice to them. Avoid antagonizing or praising the evil wicked people. Only befriend them if they seem ready to change their lives for God.

Jesus was always on the look out for the embarrassed, squashed and the ashamed who longed to be holy, but who thought that God rejected them.

No, God rejects the self-righteous who pretended to follow God and then treat goodly fellow men like trash and sinners.

JESUS TAKES & ACTS WITH AUTHORITY

When Jesus cleansed, purged or condemned the Temple courtyard from crooked money changers, exploitive sacrifice/offering vendors, and hawkers or all kinds he was attacking the Temple Leaders who allowed the poor, especially those who traveled great distances, who were letting the poor and financially strapped by exploited by the very Temple of God, that they supposedly revered so much.

He said he was the Messiah, he proved it with his teaching skills, he did miracles that astounded people. He was Jewish, of the line of David and he took authority over the Temple. It was a Temple dedicated and built for God and he was God and he wasn’t happy with it, so he rejected it. On the cross, the veil of the Most Holy Place was torn by an invisible presence, invalidating the Temple sacrifices. Within forty years the heart of the Temple was dismantled stone by stone, by the Romans for the gold adorning the white marble.

If someone puts you in charge, take charge. If no one will listen or obey you there is nothing you can do, but condemn it openly and report their behavior to your boss or teacher. Don’t bring it up unnecessarily, change the subject and move on with your personal responsibilities.

Jesus claimed his authority as from God and acted accordingly, without the approval of most people. Jesus didn’t stay mad, nor was he moody or high maintenance, he expressed himself, did good deeds, rested, ate, prayed all night and taught and repeated the cycle. He didn’t rest on his laurels, good deeds and miracles, but continually did one project after another and his Father kept him busy. If you are religious, do you act according to your religion without apology? If you don’t then the evil people will act according to their hatred and ideology to fill in the vacuum of good deeds.

NEVER BE SILENCED FROM SPEAKING TRUTH

Church leaders should never make deals with the Devil and other countries

that ask the churches to limit their free speech, their right to proclaim the truths of the Bible, the right to condemn the heretical, cruel and lying governments of a town, whole nation, or the entire whole world.

The truth is the only weapon that God has given us to free captives from slavery and injustice.

Never put your sword in the closet. The tongue is the sword of the church when it speaks Gods condemnations. The sword can also be beaten into a plowshare by God, that rebuilds a country that repents of its evil deeds and becomes righteous. God’s ways are good, honest and just.

BE WILLING TO DIE RATHER THAN RUN, IF YOU TRUST IN GOD

When do you get to the place where you say,

“Go ahead & hit me or kill me, if it is God’s will, it will happen and I’m ok with that”?

It happened to me when I hated my cowardice more than I feared a beating or death. Most likely a fight won’t kill you or damage you for life, but there is always a small chance that it might. Either you refuse to fight and say, “Go ahead and hit me, but I’m not going to change, listen to you or obey you. I can’t promise you, but if you hurt me I may report you to the police and possibly sue you. So you see either you hit me and take your consequences or leave me alone, it’s up to you”.

Why did Socrates drink poison from the authorities rather than leave Greece and stop preaching/teaching?

Why did Jesus let himself get put on an unfair trial, tortured and crucified? Well we have a good answer for that. God paid our penalty for our sins, so we could go to Heaven and at the resurrection get a perfect body. We, the human race sinned and God came as Jesus and paid the penalty.

IS THERE EVER A TIME WHEN WE HAVE TO FIGHT A BULLY?

Not necessarily, but here are some choices if you feel you must. A wrestler I knew would say,

“Boxing is too violent and we could get arrested, but I’ll wrestle you”, they would usually say, “No thanks”, since he was on the wrestling team.

Or you can say,

“I’m not starting a fight and I’m not running away, but if you start it I’ll finish it.” A big muscular friend said that to a smaller guy and both claimed they weren’t chicken, but the fight never happened.

Or you can do what I did, “I don’t want to hurt you or get hurt”

He said, “Oh, you’re about to get hurt”

I put my hand and pointed to him, so I might get at least one punch in and I said, “You don’t want to start anything with me, but if you come closer I’ll hit you.”

He said, “Oh, you’re full of it” and walked away. I guess he was angry about something else and wanted me to pay for it, but decided I wasn’t in the mood or if he was kidding, I wasn’t. He was a hot head and eventually hit a really big supervisor and was fired.

Say these sobering truths to yourself.

“Fighters must lose sometimes, they don’t always win”.

“If you don’t like to fight, then don’t. Some people actually enjoy hitting and being hit and you should let them know you’re not into that”.

“No matter how strong, fast and skilled I am I will lose some fights and may get hurt, hurt someone, get arrested or get sued”.

“The biggest bullies, when beaten, are always the first to call the cops, lie in court and sue you”.

“If I beat the bully that doesn’t mean I’m a better person, my argument is correct and I’ll never be afraid again”.

“It’s better to think about what is triggering a bullies hatred or attention towards me and stop doing anything he/she finds offensive and most of the time that will stop the conflicts. If they still won’t leave me alone they are irrational, unreasonable or psychologically imbalanced and maybe a criminal. It is better to report a dangerous fool than to try to fix them”.