>OK – so let’s get this story right. Mr. Clifford Holmes, a homeless man, found refuge in a Church and he decided to have a bit of a rest and he fell asleep in this “Christian” Church. Because he was homeless, which is totally uncommon in this town, his presence was not wanted and so somebody at the Church decided to call the police to have him removed.
He wrestled with the police and went to grab the gun of a police officer, not a very smart move on Mr. Holmes behalf, but look at the over all picture here. The guy is homeless, and he sought refuge in a Church during one of the coldest weeks that we have had this year. What was the Church thinking? Calling the police to have a homeless person removed? If Mr. Holmes was asleep, it is obvious that he was not causing any harm nor was he a danger to anybody while he slept in the warmest shelter he could find. The police officers in this town are not accustomed to dealing with homeless people, most, if not all of whom have many underlying issues, including drug and alcohol addiction or mental illness. While probably not reflective of everybody’s views, these people should command care, sympathy and tolerance by us “Christians” if they are causing us or our property no harm.
We are supposedly celebrating Christmas this week and this whole story doesn’t have that feeling of Christmas spirit in it. For those Christians amongst us that know the story of the birth of Christ and how his own parents were turned away by numerous inn keepers until they were directed to a manger, primarily used as an eating trough for animals, I now believe that Mr. Holmes has found his modern day manger, i.e. Bergen County Jail. In his manger, Mr. Holmes will be given food, clothes, and shelter, much more than was offered to him by this “Christian” Church in Ridgewood.
Let’s look at the recent past of our Christian leaders in this area and surrounding towns and counties. We had a Church leader who mowed down a pedestrian and her young child while crossing at an intersection in Ridgewood. That specific Church leader tried to blame the victims of that incident and I wouldn’t be surprised if that Church leader tried to use the influential status of the Church to get away with some very serious crimes, including the use of a vehicle that had not be properly registered in this state.
Then we had a priest charged with sexual assault of an elderly woman when he made her fondle him. That issue was dealt with by the state judicial system but the Catholic Diocese of Newark has not formally moved to have that animal defrocked.
Then we have the Mr. Holmes saga – enough said on that.
Is it any wonder why we now have our town’s holiday tree decorated with garbage? Based on the recent lack of Christian fundamentals as shown by our Christian spiritual leaders I think that garbage on the town’s holiday tree is an appropriate reflection of those leaders’ personal teachings and behaviors this year.
I wish all a happy Christmas, not just a select few.
