As I was dining with my wife of 34 years, we saw this sign.  As we discussed the message, I began to see that each line had a subtle second meaning.  Seven statements are made here, and on the surface, I could agree with all of them except maybe the last one.  However, this sign means a lot more than it is saying.  Don’t be deceived.

There is no question that “black lives matter.” They matter, but no more and no less than any other lives. This mantra arose from the misjustice experienced by black people around our nation.  Black people should not be discriminated against; they should be treated fairly; they should receive justice.  But is this statement calling for special treatment?  I’m not sure, but I do know that in the USA, all people are created equal and should be treated as such.  On the other hand, the BLM movement is not in favor of all black people.  According to the Black Lives Matter website, this is who they care about:  “We affirm the lives of Black queer and trans folks, disabled folks, undocumented folks, folks with records, women, and all Black lives along the gender spectrum. Our network centers those who have been marginalized within Black liberation movements.”  They are only interested in certain black lives, not all black lives.

“No human is illegal.”  That is also true.  People are neither legal or illegal.  However, some people commit illegal acts.  The second meaning behind this statement is referencing illegal aliens or immigrants.  This is a subtle support for people illegally entering this country.  Personally, I am not in favor of deporting illegal immigrants; instead, I think we should make it easier for people to enter this country.  There should be consequences for breaking the law, but we need to change the laws to allow people to immigrate to this great nation.

“Love is love.”  Of course it is.  What else could it be?  The subtle message?  This is a support for the LGBTQ community.  The claim is that individuals should be free to express their love for same sex partners the way that heterosexual couples do.  I don’t have an objection to people loving people, but as a Bible believing Christian, I think that sexual intimacy should be between a husband and a wife.  Before you argue, remember that there are many “socially unacceptable” and “politically incorrect” expressions of “sexual love”.  Is it okay for a loving parent to have sex with a child?  Is it okay for a person to have sex with someone forced into prostitution (from the human trafficked sex trade)?  Is it okay for a loving pet owner to have sex with an animal?  The “rules” for sexual expression are governed by laws.  Laws are governed by the “will of the people”.  Same-sex relationships used to be considered wrong in our culture but it has recently changed.  I prefer the older values.  But my question is how far will the change go?  Will a future USA legalize pedophilia, bestiality, human trafficking and prostitution?  We’ll see.

“Women’s rights are human rights.”  Once again, I fully agree with the statement, until you take it to mean that women’s human rights trump the rights of unborn human rights.  If women’s rights are human rights, it stands to reason that man’s rights are human rights and that an unborn human has rights too.  Our culture has a double standard.  We propose that a woman should have the right to kill and remove an unborn baby because it is in her body.  But then we also prevent any human from selling their organs for organ donation. It is legal for a woman to terminate a pregnancy, but it is illegal for her to sell her extra kidney to someone who might die without it.  Isn’t that her body too?  This is a double standard.

“Science is real.”  Implied here is some kind of insinuation that God is not real.  It is not obvious, but it is here.  For honest and objective people, science and the Bible do not disagree.  Science is real, but it doesn’t have all the answers.  In fact, science has more questions than answers.  Science is real, AND God is real.

“Be kind to all” may be a reference to vegetarianism.  “All” probably implies animals in addition to people.  I agree that we should be kind to all people and to all animals.  But it is okay to humanely harvest animals for food.  Remember that hunting is actually necessary to manage wildlife populations.

Injustice can be localized.  Injustice in a far away country does not affect justice here.  I agree with the intent but not the statement.  The intent is that we should be concerned about injustice everywhere, and I agree.  But our concern should not be selfish – I will fight injustice there because I am afraid that it will come here!  Instead, we should care about our “fellowman” and assist where we can.

So, do not believe everything you read.  Think.  Ask questions.  And as it says in Romans 14, “Be convinced in your own mind.”