Invisible Children

The organization Invisible children is a charity organization working to end the War in the African country of Uganda. The organization was founded by three teenagers after they traveled to Uganda to make a documentary on... well they didn't really know what it was going to be on. During their trip to Uganda they learned of a War which had been going on for years. They learned of the many atrocities the War brought with it and how it oppressed the civilians in Uganda. They were disgusted by the War and began to wonder how something so terrible could be so unheard of in the United States. While they were in Uganda they met a young boy named Jacob who feared for his life because of the war. The three boys promised Jacob that they would do whatever they could to end the war in Uganda. In 2004 they founded Invisible Children to help fulfill this promise and to reveal the horrors of a hidden war to the public in America.

The Invisible children organization works to end the War in Uganda by attacking the problem on a variety of platforms. They work through media, protection, mobilization, and recovery. They use media such as films, and there website to help make people more aware of the War in Uganda. By making more people aware they can get more people involved and working towards the end of the war. Through mobilization they take a more aggressive approach to spreading the word about the war across the United states. They host international events, go on film and music tours, campaign to take political action, and give presentations to schools and organizations across the country. Through their recovery program they help people directly affected by the War. They invest in education and economic recovery in regions hurt by the War to help promote a lasting peace. The protection program works with regional leaders to help equip endangered communities with radio networks that can be used to warn them of incoming attacks. 

This conflict in Uganda began in 1986 when Yoweri Museveni gained presidency in Uganda. Following his election Alice Lakwena, a member of the northern Ugandan tribe Acholi, formed the Holy Spirit movement. The purpose of the Holy spirit movement was to rebel against the government and overthrow it, Lakwena claimed that she was guided by the Holy Spirit in her actions.When Lakwena was exiled a man named Joseph Kony took control of the movement claiming to be Lakwena's cousin. He changed the name the the Lord's Resistance Army, or LRA for short. He is currently in  charge of the LRA and is and should be regarded as a terrorist. In 2012 the Invisible children began a campaign titled KONY 2012. The purpose of the campaign was to raise awareness about Kony's actions and remove him from his position by any means necessary.

 

Uganda is a country located in the southern part of Africa. The LRA began in northern Uganda as an organization meant to free northern Uganda from an oppressive government. As time went on the organization changed hands and is now oppressing Northern Uganda in unimaginable ways. Although the LRA began in northern Uganda they have spread out and become more unorganized over recent years. They are now located in border regions of the northeastern Congo, Southern Sudan, and Central African Republic.

So, what exactly is the issue in Uganda? It is an issue of unimaginable horrors. Horrors that have been committed by Joseph Kony and the Lord's resistance Army. Horrors  that could rival those committed by men such as Joseph Stalin, Saddam Hussein, and Adolph Hitler. As I mentioned earlier the LRA began as the HSM, with the purpose to overthrow the oppressive government, until it was taken over by Joseph Kony. When Kony took over the resistance lost much of its support. In order to fill the ranks in his army Kony began to abduct children. Kony would then brainwash the children with lies of his mystical powers. In many cases he would force them to kill family members with blunt tools. If children refused to do so or try to escape they were either killed, beaten, or they would cut off there extremities such as lips or ears. These abominations that Kony was committing went unknown to the rest of the world for a long period of time. Since the Invisible children were founded in 2004 they have made significant progress in making these issues more known to people all around the world. This publicity has significantly weakened the LRA, although they are weaker they still have the ability to terrorize people in Uganda. They still need to be stopped. Invisible Children is always hosting new campaigns that could be found on there website. If Kony is ever going to be stopped the issue is going to need more publicity and hopefully even political recognition.

The first commandment

The modern day life of a teenager can be very hectic. The teenage years have come to be a time of pressure filled decisions. Decisions like what classes you want to take, what college to choose, and what you want to do with the rest of your life. These stressful decisions are accompanied by the average grind and work acquired from a school day, not to mention many students involvement with after school activities and sports, or jobs.  And each individual has their own personal problems, whether it be drama with friends, family issues, bullying, or any other personal issue. These stresses can sometimes be overbearing, and often so overwhelming that teens forget about their obligations to God. The first commandment is very easily overlooked in the busy world of a teen. However, this is very unfortunate because there is probably no more of an appropriate time to strengthen your relationship with God. What better a time to express the theological virtues and put our faith, hope, and love in the guiding hands of God than during a time when we become so overwhelmed?

One of the reasons that the first commandment is so important to teenagers is because it can prepare them for the future. Materialism is becoming a serious problem in today's world. People are more concerned with the material things in life than ever. If teens are raised in a materialistic world surely too will begin to place higher and higher importance on things such as cars, t.vs, clothes, computers, phones, and of course money. These things have begun to reach such an importance that they are in danger of becoming an idolatry.People are putting all their faith in these items. They believe that they need to have a certain amount of money in order to be happy. All there time is spent worrying about money, and thinking about how they can get more. This level of faith should only be put into God, and the power that people think money has are powers only God holds.This is why the first commandment is important for teens, in today's society commitment to the first commandment is necessary to not falling into false idolatry.

the teenage years are very confusing. in addition to the everyday pressures involved in a teens life they are also at a point in their lives where they are developing into adults. it is a significant time when they are beginning to envision what they are going to be doing with the rest of their lives. Teens often take into consideration careers with traveling, careers with good pay, or careers with fame. However, they rarely take into consideration a career in God. Some teens may begin to feel this calling into a closer relationship with God. This calling is sometimes referred to as evangelical counsels. It is a call to go beyond the minimum rules of life required by God  and strive for spiritual perfection through a life marked by a commitment to chastity, poverty, and obedience.this is a very righteous calling, unfortunately many teens overlook this calling as a possibility in their life. This can also be a result of not actively applying the first commandment to their lives.

Knowing what the first commandment is isn't always good enough. teens should strive to understand the commandment and how it is meant to be interpreted. failure in its true understanding can lead to practices such as superstition. people that practice superstition may often consider themselves to believe in God, and therefore they think they understand and are following the first commandment. They do not always believe that the superstitions have power themselves, but they often believe that their superstitions influence God. They do not realize that these practices are offensive to God and in no way influence him. This is another reason why understanding the first commitment is very important in the life of a teen.

Atheism is a growing problem among teens today. Atheism is the complete denial of God's existence and is therefore the ultimate violation of the First commandment. Many teens fall into Atheism because they feel that they have been betrayed by God. Teens often feel this way because they are so overwhelmed and they wonder why God has given them a burden that they can't handle. This is a misinterpretation of God's will, God will never give us anything that we can't handle but that requires us to make an equal commitment to God. We cannot expect his graces to come to us without us acknowledging the source of those graces. This is why the first commandment is truly important to teenage life, misinterpretation can lead to atheism and a complete separation from God if the first commandment is not understood.

Racism is still alive and thriving in our community.But it has taken on a new form in the form of stereotyping. Stereotyping is equally as dangerous as any other form of racism and has been taking form for a number of years. Stereotyping can lead to unjust conviction, unequal business opportunities and in the most drastic occasions it can lead do unjust killings. This can be seen as early as the case of Emmett Till. Emmett Till was a 14-year old black male who was supposedly spotted whistling at a white women. Could some people consider this disrespectful? I guess an argument could be made that it was, if your a slight prudish. But it certainly didn't give anybody the right to kill him or, as in Emmett's case, to brutally torture him. Emmett's case is a perfect example of the stereotyping of black males as threatening, and the disgusting circumstances that can result from these stereotypes.

These unjust shootings have not gone away with time, if anything they have become more evident. Last February the controversial shooting of Trayvon Martin gained national attention. Trayvon was killed simply because Zimmerman found his hoodie threatening and said that he "looked" to be high. He found his hoodie threatening? That statement in itself is the either epitome of stereotyping, or a statement revealing blatant stupidity. Whichever it was, it was not a just reason to have killed Trayvon. The case of shooting Trayvon is even more ridiculous because Zimmerman had called 911. The 911 dispatchers has told Zimmerman not to follow Trayvon, but Zimmerman did not listen. Instead he tried to be a cowboy and take matters into his own hands. I have no doubt that Zimmerman sincerely believed that Trayvon was armed and a impossible threat, but his belief was based in racism and stereotyping instead of reason. Even if Zimmerman did believe that Trayvon was dangerous he should of just stayed in his car and let the police handle it, he had no just or logical reason to take Trayvon's life.

A more confusing shooting would be the other recent one of Jordan Davis. Jordan Davis was shot and killed last November at a Florida Gas station. His shooter claims that he had asked Jordan and his friends to lower the music they were blasting in their car. When the kids did not do so he claims they threatened him with a shotgun. This is when he decided to fire 8 or 9 shots and the kids with a handgun he had kept in his car, then he drove away. Police who reported that no weapon was found on Jordan or any of his friends. Mr. Dunn is now on trial for Jordan's murder. 

So why did Mr. Dunn shoot at Jordan and his friends? To put it simply he felt threatened and that he needed to defend himself. But why did he feel so threatened? The police found no weapon on the teens, and if they had had a weapon why didn't they retaliate to Mr. Dunn's 9 shots? Had Mr. Dunn never experienced teens who enjoyed to blast their music, why didn't he just drive away from that gas station and go on with his day? The only real explanation is that Mr. Dunn felt threatened by them because they were black. And because they were black he thought he needed to shoot them before they shot him. Its very disturbing to think that if Jordan had been white he may still be alive today.