Infant Murdered by Father: the Need for Jesus Christ

EDIT

The death of 2 1/2 month old Joseph Jenkins on October 17, 2014, was just outside the Indian reservation my husband was enrolled and raised at.

The Bemidji Pioneer news report states, “The St. Louis County medical examiner said the infant

had experienced blunt force trauma as well as cuts and injuries to his chest, abdomen, hand, fingers, feet and toes, according to the complaint.

Investigators interviewed the infant’s mother, who said Jenkins bit their son many times because the baby was crying, according to the complaint. Jenkins wouldn’t allow the baby to go to a scheduled medical appointment because Jenkins did not want anyone to see the injuries.She also said they made up the story about the neighbor’s dog biting the baby, according to the complaint.Jenkins allegedly “committed multiple acts of child abuse on his infant son,” County Attorney John J. Muhar said in a statement.Jenkins has multiple convictions, including for domestic abuse and driving while intoxicated, according to court records.”

We don’t know yet if there was any tribal social service involvement – but the story illustrates again the pervasive violence within my husband’s community.

Many people (not all) in my husband’s community look the other way. That’s simple fact, whether admitted or not.

There is a climate of “mind your own business.” “This doesn’t concern you.” People who “stick their nose in where they don’t belong” can end up getting beaten, as well.

It is that climate, which disallows anyone from saying anything – that contributes to the cycle of depression, abuse, hopelessness, and suicide.

It is a climate of violence and fear. Increased federal funding or tribal sovereignty isn’t going to fix that. It just reinforces it – rewarding and protecting the lifestyles of abusers.

Blaming the past, or pushing hypotheses of “historical trauma,” and “white privilege” isn’t going to fix the extensive abuse, anger and depression either. Those faux concepts only INCREASE feelings of anger and hopelessness.

There are people at the top of the food chain who benefit from this garbage at the expense of everyone else. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

They want people to keep on blaming – and never look inside to what is really going on.

Matthew 24:12 (NIV) “Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold”

Job 24:15,17 (NIV) “The eye of the adulterer watches for dusk; he thinks, ‘No eye will see me,’ and he keeps his face concealed… For all of them, deep darkness is their morning; they make friends with the terrors of darkness.”

Isa 29:15 (NIV) “Woe to those who go to great depths to hide their plans from the Lord, who do their work in darkness and think, “Who sees us? Who will know?”

Psalm 36:1-4 (NIV) “I have a message from God in my heart concerning the sinfulness of the wicked: There is no fear of God before their eyes. In their own eyes they flatter themselves too much to detect or hate their sin. The words of their mouths are wicked and deceitful; they fail to act wisely or do good. Even on their beds they plot evil; they commit themselves to a sinful course and do not reject what is wrong.”

Jeremiah 17: 9-10 (NIV) “The human mind is more deceitful than anything else. It is incurably bad. Who can understand it? I, the Lord, probe into people’s minds. I examine people’s hearts. And I deal with each person according to how he has behaved. I give them what they deserve based on what they have done.

1 Corinthians 4:5b “[God] will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart.

James 1:21 (NIV) “Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.”

Proverbs 28:13 (NIV) “He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.”

1 Thes 5:5-8a (NIV) You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not be like others who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled.

Psalm 119:105 (NIV) “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.”

2 Cor 4:2,6 (NIV) “We have renounced secret and shameful ways… For God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”

Ephesians 5:8-14 (NIV) “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. This is why it is said:

“Wake up, sleeper,
rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.”

- http://www.bemidjipioneer.com/content/updated-itasca-county-man-charged-infant-sons-death

POWERFUL Message at the 2013 Inaugural Prayer Breakfast -

Alright, someone told me this morning that the link to this amazing message I posted two days ago has been ‘made private’ and they weren't able to view it anymore. That’s strange. The link worked fine two days ago and the number of views was piling up fast – every time I looked at it, hundreds more had seen it.  

But she was right. When I tried it now, it was labeled “private”. What is the problem with seeing it? The speech was made at an official gathering for the inaugural – isn’t that a public event? So I went looking for a new link.

I found a new link – and this was the message under it…  

"Published on Jan 27, 2013...This video has been erased, made "private", and held back from people seeing it. So, what truth is in it making it such a battle to see it? Speak! The World Is Listening!” 

For those who haven’t seen it yet – it is an amazing message given to a huge roomful of politicians in DC just last week - on Monday, January 21, 2013 … Many of the politicians were probably there just to be 'seen' and probably expected nothing more than standard fluff to be spewed -  

This is a MUST see! -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=JdZcMUwsGqE  

Freedom to be Both Native American AND Christian

A woman was advocating for rights of tribal members and freedom from tribal government tyranny, while at the same time telling me that my husband and I were wrong to share our Christianity because the only way tribal members can be free from alcohol is through traditional religion.

So... while on the one hand she decried being dictated to and controlled by tribal government, she was attempting to dictate to and control other tribal members when it came to spirituality.

This is a very important point about freedom for tribal members. Some tribal governments do try to dictate that tribal members follow traditional religion, not any other.

When my husband, Roland, was testifying in Seattle against tribal jurisdiction, a representative of the National Indian Child Welfare Association (NICWA) told us that reservations have a right to keep Christians off their property - and Christians have no right to speak to tribal members about their religion.

We asked "What if an elder has lived there all his life and becomes a Christian - and wants to talk to his grandchildren about it?" The NICWA representative answered that the grandfather had no right to speak to his grandchildren about it and would have to move.

This is not an unusual point of view within some tribal circles, nor was it unusual in many historical dictatorships where one religion was chosen for the entire country and all had to abide by it. This was why many settlers came to America and why the very first phrase of our constitutional amendments addresses freedom of religion.

Then comes the Indian Child Welfare Act, which is used by some tribal governments to dictate the religion Indian children must be raised in. Some times exposure to powwows and traditional Indian religion is mandated by courts and tribal governments as a condition of foster care or adoption. Other times, children are simply removed from Christian homes. This can happen even if the parents and grandparents placed the children in that home and want the children to be raised Christian.

Because ICWA is a federal law, the U.S. Congress is just as much to blame for this robbing of individual freedom and 1st amendment rights as tribal governments.

My husband and I knew who we wanted to be guardians of our kids if we were to die. We chose a man from our church. His race didn't matter to us - his spirituality and heart were all that mattered. This was - and is - our constitutional and God-given right as parents to choose. Neither Congress nor any tribal government should be allowed to steal that from us.

NO ONE else in America is put underneath a law that dictates how you are supposed to spiritually raise your kids. The 1st amendment says "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof"... but the ICWA Congress enacted comes dangerously close to doing just that.

Dying in Indian Country is available at: http://dyinginindiancountry.com

Has God used the Christian Alliance for Indian Child Welfare to impact you or a loved one?

Consider impacting someone else by giving a gift