Recently, I toured Alcatraz.

In case you don’t know, Alcatraz is an island in San Francisco Bay. It is a rocky island that is more than a mile from the breath-taking beauty of San Francisco and its Golden Gate Bridge.

Alcatraz is famous because it was a Federal prison from 1934-1964. It has inspired memorable movies including Escape from Alcatraz, starring Clint Eastwood, and The Birdman of Alcatraz, starring Burt Lancaster.

The island is now operated by the National Park Service. I reached it on a ferry that “vibrated” as it powered through choppy waves, despite it being a pleasant, sunny day.

I spent several hours on the island with my son and his girlfriend. We toured the aging, abandoned prison.

We also toured a separate building that housed an Exhibition titled “Red Power on Alcatraz: Perspectives 50 years later.“

I vaguely remembered some kind of occupation of Alcatraz by Native American rights activists called “the Indians of All Tribes”.

I explained to my son and his girlfriend that it isn’t surprising that I didn’t have clear memories of the Red Power occupation of Alcatraz.

The occupation lasted for 19 months after starting November 9, 1969. During that time, I was occupied by attending high school.

Furthermore, as the Exhibition itself noted, the Red Power occupation didn’t receive the national attention it deserved.

There were simply too many other demonstrations for too many other causes. The Vietnam War. The Civil Rights Movement. The first Earth Day.

Despite the relative lack of attention, the Red Power occupation of Alcatraz marked the beginning of the civil rights movement by Native Americans.

The Exhibition explained how the United States—and other “colonial” powers—systematically destroyed the lives and cultures of Native Americans.

I realized that the plight of Native Americans illustrated the dangers of the Power of Money, the Power of Religion, and the Power of the Kingdoms of the World.

The Power of the Kingdoms of the World systematically defeated the military strength of Native Americans, eventually taking control of almost all of the territory within the borders of the United States as they exist today.

Furthermore, the same system of “colonialism” also took control of almost all of the territory of the rest of North America, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean.

I remember my real estate professor at Harvard Law School confessing how the Europeans occupied territory in this “New World”:

People said that we should have treated the American Indians the same way we had treated people in Europe. He sadly noted that we did treat American Indians the same way we treated people in Europe. The people with the greater military power in Europe attacked, conquered and occupied the people and lands in Europe of those with less military power!

Furthermore, although my real estate professor did not discuss the spread of Europeans across almost the entire globe since the European voyages of “discovery”, the same sad story of attacks, conquests and occupations was repeated throughout the globe!

Indeed, the same sad story of the Power of the Kingdoms of the World has repeated itself throughout the history of Humanity. (Genesis 4:2-12; Genesis 6:11-13; Genesis 10:8:12; Daniel 7:1-27; Matthew 24:1-8; Revelation 6:1-4; Revelation 16:12-14,16).

In the wake of attacks, conquests and occupations by the Power of the Kingdoms of the World, the Power of Money manifested itself by:

—exploiting people, including through slavery (Please read my blog “Racism Is America Gone Astray” and my book Visions of America); and

—taking natural resources, including natural resources such as gold and silver; sand and gravel; and timber and fish. (Please read my blog “Protecting Sacred Tribal Lands”).

The Power of Religion manifested itself by

—destroying the cultures, religions and languages of the conquered peoples; and

—replacing them with the culture, religion and language of the conqueror. (Please read my blogs “Building Houses on Sand: Specks and Planks” and “Nationalism Is Patriotism Gone Astray”).

In these ways, the Powers of Kingdoms, Money and Religion imprisoned peoples such as “the Indians of All Tribes” on an “Alcatraz” surrounded by cold, chaotic waters that make it impossible for humans to swim safely to shore.

How can anyone escape such an “Alcatraz”?

How can anyone swim safely through such cold, chaotic waters?

How can anyone swim safely to literal and figurative Promised Lands where ALL peoples will be blessed (and where ALL means ALL!)? (Please read my books The Promised Land, Healing the Promised Land, Hoping in the LORD, Lighting the World, Visions of America, and Visions of the Church.)

What is impossible for humans is possible for God! (Luke 18:27). (Please read my blogs “Building Houses on Rock: Mission Impossible?”, “Hiding in Plain Sight”, and “How Do We Build a Civilization That Is Good—That Is Very Good?”).

Indeed, at the very start of his public ministry, Jesus defeated the temptations of the Powers of Money, Religion, and Kingdoms. (Please read my blogs “Do Not Live on ‘Bread’ Alone”, “Do Not Jump Off the Temple”, “Do Not Seek the Kingdoms of the World and Their Authority”, “Beware the Power of Money”, “Beware the Power of Religion”, and “Beware the Power of the Kingdoms of the World”.)

Furthermore, shortly before his torture, crucifixion and resurrection, Jesus climbed the Temple Mount to challenge the United Powers of Money, Religion and Kingdoms. (Please read my blogs “Jesus Climbs the Temple Mount” and “Keeping the Powers of Money, Religion and Kingdoms Separate”).

And so, by faith in Jesus, we become his Church Universal:

—a group of people who the gates of hell itself cannot keep imprisoned (Please read my blogs “The Webb Space Telescope: Many Parts. One System!” and “Faith That Wins A ‘Super Bowl Ring’”); and

—a group of people who the gates of hell itself cannot keep from swimming to shore through cold, chaotic waters! (Matthew 16:18) (Please read my book Visions of the Church and my blogs “Faith That Wins a Super Bowl Ring”, “Individuals and Systems, Now and Forever, One and Inseparable”, “Spilling Coffee”,  “Building Houses on Rock: Mercy and Forgiveness”, and “Building Houses on Rock: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness”).

By faith in Jesus, we gain the wisdom to do the will of the Father on earth as it is done in heaven! (Matthew 6:10) (Please read my blog “Spilling Coffee”).

By following the Way of Jesus, we gain the wisdom to swim in ways that avoid:

—the temptations of the Powers of Money, Religion, and Kingdoms; and

—the powerful currents in our civilization that are leading us astray towards our destruction. (Matthew 6:14) (Please read my blog “Too Much ‘TNT’”).

By following the Way of Jesus, we prevent our love from growing cold amidst the cold, chaotic waters that imprison us. (Matthew 24:12-13).

By following the Way of Jesus we gain the wisdom to find ways to swim safely in cold, chaotic waters by swimming with the currents of the Spirit of the LORD:

—currents that are compassionate and gracious; slow to anger; abounding in love and faithfulness; maintaining love to thousands of generations; forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin; and causing bad consequences as seldom as feasible. (Exodus 34:6-7); and

—currents that help us reach shores of love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23).

QUESTIONS TO THINK ABOUT

What are the causes of “colonialism” (the Powers of Kingdoms, Money and Religion) that imprison people on an “Alcatraz” instead of blessing them in “the Promised Land”?

What parts of your life and civilization are imprisoned on an “Alcatraz”? Education?Being an employee or a business owner? Family relationships? Economic relationships? Health care? Housing? Sexual discrimination or harassment? Racial discrimination or harassment? Religious discrimination or harassment?

How can you and civilizations (and parts of your life and of civilizations) escape from an Alcatraz that you or civilizations are imprisoned on?

How can you and civilizations swim safely through the cold, chaotic waters that imprison us on an Alcatraz until we reach the shores of Promised Lands where we ourselves and all peoples will be blessed?

READ MORE

For more of my thoughts inspired by my visit to Alcatraz, please read my blogs “Alcatraz: Imprisoned in a Cell”, and “Alcatraz: Imprisoned by the Powers of Money, Religion and Kingdoms”.