Purposes for Signs

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Matthew 16:1-3

Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven. 2 He answered and said to them, "When it is evening you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red';  3 and in the morning, 'It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.' Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.

NKJV

Even in the time of Christ, signs played a role in the lives of individuals.  The context of Matthew16:1-3 is the Pharisees and Sadducees testing Jesus by asking Him for a sign.  What they were seeking was a miracle like the feeding of the 4000 which occurred in the previous chapter (Matthew 15:32-39).  However, instead of performing another miracle He went deeper by pointing out their inability to discern the signs of the times or the fact that the Messiah they were waiting for was standing in front of them.  In essence the Pharisees and Sadducees sought an external sign or miracle when the more meaningful sign was that God in the flesh was standing right in front of them as a sign of God’s plan to provide salvation through the sacrifice of His only Son (John 3:16).  Signs continue to serve a purpose in our daily lives.  Sometimes that purpose has evil intentions while at other times signs serve the purpose of protecting us from harm. 

I find it disgusting that in a period of time when we still have rampant terrorism against people, religions, and nations not accepting the theology of Islam, millions unable to find work, and increasing millions receiving subsistence from government that the most newsworthy item is whether a male should be able to use the women’s bathroom.  While this issue is a distraction from more important issues, it is also symptomatic of the degradation of our culture and a threat to the safety and security of the citizens of our nation.  However, the Attorney General of the United States had the gall to equate the so-called bathroom law of North Carolina to the discriminatory Jim Crow laws and believes it is necessary to utilize government resources to sue the State of North Carolina over this law.  (1)

At issue here is that the men and women signs on public restrooms offend individuals who have either, or are in the process of, trans gendering.  In order to properly discern whether an offence has occurred by the existence of these signs, we must define the purpose of these signs by determining if,

1)      The purpose of the sign is discriminatory – The sole purpose of the so-called Jim Crow laws was the segregation of races.  The law in force from 1880 to the 1960’s made it illegal for individuals of differing races to consort together.  (2)  During this time in history, it was common to see signs in public places either prohibiting people of a certain race, mostly African Americans, from entering a place of business or segregating the races on the premises.  The discriminatory nature of these laws and signs came to national attention when Rosa Parks took a stand by refusing to sit in the back of the bus.  (3)  In this instance, the purpose of the sign was discriminatory and only served to promote an evil and nefarious intent to treat people, deemed by God and our nation’s founding documents as equal, unequally. 

2)      The purpose of the sign is safety – Unless you are traveling on the autobahn in Germany, there is most likely a speed limit sign on the roads and highways in your city.  The posted speed limit on the sign is the safe speed as determined by the authorities with jurisdiction over the road.  The purpose of these signs is not discriminatory but a means of insuring the safety of everyone using the road for those choosing to exceed this safe speed may crash and endanger the lives of everyone using the highway deciding to obey the posted speed. 

The question we must now answer is whether the signs posted on public restrooms are similar to discriminatory signs posted during the Jim Crow era or are they there for the safety of the public.  In my opinion, the answer is they serve to promote the safety of the public and here is evidence supporting my opinion.

1)      Rape is a dangerous and violent crime endangering the lives of women (4)– Since the 2012 election cycle, we have been subjected to the issue of a “war on women.”  With the first female presumptive nominee most likely occurring on the Democrat side of this election, the issue of a “war on women” will most likely go to a much higher level.  However, rape constitutes a real war on women and is therefore something we as a society must make an effort to protect our women from.  The signs on the bathrooms therefore serve as a means of protecting our women from perverted men intending to rape them when they are most vulnerable.

2)      Pedophilia is a violent crime threatening the lives of children and robbing children of their innocence (5) – Pedophilia in my opinion is even more abhorrent then rape for it not only violates the victim sexually but also robs children of their innocence.  An innocent child is vulnerable in every aspect of society and is why they usually have adult supervision.  However, when entering a public restroom, an innocent child is most vulnerable to sexual assault.  It is therefore imperative that we provide a safe zone for these children in public restrooms just as we are encouraged to do in public schools to protect children from bullying.  Unfortunately, however, President Obama does not share this belief and has ordered all public schools to allow the use of any bathroom or lose federal funding.  Not only is this another example of an executive power grab using the Department of Education, but also places young innocent children attending school to earn an education, at risk.  (6) Keep the signs up and keep our women and children safe should be our motto. 

Attorney General Lynch has it wrong, the signs on the bathroom are not like the signs public facilities posted during the era of Jim Crow laws in the United States but instead serve the same purpose as speed limit signs posted on our highways, promoting the safety of the public.  We therefore need to insure these signs remain on our public restrooms. 

1. The Federalist Staff. DOJ: Banning Grown Men From Your Daughter's School Locker Room is Just Like Jim Crow. thefederalist.com. [Online] The Federalist, 9 2016, May. [Cited: 14 2016, May.] thefederalist.com/2016/05/09/doj-banning-grown-men-from-your-daughters-school-locker-room-is-just-like-jim-crow/.

2. National Park Service. Jim Crow Laws. www.nps.gov. [Online] The National Park Service. [Cited: May 14, 2016.] https://www.nps.gov/malu/learn/education/jim_crow_laws.htm.

3. U.S. History. 54b. Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott. www.ushistory.org. [Online] U.S. History. [Cited: May 14, 2016.] www.ushistory.org/us/54b.asp.

4. Durango, Jessica. CDC: Nearly 1 in 5 Women Raped. www.usatoday.com. [Online] USA Today. [Cited: May 14, 2016.] www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2014/09/07/cdc-rape-women-statistics/15239361/.

5. infogr.am. US Pedophilia Infographic. www.infogr.am. [Online] infogr.am. [Cited: May 14, 2016.] https://infogr.am/us_pedophilia_infographic.

6. The New York Times. US To Issue Decree on Transgender Access to School Restrooms: NY Times. www.aol.com. [Online] AOL, May 12, 2016. [Cited: May 14, 2016.] www.aol.com/article/2015/05/12/us-to-issue-decree-on-transgender-access-to-school-restrooms-ny/21376362/.