Christianity has a racism problem.
The same faith that has a verse that says that "all are one under Christ Jesus" is the same faith with a lot of people engaging in what I would absolutely call racist attitudes.
Racism is not always outright slavery and shouting slurs; sometimes it's far more subtle: victim-blaming when the police use excessive force on a person of color and it kills them, stereotypes about immigrants being "dirty" and "bringing crime" - all of these are racist.
Maybe in some cases, the person isn't even aware of how vile they sound to the rest of us. But a lot of the time, I think they do and simply lack the courage of their own convictions, so they mask their assumptions behind vague complaints about "street culture" and "he should have just obeyed the officer". At least in some cases, these people probably realize on some level that they're wrong but they're trapped in attitudes they probably grew up with, and just don't know any better.
Whatever the case, we need to recognize rights are not a limited resource. We do not "take" rights from group A so that group B can enjoy greater equity. If we are going to preach the word of God, we should preach all of it, and that includes the recognition that under God, all are one and all are equal.
Also, if we are going to be Americans who are proud of our founding documents, we must take the founders at their word when it was written that "All men are created equal and endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness".
Wearing a hoodie at night, selling loose cigarettes, and doing whatever George Floyd was supposed to have been doing when he was murdered, are not reasons to deprive a person - any person - of their inalienable right to life because a white cop was scared. "All men" being created equal means all - men, women, children, LGBTQ, immigrants.
Christianity should be one of the first to affirm this right, but it often is not. Far too often, some of the same Christians who are so sensitive to slights - some real, most perceived - against their rights are slow (to say the least) to recognize the rights of other religions and other peoples not like them. Jesus, I think, would have a lot to say to these people.
Being a Christian means acknowledging the universal worth of all. If you cannot do that, then you cannot call yourself a Christian.
Ringo
The same faith that has a verse that says that "all are one under Christ Jesus" is the same faith with a lot of people engaging in what I would absolutely call racist attitudes.
Racism is not always outright slavery and shouting slurs; sometimes it's far more subtle: victim-blaming when the police use excessive force on a person of color and it kills them, stereotypes about immigrants being "dirty" and "bringing crime" - all of these are racist.
Maybe in some cases, the person isn't even aware of how vile they sound to the rest of us. But a lot of the time, I think they do and simply lack the courage of their own convictions, so they mask their assumptions behind vague complaints about "street culture" and "he should have just obeyed the officer". At least in some cases, these people probably realize on some level that they're wrong but they're trapped in attitudes they probably grew up with, and just don't know any better.
Whatever the case, we need to recognize rights are not a limited resource. We do not "take" rights from group A so that group B can enjoy greater equity. If we are going to preach the word of God, we should preach all of it, and that includes the recognition that under God, all are one and all are equal.
Also, if we are going to be Americans who are proud of our founding documents, we must take the founders at their word when it was written that "All men are created equal and endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness".
Wearing a hoodie at night, selling loose cigarettes, and doing whatever George Floyd was supposed to have been doing when he was murdered, are not reasons to deprive a person - any person - of their inalienable right to life because a white cop was scared. "All men" being created equal means all - men, women, children, LGBTQ, immigrants.
Christianity should be one of the first to affirm this right, but it often is not. Far too often, some of the same Christians who are so sensitive to slights - some real, most perceived - against their rights are slow (to say the least) to recognize the rights of other religions and other peoples not like them. Jesus, I think, would have a lot to say to these people.
Being a Christian means acknowledging the universal worth of all. If you cannot do that, then you cannot call yourself a Christian.
Ringo
