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#Post#: 14720--------------------------------------------------
Re: GEORGE FLOYD - Riots Go Nationwide
By: guest17 Date: June 30, 2020, 11:50 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Rioters Destroying Statues
Statues honoring George Washington, General Ulysess S. Grant
(who DEFEATED the Confederacy), the author of the National
Anthem, and other important figures in history have been
destroyed.
This is not about promoting racial harmony—it's about hating
America.
HTML https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyqiY9piAbQ
#Post#: 14722--------------------------------------------------
Re: GEORGE FLOYD - Riots Go Nationwide
By: guest8 Date: July 1, 2020, 12:14 am
---------------------------------------------------------
[quote author=truthjourney link=topic=948.msg14720#msg14720
date=1593579059]
Rioters Destroying Statues
Statues honoring George Washington, General Ulysess S. Grant
(who DEFEATED the Confederacy), the author of the National
Anthem, and other important figures in history have been
destroyed.
This is not about promoting racial harmony—it's about hating
America.
HTML https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyqiY9piAbQ
[/quote]
more like worldwide....
ignorant people.
Blade
#Post#: 14737--------------------------------------------------
Re: GEORGE FLOYD - Riots Go Nationwide
By: guest17 Date: July 1, 2020, 2:43 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
The Candace Owens Show: Marc Lamont Hill
Is Black Lives Matter hurting or helping the Black community?
Does it represent — or is it a diversion from — the Dream of
Martin Luther King, Jr.? Candace Owens and Marc Lamont Hill
discuss race relations in America from opposite ends of the
political aisle.
HTML https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjDUUU-Z-aI
#Post#: 14738--------------------------------------------------
Re: GEORGE FLOYD - Riots Go Nationwide
By: guest17 Date: July 1, 2020, 2:53 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
July 4 Is Cancelled | The Ben Shapiro Show Ep. 1043
Corporations pull their money from social media at the behest of
the Leftist censors; covid-19 cases continue to rise, but
hospitals aren’t overwhelmed; and Pharrell Williams announces
July 4th is cancelled.
HTML https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGJy6ZS3n4w
#Post#: 14752--------------------------------------------------
Re: GEORGE FLOYD - Riots Go Nationwide
By: guest17 Date: July 2, 2020, 5:27 am
---------------------------------------------------------
Standing up for Black lives does not mean tearing down our
history
Dr. Benjamin S. Carson Sr.
NBC News
Throughout our history, Independence Day has been an important
occasion of remembrance for Americans. We reflect on the
founding principles of our great nation, we celebrate those who
helped fight for the freedoms we defend today, and we honor the
heroic sacrifice it took to launch the greatest experiment the
world has ever seen.
Sadly, the present day feels different. The news is regularly
filled with stories of anarchists and angry mobs showing blatant
disregard for America's artifacts and historical sites,
desecrating these tributes to our long journey toward liberty
and justice for all.
In Portland, Oregon, we saw a statue of George Washington torn
down. In Washington, D.C., we saw the World War II Memorial
vandalized. In Madison, Wisconsin, protestors pulled down a
statue of Hans Christian Heg, a fierce abolitionist and someone
who made the ultimate sacrifice to free slaves.
This raises the question: What are these people fighting for? Or
better yet, what are they fighting against?
Each of these monuments represents a moment in time, an
important place or an influential figure who sacrificed for the
good of their country. How have we reached a point in our
nation's history in which these figures are not celebrated, but
villainized and shamed?
America continues to hold certain truths — life, liberty and the
pursuit of happiness — to be self-evident, and we should work
each and every day democratically, as our Founding Fathers
intended, to improve and ensure these rights for all.
To do so, mayors and governors must immediately condemn the
vandalization of statues and dismantle autonomous zones.
Destroying our history, wrecking our communities and inhibiting
our law enforcement officers will only result in more tyranny,
not more freedom. In fact, what we have seen these past few
weeks is chaos, lawlessness, even murder.
It is up to leaders in this country to emulate our Founding
Fathers and stand up to this retraction from law and order,
which in no way reflects our morals, let alone our democratic
values.
It is also up to us as American citizens to recognize hatred and
stand up for freedom. We can celebrate Black lives and speak out
against mob rule, censorship and anarchy at the same time.
Shaming our neighbors into conforming with movements like
"defund the police" and insinuating that if you are not for
these movements you are not standing up for Black lives is
nonsensical and irresponsible.
I am not denying that racism is real. It is, but I do not think
it is widely espoused. In fact, I believe opposition to racism
is a more commonly held belief, as we have seen in the thousands
of people marching for equality and justice nationwide. Racism
does not define us as a country; our commitment to freedom does.
Hate and guilt-shaming are not helpful for society to improve
and move forward. Instead, we should embrace the central
American value of freedom. The freedom to worship the religion
of your choice. The freedom to hold differing political
ideologies. The freedom to choose your occupation and your own
path in life. The freedom to peaceably protest your government.
We are beyond blessed to call the Land of the Free our home.
Only in America can I be born a poor Black boy raised in poverty
by a single mother and climb the ladder of opportunity to become
a brain surgeon and then a member of the president's Cabinet.
These dreams would not be possible in socialist Venezuela,
communist China or authoritarian North Korea.
But these dreams are possible here — in America. Thanks to our
Founding Fathers who learned from history and revered it, to
those civil rights heroes who dared to dream and to our men and
women in uniform who chose to defend a free land for all. I
honor them this week, and I pray that more of us bravely attempt
to emulate them today rather than tear down homages to their
memory.
America will continue to be the beacon of hope and freedom to
the world if we remember and rededicate ourselves to our
defining principles: All men are created equal and are endowed
with unalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of
happiness.
HTML https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/standing-up-for-black-lives-does-not-mean-tearing-down-our-history/ar-BB16f9Wt?ocid=msedgntp
#Post#: 14761--------------------------------------------------
Re: GEORGE FLOYD - Riots Go Nationwide
By: guest8 Date: July 2, 2020, 9:10 am
---------------------------------------------------------
[quote author=truthjourney link=topic=948.msg14752#msg14752
date=1593685648]
Standing up for Black lives does not mean tearing down our
history
Dr. Benjamin S. Carson Sr.
NBC News
Throughout our history, Independence Day has been an important
occasion of remembrance for Americans. We reflect on the
founding principles of our great nation, we celebrate those who
helped fight for the freedoms we defend today, and we honor the
heroic sacrifice it took to launch the greatest experiment the
world has ever seen.
Sadly, the present day feels different. The news is regularly
filled with stories of anarchists and angry mobs showing blatant
disregard for America's artifacts and historical sites,
desecrating these tributes to our long journey toward liberty
and justice for all.
In Portland, Oregon, we saw a statue of George Washington torn
down. In Washington, D.C., we saw the World War II Memorial
vandalized. In Madison, Wisconsin, protestors pulled down a
statue of Hans Christian Heg, a fierce abolitionist and someone
who made the ultimate sacrifice to free slaves.
This raises the question: What are these people fighting for? Or
better yet, what are they fighting against?
Each of these monuments represents a moment in time, an
important place or an influential figure who sacrificed for the
good of their country. How have we reached a point in our
nation's history in which these figures are not celebrated, but
villainized and shamed?
America continues to hold certain truths — life, liberty and the
pursuit of happiness — to be self-evident, and we should work
each and every day democratically, as our Founding Fathers
intended, to improve and ensure these rights for all.
To do so, mayors and governors must immediately condemn the
vandalization of statues and dismantle autonomous zones.
Destroying our history, wrecking our communities and inhibiting
our law enforcement officers will only result in more tyranny,
not more freedom. In fact, what we have seen these past few
weeks is chaos, lawlessness, even murder.
It is up to leaders in this country to emulate our Founding
Fathers and stand up to this retraction from law and order,
which in no way reflects our morals, let alone our democratic
values.
It is also up to us as American citizens to recognize hatred and
stand up for freedom. We can celebrate Black lives and speak out
against mob rule, censorship and anarchy at the same time.
Shaming our neighbors into conforming with movements like
"defund the police" and insinuating that if you are not for
these movements you are not standing up for Black lives is
nonsensical and irresponsible.
I am not denying that racism is real. It is, but I do not think
it is widely espoused. In fact, I believe opposition to racism
is a more commonly held belief, as we have seen in the thousands
of people marching for equality and justice nationwide. Racism
does not define us as a country; our commitment to freedom does.
Hate and guilt-shaming are not helpful for society to improve
and move forward. Instead, we should embrace the central
American value of freedom. The freedom to worship the religion
of your choice. The freedom to hold differing political
ideologies. The freedom to choose your occupation and your own
path in life. The freedom to peaceably protest your government.
We are beyond blessed to call the Land of the Free our home.
Only in America can I be born a poor Black boy raised in poverty
by a single mother and climb the ladder of opportunity to become
a brain surgeon and then a member of the president's Cabinet.
These dreams would not be possible in socialist Venezuela,
communist China or authoritarian North Korea.
But these dreams are possible here — in America. Thanks to our
Founding Fathers who learned from history and revered it, to
those civil rights heroes who dared to dream and to our men and
women in uniform who chose to defend a free land for all. I
honor them this week, and I pray that more of us bravely attempt
to emulate them today rather than tear down homages to their
memory.
America will continue to be the beacon of hope and freedom to
the world if we remember and rededicate ourselves to our
defining principles: All men are created equal and are endowed
with unalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of
happiness.
HTML https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/standing-up-for-black-lives-does-not-mean-tearing-down-our-history/ar-BB16f9Wt?ocid=msedgntp
[/quote]
The Problem I see is the democratic party. They are trying to
maintain CONTROL over most of the Americans who happen to had a
different skin color, ok..Black American. They still enslave
them as suredly as they did in the early 1800s.
Blade
#Post#: 14762--------------------------------------------------
Re: GEORGE FLOYD - Riots Go Nationwide
By: guest8 Date: July 2, 2020, 9:12 am
---------------------------------------------------------
[quote author=Bladerunner link=topic=948.msg14761#msg14761
date=1593699015]
[quote author=truthjourney link=topic=948.msg14752#msg14752
date=1593685648]
Standing up for Black lives does not mean tearing down our
history
Dr. Benjamin S. Carson Sr.
NBC News
Throughout our history, Independence Day has been an important
occasion of remembrance for Americans. We reflect on the
founding principles of our great nation, we celebrate those who
helped fight for the freedoms we defend today, and we honor the
heroic sacrifice it took to launch the greatest experiment the
world has ever seen.
Sadly, the present day feels different. The news is regularly
filled with stories of anarchists and angry mobs showing blatant
disregard for America's artifacts and historical sites,
desecrating these tributes to our long journey toward liberty
and justice for all.
In Portland, Oregon, we saw a statue of George Washington torn
down. In Washington, D.C., we saw the World War II Memorial
vandalized. In Madison, Wisconsin, protestors pulled down a
statue of Hans Christian Heg, a fierce abolitionist and someone
who made the ultimate sacrifice to free slaves.
This raises the question: What are these people fighting for? Or
better yet, what are they fighting against?
Each of these monuments represents a moment in time, an
important place or an influential figure who sacrificed for the
good of their country. How have we reached a point in our
nation's history in which these figures are not celebrated, but
villainized and shamed?
America continues to hold certain truths — life, liberty and the
pursuit of happiness — to be self-evident, and we should work
each and every day democratically, as our Founding Fathers
intended, to improve and ensure these rights for all.
To do so, mayors and governors must immediately condemn the
vandalization of statues and dismantle autonomous zones.
Destroying our history, wrecking our communities and inhibiting
our law enforcement officers will only result in more tyranny,
not more freedom. In fact, what we have seen these past few
weeks is chaos, lawlessness, even murder.
It is up to leaders in this country to emulate our Founding
Fathers and stand up to this retraction from law and order,
which in no way reflects our morals, let alone our democratic
values.
It is also up to us as American citizens to recognize hatred and
stand up for freedom. We can celebrate Black lives and speak out
against mob rule, censorship and anarchy at the same time.
Shaming our neighbors into conforming with movements like
"defund the police" and insinuating that if you are not for
these movements you are not standing up for Black lives is
nonsensical and irresponsible.
I am not denying that racism is real. It is, but I do not think
it is widely espoused. In fact, I believe opposition to racism
is a more commonly held belief, as we have seen in the thousands
of people marching for equality and justice nationwide. Racism
does not define us as a country; our commitment to freedom does.
Hate and guilt-shaming are not helpful for society to improve
and move forward. Instead, we should embrace the central
American value of freedom. The freedom to worship the religion
of your choice. The freedom to hold differing political
ideologies. The freedom to choose your occupation and your own
path in life. The freedom to peaceably protest your government.
We are beyond blessed to call the Land of the Free our home.
Only in America can I be born a poor Black boy raised in poverty
by a single mother and climb the ladder of opportunity to become
a brain surgeon and then a member of the president's Cabinet.
These dreams would not be possible in socialist Venezuela,
communist China or authoritarian North Korea.
But these dreams are possible here — in America. Thanks to our
Founding Fathers who learned from history and revered it, to
those civil rights heroes who dared to dream and to our men and
women in uniform who chose to defend a free land for all. I
honor them this week, and I pray that more of us bravely attempt
to emulate them today rather than tear down homages to their
memory.
America will continue to be the beacon of hope and freedom to
the world if we remember and rededicate ourselves to our
defining principles: All men are created equal and are endowed
with unalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of
happiness.
HTML https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/standing-up-for-black-lives-does-not-mean-tearing-down-our-history/ar-BB16f9Wt?ocid=msedgntp
[/quote]
The Problem I see is the democratic party. They are trying to
maintain CONTROL over most of the Americans who happen to had a
different skin color, ok..Black American. They still enslave
them as suredly as they did in the early 1800s.
Blade
[/quote]
While Black Lives matter, what about the millions of black
babies killed each year. what about all the blacks that are
killed by blacks each year...This experiment in Settle resulted
in two blacks being killed for what?
Blade
#Post#: 14768--------------------------------------------------
Re: GEORGE FLOYD - Riots Go Nationwide
By: guest17 Date: July 2, 2020, 9:47 am
---------------------------------------------------------
There was an interesting news story from 2017.
A warning from George Orwell on the ‘monument wars’
The left wants to attack the very legitimacy of America, of
which Washington is the real symbol. And going after statues and
other cultural icons is part of the Marxist playbook.
It was written about by George Orwell in his dystopian novel
“1984,” a quote from which is making the rounds this week.
In it, one of Orwell’s characters warns of how “every book has
been rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue
and street and building has been renamed, every date has been
altered.”
“And that process is continuing day by day and minute by
minute,” adds Orwell’s character. “History has stopped.”
Is that what we want?
Orwell’s wisdom suggests Trump was smart to raise the question
of where all this is going. And to say: “You are changing
history, you’re changing culture.”
HTML https://nypost.com/2017/08/16/a-warning-from-george-orwell-on-the-monument-wars/
#Post#: 14775--------------------------------------------------
Re: GEORGE FLOYD - Riots Go Nationwide
By: patrick jane Date: July 2, 2020, 10:49 am
---------------------------------------------------------
[img]
HTML https://www-images.christianitytoday.com/images/118123.png?w=700[/img]
HTML https://www.christianitytoday.com/edstetzer/2020/june/reflections-from-christian-scholar-on-social-justice-critic.html
Reflections from a Christian Scholar on Social Justice, Critical
Race Theory, Marxism, and Biblical Ethics
Looking at Marxism and Critical Race Theory in light of the
problem of racism in America.
During the weeks following the death of George Floyd, I have
been following the news with an increasing sense of sadness and
concern for the problems facing the United States regarding race
and racism.
I’ve been unsure how to respond as I’ve scrolled through social
media and watched increasingly polarized rhetoric on both sides
of the political aisle—except to listen to the voices of Black
friends and neighbors who are hurting and to pray for justice.
I’ve tried to apply the biblical principle of being “slow to
speak” (James 1:19), but I’ve been convicted recently about
joining a particular thread of the (inter)national conversation
taking place among those who share my faith in Jesus Christ and
want to support truth and justice without compromising on
principles peculiar and integral to our faith—principles that
they are afraid might be stealthily replaced by rhetoric from
other, incompatible frameworks of thinking.
Two frameworks I’ve been hearing about increasingly often are
familiar to me from my own field: Critical Race Theory and
Marxism. Because I have some expertise in these areas, I want to
offer some thoughts and, hopefully, clarification to the
conversation.
I’ll begin by giving some credentials, not to ask for accolades
but to indicate why I want to address these areas of the
cultural conversation in particular. I have two English degrees
(B.A. and M.A.) from a Christian university and a Ph.D. in
literature and criticism from a state university.
In my field, Marxism is one of the most commonly studied and
most influential perspectives, and Critical Race Theory is also
a significant force and gaining momentum. As a result, I’ve
studied these theories extensively.
What gives me an unusual perspective in my field, however, is
the fact that my primary research interest—and the topic of my
doctoral dissertation—is twentieth-century Russian literature.
My studies have convinced me that the sufferings and deaths of
millions are not only correlated with but largely caused by the
Marxist-Leninist agenda, and I am therefore deeply opposed to
Marxism as a framework.
I hope that, knowing this, those patient enough to read these
notes will acquit me of being a closet Marxist covering a
secular agenda with a veneer of Bible verses.
That said, I do believe that some reactions to the protests
following the death of George Floyd in particular and the Black
Lives Matter movement in general are based on a failure to
recognize important nuances in the conversation.
I’m going to address what I believe to be some problematic
reasoning I’m seeing come from Christian sources on race:
Argument #1: Like all sin, racism originates in the human heart.
Therefore, the solution to racism is for people’s hearts to
change. “Systemic racism,” on the other hand, is a Marxist idea.
Response: The first sentence’s claim is true. If you believe in
original sin (Genesis 3, Romans 5), you have to admit that any
sin originates in the human heart. Sin might be aggravated by
circumstances, but circumstances don’t cause sin. However, the
conclusion that the solution to racism is for people’s hearts to
change is true but incomplete.
If people are born in sin and people build a society, that
society will be structured in ways that reinforce whatever sins
dominate the hearts of those who build it. Therefore, even if
many people’s hearts change a few generations later, those
structures might still perpetuate the problems associated with
that society’s “original sins.”
This is why—and I believe this is an important distinction as
well—it is possible to recognize that many individual police
officers might not be racist and still believe that changes in
police departments need to take place to discourage injustice.
What those changes might be—alterations in training, changes in
criteria for which areas are patrolled more often, etc.—is an
important conversation, but having it does not mean condemning
all police officers, many of whom are no doubt grieved at the
horrific actions of other officers, such as the murderer of
George Floyd. The problem can be built into structures and
(some) individual hearts.
Here is how the above arguments are distinct from Marxism:
Marxism posits that socio-economic forces create the problem,
not that they perpetuate the problem. A true Marxist does not
believe that individuals have essential selves apart from the
historical contexts in which they develop.
As an atheistic philosophy, Marxism does not allow for belief in
a soul, and therefore, people are merely the products of the
world they live in (referred to as a “superstructure” of social
norms, historical forces, religious ideas, etc.).
The way to change people is to change society, and, for those
who follow the most progressive version of Marxism, to dismantle
society and recreate it from the ground up (this is what Lenin
tried to do in Russia and Mao Tsetung tried to do in China). I
know people who hold to the most extreme version of this
philosophy.
If you believe (as I do) that sin, such as racism, originates in
the human heart and merely manifests itself in society, you can
recognize the above project as fundamentally utopian. It won’t
work because whatever society you build from scratch will still
have problems (perhaps new ones, perhaps the same ones) because
you won’t have fixed the source of the problems (the human
heart).
Only one Person can eradicate sin from the world, and I pray for
that Person’s coming with an increasing sense of urgency these
days.
However, to reject the claim that “fixing society at the
structural level will fix everything” does not mean that we
should reject the idea of being good stewards of the society in
which we live. The fact that we will never be able to eradicate
sin (this side of the resurrection) does not mean we should sit
back and allow it free reign.
Those among my fellow believers who oppose abortion are already
recognizing that sin and its effects can be addressed on both
individual and societal levels. Meeting with a desperate woman
outside a clinic and convincing her not to end her baby’s life
is addressing it at the individual level.
But many who reach out to prospective patients outside clinics
also campaign for legal protections for the unborn and support
clinics (like our local Blue Ridge Women’s Center) that provide
desperate women with other options, resources, counseling, and
support. Other systemic changes might involve better guarantees
for parental leave, stronger incentives for paternal involvement
or financial support, and funding for adoptive and social
service venues.
Addressing the problem of abortion at the systemic level does
not mean caving into Marxism unless we believe that doing so is
the only, complete, and permanent solution.
I firmly believe that if we are to work toward racial
reconciliation, we need to admit that the history of racism in
the United States (slavery, Jim Crow, etc.) has left us with
problems that need to be addressed at the heart level AND at the
structural level.
Argument #2: Critical Race Theory is a Marxist framework, and
therefore, it is antithetical to the gospel.
Response: Critical Race Theory is indeed deeply informed by
Marxism. As a result, I recognize that, as a Christian scholar,
I will not agree with all of its tenets. However—and bear in
mind, this is coming from someone who wrote a dissertation about
the ways in which Russian poets coped with Marxist-Leninist
oppression—Marx was not wrong about absolutely everything. Very
few thinkers are (probably because they are all made in God’s
image) wrong about everything.
Here are two statements on which I, as a Christian scholar,
actually agree with Marx—while vehemently rejecting his
philosophy as a whole:
1) Power does exist, and people do sometimes use it to oppress
others.
Reading the Old Testament will make these truths abundantly
clear (Nebuchadnezzar, Pharaoh, the list goes on). And everyday
experience makes these truths abundantly clear. Just ask anyone
whose boss fired him/her for no good reason. Even Marx’s cited
evidence for the above truths was legitimate. During the
Industrial Revolution, factory workers had few legal
protections, worked overly long hours in unsafe environments,
and received few benefits and low pay.
2) Oppressed people do suffer, and their suffering is often
unjust.
I actually believe that as a Christian, I have a much better
foundation for supporting the above statement than Marx did. If
people are merely cogs in the wheel of history, it’s hard to
explain why anyone should care if they suffer. The fact that
most Marxists I know are deeply compassionate people is, I
believe, a testament to their humanity (being made in God’s
image), not their philosophy.
Because I believe people are made in God’s image (Gen. 1); the
God whom I worship warned his followers repeatedly not to
oppress the poor, widows, foreigners, etc. (cf. Deut. 15:7 and
countless other passages); and Jesus reached out to those whom
society despised (women, Samaritans, etc.); I can argue with
confidence that my faith is wholly consistent with working to
mitigate oppression in the society in which I live.
By doing so, I am not embracing an alternate gospel but merely
living in a way consistent with the gospel I have embraced since
I was a child.
What some are referring to as “social justice” these days—making
sure our laws and institutions don’t make it easier for the
powerful to oppress marginalized groups—often refers to good,
old-fashioned biblical justice.
This may mean that those who have more should be given
structural incentives to share with those who have less. Ruth
was able to pick up the grain from behind Boaz’s reapers because
he was following the biblical mandate for them not to go back
and pick up what they’d dropped—that was reserved for the poor
and the immigrants. He could have argued that it all belonged to
him, since he planted it, but he was willing to share.
Requiring him to give up every scrap of grain from his field to
distribute it equally among the whole town would have been
Marx’s solution, but requiring him to leave a little behind was
God’s solution (Lev. 23:22).
Exactly how the principle of protecting the poor should be
translated into legislation and cultural practices today is a
separate question—one I’m not prepared to address here. Some
incentives already exist (e.g., tax breaks for charitable
donations). I’m merely pointing out that Christians who express
concern about the disparity between the “haves” and “have nots”
should not be labeled Marxists by other Christians on that
criterion alone.
And if the term “social justice” is sometimes co-opted by
Marxists, rejecting the concept outright robs Christians of the
chance to become part of the conversation regarding its
definition and application. It is a fluid concept right now, and
using the term in a way that validates biblical principles of
justice can help shape the way in which the cultural
conversation develops.
Backing out of the conversation, on the other hand, involves
relinquishing the chance to have what could be an important,
positive influence.
Argument #3: The Black Lives Matter movement is Marxist and
supportive of the LGBTQ community’s attempts to criminalize
traditional, biblical views of sexuality.
Response: The official Black Lives Matter movement, started by
Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi, is indeed built
on a Marxist foundation and deeply involved with LGBTQ agendas.
I took an entire doctoral-level cultural studies course on the
Black Lives Matter movement, so I’m very aware of these
connections.
However, as the course in question also involved a study of
Twitter campaigns and hashtags (yes, people study Twitter in
academia these days), I became just as aware that most people
who use the #blacklivesmatter hashtag have no connection to the
movement proper.
The hashtag itself speaks a truth, and people who hold up a sign
at a protest proclaiming that truth are not necessarily involved
with or even aware of the tenets of the movement proper.
Conversations surrounding the Black Lives Matter protests should
not assume that the slogan is owned by the movement (nor should
the movement itself try to “own” all those who use the hashtag
or the slogan).
I also believe that if Christians fail to become involved in
promoting the truth behind the slogan, we are lending credence
to the Marxist claim that Christianity exists merely to
perpetuate the injustices it (Marxism) seeks to correct.
I think many of my fellow believers would be surprised how many
people in my field are disgusted by our faith not because they
believe we hold outdated ideas about God (though that’s a common
belief as well) but because we’ve failed, so many times
throughout history, to stand up for the oppressed.
My response to that disgust is that they’re not wrong about
Christians having done the wrong thing at many times throughout
history but that, when Christians have done the wrong thing,
we’ve been acting in a way inconsistent with the tenets of our
own faith. Because I believe that even Christians struggle with
sin, I’m not surprised when I study history and read about my
brothers and sisters having massive blind spots and acting
accordingly (it makes me wonder what my own massive blind spots
are).
But I do believe that those blind spots are just that—blind
spots, areas in which they failed to see the truths of Scripture
or understand how to apply them. When I see atrocities
perpetrated by Lenin, Stalin, or Mao, however, I see the source
of those atrocities built into their own philosophy and its
assumption that creating a virtual paradise (a classless
society) is possible and therefore worth achieving no matter
what the cost.
Also, for the record, those in the LGBTQ community are highly
sensitive that they not be left out of conversations involving
justice for other marginalized groups. While I hold to a
traditional, biblical view of sexuality that would offend many
in the LGBTQ community, I do believe it is important that they
be treated like the human beings they are, and I am willing to
listen to them even if I will not agree with all of their
claims.
There is a real fear among members of the LGBTQ community that
they will suffer violence and dehumanization from others (and
instances of such violence are well-documented).
As human beings, they deserve protection from those threats.
Conversations over the distinction between disagreement and
dehumanization are difficult because they involve questions
regarding identity categories, but I hope and pray that such
conversations can still happen.
Argument #4: The concept of “white privilege” is unjust because
it blames white people today for atrocities, such as slavery or
segregation, that were set up generations ago and that they had
no hand in creating. It also suggests that white people today
should feel guilty for racism even if they are not racists
themselves.
Response: Some people probably do use the term “white privilege”
in this way (the conversation is developing at such a rapid pace
that such terminology is developing new shades of meaning at an
accelerated rate). However, the term is helpful in describing a
real phenomenon—one that I’ve personally witnessed taking place.
Bear with me, and I’ll define it first, then share a personal
story to illustrate what I mean.
“White privilege” refers to the phenomenon in which white people
receive certain societal benefits that they did not
earn—benefits they receive by default simply for being white.
To be clear, I do not feel guilty for being born white. I was
created that way, and it’s no more a sin to be born white than
it is to be born a member of any other race.
However, I do recognize that some people—and some
institutions—will respond to me differently because I am white.
I do not, for example, get followed around department stores by
loss-prevention officers because I look like “the kind of person
who might steal something.” My Black friends do have that happen
to them.
This is where the term “privilege” gets sticky, because it can
be understood to mean I have a benefit that I shouldn’t
have—i.e., that we should both be followed around the store.
Actually, however, what I’m receiving is the benefit of the
doubt—the default assumption that I’m going to be honest until I
do or say something to undermine that assumption.
What the concept of privilege actually suggests is that we
should both get the benefit of the doubt. It is not a privilege
because I shouldn’t have it; it is a privilege because I have it
and other people just as honest as I am do not have it. The
term, in this context, calls attention to an unjust and
illogical disparity in expectations.
Now, how should I respond? Should I feel guilty for the racism
informing the tendencies of loss-prevention officers to target
customers other than me for surveillance?
I shouldn’t feel the guilt of being individually culpable for
what other people do. After all, I didn’t ask the
loss-prevention officers to follow other people around. However,
I should feel guilty if I recognize the larger problem at work
here—both individual and systemic racism—and do nothing about
it.
I can’t fix it single-handedly, but I can speak up. I can vote.
I can teach texts in my classroom that confront these issues. I
can say something when a white friend tells a racist joke. I can
listen to my friends of color when they share their experiences
and allow myself to be guided by their insight. If I don’t, I’m
part of the problem and share the guilt of perpetuating it (even
though I didn’t personally cause it).
I might also feel other emotions, such as anger, which is a
proper response to injustice. This is, in fact, exactly what I
felt when I visited the local social security office to get an
updated card after my wedding thirteen years ago.
My sister, a Korean-American adopted at three-months-old and
naturalized as an American citizen in early childhood, had
gotten married to her husband in the same ceremony. She, being
more on top of things than I was, had already gone to the office
to get her card. She had taken the required documents listed on
the website—birth certificate, current social security card, a
photo ID, etc. When she arrived at the office and showed her
papers, however, they demanded more: they wanted to see other
papers, records, etc. that were not officially required when she
already had a valid social security card.
I remember them demanding that she make several trips to their
office—I even remember hearing that they wanted to make her take
a test in American history (because all real Americans
apparently know their history so well). Finally, she got the
card.
Having heard about all the hoops they had made her jump through,
I was nervous about going to get my card. I double-checked that
I had everything—birth certificate, social security card, photo
ID, etc.
When I got to the window, I handed over my current card and said
I was there to get an updated card with my new name. The woman
behind the counter handed it to me without even asking to see my
driver’s license.
When I got back to my car, I called my sister and ranted about
what racist jerks ran the social security office and how
outraged I was on her behalf. I probably felt a little
self-righteous, if I’m honest, for my outrage, and I do believe
I was right to feel the outrage. I shouldn’t have felt so
righteous, though.
A more righteous person would have walked back inside and asked
to speak to the employee’s supervisor. Maybe I wasn’t a racist,
but I didn’t do anything to challenge racism when it hit me in
the face, and so, notwithstanding my righteous anger, I failed
to do the right thing because I don’t like confrontations.
I hope and pray that, given the injustices on national news
these days, I will do the right thing the next time I get a
chance to. It’s why I’m writing this essay-length note, knowing
full well that my Marxist friends (if they take the time to read
it) will not appreciate my objections to their philosophy and
that some of my Christian friends (if they take the time to read
it) will see me as selling out.
I want to do the right thing this time, though, and so I’m doing
my best to add to a difficult conversation. I welcome any and
all honest responses, whether they agree with me or not. There
are important questions being raised about issues that directly
and/or indirectly affect my brothers and sisters in Christ—and
my friends of other faiths and no faith who share similar
concerns about justice.
So I’ll end my long reflections by saying, on or off social
media, let’s talk.
#Post#: 14807--------------------------------------------------
Re: GEORGE FLOYD - Riots Go Nationwide
By: patrick jane Date: July 3, 2020, 8:13 pm
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