Thoughts on this Sunday.
They say that “silence is golden”.
We are also told “never say never”.
We are told that we are limited by
the size of our dreams; therefore, dream huge colorful dreams.
I say that sometimes silence is not
golden at all. That there are times when we have to express meaningful and thoughtful
words that may challenge the emotive balance of another person or group of
individuals. I think there are times
that saying “never” is exactly what needs to be said. I believe that there are some actions,
policies, and thoughts that need to be challenged. However, yes, I would agree that we are
limited by the dreams that we hold or believe inside.
Recently, we have seen events that have
rippled through the internet in a matter of seconds. With these events, we have been openly
questioned as to what we believe and who do we protect as a society. This was not the first time, nor will it be
the last, that “man” has been presented with the opportunity to defend and
speak out for the well-being of another. In the 1930’s, Germany had a community
of evil chose one segment of society at a time.
They chose them not to exalt but to exterminate. In the 1800’s, America had a community of evil
that held societal and political power late into the 60’s and 70’s (some would
even say to this day) that declared that race was a determining factor of not
just how to live but whether or not you lived. In the other countries, such as
India, Afghanistan, and Iran, a person’s sexual identity controls their destiny
of safety and progression in life even to this day.
It is not a matter of whether we
openly accept a person for how they naturally live out their lives. Honestly, it comes down to whether or not we respect
and value the freedom to choose to live an authentic life. Sadly, in the 50’s some people would have defended
the denial of a Negro eating at the counter in a Woolworth’s store. Thankfully, there were some that stood up and
said that this denial was not just a denial of one group of people but the
denial of all.
Today some have said it is within
the legal right of a company or a business owner to not serve a gay or lesbian
person. I have a question. Which side would you have stood with in Germany
during the 30’s? Would you have said
that society should not protect the rights of a gypsy or a minority, or a mentally
handicapped person or a gay or a Jew?
Discrimination is discrimination no
matter the time or the place or the person. We all have to ask ourselves these
questions: what are we afraid of? Are we afraid of the color of a person’s
skin? Are we afraid of the clothes that a
person may wear? Are we afraid of not the sexual choice of another person but
the fact that they are attracted to the same sexual person? Are we afraid of
someone that thinks differently than we do? Are we afraid of someone that worships
differently than we do? Are we afraid or just uncomfortable?
Many of those that have spoken out
in favor of a recent legal decision, which will lead to discrimination, have used
their faith beliefs as an argument against the rights of another person. Some
are using their beliefs as a mallet beating down the rights of another person. In that person’s defense, they say that they have
rights too and yes they do; however, do those rights supersede the rights of
another person? To be honest, those that
oppose just want conformity. They want a society that adheres to their
standards of “choice”… oddly enough it sounds like another modern religious
group that we find appalling in actions as well.
Now, before someone says that this
in defense of one demographic group, these thoughts presented here are the same
for the Arab, the Jew, the mentally handicapped, the rich, the poor, the
Protestant, the Catholic, the Muslim, the gay, and the straight. This belief of defending the rights of others
is for the young and the old, male or female, the Hispanic and the Asian, or
for anyone who does not feel like they are a part of any societal community.
So, I ask myself this as much as I
am asking you… Do my actions promote discrimination? Am I promoting dividedness
in my silence? Do my actions defend the rights of others? Am I living life
based on my interpretation or is it based on the loving actions of Christ? Just
as He welcomed others, am I doing the same?
