Saturday, July 9, 2016

Stop Being a Racist

What is happening in America right now? Violence against blacks continues at an alarming rate. The numbers are stacking up quickly. People are afraid to walk in the streets. We now have active shooters targeting people of a particular race and police seem to be killing black males for the smallest offenses. But there is a simple solution. 

Here in Baltimore we certainly remember the death of Freddie Gray and the strange course of events leading to it. I still wonder what really happened but I suspect we will never know. Each one of the recent killings has unique facts and circumstances. Some of those killed seemed to be going about their daily routine, while others were in the act of breaking the law, and still others were in the act of upholding the law (as in Dallas). Despite the uniqueness of the circumstances, there is a simple solution. 

The leaders of our country and the candidates for leadership are both not helping. They seem to be using these events to suit their own purposes, From grinding an axe about gun control on one hand to blaming Mexicans or Muslims on the other, they are completely missing the simple solution.

And finally the media continues to cover these stories with a decidedly racial and sensationalist slant. They often willingly leave out key facts while bringing to prominence hearsay and speculation which makes the story seem more interesting, but also more infuriating. The media seems to be fanning the flames of anger and hatred and the media fails to understand the simple solution.

The answer to racism is imagism. Imagism is understanding that all humans are created in the image of God and are therefore worthy of dignity, honor, respect, and love. When we understand that all humans are made in the image of God, we can begin the path toward peace.