As a rule, I try to be upbeat and inspiring on this blog, but my tank is just empty. The terrorist act of entering a church during bible study and murdering people at prayer has broken my heart. The media has begun its endless dialogue on mental health, and gun control, and racism. But they are not talking about the monster that the media feeds, the monster of hate.
How did we become this nation of haters? Did the 24-7 news world run out of things to talk about if they didn't talk about what was wrong with one group of people or another? I had to change the church I attend because my former parish didn't talk about what God expected from me anymore, they just talked about who God wanted me to hate and fear.
Newsflash - the God I believe in doesn't want us to hate or fear anyone. I'll be the first to admit, I try to be a get along person. I try to allow people to have whatever beliefs that they want to have. It is a slippery slope from allowing people to think however they want to think to being silent when they voice a dangerous level of hate or intolerance.
I am a Catholic. I don't always agree with my church, but I'll always be a Catholic. Catholic doctrine teaches we are all one in the Body of Christ. No race, no religion, no nationality, no gender identification can separate us from the Body of Christ. Some may not embrace Christ, He still embraces them. Some actively turn away from Christ, only in turning away from Christ can people commit the heinous crimes like the terrorist shootings in Charleston.
I appreciate that you may not call your higher power Christ. You may not believe in a theistic dogma. I'm OK with that. I think that there is a force for good in the universe that unites us. We need to be more aware of and obedient to that force.
Every one of us needs to speak out against the hate. We need to work really hard to see the similarities with others, instead of the differences. We need to actively seek common ground. We need to call each other out when we are unkind, and challenge each other to be kind and supportive. We also need to pay attention to someone who speaks too easily and freely in a hateful manner. We should report these people to the authorities, in the hope that they can be stopped before they commit horrific violence.
I deeply believe we have too much of a gun-friendly culture in the United States. But I also believe that a gun in the hands of someone who hates no one, and who means no one any harm is not a terrible thing. The terrible thing is the glorification of violence as a way to solve problems. The terrible thing is the mockery of people who want to understand and find compromise and common ground. How did understanding and compromise become equivalent to weakness? Weak people yell and scream and solve problems with bullying and violence. Strong people hold their temper, discuss alternatives, and find compromise.
The United States has suffered significant racial and social tension for all of our history. There is only one race. The human race. You are making as much sense to hate people with freckles or blue eyes or who are right handed as it makes sense to hate someone based on the color of their skin, their sexual preference or their gender identification.
Be a voice to stop the hating. Love one another. Find your common ground with everyone. Embrace kindness. Do not tolerate hate. Speak out against violence. Pray to your higher power. Build up your family and friends. We must not let hate win. We must embrace the power of love to make it better.
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