Hollow Hope?

I have been doing a lot of reading about the Civil Rights Struggles of the 1960's, thanks to a new novel I am reading by Greg Iles "Natchez Burning". I have also watched several documentaries as well as the movies "Mississippi Burning" and "Ghosts of Mississippi". And it makes me wonder, Have we really changed or learned anything?

I was born in 1972 and so by the time I grew old enough to understand, thankfully most of the worst of the Violence, Killing, and Racism in the South had ended. I never had to really go through it or had to make that choice of which side to take. I had the leisure and ease of not seeing the differences or hate that those who lived during those times did. I have been lucky in that, I got to grow up alongside and amongst people of all races and skin colors without having to be made to choose between "those people" or "my own race". However, I have also not fooled myself in thinking the divide, the hate, the racism has been solved or been overcome. It has just taken a different tack, it has grown passive but it is still there. And I am afraid it always will be. There will always be racism and hate, thankfully though it is not as widespread and we are learning to recognize it and head it off before it gets to the levels that it once reached.

I often ask myself while reading or watching such stories, what would I do if I were there. I want to say that I would stand up and fight the hate and racism, but I am fooling myself. If I were constantly under the thumb of such hate and vehemence and dialogue, I would probably feel the same way. If I were pressured by the KKK and other hate filled racists and suffered intimidation, I would honestly probably knuckle under it and at the very least turn a blind eye to it all. Thankfully, I don't have to, but it scares me to consider it.

While the current controversy over LGBT rights and same sex marriage has not risen to the same overt, widespread level of violence and destruction as we saw in the Civil Rights of the 1960's, and I hope it never does, the shadow is ever present. We must remain ever vigilant to ensure that it DOES NOT reach such levels. We have to have those who are ready to make those stands,  regardless of whatever peer pressure or intimidation arises, and we have to be ready before it happens. We must NEVER let such events happen again. Regardless of how you feel about the LGBT community, regardless of if you believe it is genetic or a choice, regardless of if you agree with their lifestyle we must not let those views ever degenerate to hate.

Before anyone tries to raise disagreement with me using the Bible, yes I know those passages you will mention and so what? I don't see those passages followed by permission to respond with hate and violence. Remember, the hate filled racists during the Civil Rights Era also drew from the Bible passages to rationalize and excuse their behavior and actions. Many were church going deacons, leaders and yes even pastors. I don't say that to condemn any of those in the modern church, but so that we can go in with open eyes and realize that just using the Bible to rationalize and excuse your views and behavior does not always equate to right. Even with all that, we are still called to love our fellow man and treat him equally and right. We don't have to agree, but they are due our respect and acceptance.

NO ONE is asking you or making you change your religious definition of marriage. NO ONE is changing God's definition (whatever that may be, I am not God and thus not qualified to speak for God). All they are talking about is the CIVIL, LEGAL definition and to have the same rights as anyone else. I stand with them regardless of how that may affect me and my standing with anyone. They have the same right to marry and live their lives as you and I do.

No matter where you fall on such issues, we must be willing to sit down and talk to each other. To grant each other the same respect, tolerance, and treatment we demand for ourselves. If we don't learn this, then that shadow will only grow, darken and feed and we will find ourselves right back where we were in the 1960's (or even where German was in the 1930's and 40's). We must not fail each other and our future generations like that ever again.