If I'm honest I don't really understand the black verses white issue in
America or how that might relate to politics, but if the political atmosphere
is anything like the UK, then the parties will use anything, any subject to
score points over each other. By doing so they inflame an already hot situation.
Maybe I've always just come across good decent people, but I've never met or chatted
to an American who I could actually point out as being racist, but yet many are drawn into
taking sides - even blacks it's not just whites - it's both.
Is it possible that everyone is taking great pains to point the finger, identify with one side or
the other, listening to too many politicians and the media but not really dealing with the
issue.
History (not just American) shows if a group of people feel threatened or undervalued they
batten down the hatches and stick to their own group. That's human nature and so the
segregation becomes more obvious. Also if people feel they are expected to act in a certain
way they will. Especially true of peer pressure it's like a kind of herd mentality.
Is it possible that the more people talk of black and white "movements" the more segregation
this will cause.
The only way forward is to recognise each other's difference and celebrate and share them.
Im thinking of music styles, dress, cultural differences etc the normal reasonable every
day stuff. (Not the illegal stuff).
To do that there has to be adjustments on all sides, education, respect. That can be achieved
even among non Christians.
For Christians (doesn't the USA have a high Christian population compared to most
other countries) more than anything it should be achievable, there has to be love with
God at the centre. If the USA can't achieve intergrstion then there is little hope for the
rest of us.
I know I keep going on about my church but I feel my church is an example of how it
really is possible to love and respect your neighbour despite the cultural differences.
We regularly incorporate songs with different languages into the worship time and songs
with different cultural rhythms. When we have food type get togethers people are
encouraged to bring food from their own cultures (our food get togethers are amazing!
).
We often have special Sunday services where people are encouraged to wear their own
national dress and take an active part in the service. We hold English language classes to
help with intergration.
Lots and lots is being said on this thread and other similar threads, but opinion doesn't
mean anything without action.
The solution has to start with each individual, each person willing to show love and
respect for others regardless of skin colour. If each real born again Christian in the
USA could find it within themselves to be the bigger person and befriend people
they meet of a different culture and to show them God's love. While it might be a
very small start, it would be a start. As long as each person does their individual bit,
God can use that. Pray also that God would raise up people of influence on both sides
to bring about change because the current politicians and media seem to be making
a bad job worse.