Today, in the UK, the Conservative Party's front-bench spokesman for Homeland Security was sacked for comments he made which many have taken to be racist. This comes hard on the heals of the 'Big Brother' controversy over comments by a certain Jade Goody.
Both incidents have highlighted again just how raw this issue remains in the British consciousness. I meet people with great regularity who will start sentences with the immortal line "I'm not racist...but..." and then proceed to spew out all sorts of ignorant racist nonesense!
A few years ago I was in a car with a family in London. The family included a small child. We inevitably got stuck in traffic on our way to the Zoo, and I remember sighing in frustration. I said, "This London traffic is getting worse and worse". To my surprise and horror, the young child piped up, "Yes, its because of all the blacks who are coming to live here!"
That child, still of primary school age, had been taught by some of the adults around them the most awful racist attitudes. The child genuinely believed that the immigration of non-white people into London was to blame for the traffic chaos. Racism is perhaps at its most ugly when people lay the blame for everything that is wrong with society (even the traffic!) at the feet of those who are different to them. That is the beginning of the road to holocausts.
How different are the words of the Bible: "In Christ there is neither Jew, nor Greek, neither slave nor free, neither male nor female..." The Bible maintains that all human beings are equal in value...equally loved by our One Heavenly Father. Equally important.
ANY other interpretation of scripture simply is not Christian. Full Stop.
No comments:
Post a Comment