Here in Pittsburgh an anchorwoman from the of the local television stations recently lost her job after she made remarks on a Facebook page concerning a mass murder that took place within walking distance of the station, in an “at-risk” neighborhood. She made a number of assumptions about the shooters, saying that they were probably young, fatherless black men (when in fact no suspects have yet been arrested as I write). She also compared them to a busboy at one of the local nightclub districts, wondering, in effect, “Why can’t they be like him?”
However, a number of politically conservative Christians have defended her, saying that her statements weren’t really racist. I wonder how some of those same people would react if she had made “anti-Christian” remarks.
And there’s the hypocrisy — in that narrative it seems that the only real persecution that exists surrounds them and their worldview. It’s been that way since the early 1980s, when the “religious right” gained a little political and cultural power and in the process began to trash those who disagreed.
If persecution is indeed the norm I would expect the Christian to sympathize with those who suffer, who experience at the very least insensitive remarks of some sort. But that hasn’t happened to my knowledge; it seems that many believers have forsaken the “do unto others” command, and that failure to be considerate is one reason the church is every bit as divided as the world. After all, our witness to the world is severely compromised when we don’t practice what we preach.
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