The Justice We Need
I hate to admit this, but as great as all of the efforts are to bring about change and justice for minorities right now, I'm not expecting much. At least, not long term.
The reason I'm not as optimistic is because we're aiming at the wrong solutions. Laws can't bring permanent change. They have the "power" to make things better only when people are willing to follow them. The truth though is that this is a society that loves its loopholes. Legislation is not the answer to the woes of racism.
History tells us that. We thought freedom from slavery would make us equal. In many ways, our freedom made us less free. Our freedom introduced us to the viciousness and brutality of the clan and lynching. And, of course, new loopholes that were meant to keep us from achieving. Add to that, the only means of survival for most who remained in the south was just a continued form of slavery--sharecropping.
But, the fight continued. Legislation was passed time after time. Voting rights, fair housing, desegregation, etc. The laws are good and just. It's just the same as the Law God gave mankind in the wilderness at the hand of Moses. They work, only as far as the people who hear them are willing to live by them.
The Law of Moses was good, too; but it was always meant to be temporary because it didn't have the power to take away sin--it couldn't change the heart. It could only make the doer aware of his sin. Then he/she had to decide if he/she was going to offer the sacrifice to cover the sin (and appease God's demand for righteousness) until the next time.
With racism, we're dealing with the same thing, laws and rules that make everyone aware of what is acceptable and what is unacceptable. The laws themselves have no power to change anything. They're helpful because they give minorities legal recourse in the event that they are not kept, but rulings are often not just either.
We need a Savior. The "blood of bulls and goats" will no longer suffice. Legislation is not enough. There are laws against murder, but black men and women are disproportionately murdered by those called to serve and protect us. We had laws against discrimination in housing and education, but de facto segregation all but guaranteed that our schools remained separate and unequal. We have voting laws, but gerrymandering and shutting down voting places in minority neighborhoods makes it harder for people to vote. New voter ID laws are meant to disenfranchise whole segments of society. In one case in Texas, for one county it would involve a 150 mile trip to obtain the proper documentation to vote. In Florida, it is 14 years before a felon released from prison is able to vote--and it is very easy to get a felony conviction in the state of Florida.
So, is there a solution? Or am I just rehearsing all of the ways that we are without hope?
There is a solution. We do have a Savior. Just like the Law of the Old Testament couldn't fix the problem; neither can the laws we pass. Laws are band-aids.
The only permanent solution to the myriad issues of racism lie in the heart. We cannot legislate love and morality. Laws cannot make individuals choose to become fair and just, but love can and will.
When we decide to choose love instead of hate and bigotry we will stop seeing this as your side and my side--but our problem. Then, and only then, will we work together for permanent change. Then, we will ask the hard questions of each other--and more importantly, ourselves.
That's when the scales will fall from our eyes and we will have a heart of flesh in place of a stony heart. Then, we can experience empathy for all who suffer without qualifiers or rationalizations. We will simply see and feel their pain and do whatever it takes to heal it.
Love is the answer.
The reason I'm not as optimistic is because we're aiming at the wrong solutions. Laws can't bring permanent change. They have the "power" to make things better only when people are willing to follow them. The truth though is that this is a society that loves its loopholes. Legislation is not the answer to the woes of racism.
History tells us that. We thought freedom from slavery would make us equal. In many ways, our freedom made us less free. Our freedom introduced us to the viciousness and brutality of the clan and lynching. And, of course, new loopholes that were meant to keep us from achieving. Add to that, the only means of survival for most who remained in the south was just a continued form of slavery--sharecropping.
But, the fight continued. Legislation was passed time after time. Voting rights, fair housing, desegregation, etc. The laws are good and just. It's just the same as the Law God gave mankind in the wilderness at the hand of Moses. They work, only as far as the people who hear them are willing to live by them.
The Law of Moses was good, too; but it was always meant to be temporary because it didn't have the power to take away sin--it couldn't change the heart. It could only make the doer aware of his sin. Then he/she had to decide if he/she was going to offer the sacrifice to cover the sin (and appease God's demand for righteousness) until the next time.
With racism, we're dealing with the same thing, laws and rules that make everyone aware of what is acceptable and what is unacceptable. The laws themselves have no power to change anything. They're helpful because they give minorities legal recourse in the event that they are not kept, but rulings are often not just either.
We need a Savior. The "blood of bulls and goats" will no longer suffice. Legislation is not enough. There are laws against murder, but black men and women are disproportionately murdered by those called to serve and protect us. We had laws against discrimination in housing and education, but de facto segregation all but guaranteed that our schools remained separate and unequal. We have voting laws, but gerrymandering and shutting down voting places in minority neighborhoods makes it harder for people to vote. New voter ID laws are meant to disenfranchise whole segments of society. In one case in Texas, for one county it would involve a 150 mile trip to obtain the proper documentation to vote. In Florida, it is 14 years before a felon released from prison is able to vote--and it is very easy to get a felony conviction in the state of Florida.
So, is there a solution? Or am I just rehearsing all of the ways that we are without hope?
There is a solution. We do have a Savior. Just like the Law of the Old Testament couldn't fix the problem; neither can the laws we pass. Laws are band-aids.
The only permanent solution to the myriad issues of racism lie in the heart. We cannot legislate love and morality. Laws cannot make individuals choose to become fair and just, but love can and will.
When we decide to choose love instead of hate and bigotry we will stop seeing this as your side and my side--but our problem. Then, and only then, will we work together for permanent change. Then, we will ask the hard questions of each other--and more importantly, ourselves.
That's when the scales will fall from our eyes and we will have a heart of flesh in place of a stony heart. Then, we can experience empathy for all who suffer without qualifiers or rationalizations. We will simply see and feel their pain and do whatever it takes to heal it.
Love is the answer.
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