Honest questions

November 25, 2014 at 8:09 pm | Posted in Christianity | Leave a comment
Tags: Ferguson, questions

I’ve thought a lot about what’s going on in Ferguson since the shooting took place. Now that the decision has been made and the reaction has happened, I’m left more aggravated than I was before. Many will dismiss what’s written because I’m white and I just possibly couldn’t understand what it’s like to be black. As if experiencing loss, poverty, pain, grief, or any number of other things was reserved for a specific people group….

It seems like so many people from so many different perspectives think that what’s going on is “the way it goes”. Many blacks have said as much. I heard a nationally syndicated radio show host talk all but give his support for looters and rioters for expressing their anger at the “injustice” of what took place today. He said, “Police stations should have psychiatric exams for ‘biases against US'”. Wait…what? You want police officers to be examined to see if they have a bias against blacks. So any other bias is ok then? It’s ok that they have a bias against whites or Latinos? This type of statement demonstrates the fact that no one is actually dealing with the foundation of racial issues.

There is a sub-culture that exists in may predominately black neighborhoods. I’m sure that I’ll get flack for that, but it’s true. These areas are predominately poorer and often receive more govt money than others. But it’s more than that. There is a mixture of “victim” mentality and feelings of entitlement that cause an explosive problem. And, all of this is catalyzed by emotions and superficial statements of piety or justice instead of by logic and reason.

Take the comment made by the radio host. He was worried about bias against “us”. He lamented the fact that white cops don’t care about blacks and his partner said that many of them don’t even live in the same neighborhoods. First of all, is that true? Is it true that white cops don’t care about blacks? I’m sure that some don’t. But, is it the gigantic number that these black men need to be vindicated? Hardly. Second, why is it that white cops don’t live in the same neighborhoods? There could be a number of reasons. Maybe they didn’t grow up in that neighborhood. Maybe they couldn’t get a position in that neighborhood. Or maybe, THEY DON’T THINK THAT THE NEIGHBORHOOD IS A SAFE PLACE TO RAISE THEIR FAMILIES!

But see? All of this is too logical. It just takes a little thinking, just like the Michael Brown case did. Before the facts were ever known in the case, people were looting and rioting. They claimed that they wanted “justice” for Michael Brown. But I find that hard to believe. I mean, if they really wanted justice, they would have waited to hear/see the facts of the case and then allowed the jury to deliberate on it and come to a decision. Then, they would have dealt with that decision as the justice they asked for. That’s how the system works. But, many of those protesting, rioting, and looting are claiming that the system is broken. Why? Because it didn’t give them the answer THEY wanted. They already had Officer Wilson dead before any information came out. When he wasn’t indicted on any charges, they didn’t get “justice….for Michael Brown”.

Herein lies part of the problem. It’s not about justice. It’s about what’s best for me. That’s a sin issue. It’s selfishness, greed, and pride. For the Ferguson case, this meant that the protesters and family of Michael Brown had to ignore the facts, including eyewitness testimony given by black witnesses. These facts stated that Brown robbed a liquor store. Many have dismissed that as “just a kid thing” because he ONLY took some cigars. Last time I checked, that’s still stealing. Then, when Officer Wilson arrived and tried to get out of his car, Brown punched him twice in the fact and tried to grab his gun. The gun went off. Brown ran and Wilson chased him. Brown turned to face Wilson and was shot several times. Many of those who are supportive of Brown have said that it was excessive and unnecessary force. I’m really not sure how they get this. A 6’ 4″, 292 pound black MAN has robbed a store, pushed the clerk around, punched you in the face twice,TRIED TO GRAB YOUR GUN,  ran from you, and then turned to charge at you. You mean to tell me that you wouldn’t think that your life was in danger? I know that this is difficult to do, but put yourself in Officer Wilson’s position (black or white). Would you really just stand there and let him tackle/slam/hurt/possibly kill you when he’s already made it clear (by grabbing for your gun) that he’s willing to do so? Of course not. You would do what needed to be done to protect yourself, and if we’re all honest here, everyone expects that to happen. The problem is, this can’t be admitted in public because it ruins the foundation for racial tension, race-baiting, violence, and free stuff. If this were a black cop killing a black man, there wouldn’t have been a peep. Just like none of these people seem to get outraged when it’s a black cop killing a white man….

Here’s something else that I don’t understand. Why do those who support Brown let Al Sharpton speak for them? I’m not sure how he looks to everyone, but most of the people I know (regardless of skin color) don’t seem to think very highly of Mr. Sharpton, and with good reason. Al Sharpton is a huckster, a con man, a flim flam, a swindler,  and a charlatan. But worst of all, he’s an abuser. He can’t be bothered with actually producing solutions to bring about what he claims to fight for. That’s hard to do when you’re busy flying from place to place inciting the very thing you claim to fight. Nothing that Al Sharpton has ever said could be seen as benefiting anyone. The man is in it for the money and nothing else. He is selling you out (into slavery?) and many don’t even recognize it. He doesn’t care about black families or white families. He doesn’t care about doing what it takes to see tensions ease. He can’t do that. If he did, it would cost him his lifestyle and all the money he makes for being a race-baiter. He’s not the only one, and he’s not the only person who has contributed to this tragedy. There are professing Christians of all skin colors who seem to ignore both facts and scripture to cling to emotions whether it’s outrage, grief, or guilt.

But I guess this leads me to what really doesn’t make sense. Many of the people supporting Brown are calling for justice and racial equality. They have people like Al Sharpton making asinine statements on their behalf. But do they really want equality? No. It seems like they’re just looking for a new victim. Trayvon Martin’s case is old news and they need something else to keep the fire stoked. If the people who are calling for justice and equality the loudest really wanted what they’re asking for, it seems like it would bring about some self-searching and honest accounting of the paradigm that they’ve helped create. Why is it so hard to admit that Michael Brown was a thug? Why take the easy road and blame the white cop, especially when you wouldn’t have blamed him if he hadn’t been white? Why are you so focused on blaming all your problems on white people like me? I have never owned slaves, but you seem to look at me like I do. I’ve never even thought about acting the way many of those in Ferguson have. And I certainly wouldn’t destroy businesses or property or STEAL said property because I didn’t get my way. To be completely honest, this looks like a big tantrum. You didn’t get a verdict that coincided with your skewed view of justice, so you destroyed city businesses (including those of black citizens…but wasn’t this about justice?). It doesn’t matter that you were told the details of what the jury had to go through during deliberation. It doesn’t matter what the EYEWITNESSES said (well, the ones that could actually agree on a story…). Why not address the problems that come from the fact that there are so many broken families? Why not talk about the fact that a large number of abortions that take place are for black women? This means that ou murdering your own children. But it’s more than that. It also reveals a severe lack of value for life. When you grow up without a stable family, and you have no father figure, and you are conditioned to think that it’s all someone else’s fault; then you don’t have to take responsibility for your own actions, and you can take out your frustrations on anyone for any reason. There’s no accountability and you’re really just a number, one of the lucky black children that happened to escape the abortionist…This is not a good paradigm to grow up in. What are you doing to break the cycle? Why does it seem that events like what’s happening in Ferguson are the norm? When will the black community take responsibility for the part it’s played in all of this?…

Because I think it would be wrong to leave anyone who reads this with a bad taste in their mouth (re: Al Sharpton), I want to explain something. I think that the death of Michael Brown is sad. To see a young man of any color, nationality, or creed lose their life so young can’t be anything else. To understand that his life didn’t have to end makes the sadness that much greater. To see a community up in arms, emotionally charged, and rejecting any form of rationale is disconcerting. It means that the moral fabric of our nation is in danger. When we can’t think with anything but emotion, we are in trouble. One of the saddest things for me, as a Christian, is the fact that so many churches seem to be missing the things that Ferguson reveals and they don’t seem to have any desire to try and help heal the wounds. Let me just say here that I don’t believe that all of the people in Ferguson support Michael Brown or that all of them are looters and rioters. I don’t think that at all. I would love to see this be a point of change for the better. For the Biblical. The Bible says that we are all “one blood” (Acts 17:26). It would be amazing to see us act like it.