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You may have heard a particular, old school, Southern Baptist Bible thumper died this week. Having paid little attention to him when he lived, I didn't really plan to mention him now. Of course, when we speak of the dead, we're really just talking to the living. And some of the living are being disturbingly gleeful about the preacher's demise.
The preacher was a segregationist, well known for his intolerance of many different peoples. He spoke strongly of his Vision of Utopian Christian America, a Vision that excluded a rather large chunk of America. His was a message of a God unyielding and the hash fate for all who didn't not head His call. He was pretty damn certain what the rules were. And he knew, without a doubt, the fate of those who didn't follow those rules.
To most not of like mind, this preacher was obviously a hate monger. Many seem to have hated him back. Curious thing, that. I've seen so much happy black celebration over this man's death. It's so painfully ironic that it hardly needs pointing out, but there it is.
Do I think the preacher's view of the world is profoundly wrong and fundamentally hurtful to those who choose to listen? Hell yes! Is my opinion sacrosanct? Never!
I sincerely hope my view of an egalitarian world of freewill and karma is correct. However, I must always allow that I'm wrong. To inflexibly assert correctness not only eliminates the possibility of discovering truth, but also makes me as narrow minded as those I would challenge.
The preacher was a segregationist, well known for his intolerance of many different peoples. He spoke strongly of his Vision of Utopian Christian America, a Vision that excluded a rather large chunk of America. His was a message of a God unyielding and the hash fate for all who didn't not head His call. He was pretty damn certain what the rules were. And he knew, without a doubt, the fate of those who didn't follow those rules.
To most not of like mind, this preacher was obviously a hate monger. Many seem to have hated him back. Curious thing, that. I've seen so much happy black celebration over this man's death. It's so painfully ironic that it hardly needs pointing out, but there it is.
Do I think the preacher's view of the world is profoundly wrong and fundamentally hurtful to those who choose to listen? Hell yes! Is my opinion sacrosanct? Never!
I sincerely hope my view of an egalitarian world of freewill and karma is correct. However, I must always allow that I'm wrong. To inflexibly assert correctness not only eliminates the possibility of discovering truth, but also makes me as narrow minded as those I would challenge.