OUR STANCE ON TODAY'S ISSUES: RACISM

Today's news is full of protests and hatred against those who use skin color as an excuse to belittle others. We at Children of Father God and Mother Earth believe that racism is a social construct, created by man, to use as a tool to control those that may be, for whatever reason, feared. When two different cultures are brought together, whether by coincidence or by force, there is always a certain amount of fear and suspicion on both sides. If someone does things differently from what you have been taught all your life is right, you immediately think of this difference as something that you are not sure you can trust. And, hence, you have trouble trusting the person or people that are doing these different things. This is simply human nature. To use these differences as ammunition for labels that lead to abuse, neglect, and violence is racism. Therefore, racism is not based on hatred, it is based on fear. However, we believe that, as thinking, intelligent individuals, we can choose to put aside this fear and mistrust in favor of acceptance and respect. This does not mean that we have to adopt the customs of those that we have been introduced to (unless we want to). It is simply that we recognize that they have the right to live in the way that they find appropriate for them, as long as they are not harming themselves or anyone else.

Many great leaders in history faced racism. Jesus was raised in a time when the country of Israel was divided by another, smaller country named Samaria. The Samaritans were, as far as the Israelites were concerned, the lowest of the low, because they had fallen from the pure faith of Judaism by intermarrying with the people who had conquered them many years before. This racism was based on history and political decisions rather than skin color. But, Jesus went to Samaria and brought his teachings there through a woman he met at a well, showing that love is meant for all humankind, regardless of circumstances. It also shows that, no matter what background, skin tone, or lifestyle choices, all people deserve to be loved and respected. This is what we also believe.

Gene Roddenberry, the man who created the series Star Trek, once said, "If we do not learn to take a postive delight in the differences of those here on this world, we do not deserve to go out into the galaxy and meet with the diversity we will surely find out there." Racism is a term used to describe the unwillingness to accept differences within our own kind. If we are to survive as a species, if we are to grow up enough to find our way out of this kindergarten we have been brought up in, we need to begin to accept all of humanity for its diversity as well as its conformity. After all, when you go all the way back to the beginning of creation, we are, all of us, made from the same stardust.