Race and Mob Turmoil Misses Heart of the Matter
Here is why I think President Donald John Trump was right to say "many sides" were culpable during the Charlottesville incident. It also applies to what went on soon after in Boston, and surely it will apply to whatever happens in the future.
The president's statement reminded me of another time that a violent mob got together to kill a women who had been found guilty of adultery. There were three groups of people at that event ready to do what they actually thought was right.
The only difference in that event and what happened in Charlottesville is there was a Master Teacher present long ago, Jesus, versus a man of questionable presidential standing today.
The Master had one group of people with him--his disciples--in the temple earnestly seeking to learn history from the True Historian. The other two groups at the ancient event approached the assembly with different objectives.
Their plan was to violently stone this women for her adulterous actions. Make no mistake, had Jesus not been there all three groups would likely have participated in her murder. Their hearts were sincere, but they were sincerely and sickly wrong.
They could see the problem with this other person, but they couldn't see the problem with themselves. In this case, "many sides" were blinded to their need for true guidance from the Man much wiser than they.
And how did Jesus expose their vile hatred of this broken woman?
He said, "He who is NOT guilty, let him cast the first stone."
None in the three groups were left standing. Yes, the "many sides" were wrong.
Sadly, so many people today have lost their moral guide, the Bible, as to how to discern truth. People can't discern when they hear a lie disguised as truth because they use CNN or FOX news as their litmus. Or, they use politicians as their moral guide. Instead, Christ's words should always be our guide.
All of you--and I--are as guilty as those many sides two centuries ago. We are as guilty as that woman--if NOT, cast the first stone!
Sure, this fact doesn't go down easy when the President dishes it up, especially given the way he says it. But he is right.
A descendant of a slave, writer Al Arnold in his first book, Robert E. Lee’s Orderly: A Modern Black Man’s Confederate Journey, tells his own journey of embracing his Confederate heritage. A resident of Madison, Miss., Arnold's second book (for youth) Robert E. Lee's Orderly: A Black Youth Southern Inheritance, debuts on October 1, 2017 (published by Inkbeans Press). Pre-order starting Sept. 1, 2017 at Orderlyforlee.com.