I wish I could avoid the news. I really would love to bury my head, put on my Pollyanna persona, and ignorantly float along in the shallow waters. Frankly, I do not care for being challenged to think outside my box; to revisit my already made up mind. Sometimes, things come along that are really hard to avoid.
Being part of a church family that I dearly love, I am particularly struck by the tragedy and loss at the Emanuel A.M.E. Church. Our congregation has lost three members since the first of the year, and it is hard. To lose nine members in one evening at the hands of a violent man, is unthinkable, and yet it happened. As a person striving to follow Jesus, this event raises a lot of questions in my mind. I wonder if, perhaps, it may just confirm what non-believers already think.
Certainly, had I been writing a movie script of that evening, Goodness would have prevailed, and Dylann Roof's heart would have been touched by the kindnesses shown him, moved by the scriptures read, and his soul and their lives would have been saved. But, life is not a movie script with people's thoughts and actions being manipulated by some puppet master. We are given the freedom to make our choices.
I have heard a lot said about Dylann Roof. Many are offended by statements declaring him mentally ill. I do not claim to know what was going on in his head. I will say that, I do believe that it takes a measure of mental illness to do what he did. I also agree, that there was evil at play. He admitted, himself that he killed those people because of their race. I do not know what indoctrination he had that caused him to hate people because of their color. I do not know why he thought killing was going to improve or solve anything. I do not know why violence was his action of choice. But, what I do know is that I had better be very careful in my condemnation of him, because, I believe everyone of us, given the right circumstances, is capable of heinous acts.
There have been a lot of knee-jerk responses to these events. There are those who believe all guns should be banned. I hate guns. I am not comfortable around them. I think there are many people who have been killed either by accident or in the heat of the moment who might still be alive had a gun not been so readily available. Yet, I cannot say that banning all guns is the answer. We cannot get rid of all things that could, if used incorrectly, harm us. I have no answers.
There is a great cry for the banning of the Confederate battle flag and for the removal of all things associated with Nathan Bedford Forrest. Yes, that cartoonish statue of him on I-65 is hideous. I cringe on my tours when a student, sitting on Capitol Hill by Andrew Jackson's statue says that there is a statue "just like that" on the interstate. No, please, one is art and one is, well, not. But, even in its prominent spot, it is on private property. What little I know of the late Mr. Kershaw who commissioned the statue, he seemed a bit of a nut. But, I am not ready to say that the government has the right to keep me from putting poor art on my own property, and heaven knows, I do not want legislature banning nuttiness.
That flag and Nathan Bedford Forrest are part of our history. Granted, it is a very dark and troubling time of our history, but it is equally fascinating. Depending on the source, the KKK was begun, possibly, by Nathan Bedford Forrest. Sources I read do not agree. Some say it was begun to continue the comraderie among soldiers that was forged on the battlefields. Some say it was started to protect the widows and orphans of fallen Confederate soldiers from ill treatment by reconstructionists. Some say it was begun to intimidate and control Blacks. For whatever purpose it was conceived, certainly it evolved into a hideous organization of bigotry and hatred. Is our best move to demonize Forrest, and remove his bust from the Capitol? I do not know. I do believe that if we choose to be rid of all those in our history who at times behaved poorly and who perpetrated violence, certainly Andrew Jackson's statue needs to go. His treatment of Native Americans was abhorrent. What about Harry Truman for dropping the atomic bomb on Hiroshima? If we wipe clean the slate of those in our past whose behavior displeases us now, how will we remember and learn and avoid?
I grew up in the 50's and 60's. There were some turbulent times. This may be hard to believe, but I was told by trusted people that Martin Luther King Jr. was a Communist. His call for equality among all people was a frightening thought in that day and time to many good people. As the saying goes, "hindsight is 20/20." Yes, the KKK is an evil, wicked organization. Yes, The Trail of Tears representing the displacement and death of thousands of Native Americans is a blight on our country's history. Was Hiroshima necessary to save lives? I do not know, but I sure would have a hard time defending it to those whose lives were destroyed. I wonder, without my having been faced with the dilemmas of those living in the times, if I am wise to pass judgment. Maybe, I would be better served to study, try to understand the times, and then commit to doing better.
I have no answers. I am no scholar. I just wonder sometimes.
Blessings
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