Monday, May 18, 2009

Brian’s Reflection: Tuesday, May 19, 2009


Be peaceful, be courteous, obey the law, respect everyone; but if
someone puts his hand on you, send him to the cemetery.

You can't separate peace from freedom because no one
can be at peace unless he has his freedom.


- Malcolm X, activist, born on this date, 1925

I believe the second statement to be true, from a theological perspective. And I know that I believe the truth of this statement on all kinds of theological, philosophical, and personal positions that I have been taught in my Life and accepted upon reflection. The reason that our World is in the state it is at this moment in history is primarily because Freedom is being denied to peoples. This deprivation has a long history. It is going to be a long “battle” for us. It isn’t getting better; it’s getting worse. And “religion” is playing a crucial factor. In my view, Religion in general has lost it’s heart. I am willing to think that many or even most individuals may not agree with their religious leaders; but religious hierarchies, those in power, have many of them joined with forces that are fundamentally contrary to Justice, Compassion, Love, Peace.

I am not surprised, therefore, by Malcolm X’s first quote. As a Gay man, I have often had dreams – both sleeping and waking – of becoming a guerilla fighter. In those dreams, I am constantly at battle with myself – the peaceful, loving, rational sided of me wars with the fury in me at being deprived of my freedom to be who I am, of being blindly, ignorantly denied my humanity. I am not at all surprised to hear Malcolm’s words. I can assure you that if I came across a group of people Gay-bashing Gayfolk with baseball bats and I had a gun, I would shoot as many as I could, without hesitation. This frightens me – but it makes me understand Malcolm X. And all people denied their humanity.

What I hope is that it makes the World understand the horrific destructive consequences of denying people their humanity and their human rights. And I absolutely believe that Jesus would be on the side of the denied.

Think about it. What kind of World do we want? If we want Peace, and Freedom, we know what to do folks. How to live our “religious” convictions.

Brian+

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