on racism, justice, and the terrible way we handle controversy.

My blog post for this week was originally going to be about soap, but I've decided to save that one for another week. Instead I want to talk about something much more controversial. So hold on just a moment while I get out my soap box.

Alright here we go. I want to talk about the shooting of Michael Brown. Rather than give my opinion on the case however, I'd like to give my opinion on opinions, because I've got some serious beef with the way people approach these types of incidents in the news, in casual conversation, and on social media. Everyone has something to say about it. It's how we say it that really irks me.

You see my problem is that we're so busy trying to be right that we don't ever take time to be human. I am so sick and tired of hearing cries of racism or little comments like "well he had it coming, just look what he did". I don't care what your opinion of the incident is. For God's sake, can we just get a little sympathy? And I mean that how i said it. For God's sake. As in, if we claim to be followers of Christ, can we represent Him in a way that is true to His nature? Can we take two seconds to realize that regardless of the circumstances, regardless of why and regardless of how, a person died. A human was killed. Lecrae said it well in a recent facebook post:

"If I tell you my brother got killed in a gang war, would you tell me 'That's what he gets! Shouldn't be gang bangin!' Of course not. As a Christian I see Jesus empathize with the MOST undeserving people ever. He offers a thief on the cross a home in Paradise. He dies for a rioting mob of angry killers. He looks upon a sinful world with compassion. And here we stand saying we believe that and all the while unfazed at the pain of a community".

I'm not saying the officer wasn't justified in what he did. I'm also not saying he was. That's not for me to decide. I know very little of what happened, and what I do know has been filtered through the bias of others who also know little of what really happened. It is, however, painfully apparent that among the arguing, the rioting, the hate, the racism, the defending and offending, there seems to be no love. No sympathy. No caring. Especially from those of us so far removed from the situation that we can post about it on facebook, and move on, never stopping to really dedicate anything other than passive outrage toward what goes on outside our own lives.
Now let me stop for a moment and be clear about what I am not saying. I am not saying it is a useless conversation. I am not saying we should ignore it. I am not saying that we should bury our heads in the sand and just let what happens happen. But that's not what this discussion is about.

So instead I have a proposition.

I propose we all set down our torches and pitchforks. Lets stop arguing over social media, stop pretending we have all the facts, and stop pretending we have the right to condemn either party from the far off points of view that the majority of us stand from. Let's spend a little less time debating over social media and a little more time praying for those who were and still are impacted by this tragedy.

Let's just love a little. For God's sake.