It has brought to my attention again how we must allow for the Grace of God for those in our history as well as ourselves. We can take a strong stand against racism today at the same time we acknowledge the leadership of those 150 years ago. Leaders can be great as well as flawed. Jesus was the only perfect one that lived. We all fall short of the glory of God.
One great example of this is John Marshall Harlan. He gave the dissenting opinion on Plessy v. Ferguson the 1896 Supreme Court decision that legalized segregation.
"But in view of the constitution, in the eye of the law, there is in this country no superior, dominant, ruling class of citizens. There is no caste here. Our constitution is color-blind, and neither knows nor tolerates classes among citizens. In respect of civil rights, all citizens are equal before the law. The humblest is the peer of the most powerful. The law regards man as man, and takes no account of his surroundings or of his color when his civil rights as guarantied by the supreme law of the land are involved.”
― John Marshall Harlan
https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/4643152.John_Marshall_Harlan
Despite being the grandfather idea of Martin Luther King Jr's to "not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character", John Marchall Harlan was a racist by any modern standard.
"That Harlan's views were not perfect should not erase recognition of what was good about them. Opposition to some discrimination was better than nothing. But respect for Harlan's accomplishment must be tempered by the realization that Harlan advocated neither a thoroughgoing colorblindness of the kind supported by many modern conservatives, nor the more complex concepts of equal outcomes proposed by some liberals. Harlan's Plessy dissent is of significant historical interest. But it does not offer principles which Americans should be prepared to embrace today."
https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1996-05-12-1996133020-story.html
Regardless of his flaws, the dissenting opinion of Plessy v. Ferguson should be taught and celebrated for what it is.
We all " see through a glass, darkly" 1 Corinthians 13:12
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/nt/1-cor/13.12?lang=eng#11
None of us see with the clarity that God does.
I agree with Kwaku. Brigham Young was a hero yet not a hero without flaws.
https://mobile.twitter.com/thekwakuel/status/1274504527379644416
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We Are in a Moral Panic: Coleman Hughes
https://youtu.be/Mtjuf_RxsLA
I had never heard of Coleman Hughes before a few weeks ago. I agree with his analysis of the state of racism in 2020. I recommend listening to him.
Coleman Hughes on the First Step Act
https://youtu.be/Mtjuf_RxsLA?t=1921
First Step Act
A good friend of mine replied to my Facebook post about what it means to "speak evil of the Lord's anointed". This is how I replied,
I have been thinking about what it means to speak evil of the Lord's anointed. I have two gut responses to this.
I think a balance of these responses is the following in the "Race and the Priesthood" article.
"Today, the Church disavows the theories advanced in the past that black skin is a sign of divine disfavor or curse, or that it reflects unrighteous actions in a premortal life; that mixed-race marriages are a sin; or that blacks or people of any other race or ethnicity are inferior in any way to anyone else. Church leaders today unequivocally condemn all racism, past and present, in any form."
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics-essays/race-and-the-priesthood?lang=eng
It completely disavows racists ideas without disavowing anyone who happened to say them.
Humans instinctively seem to huddle to their tribe when we feel threatened. I have seen this within the church and with those that have chosen to disassociate themselves with it.
I love the example Henry B Eyring gave when he was first sustained to the first presidency. "we can be open. We can be direct. We can talk about differences in a way that you can't anywhere else because we're all just looking for the truth. We're not trying to win. We're not trying to make our argument dominate. We just want to find what's right."
https://richalger.blogspot.com/2007/10/here-are-prophets-of-god-and-theyre.html
I highly recommend the video that goes with it.-
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