Our republic is more racially, ethnically, religiously and culturally diverse than any in history. With such differing groups living under the same roof, there are bound to be occasional tensions. This has not led to a permanent breakdown because of our common character as an essentially religious people who understand private ownership, the rule of law, limited government, and individual freedom. The result is our ability to live in relative harmony with each other even when we disagree. This harmony stands us as unique among the nations of the world past and present.
Of course, America is no utopia nor do we, by nature, promise to be. Unlike the socialist left, who promises earthly utopia with the state playing the role of messiah, our conception of state is as a keeper of the peace and a moral persuader.The individual is free to rise or fall on his own. We are, as a result, the most compassionate people in history, privately volunteering to help those in trouble both at home and abroad. We look to freedom as the means toward reducing economic disparity and racial injustice.
Race, ethnic, and class conflict is created and exploited by demagogues or demagogic movements, which attain advantages by mobilizing people. Fears and emotions are played upon and reason flies out the window. These tactics, have recently caused havoc in such unfortunate corners of the world as Kosovo, Chechnya, Northern Ireland, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, and elsewhere. While our situation is not comparable, we nevertheless have our own home grown demagogues.
In this political season we have seen our fair share of such tactics. An example is the presidential campaign of Sen. John McCain, an otherwise honorable man, who has attempted to capitalize on religious and race differences and fears to further his presidential ambitions. This reprehensible behavior, while contemptible in and of itself, could contribute to a fissioning of our delicately interlacing relationships with each other. Can we agree that none of the major presidential candidates this year are racists or anti Catholic? Can we move on to a real debate on, as they say, the real issues?
Movements on the far right and left, such as the KKK, white supremacist groups, or the Communist Party and its fellow travelers use race conflict to “transform” our society into one that would be cast in their respective utopian images. The radical right, imitating the recent example of their left wing counterparts, has increasingly resorted to race violence with the goal of effecting a political change. The left seems to have switched methods from the days of Communist inspired race riots, which left a trail of destruction and despair in American cities in the 1960’s, to the more subtle attainment of power through the setting up of government empowered bureaucracies.
Sen. McCain’s criticism of Bob Jones University, a private institution that accepts no public funding, is an attack on all religious freedom. While their prohibition on inter racial dating may not be politically correct, it is not bigoted or discriminatory as they apply the same prohibition equally. There is no evidence that any race is treated with less preference. BJU believes, as a religious principle, in the maintenance of a separation of races, genders, and nations. The idea is that a merging of all peoples into one will trigger the advent of the anti Christ.
I look to Judaism, which has taught me similar principles in terms of separateness. God created the universe by separating the earth from the sky, the land from the seas, man from animals, woman from man, the Jewish people from the other nations, and the Sabbath from other days. As a youth, I attended United Synagogue Youth socials, which were set up for the purpose of encouraging dating between young Jewish men and woman. This did not imply an anti gentile position.
Many organizations accept for membership people based on race, ethnicity, religion etc. This is a right and doesn’t necessarily imply anti anyone else. The Congressional Black Caucus prefers Black Congressman. Smith College prefers women, Howard University prefers Blacks. To suggest that these organizations are racist or discriminatory would be ludicrous.
Naturally, most religions consider their doctrine to be true and therefore, to varying degrees, other doctrines to be false. As we are all, by nature, different unique individuals, religions will be different with all that this implies. The existence of autonomous ideas or faiths, like individuals connotes its own purpose and doesn’t exist as a counterpoise to other ideas or faiths. Our strength is in fact our individual and ethnic diversity, lets not let demagogues turn this into a weakness