Not by Their Religion, but by the Content of Their Character

Reading quotes and stories about or by Martin Luther King Jr. yesterday made me grateful again for what he tirelessly lived for and unfortunately died for.

Freedom and equality for everyone. 
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I love this picture of the flesh-colored crayons that is circulating on Facebook. I think Crayola needs to consider increasing the number of crayons in each box. (imagine the thrill of a box of 74 crayons!)

I’m not naive enough to think racism never happens, but I’m so thankful to live in a time when the color of someone’s skin should not affect anything they do or want to do.

As far back as I can remember, I’ve always believed everyone is equal, but unfortunately I had some negative influences in my life. And what we hear and see, especially as a child, can influence us, so I went through a time as a young adult when I tried to shred any false impressions I had been given.

‎”Not by the color of their skin
but by the content of their character.”

 

There is another issue facing us today. Should someone’s religion affect what they can or cannot do… or how they are treated?

Religion is a confusing concept for me… I question why and how religions form and why people follow the religions they do. But yet, I believe that one principal America was founded on is freedom of religion. To me that means anyone and everyone should be able to practice whatever religion they choose, as long as it doesn’t harm anyone else.

In this video, the clerk and the woman wanting to buy an apple strudel are actors hired by ABC for this show… but the other people in the bakery do not know that, so I can only assume their reaction is how they feel.

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Here’s the summary of the actions of the bystanders in the video…
6 people defended the clerk,
13 people came to the aid of the woman and
22 people stood passively by saying and doing nothing.

The woman was kind and gracious. She had money to pay for her purchase, yet it appears that the majority viewed her… by her religion, not but by the content of her character.

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What do you think your reaction would be if you saw anything like this happening? 
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  • http://www.100memoirs.wordpress.com shirleyhs

    This video is so powerful. It brought tears to my eyes many times.

    As one who lived “under the veil,” in my Mennonite adolescence, I have always identified with the individual human spirits who live and breathe unseen and unheard under religious garb.And especially when they are wearing what many Americans perceive to be symbols of allegiance to an enemy. What a great discussion video for schools and churches. Thanks for posting and for making the connection to MLK Day. That’s carrying on the work.

  • http://www.ayoungmomsmusings.blogspot.com/ Melissa @ Permission to Live

    Thanks for sharing this. I was crying watching it. There is so much hate.

  • http://www.alise-write.com Alise Wright

    Appalling. And heartening. I try to focus on the latter while not forgetting the former.

    And while I know we can’t say for certain how we’d react, I feel fairly confident that I would speak up for someone experiencing prejudice. (Though as a woman, if the aggressor were male, I might be a bit more intimidated

  • http://www.JanetOberholtzer.com Janet Oberholtzer

    Same here… while I identify with women like her to a point because I wore traditional Mennonite clothes until I was 21, my clothes weren’t viewed as the enemy, just as odd… I cannot imagine what it feels like to know some people see an ‘enemy’ when they see you simply because of your clothes.

  • http://www.JanetOberholtzer.com Janet Oberholtzer

    And hate for no reason… we need to get to know people for who they are, not assume we like or dislike them based on their clothes/skin/gender/etc.

  • http://www.JanetOberholtzer.com Janet Oberholtzer

    Agree about if the aggressor was a male… and while I think I would speak up for anyone if someone was being this blatantly prejudice… I’m sure it would easier for me to come to the defense of a female than a male.

  • http://www.nomadwayoflife.com Nowhere Man

    Hmm.. I hate to say it, but that’s a tough one. These are the unfortunate side-effects of War.