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Social Justice -- I Was Bothered Today...
So
today in my Spiritual Formation class, we spoke about social justice.
This is a topic close to my heart, because I believe it's God's heart
for us to reach towards each other in compassion. However, I found out
quickly that I have a much different, and I guess you could say
abstract, view of just what is encompassed in the realm of social
justice.
We started out looking at what the word 'compassion' really means; and the agreed upon definition would be simply, compassion means going directly to those people and places where suffering is most acute and building a home there.
While this is a broad definition, it still seemed that the conversation
that proceeded in class was very limited. The question was asked, 'what
does [social justice and compassion] look like in our world today...
what is happening in our dominant culture that seems to dismiss the
need for social justice?' An example in history that was given was, of
course, slavery in America; and how the Quakers responded to this far
before the Civil War came about. This opened the class up to talk about
racial injustices, economic injustices (oppression and exploitation of
the poor) and gender injustices (inequality and oppression of women).
These,
in my opinion are 'safe' issues, and they were repesented almost as if
they were all encompassing. While they are all valid, and unfortunately
still alive in our culture, I am forced to draw attention to another
point of injustice that I think needs to be addressed; a social group
of people that is being taken hostage by our dominant cultural
influences in a way that we don't often think about, very few agree
about, and some Christians unfortunately argue with their inactivity as
'no big deal'.
Youth
The
idea of our youth being a group in need of social justice does not come
first to mind, nor is it something that many people can immediately
understand. Our youth is impoverished, or oppressed, or deprived? Many
people are completely blind to this... but think of the state of youth
culture in 'developed' nations. Not only are youth being influenced and
consequently permeating the degradation of morality and virtuous
character in society, but they are also being targeted and accused by
other generations for becoming as such, independently. Is it so hard to
think, that the idea of social justice can be expanded to our youth
culture, in helping young people understand the value of themselves and
others as parts of healthy community, in helping them build their
character, restore morality, and use these structures to re-define the
ideas of family, holistic purity, emotional healing, and many, many
more things that this generation and many before them have slowly
drifted away from? Have we really limited ourselves in the realm of
social justice to just meeting the physical needs for people, and only
recognizing the safe and easily defined ways to address injustice? Do
we even consider the absence of virtue as a disadvantage?
I know I might be babbling, but I think that the one position that faces the least tolerance and the most scrutiny in our society is that of unashamed and unwavering morality. In
fact, do we as a society even have a clear definition of morality --
have we become so concerned with the need to be tolerant that we have
forefeited our ideas and values? Even more so in Christian culture...
do we concede to appeasing the masses, in hopes that we dont come off
being exclusivistic?
I was frustrated in class, to say the
least... but not just over the economically poor in my city, or the
gender struggles of my fellow women, or even the racial tension between
the different black and white members of even my own family -- but also
the ignorant stance we seem take on the dire state of our youth.
Views, ideas, comments welcome... lets discuss.
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Posted: 5:18 PM, Mar. 27, 2006 |
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Mr. Weaver
| We have a few new members of our church who are football players (seahawks). Everyone thinks that they are a big deal because of their title but bottom line I'm just glad they're in our house. Mr. Weaver came first. He is 23 and was a rookie this year. He is just an anointed man of God who is so humble. His friend (I dont know his name) just got saved (or rededicated) a few weeks ago. They come both Sunday and Wednesday and it's just a great new addition to our church! Linz |
Posted by Anonymous at 3:50 PM, Mar. 28, 2006 |
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