Let me begin by saying I am truly disgusted by these events. It saddens me to know this level of evil exists in the world. It also reminds me of just how quickly your entire world can change.
I was struck, while watching the news coverage, reading articles, and viewing Facebook by how many people kept saying how horrible this was that something like this happened "in a church" or "to people trying to worship God".
What does that mean exactly? Would this be any less horrible if it occurred in a bar? In a drug infested back alley? In a strip club? Are individuals in those establishments any less worthy of a life? Of course not.
Part of the issue with statements like this lies in the implication within--Are Christians better than everyone else? Are their lives more precious? Did Jesus think so? As one who is far from a Biblical scholar, I tend to shy away from Biblical references, however I feel fairly certain of the facts involving Jesus' frequent association with "undesirables".
The other issue imbedded in this tragedy may well gave more basis in fact but is still needs an examination. There is certainly reason to suspect this crime could be racially motivated and, at the risk of sparking a serious debate, why does that matter?
9 people are dead. People. Human brings. Living, breathing, sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, and friends. How can we ever expect to achieve anything similar to togetherness if we continually qualify ourselves with these adjectives.
Yes--the victims were African American. And if they had been Asian? Middle Eastern? Mexican? White? Biracial? Would that be better? Worse? The same?
Why must we continually attempt to make these tragic events into arguments when what we need to do is examine why we so readily separate ourselves into these ridiculous groups?
When I think about the tragic events in Charleston, I don't think about it as a as a hate crime. I don't think about it as a racial statement. I think about it as a tragic loss--a loss that will deprive the world of 9 people and the gifts and skills they could have shared with all of us. I won't label them as Methodists, Church-goers, African Americans, or even Americans. They are people--people who were taken much too soon.
