Racism ... Still a big issue?

As long as white "born-again Christian" men are in charge, then racism, sexism and other forms of bigotry and intolerance will remain a major problem. The last 230 years should be proof enough of that.

 

Oh please. The truly "born-again" Christians – black and white – I know are the best, most tolerant people I know. It's the ones whose "conversions" run a mile wide and an inch deep that cause the problems you associate with Christianity.

 

Not that it means anything, because it's all anecdotal, but I've encountered a lot more of the latter than the former in your post. A lot more.

 

Children playing with matches ... overrated as a fire hazard?

 

Too true, buck, especially here in the so-called "Bible Belt," where I live. Those who are truly born again and who live their faith are few and far between compared to the hypocrites who talk a good game, but who don't walk the walk. And usually it's the ones who bray the loudest about their godliness that are the biggest hypocrites of all. But I do see a lot of truly humble Christians who quietly go about their business helping those around them in any way they can, whether they are black or white, rich or poor. It's what keeps me reasonably upbeat about life in these parlous times.

 

Most of the born-again christians I have met in my life are the most intolerant people I have ever encountered.

 

Yeah, it's sad, really. I used to be one of those born-again intolerant Christians, grew up in a high-and-mighty Baptist school, all of that. That mile-wide, inch-deep analogy fits too many too perfectly.

Some of them are like that because they quantify their "Christian success" by how many they convert. Others have genuine hearts that want to help others but can't quite handle their emotions so they come across as nuts.

But albert's right -- the quiet, humble, genuinely loving ones are out there. If you're looking for what Christianity's really about, they're who you look for.

The loudest are rarely the most correct.

 

To get back on track with this discussion....racism fascinates me, but not in the sick way that might sound. I've just never been one to make any assumption of someone based on their skin color, and that people can do that....it blows me away.

My fiancee's sister (I'm white, she and her family are all white) just married and had a baby with a guy. He's made some mistakes, but the reason some of the rest of their family have quit speaking to her is because he's black.

Blows. Me. Away.

And the baby is probably the most gorgeous little girl I've ever seen.

 

My last serious GF was black and my family likes to say that they are all tolerant of different races, but as I introduced her to them I could tell the only one that was truly comfortable with her was my mom. My brother and father both gave off a strange vibe that I picked up on and my grandmother, who I love dearly but grew up in a very different era, was very uncomfortable.

 

Yeah dude....but it's not just older generations that are weird about it. A friend of mine has said she doesn't believe in interracial dating, yet would drool over Puerto Rican guys or Asian guys or whatever she found particularly attractive. It's still interracial, but it's not black-and-white interracial, which is somehow different to a lot of people.

Edit: She would drool as in, yes, she very much wanted to date them.

 

Yeah, for some reason the whole black-white thing creeps a whole lot of people out. I have never understood it, but as a friend of mine told me once "You could line up all the girls you have dated and it would look like a UN meeting". I have just never seen the big deal with skin color.

My mom, who likes to say she is racially tolerant, told me she was over at her best friend's house the other night and the neighbor (some 50+ british dude) was dropping the N-bomb left and right. I told her she should have said something to him and she just laughed it off saying she didn't want to offend someone she had just met. She was so lucky I wasn't there, I would have lit in to that asshole something fierce.

 

Anybody else see "Rachel Getting Married"? Great movie, and one of the things that stuck with me about it was a cool casting decision. I don't think it's giving anything away to say that the groom in the titular wedding is black, while the bride and other main characters are white. But the guy's race is never a factor, is never once even mentioned or hinted at or any kind of undercurrent. It's a complete non-issue. I thought that was a nice touch.