There is no question that racial injustice is on the rise in our nation. Since the time we ended slavery and realized how we mistreated Native Americans we have, until recently, declared as a nation that all humans are equal. Now the federal government fuels the belief that immigrants and refugees are a problem to be rid of rather than recognizing the vitality that they have brought to us throughout our history. The government's recent actions are those of exclusion. The Christian belief and value of "we are all brothers and sisters" is no longer proclaimed by the federal government.
We as a nation have long prided ourselves on being a nation of religious freedom. In recent years, the federal government leadership has portrayed Muslims as aliens who cannot be trusted. Anti-Semitism is also on a rapid rise. Extremists of any religion may practice destruction of nations or human life, but neither Islam nor Judaism holds that as a tenet to be practiced. It even appears that many Christian religious beliefs and values are being ignored, such as truth, care of the sick, help for the poor and others. Freedom of religion means all religions are free to worship and practice religion as they choose.
The federal government now exercises the culture of hate and mistrust, which leads to national egotism. National conceit and vanity has no place if we want to be a Christian nation as we say we are. We like to boast that we are a nation that affirms peace and tranquility to all humankind, but peace is practiced, and not to be an empty lecture. Let us remember that in the November election.
