As I said in my sermon on Sunday, “Hateful words spawn
hateful deeds and violence…. The
shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Squirrel Hill on Saturday proved that
we cannot afford this kind of talk anymore.
It is too dangerous, it has real-world consequences, and it literally
kills people.”
I see a great deal of hateful speech on Facebook and other platforms for communication, much of it
motivated by politics. I suggest the
following strategy for us all to confront and challenge hate.
From my time in Ghana, I’ve come to appreciate how
Christians and Muslims work and live together with mutual respect and
care. In the days after 9-11, some Islamic
extremists tried to incite hatred against Christians in Ghana. The Christians did not have to respond or react
to it all, because the Muslim leaders immediately and strongly condemned the hatred
that these extremists displayed. May we
follow their example in our political disputes.
It’s natural for us to condemn hateful speech coming from
the other side of the political divide.
Doing so, however, only fans the flames of anger and division. Instead, let’s police the extremist language
coming from our own political tribe.
Conservatives, call out the hateful rhetoric of the alt-right and other
right-wing extremists. Progressives and liberals,
oppose dangerous words coming from the far left.
It’s much easier to notice and point out the excesses of
people with whom you disagree. It’s much
more productive, and advances the cause of peace and justice, to correct those
who share your overall perspective.
This is one way in which we can honor those who died on Saturday,
by doing our part to improve how we debate and disagree with each other.
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