■ Cbttoriate ■ _ “Our planet is at war with God. • “Since the first transgression, man hap never lived at peace with his neighbor.” . These words are from Edward W. White’s book, “The Prisoner Wouldn’t Cry,” the story of the imprisonment of the apostle Paul. White would undoubtedly be happy to believe his words are incorrect but in fact, sad to say, they accurately reflect the truth of man’s relationship with his fellow man. : As far back in this century as we can remember, Indian Hindus and Moslems I hfure been waging religious wars with each • other. Likewise, in the Middle East, Israel '.; ites and Arabs have been killing each other |for:years in another basically religious • political wars. Likewise, too, in South Africa the mi nority white rule government of so-called Christians subverts the Bible by treating the majority population of black people as if they really don’t count for anything. They deny black people the right to vote, dictate -jyhere they live, who they can associate_ jith socially and politically, and severely limit their-educational opportunity - all in the name of a biased totally wrong interpretation of the Bible. While we Americans like to sit back and judge how inhumane these conflicting groups are to each other, if we look over our * shoulders we will see equally bad signs of conflict when we should see peace being exhibited. /'*•■■■ We are, of course, referring to the bitter battle, possibly going on as you read these words, between the ultra-conservatives or fundmentalists and the liberal-conserva tives of the 14.3 million member Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). The SBC’s three-day convention this week in Dallas, Texas, is expected to be the most idealogical battle ever engaged in the 140-year history of the nation’s largest Protestant denomination in both the nation v*r- *■**%••*^.US and in the Carolinas. The prize is the election of the SBC president and the control of 20 denominational agencies, including six seminaries by appointing their trustee, numerous book stores and other activities. The Rev. Dale Lawson, pastor of Char lotte’s Mulberry Baptist Church, put the conflict in perspective when he said, “The bottom line is, how do you compromise deeply held religious beliefs? Peace is not worth that.” A? - fz. f.» *%v uv r T*3- v ...Iff'jt If peace is not an aim of this religious organization, then the organization is deny ing the very Bible it supposedly follows in its theological teachings. Failure to seek peace will result in losses for “a brother - offended is harder to be won than a strong city,” says Proverbs 18:19. Equally im portant, inhere tsanytMng that thiff nation — needs desperately, it is examples of self restraint in the cause of peace and har mony. ■±: • \ Therefore, with the more than 32,000 messengers (delegates), 10,000 more than any previous year, engaged in a crucial confrontation along such strong ideological lines it is no longer a religious conven tion of brothers in Christ who can agree to disagree in brotherhood and understanding but is rather a political holy war that sets a " poor example for everything that both sides profess to believe. We, like Edward White, hope that we are wrong in that somehow j these Baptist messengers can act out their hoped for true Christian faith. 1 ’85 - A New Beginning] ; Last week ended with some 4,415 Char Jotte-Mecklenburg seniors receiving their high school diplomas and for many, if not most, stepping into a world of unknowns for AVare, though hesitant, to take the first steps in their new beginning, the classes of 1985 echoed a sense of uneasy reality and heard words of wisdom, encouragement and hope: Salutatorian Tracy Traynham told her 655 South Mecklenburg High grad uating classmates, “There will be few, if ^iy, times, we’ll be together again. We are the new generation entering into a new world filled with microtechnology and' threatening nuclear arms.” lburg County Commissioner Odom offered a somewhat more l message to Harding High graduates “ said, “Be aware that you have very short chapter in your lives you’re now free to pursue happiness. - lie free to find the joy in the pro blems of life.” ^_ Speaking on a similar theme of hope for a good and prosperous life Dr. Robert Al- 1 bright, president of Johnson C. Smith Uni - varsity, told the 582 seniors at Indepen dence High School, “You must believe you qan be anything to reach new heights in life.” ' * • i One excited and nervous senior at another i high school said to a few classmates just before graduation, “Oh, Lord, don’t let me mess up.”‘LetjL» parents, teachers, school administrators, ministers of the gospel, j responsible journalists and others who have helped directly or indirectly to mold these i graduates hope that we have beat positive i influences upon these parents, voters, build- l ers and leaders of the coming century. 1 . ' - i l Whatever these graduates are and what ever they become will be, for good or bad, J partly the result of our influences upon 1 them. Let' us hope we have adequately prepared these youth for their new begin nings. i T. i 1 ..| CWPERMOt^^k fe It Ri _ I un tne subject of the recent Supreme Court ruling con cerning-the issue of school M*ayer....many people in the United States want their children to pray on a daily iasis. Fine. The recent case concerning the constitution ality of prayer in school was >ne decision made not solely rf moral just but constitu ional just. The root of the *1on is - is it right to -the time of prayer on a child on a daily basis re »ardleas of his family’s teliefs and practices? The supreme Court upheld the dea that the founding fathers, in writing the Con stitution, drew a defined, clear line between church and state. Thus stating that 10 representative of the state public officials, elected of ficials, or school teacher) can cross or break that line >y dictating, forcing or en couraging prayer in the school. Many states passed legis ation to make, prayer pos sible in schools by providing i moment of meditation silent meditation. Through his approach parents can ' •' ? • sabrina L ,.; instruct tneir children *to pray silently during this time; they can help the child memorize a prayer or write it down for them. Other parents can tell their chil dren to dream, read or do nothing if religion is hot an important part of their fa- ? mily lives. Where does the Alabama case ‘come into play? Ori ginally, Alabama’s legisla ture passed an act that pro vided a period of silent medi tation in school. In 1962 the act was changed to require a period of prayer in school This is the point that the Su - ' —^ - ■ 1 1 ■ ■ ■ I The Charlotte Post North Carolina’s Fastest Growing Weekly 704-376-0496 “The People’s Newspaper’ 106 Years Of Continuous Service Sill Johnson Editor, Pub. Sernaid Reeves Gen. Mgr. Fran Bradley Adv. Mgr. Dannette Gaither Of. Mgr. Published Every Thursday By * The Charlotte Post Publishing Company, Inc. Main Office: 1531S. Camden Road Charlotte, N.C. 28203 —---- - Second Class Postage Paid at Charlotte Member, National Newspaper Publishers’ Association North Carolina Black Publishers Association National Advertising Representative: Amalgamated Publishers, *nc* One Year : Subscription Rate One Year $17.76 ^^^abk^n^^ance^^ from Capital HiU '^g Conference 'T Of Rights Erosion OJ nillCTM li. nUNOH Special To The Poet In 1950, President Truman’s Committee on Civil Rights issued an historic report. For implementation of this report, Roy WflUns, A. Philip Randolph and Arnold Aronson or ganized Jjhe Leadership Conference on Civil Righta. Thirty years ago, the conference began with 99 or ganizations. Today, it is composed of 175 organizations, which represent blacks, Hispanic*, Asian Amert earn, labor, the major religious groups, women, the handicapped, aged, minority businesses and professions Although diverse groups are members of the organization, with some specific interests - all are committted to ah integrated, de mocratic, plural society which accords every individual equal rights, equal opportunism and equal Justice. T)ity belifeve these goals can and must be achieved through peaceful means within the American political system The Leadership Conference has been in the forefront in the pass age of all Civil Rights Acts since l«S7 Important as these rights pie, they are insufficient to assure these rights So the Conference expand ed its definition to include along with the establishment and enforcement of rights, the realization of social and economic conditions, In which ail rights become a reality for all Leadership Conference is divided into two distinct groups One is Legislative Act#, which it head quartered In Washington It analyz es bills and Issues, plans strategy and lobbies members of Congress and Osbiqpt members. The Law ' r.niorcemem group divided into af ferent segments, each of which monitors a particular federal agen cy for compliance with civil righto laws and congressional mandates. Members of these group* submit suggestions for rules and regula tions They also conduct intense lobbying of members of Congress. The Leadership Conference, Execu tive Director, Ralph Ness who has a hairstyle which is between an Afro and * traditional Caucasian, la con stantly seen buttonholing key mem bers of Congress on civil righto issues Ha just might take the quiet, mild-mannered, extremely forceful and. untiring, the deceased Cla rence Mitchell's positions as the loist Senator. The Leadership Conference has ju« concluded its 35th annual meet inf. Theme of this year’s conference was "Civil Rights Under Siege: The Threat of a Second Poat Recon struction Era." The meeting was also a celebration of the 50 years of passage of the Voting Rights Act. The Conference heartily attacked the Reagan Administration’s color blind policy, its wholesale assault on civil rights. Assistant Attorney General Reynolds for civil rights, the Reagan civil rights hachet man who is before the Senate for con firmation for a promotion, came ' under heavy fire by conference participants. They stated that Rey nolds not only does not deserve a promotion, but a dismissal for Us flagrant refusal to carry out Us duties of enforcing the civil rights laws and mandates, but that he tries to overturn and subvert them. He is increasing racism. Emphasis was placed on Reynolds’ attempts to overturn over SO consent decrees - many of wUefeliave been, success fully, implemented ft* around 12 > years Reynolds bases Us actions on a misinterpretation of the Stotts case, said participant* The Attor ney General says that Irr the odor blind policy, race cannot be used: that the um of race in remedying injustices gives rise to racism The conference showed that these in justices arose because race was greatly considered and as Chief Justice Burger said, “Just as the race of a student imM be consi dered in determining whether a constitutional violation haa oc curred. so also must race be con sidered in formulation of a remedy.” In the Bakke case, the Court failed to adopt a colorblind interpretation. The Fifth Circuit, en bene. Court belittled the Justice Deportment’s attack on race-conactous relief. The first panelist to speak on the Reagan Administration’s civil righto actions was the very forceful, dedicated,'energetic Civil Righto Cornmlastoner, Dr Mary Berry She stated that during the 70a, we became somewhat complacent We praised and honored past hero lead ers and foot soldiers. We saw older people not being victimised by age, the beginning of women Mb, stu dent increase in black college* equalled the student increase to white colleges, Hispanic* and the disabled marching toward Jericho All of these had bi-partisan sup port. She said, then the assault began Some said minorities were getting too much too soon Women began working more becauae of the V need and the family became un- . dermined. She said, Uia propagan tla debates began to the media And everywhere. Propaganda itate ments were; what is America? What arc the constitutional mandates'* The conotation is, there were no groups in America until civil lights group* invented them. The Reagan emphasis on remedying by intent versus effect. The reelectfcm of Ronald Reagan campaigning on the politics of feeling good which ig - nores nts opposmon to comparable worth pay, FRA, not only Ms failure to enforce the civil laws, but using every means to subvert and over turn them. i v The 39th annual Leadership Con ference on Civil Right* meeting strongly stated the Job that is feeing all groups, but rich white males Members must energetically and actively become involved lo see that the ’K Civil Rights Restoration Act, which to now before Congress, is passed, the defeat of the nomi nation of William Bradford Rey nolds and the passage of the 9outh African AntiapaiihaM Mil. I. At conclusion of the annual meet ing, the conference members picketed the Southvtfrican embassy. respecting an establishment of religion.” Well, if Con gressjefUtoot do it, then why do stgte* ieeLthey can do it? The ‘establishment’* clause form* the line between church and state. varying ideate tag religious philosophy nation; it is one of m when it comes to the •f prayer in the Christianity runs out to spotlight and says that pray er i« a must in school. Well, this creates a problem in schools where there are Christians, Jews, Hindus, Agnostics, snd-tetteista in one classrooth and more than mat in an entire school. Children should not be forced to pray to a God if he or she