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_
“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
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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
<to«not Relieve ih God in a
specified form such as
Christianity.
r. sws s
tice praying in the same
manner. r x