THE FUTURE OUTLOOK
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They Are Not Pigs!
By RALPH JOHNS
This world is in a sad shape! People no longer know
how to love; Men and women have become like snarling
hyenas. Thousands of years ago human beings lived to
survive, but only because it was the survival of the fittest,
for it was the law of the jungle then. But now, we who
profess to live in a civilized world and who call our selves
human beings are worse than the animals of the jungle
that we say we are over, in intelligence. Man is hell bent
on destroying one another. Man is so full of hate and
vindictiveness, that the world he is trying to survive in,
he no longer will be able to do so. He is so busy being sel
fish, greedy, envious, that his grave has been dug and he
is so blind he cannot see it. Militancy in the quest of
justice is rightful if used rightfully Militancy is wrong
ful in the quest of justice if the innocent are destroyed.
Two wrongs shall never make a right; Law and order
must not die. For if law and order dies, America dies with
it. Americans who want law and order and refuse to give
justice to the oppressed, are just as guilty as the lawless.
The time has come to sit down and meditate wisely
to resolve the impasse we have come to in America, on our
college campuses, on our city streets. First, Police are not
pigs, they're human beings who have a job to do in the
protection of human beings in relation to law and order.
Agreed, that some have gone overboard in the pursuit of
their duty. Agreed, that there has been a lack of diplom
acy in many instances, but only in moments of duress,
agitation, self defense. Sure there are a few rotten cops,
but they don't last long, eventually they are found out
and lose their jobs. All whiteys are not hunkeys! All cops
are not pigs! All blpckmen are not Niggers! All peoples
who go to church are not Christians! All apples in the
barrel are not rotten ! So why this destructiveness in our
thinking today? When are we going to act like human
beings ?
have never seen a cop on Elm Street or any where
in America attack anyone walking down the street mind
their own business. I have seen so-called white people
attack blackmen, segregate them, discriminate them. I
have seen white KKK beat up blackmen. I have seen white
men use dogs and electric prods on black men. But,
we truthfully say those two or three thousand white men
speak or act for the millions of decent and law abiding
white men? I've seen black men rape a white or a black
woman. I've seen black men looting and killing. But, I
refuse to accept those few thousand black men as the
spokesmen for the black people of America. The Negroes
that I have seen in our country are twenty-two million
strong in goodness, decency and law and order citizens.
I refuse to accept this connotation that any police Is a
pig ! I refuse to accept that all whiteys are hunkeys and
evil ! I will not accept the oft spoken application that Ne
groes are inferior, dirty, and born to lie, cheat and con
hive 1 No this is not true! I will accept that there are
good white and good black men I also know that there
are evil white and evil black men. So let us return to
reasoning and wisdom.
Let us for once and for all forget this stigma and
dogmatic expression of black and white. Rather, all hu
man beings fall short of the Glory Qf God. All human
beings are prone to imperfections. ... I say the time has
come to return back to the norms of rationalization, of
Intelligence, of understandings. Let us right the wrongs,
rightfully and not wrongfully. Let us return our colleges
back to those whose job it is to teach, to instruct, to ad
monish with wisdom. Let us return back to the police and
the protectors of the true way of American life the dig
nity and respect they have rightfully earned through many
untold thousands who* have died in the line of duty to
make our life a little safer and tranquil. Militancy is not
the answer, whether it comes from police, students, black
men or white men. The militants have made their point,
black and white.
Now how about a little respite, how about a little
common sense, how about a little Americanism and Chris
tianity on both sides? Otherwise there is one alternative
for all: BURN BABY BURN! AND THAT MEANS NO
BABY LIVES! 18 THAT WHAT WE WANT FOR ALL?
I SAY LOVE BABY LOVE; AND YOU'LL BE LOVED
IN RETURN!
T his Weed's Sunday School Lesson
13. WHEN RELIGION
IS VITAL.
What Is Our Concern?
In the days of the great Ed
win Booth most ministers con
sidered it a sin to attend the
atrical performances. However,
one clergyman wanted to see
the great actor perform and
sent Booth a letter. He asked U
he might be permitted to enter
the theater by a private door
because he did not wish anyoue
to see him going into such a
place. "Sir," was Booth's reply,
"there is no door in my theater
through which God cannot see."
God always sees our insincerity,
cur hypocrisy.
For most of us, a hypocrite la
one who pretends to be what
he is not The word hypoertte
comes from the ancient Greek
theater. A hypocrite was an
actor, one who played many
roles. The Greek tense of the
word has been taken over into
English. For us, hypocrite
means one who pretends at vir
tue or play-acts at piety, being
consciously insincere.
All of us are more or less
guilty of preaching without
practicing, of believing without
living a life consistent with our
beliefs. Sometimes we assume
a pose or wear a mask for the
benefit of the office crowd, of
those we fear, or of those we
dominate.
If we are honest with our
selves and know our own pre
tense, we are ready to ask: How
can I be an authentic peraoaT
How can my private life match
my public performance?
John Wesley would ask the
question this way: "How ????? I
exhibit not only the form bat
also the power of godliness?"
Before Ton Read the Scripture
Jesus' words were not always
precious and sweet. Matthew
23:23-31 records his thunderous
denunciations of the religious
legalists. Mark 7:8-13 is another
example of what he had to say
about a life that lacks integrity
and purpose.
We should note that In using
the word we translate as "hyp*
ocrite," Jesus was not accusing
the scrfbes and Pharisees of
being wicked men who were
pretending to be good. He was
challenging their belief that
they were truly serving God
when they went through the
motions of religious exercise.
They were not pretending or
play-acting at religion. They
really believed that the essence
of vital religion was giving your
tithe and saying your prayers.
But Jesus saw within them
? Just as he sees within us.
They were whitewashed tombs
filled with dead men's bones.
Their cup was clean on the out
side, but the Inside was filled
with robbery and self-indul
gence. Their inner motives and
loyalties were far from God.
What the Scripture Says
The Scripture for today Is
Mark 7:1 through 8:2?. Selected
verses are printed below. See
Home Bible Study suggestions
in the back of the quarterly.
Mark 7:1-6, 9-1B
1 Now when the Pharisees
gathered together to him, with
some of the scribes, who had
come from Jerusalem, 2 they
saw that soma of his rllsripl?
ate with hands (WfTiert, thai la,
unwashed. 3 (Tor the Pharisee^
and all the Jews, do not eat un
less they wash their hands, ob
serving the tradition of the
elders; 4 and when they come
from the market place, they do
not eat unless they purify them
selves; and there are many
other traditions which they ob
serve, the washing of cups and
pots and vessels of bronze.)
5 And the Pharisees and the
scribes asked him, "Why do
your disciples not live according
. to the tradition of the elder*,
but eat with hands defiled?". . .
9 And he said to them, "You
have a fine way of rejecting
th? commandment of Gpd, &
order to keep your tradition]
10 For Moses Mid, Honor your
father and your mother*; and.
He who speaks evil of father
or mother, let him surely die";
11 but you say, 11 a man tells
his father or his mother, What
you would have gained from
me Is Corban* (that Is, given to
God) ? 12 then you no longer
permit him to do anything for
his father or mother, 13 thus
making void the Word of God
through your tradition which
you hand on. And many such
things you do."
14 And he called the people
to him again, and said to them,
"Hear me, all of you, and un
derstand: 15 there is nothing
outside a man which by going
into him can defile him; but the
things which come out of a
man are what defile him"
Memory Selection:
This people honors me with
their lips,
but their heart 1s far from ma;
in vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines the pre
cepts of men. ? Mark 7:8-7
How We Understand
The Scripture
The argument recorded here
between Jesus and the Phari
sees is of great importance be
cause it helps us understand a
significant point of difference
between Jesus and the orthodox
Jews of his time.
Let us think of Mark 7:1-28
as a collection of Jesus' teach
ings concerning the traditions
of the elders.
The keeping of the law was
of major importance. The law
was, first of all, the Ten Com
mandments and, second, the
first five books of the Old Tes
tament. The greet moral prin
ciples were there for a man to
interpret tn relation to himself.
But the scribes, who were legal
experts, began to break down
the great principles Into count
less rales ? so many rules, in
fact, that working people could
never keep up with all of them.
These rules became known aa
the tradition of the elders.
Keeping the Traditions
The Pharisees were very re
ligious when it came to keeping
all the religious observances.
Therefore they brought a pro
test to Jesus because the disci
ples did not observe the ritual
of washing hands. (Mark 7:1-5)
The complaint had nothing to
do with cleanliness; It con
cerned the particular ceremo
nial of washing hands, which
had to be done Is a certain way.
Minute detail was involved in
"ceremonial cleanliness." HMfc
had to be washed before mills
and between courses. Water for
washing had to be kept In spe
cial jars because It too had to
be ceremonially dean. They
had to be sure nothing had fall
en into it. Hands must be held
with finger tips pointing up
ward. The water poured on
must run down to the wrist.
Numerous other details were a
part of this process. When tha
disciples did not observe this
ceremony of washing hands, the
Pharisees complained to Jesus.
In his reply Jesus brought
out the real issues. (Mark T:9
13) He told his questioners that
they were more concerned with
keeping their traditions than
with keeping God's laws. Fw
example, God commands, "Hoo
fer your father and your
mother," but the Pharisees had
a plan that could relieve them
of financial responsibility tpr
aged parents. If they claimed
they had given their money to
God (probably to the Temple),
they could say Corban and ha
relieved of further responsibil
ity.
Keeping God's Law
Jesus declared that the inner
moral and ethical attitudes of
persons are what makes their
religion vital and not the outer
ceremonial practices. (See Mark
7:14-15.)
Jesus was addressing himself
to people who were actively
religious. These were the people
who came to the synagogue and
spoke all the right words. Out
wardly they worshiped God,
but inwardly their thoughts
were far from God. Jesus was
saying there is no value in this
kind of worship because H put*
man - made commandments
ahead of God> commandments.
In Mark we see Jesus open
conflict with the scribal tradi
tion of orthodox Judaism. Hu
ceremonial hand washing before
every meal was originally a
part of the thanksgiving a Jew
offered God. But this practice,
along with the washing of pots
and plates to meet religious re
quirements, had become la
many respects an empty ritual.
It was also hard on the poor
people of the land whose dirty
jobs made it well-nigh impos
sible to be ceremonially accep
table.
Furthermore, Jesus had little
patience with the sincere prac
tice of petty regulations that
were really detached from an
encounter with God or the ser
vice of human need. It is not
clear whether or not Jesus re
jected alt of the Levitlcal regu
lations regarding ritual purity.
But at least here he was af
firming the priority of the
Word of God over the current
scribal tradition. Jesus was con
cerned about the essence of re
ligion, for that is vital
What the Scripture Says to Us
Deeper than the matter o t
sincerity, of practicing what we
preach, is having ?nm?tMin
worth preaching. Deeper than
a necessary consistency between
our private lives and our public
performance is the kind at pri
vate life worth having and
practicing in public.
We worship the Prince of
Peace, and yet we teach nun
made traditions to the
that peace comes by bombing
villages and people. We warship
the Creator who creates the
earth and Ha abundance for all
men to use, and yet we tsach