CHARLOTTESVILLE

     Charlottesville happened because _______________.  How do you fill in the blank? 
   The violence of Charlottesville is historically ingrained in the United States.  This is a nation that has never truly acknowledged the hatred of peoples of color--indigenous, enslaved, detained, immigrated—and the violence inflicted upon these peoples justified by an ideology of white supremacy. Every institution in this country is embedded with this ideology.  
    Those Alt-right groups marching are the embodiment of white supremacy. Yes, they are the extremists who terrorize with words, guns, fire, and weapons of mass destruction—bombs and cars.  They are the extreme violent actors in our social drama, but they are not an aberration in the society.
    How can I make that last statement?
    We live in the omnipresence of violence.  Although theologically I might say that we live in omnipresence of evil, I choose not to use the term evil because I think that folks tend frequently not to give evil agency.  Instead, evil is more often described as a condition or a being (i.e. the devil) that emanates from something outside of ourselves. Violence is active; it emanates from us—our decisions and actions. 
    As I teach and preach intentionally from a religious ethical mediation consciousness and worldview that asserts that violence happens every moment of every day, some folks ask me about my negativity and challenge my ideas as esoteric. I don’t tend to be a negative person.  My ideas are not usually described as esoteric—difficult to hear, yes—but not esoteric.
     Think about it:  Violence happens every day when. . .

• we speak words that belittle, humiliate, denigrate, objectify one another—whether in the streets, classrooms, pulpits
• we claim confidentiality as we close ranks, do injustice and exclude persons and groups whose presence shake the foundations of our institutions and beliefs
• fists and slaps and shoves harm the body or bodies of others
• guns are shot in the name of protecting oneself, society, or a nation—ending someone’s life and future, decimating cultures as lives are taken. 

    I realize that many other people have spoken about Charlottesville in more scholarly, more pastoral, more theological, and more eloquent ways than I have done so here. However, my aim on this blog and in my work in religious ethical mediation is not to “wow” you; my purpose is to invite you to think for yourself just as I think out loud.  Join me out on a limb in thought and deed.
     Peace be with you in these troubling times.