Robert E. Lee statue at Lee Park, Charlottesville, VA. By Cville dog [#Charlottesville gets ran off during a press conference pic.twitter.com/Z6Ub0WpwPJ— Philip Lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) August 13, 2017
The women of the United Methodist Church also made a statement, published by Religion News Service. “United Methodist Women condemns the racism, anti-Semitism and bigotry that bred the violence and loss of life connected to a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. We also lament the blindness of too many to the historical reality that the United States has from its very beginning been a multiracial country, built by a diverse population, not a “white nation” in need of being “taken back.” We decry the dog whistles of hate embedded in too much of today’s public discourse, which embolden and nod to the sort of hate and violence that was openly on display in Charlottesville.”
Greg Weeks, senior pastor of the Manchester United Methodist Church called on the faithful to “reject [their] natural destructive ways.” He spoke about the role of religion in making a change. “Religion has been used to perpetuate our bloodstained past, and it’s sometimes misused like that today. But it’s also irrefutable that the major religions of the world are united in the ideal of a world where human history can change direction. Indeed, for all the criticism that can legitimately be leveled at faith institutions, it’s those institutions that can best champion an alternative to our past.”
Bishop Darryl Husband of Mount Olivet Church, a diverse church in Richmond, Virginia, expressed feelings of shame and disgust. “To African Americans, Latino Americans, Asian Americans, Native Indians and every European American, we will live together as brothers and sisters from One Father, or we will perish as fools, ignorant of our own genetic history. Our colors came from living in regions of the world for centuries. Educate yourselves. Find places to dialogue. Boldly denounce divisive discussions. Refuse to give violent attention to these "fire starters." They can only start a forest fire, if we give them timber and fuel. Do not give them that. Hatred breeds hatred. The bible is either true or it isn't. "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."
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