THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, October 14, 1995 TAG: 9510130062
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E3 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: Issues of Faith
SOURCE: Betsy Wright
LENGTH: Medium: 78 lines
OVERWHELMINGLY, the response to last week's column was positive. That's a real indicator to me that people really do want to get past the O.J. verdict and get down to healing the rift between the races. I pray it's so! You do the same.
Here are a few of the responses to last week's column.
From C.E.C. Cummings of Virginia Beach: ``For years I have wondered why races do not realize that no human has the privilege of choosing his or her parents. Considering this fact should bring all races closer together to work out their problems, knowing they are who they are because of the will of their Creator, which cannot be changed by hate and violence. The Apostle Paul said that God is love. That has to be the answer, confirmed by your article.''
From Michael A. Coyle of Virginia Beach: ``The one common factor shared by all the people on death rows throughout the U.S. is their poverty, not their race. The O.J. trial showed that with enough money, an African-American was not going to be railroaded into life imprisonment. The LAPD and the L.A. prosecution botched the case against O.J. Meanwhile, the killer or killers remain unknown.
``I am an Irish Catholic and went to seven o'clock Mass at St. Gregory's. The O.J. trial and its outcome were not mentioned, nor should they have been. What pleases me each Sunday is seeing that the congregation is no longer just a sea of white faces. Of course, with the world's 1 billion Catholics and with the U.S.' multiracial makeup, it should not be just a sea of white faces.''
From Gary Hartman of Virginia Beach: ``I think (Saturday's) column was in the wrong space. It should have been on the editorial page where more people would have read it. I agreed with basically everything you said in the article. I think some people might have skimmed past it because it had the religion heading, and the article should have been read by every-body.''
From Rabbi Israel Zoberman of Congregation Beth Chaverim in Virginia Beach: ``No doubt, the impact of the O.J. Simpson trial has been substantial, contributed in part by the lengthy and unprecedented publicity. Perhaps it was a bit naive to assume that such an arousing case would be judged only on its legal merits. If there was a need to confirm the troubling racial divide in American society, the trial's aftermath revealed it in a painful and alarming way. It is incumbent upon us all to work harder toward creating a society where justice for all will yet prevail.''
From Faith Amick of Suffolk: ``I read your column regularly and I disagree with some and agree with others, and, of course, that's normal. That was an excellent article you wrote Saturday. I thank you for it. We know that only God really knows who did the murders and that God in his time will do the punishing. . . . One day Christ will take care of all these problems that happened here on Earth that we just don't know the answers to.''
From Doris Ferguson of Murfreesboro, N.C.: ``Our fellow black Americans need to be listened to and their opinions respected even if we don't agree. There are no easy answers to racial strife, but there are solutions we need to strive for, for the good of every person. Understanding and practicing empathy is at least a starting point. We need to walk in each other's moccasins. Alexander Pope once said: `Honor and shame from no condition rise. Act well your part. There all the honor lies.'
``This is still good advice as we learn to listen (to one another). Treat others the way we'd like to be treated is the bottom line.''
From Dr. Denise M. Davis of Norfolk: ``Your column really struck a nerve, especially the last paragraph on unity. You failed to mention the most segregated time in America: 11 on Sunday morning! What does this say about unity among Christians? How many times have you visited a church where the congregation was predominately of another racial or ethnic group? Perhaps now is the time for all people to extend the hand of brotherhood with the understanding that everyone has their own view of the verdict based on their experiences, be it good or bad.''
Columnist's Response: Excellent points. To answer your question: I visit congregations predominately of another race or ethnic group at least twice a year. As often as possible, I also visit congregations of different faiths. I endorse such visitations for everyone. Diversity should not be feared. It should be cherished as part of God's creation! by CNB