Hateful Symbols
By Meeke Addison
(Editor’s Note: Meeke wrote this blog in 2015 when South Carolina removed the Confederate flag from the statehouse grounds in response to the murder of nine black churchgoers in Charleston. Subsequent to the crime it was discovered that the perpetrator, Dylann Roof, had posed with photos of the Confederate flag. Mississippi recently retired its state flag which included the Confederate emblem. Meeke’s words resonate just as much now as they did then.)
Just so we’re clear: People found a flag to be hateful (with justifiable reason). They decided it incited a person to commit an unthinkable crime. So they further decided it must be removed. They mobbed up, applied pressure, and successfully had it removed. This is progress.
I’m wondering, what people will do with the widely distributed text that Christians read which tells them marriage is between one man and one woman. You know the one the Klein’s quote as their basis for not baking that poor, innocent couple a wedding cake? The one that tells children to honor their parents, etc.
I’m out of my mind to speak like this: But what if someone were to attack a group of homosexuals who were meeting together and subsequent to the crime it was discovered he/she had some Bibles at home? What if those Bibles were collected as evidence and it was discovered that there were certain passages highlighted? You know the ones I’m talking about.
How long would it take for the Bible to be forcibly scrubbed of all offensive references? When would we no longer be allowed to quote it publicly? How long would it take for it to be removed from federal property all across the country? Would there be a ceremony with the Color Guard? Would Christians turn out in droves to weep? Or would we be outnumbered by rainbow-clad protesters chanting “love wins”? What museum would “historic” copies of the Bible be carted off to? Who would pay to see that historical book?
“Meeke, are you saying the flag should have stayed? You must hate your own skin! You can’t really be suggesting that the Confederate flag is without hateful symbolism? I mean c’mon I expect a little more from you…I mean (whispering) you’re black.”
I wish all sin could be eradicated from this earth. That includes the sin of racism in all its forms. Which includes private and public flag waving with the intent to denigrate individuals. It also includes “house” conversations about “how white people are.” Unfortunately, that wish is not the promise for the Christian on earth. Quite the contrary, sin will continue to abound and lawlessness will increase.
So hold off on your “Uncle Tom” or “House Negro” references. I’ve heard them all before. Here’s what I’m suggesting: the offensive symbols you remove may just be your own. Make sure the things you fight for are eternally focused and not self-interested. Maybe the flag needed to go. Maybe it didn’t. Each person has already decided that. But you must listen closely to the arguments. Hear clearly the positions and the justifications for why swift actions were necessary.
I didn’t feel sorrow as the Confederate flag ceremonially came down in South Carolina but neither did I feel joy. I just thought about which potentially “hateful” symbols I don’t want scrubbed from the public square. These are my thoughts. It is indeed a blessing, to live in the land of the free and the home of the brave. Get ready to learn what it feels like to be less free and more brave.
We’ve been comfortable…too comfortable living in America.