Natalie Ringsmuth – Unfundamentalist

Equality. What comes to mind when you hear that word? Perhaps you first think of gender. Or marriage. Or race.

Does the word “fair” come to your mind? Some folks define equality along the lines of everything “being fair.” But, really, is that possible? And is that even the goal?

“What’s equal is not always fair, and what’s fair is not always equal.”

When we make the mistake of thinking that fairness and equality are the same thing, we ask questions like these:

Why isn’t there a straight pride parade? That’s not fair.When is white history month? That’s not fair.

My gut instinct is to post this as a response:…but, I can’t really post that on the interwebs if my goal is communication and dialogue. (However, maybe I’ll try this one out on my kids next time someone argues about who got more mac and cheese in their bowl.)

What I can say are some of the things I have said to the people that desire “fairness” for straight and white Americans. We don’t need straight pride parades because straight folks aren’t beaten up and killed for being straight. We don’t need white history month because most of the history that was taught for decades in American school was white history, and mostly white male history at that.

We must know and come to grips with the fact that it is easier in this country to be straight than it is to be gay. Is it easier to be gay in this country than in others where gay folks are openly persecuted? Yes. But, the reality… [Read more…] about Equality Isn’t Fair

Every couple of months, another round of people on Facebook discover the “Can Muslims be good Americans?” diatribe, and copy and paste the reasons explaining why the answer to that question is no:

Nearly every time I have come across a posting of these “truths” along with a fearful call to war, it has been posted by a Christian. Being a Christian myself, I have challenged my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ who have posted this, only to be unfriended, told to “chill out,” and warned that maybe I’ll “learn when I get raped by a Muslim one day.” My simple question back to them is: Do you know any Muslims? Answer: Silence.

A couple of years ago, I didn’t know any Muslims either. Now, I can happily say that I do! The area of the United States that I live in (Central Minnesota) has seen a boom in the number of our neighbors that are Somali, and for the most part, Muslim. I feel blessed that my children get to grow up with classmates whose parents are from a different country and who practice a different religion than them. Unfortunately, there are many of my fellow white, Christian parents that either don’t know what to think, or wish that their Somali neighbors would “go back where they came from.” I have tried to appeal to their hearts, speaking of the radical love that Jesus had for all people, and that works sometimes. But, I realize that not everyone thinks as much with their heart as I do. So, perhaps it’s time to present… [Read more…] about Can Christians Be Good Americans?