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Urgent call to embrace diversity

More shocking, is when we see this racism scourge entrenched in religious and higher learning institutions

POOKWANE – One of the prominent and exceptional leaders of our times, Nelson Mandela, once said: “no one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, or his background or his religion.

“People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.”
The recent racism acts in our country points to a grave societal problem and drastic measures need to be implemented to eradicate it sooner than later.

More shocking, is when we see this racism scourge entrenched in religious and higher learning institutions. What lessons do we teach our children?

This country is too beautiful to suffer such deleterious actions. Hating people because of their skin colour is immoral. It doesn’t matter which colour does the hating, it is just unadorned wrong.

“Racism is a refuge for the ignorant. It seeks to divide and to destroy. It is the enemy of freedom, and deserves to be met head-on and stamped out,” writes Pierre Berton.

Perhaps it would be prudent for us to learn that whether you are Black or White, Indian or Coloured, purple or grey, we are all human beings equally created in the image and likeness of God in Genesis 1: 26-27. God loved the world so much that He sent his only Son to lay down His life for all of us, not for a certain ethnic group only. The “world” here, includes Sothos, Afrikaaners, Zulus, English, Vendas and many more.

South Africans, we need each other. We are called to live in harmony and peace with one another. Those who practice racism, prejudice, and discrimination need to repent and adhere to Paul’s submission in Colossians 3: 11-12: “Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all. Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”

My dear readers, if we agree that human beings were not born racist, then it means racism is learned. If so, then it is possible to unlearn what we have learned already.

Let’s embrace diversity. Our languages, traditions and religions should be encompassed for the sake of the nation building. You need diverse crayons to complete a beautiful and colourful picture.

 

Rev John Mokoena

 

 

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