Justice Not Jails is please to announce that distinguished theologian/activist Dr. Charlene Sinclair with be joining distinguished UCLA historian Dr. Kelly Lytle Hernandez in setting the table for a day of interactive conversation and renewed commitment to dismantling all expressions of white supremacy. Dr. Sinclair will help us discern what faith communities are called to do in order to help finally realize Martin Luther King Jr.’s “revolution of values” while there is still time. Dr. Hernandez will help us uncover the often-hidden historical roots of the toxic white supremacy that sustains America’s racist criminal justice system and its equally racist treatment of immigrant communities of color.
The Faith and Race conference will also feature a panel of people directly affected by mass incarceration and a second panel of faith leaders who are leading the struggle to push back against racism in all its forms. All who attend will be able to offer their own perspectives and voice their own ideas for fighting back.
It all happens on Saturday, January 27th, 2019, at the Holman United Methodist Church in West Adams. All are welcome. Space is limited, and we urge you to register today to ensure that you can take part.
As we celebrate the birth of Jesus and the visiting magi from the East, think about 7-year-old Jakelin Caal and Felipe Gómez Alonzo, 8. They were two migrant children who died in the past couple weeks while being held in Custom and Border Protection custody. Like Jesus’ parents, they searched for safe shelter as they fled tyranny.
When the three wise men arrived in Bethlehem, they found the Holy Family huddled in a humble abode a long distance from their homes. The magi were searching for the promised child who was born to change history. Jakelin and Felipe traveled with their mothers and arrived at the United States border where they were placed in detention centers without the medical attention their young bodies desperately needed. Instead of seeing a doctor, their mothers were taunted and reportedly told they were to blame for their children’s illnesses.
Take another look at the story of Jesus and the ruler who sought to find him. Herod was a crazy king whose heart was filled with rage, hatred, and bitterness. He was afraid of the baby who would become king. The comparison between Herod and contemporary leadership that thrives on fear, anger, and division cannot be ignored or overstated. Innocent children are put at risk inside government facilities without the necessary help needed to make their lives comfortable.
Instead of welcoming families who travel dangerous roads and take high risks in search of better lives, they are met with threats, incarceration, and denied medical assistance. This is occurring today during the High Holy Days of the Christmas Season. This is happening in our name and in our country. Jesus is being mistreated and threatened today when every child and parent is denied assistance.
Where is the child? There are thousands of children and parents who find themselves today in the same condition as Mary and Joseph when they were forced to flee King Herod’s campaign to kill newborn babies. Like the migrants from Central America today, the Holy Family crossed borders and landed in Egypt where they were given sanctuary.
It is most timely and very unfortunate to see the Biblical story of Baby Jesus being reenacted in our country. We are witnesses to the cruel and ungodly behavior and attitude that perpetuate inhumane and senseless conduct toward our fellow sojourners.
Rev.Dr. Art Cribbs, Executive Director Emeritus of Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity
Jakelin and Felipe are dead. They died because they sought sanctuary and a new way of life in America. They are our children. They are Jesus in our midst. Where is the child? Living and dying in front of us.
As people of faith, we look for instructions and opportunities to understand ways in which mercy is granted and compassion is revealed. No doubt, there are times when we feel it is very difficult to forgive or pardon someone who hurts us or our loved ones. Regardless of our faith tradition, Sacred Texts provide unambiguous examples of compassion and how we are to forgive even someone who is guilty.
There may be resistance to extending compassion to someone who intentionally causes harm, but that is exactly what God did for Moses and David.
In Judeo-Christian texts, the stories of Moses and David deserve particular attention to see how their relationships with God helped provide insight into horrendous crimes they committed and were forgiven. It is important to caution against a misplaced notion that it doesn’t matter what we do to others, including hurting or killing them. It matters severely and holding people accountable for their actions is critically important. But that does not eliminate the wrongdoer from being forgiven.
In the exodus story, Moses observes the mistreatment of his kinsmen at the hands of an overseer. Outraged by the injustice, Moses murders the oppressor (Exodus 2:11-13). That act led Moses to becoming a felon fugitive who had to escape the punishment of a state execution. Yet, as the story continues, that same Moses eventually became the giver of the law that Christians and Jews continue to follow today, including the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17). The sixth commandment, “You shall not murder,” is among them and delivered by Moses.
David, the greatest king of ancient Israel, exceeded the high crime committed by Moses. David lusted after the wife of a loyal warrior who fought wars for his king. David first committed adultery with Bathsheba while her husband, Uriah, was away in battle. (2 Samuel 11:2-5)
As horrible as that act was, it does not measure up to David’s more serious crime of murdering an innocent man so he could take his woman and make her his wife. In fact, David’s scheme was so vile, he secretly ordered Uriah’s death in a letter that he handed to Uriah to deliver to his military commander. (2 Samuel 2:14-17)
Those acts of violence did not go unnoticed by God; yet, through repentance and grace, Moses and David were forgiven. There is a divine expectation for followers of religious teachings to live and walk in step with God’s example. That does not signify crimes are to be ignored and persons who commit them are not to be punished. Instead, punishment is the not final outcome for misdeeds and mistakes; even when they are intentionally and consciously committed.
The Quran also provides clarity on the importance of mercy which is mentioned 200 times. Followers of Allah, the Most Merciful, also are instructed to extend forgiveness. It is written, “Let them pardon and overlook. Would you not like that Allah should forgive you. And Allah is forgiving and merciful.” (Quran 24:22)
In Islam, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said, “Be merciful to others and you will receive mercy. Forgive others and Allah will forgive you.” We, too, are expected to forgive anyone who hurts us today. The blaring outcries for “justice” to retaliate rather than pardon can drown our voices.
There is great power in mercy. Everyday we are given an opportunity to practice the deeper depths of our faith against a tide of vicious and angry demands to punish without forgiveness. The course toward restorative justice moves us in a direction that leads to healing and renewal. It grants persons who have yet to feel the balm of forgiveness “A New Way of Life.” (Susan Burton)
Women and men, youth and young adults, boys and girls re-enter our communities after serving sentences in prisons, jails, youth authorities, and detention centers. To achieve the goal of resetting their lives, we must learn how to forgive them and offer much needed resolution.
Rev. Dr. Art Cribbs, Executive Director Emeritus of Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity
Rev. Dr. Art Cribbs Executive Director Emeritus of Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity.
