Dispelling myths. examining good of Christianity

Sunday, August 18, 1996

Graduate student ranks religion over her race, genderBy V.I.
Williams

I am a Christian.

I take a great comfort in that. This is why Ms. Robinson’s
article in last week’s Summer Bruin disturbed me a great deal.

As an African American and a woman, I have enjoyed reading Ms.
Robinson’s editorials for the past few months. I chuckled to myself
when she wrote about guys trying to get in for free at clubs by
smooth-talking to her at the door. I agree with many of the views
that she has expressed with regard to affirmative action, sexism
and racism. Without a doubt, she has added a unique voice to The
Bruin. Providing such different perspectives in The Bruin is a
practice which, hopefully, will continue for many years to come.
However, in spite of my belief that Ms. Robinson should be able to
freely express her beliefs on Christianity and/or other issues, I
must say that not only did I disagree with some of the content of
her article, I was also disappointed with the manner in which she
chose to characterize Christianity specifically and other religions
generally.

At this point, I imagine that Ms. Robinson has received a number
of responses about her article, responses which point out the
inaccuracy in a number of the statements that she has made about
the Christian faith, its origins and what it espouses, (i.e., that
Christians believe that if you drink, do drugs, have premarital
sex, etcetera, you will go to hell, or that you have to perform a
number of good works in order to go to heaven, or the implication
that Christianity is the only religion in which its believers
actively share their faith with others, et cetera). Given the fact
that she has probably received several responses discrediting her
words, it is not necessary to dispel them again here. Furthermore,
it sounds as if Ms. Robinson has had enough of Christians telling
her what the Bible says and that she wishes to hear no more about
it. I believe that it is important to respect her wishes. This
appearing to be the case, I would like to comment on the manner in
which Ms. Robinson expressed her frustration with the "Jesus
freaks" she has encountered. I would also like to briefly mention
what purpose Christianity serves in my life. It is necessary to
stress that I am writing for myself alone, not for anyone else
­ Christian, black or female.

Ms. Robinson describes the witnessing that she once did as a
Christian as "Recruitment." The witnessing that she experienced is
described once as an "attack" and another time as a "run-in" with
Christians. She states that she "sounds bitter and cynical" as she
writes about her experiences with Christians. Regardless of the
actual severity of her "run-ins," it is important to attempt to see
them as she does in order to gain larger insight into the feelings
she expresses. If in her mind she believes that she has been
accosted by some Christians, not only should that be duly noted, it
should be respected as a valid belief, or ­ at minimum ­
a very real possibility. As one who continues to experience racism,
yet is told that it no longer exists, I realize the importance of
acknowledging an individual’s personal experiences.

On the other hand, for Ms. Robinson to lump a significant number
of Christians into one group ("I am very familiar with how average
Christians and Jesus freaks think.") and for her to make blanket
statements about the tenets of Christianity (and implicitly,
Christians) was puzzling ("Why is it that some religions respect
your right to chose [sic]* while others try to force you into
theirs?"). Ms. Robinson’s general grouping was puzzling because it
presumed as fact that: (1) all "average Christians and Jesus
freaks" think alike and behave identically and (2) that the tenets
of Christianity are not tainted by the foibles of humankind.

The manner in which Ms. Robinson characterized Christianity,
while powerful and undoubtedly steeped in personal belief and
experiences, was the epitome of stereotyping. She states, "I have
never had a Jew, Muslim or Baha’i person chase me while I was
walking. I have never seen a Buddhist or atheist screaming at the
top of [his/her] lungs on Bruin Walk." Implicit in these statements
is the idea that because she has not seen it, it does not happen.
This statement is not meant to implicate or point the finger at
other religions in order to vindicate Christianity. It is simply
intended to point out that the reality of a particular situation
extends beyond a single individual’s experiences. To draw a
parallel along the lines of race, just because one individual has
never actually met a good white person, does not mean that there
are not good white people in society. By the same token, just
because it appears that all of the experiences Ms. Robinson has had
with religious "recruitment" have been with Christians does not
mean that other groups do not share their beliefs with others in
the same manner. And just because her experiences to date with
Christians have been negative does not mean that all Christians are
out to "suck her into the whirlpool of Christian evangelism." While
it may be second nature to stereotype in this manner based upon
personal experiences (we all do it), it is something that can be
very harmful to individuals who are on the receiving end of acts
done based upon stereotyping. Consequently, it would not hurt to be
mindful of this phenomenon.

Ms. Robinson’s column also appears to have overlooked the fact
that unfortunately, the words of the Book and the beliefs of its
buyer do not always coincide. In other words, the Bible may
establish a rule, but the original intent of that rule may not be
correctly determined by a person and different people will
interpret that rule different.

Consequently, you get one Christian who believes that Christians
should "recruit" or witness to others in the manner that Ms.
Robinson experienced and another who believes that witnessing can
be done in an act as simple as singing in a church choir or doing
kind deeds regularly. It is unfortunate that the former form has
alienated Ms. Robinson. This is why it is important for individuals
to read Bible texts for themselves and to draw their own
conclusions accordingly. Ms. Robinson herself stated "God gave
[her] a conscience as [her] guide and a brain to decide whether or
not to follow it." I believe this holds true for everyone when
interpreting religious text. And it sounds as if Ms. Robinson’s
recently increased interest in the Bible (in spite of her negative
experiences) has begun as a result of her doing precisely that:
reading it for herself.

As for the role that Christianity plays in my life, I would say
the following: The older I become, the more certain I am of who I
am, what that means, and how my life should be led as a result. I
define myself in three ways, primarily. I am a Christian first and
foremost. I am an African American secondarily. Then, I am a
woman.

I do not think it coincidence that these ways in which I define
myself and the order in which I do so are ranked in the order of
the difficulty each existence presents for me. Ms. Robinson speaks
the truth when she implies that living one’s life as a Christian is
difficult. Indeed, of the three existences, Christianity has been
the one that has brought me the most intense struggles. It is also
an existence that I must struggle to keep at the head of my
list.

Since I have come to California, laws like Proposition 187 and
the "three strikes rule" have been passed, affirmative action in
the UC system has been repealed, the California Civil Rights
Initiative has been proposed, the deprivation of federal funds to
legal immigrants has been strongly supported and both years I have
been reminded by anonymous mailings at Boalt Hall and UCLA School
of Law (and by the minimal response of faculty to these mailings)
that my presence as a person of color is not wanted, appreciated or
respected in the UC system. I have lived in several different
states and countries; yet, I have never been as conscious of my
race as I have been in the state of California. Given these facts,
it has been very difficult for me not to let Christianity take a
back seat to my racial identity.

This brings me to the second reason for my decision to respond
to Ms. Robinson’s article. I am responding because I believe that
in spite of the negative personal experiences Ms. Robinson has had
with Christians (which should not be minimized or dismissed in any
way, shape or fashion) Christianity has done a wealth of good in
this world over the centuries. More specifically, it has done a lot
for me.

Christianity has done a great deal of good in my life and for
society, if its sole redeeming quality has been that it has kept me
from hating those who hate me. It has. Christianity has done an
immense amount of good in my life and for society if the only thing
it has done is to keep me from harming people who question my
ability and whether I am "worthy" enough to be here. It does. If
the only thing that Christianity has done for me is to keep me
respectful of people, their experiences and their different walks
of life, it has done a great deal. And many people, Christian or
not, will agree that Christianity is a powerful belief system if
all it has done is keep me both focused and sane during my first
two years of law school. I believe that Christianity has done and
will continue to do these things and many others for me.

I am not perfect; I will be the first to tell anyone that. But
in short, if I did not have Christianity, it is very likely that I
would be what many people expect of people like myself and other
people of color: an unproductive, problematic member of society. By
no means does this statement mean that those who are not Christians
are unproductive and problematic to society. There are amazing
individuals in this world who are not Christians. Nor does it mean
that if I were not a Christian, I could not achieve. It only means
that the Christian faith has done a great good and has far and away
been more essential to my survival and my human decency than any
other factor in my life.

This is why although I will continue to fight the good fight for
appropriate causes involving race, gender and human rights, it is
my hope that Christianity will always be first and foremost the
definitive mark of my existence.

I am sorry that Ms. Robinson has been so alienated by some
Christians. Hopefully, her negative experiences will not give way
to a negative opinion of all Christians and the Christian faith.
Hopefully, in the long run, something positive will come out of her
experiences.

V.I. Williams is a graduate student at UCLA.