Recently there has been much controversy over using the phrases “black lives matter,” “blue lives matter,” or “all lives matter.” I don’t like to use the first two sayings because they are exclusive, not inclusive, terms. By highlighting a certain group of people, either African Americans or servicemen, the two phrases indirectly imply that some lives matter more than others. As a supposedly “intolerant” Christian, I believe that “all lives matter” and that everyone affected by recent news events, including religious groups, minorities, servicemen, and members of the LGBT community, deserve respect and support.
One group of people that has faced adversity due to recent shootings is the large number of Muslims living in the United States. In the past couple months radical Muslims have launched terrorist attacks involving guns or bombs in New York, Florida, and Minnesota. These attacks have negatively affected the way many people view Muslims. Despite the efforts of leading Islamic leaders in these states to convince people that most Muslims are peaceful, many Muslims have felt ostracized from the rest of their community. As a Christian my beliefs are very different from those of Muslims, but I do believe that they deserve respect and should not be judged based on the actions of a few Islamic “bad apples.”
Not only Muslims, but also African Americans have had to deal with the aftermath of recent shootings. I am a white female and will never fully understand what is like to be black in a country where mild racism still exists years after the civil rights movement. After this movement many race laws were created and people’s opinions changed, but traces of racism still exist in large cities and communities, such as Charlotte and Baton Rouge. Without fully understanding the point of view of African Americans, I can still support their peaceful and non-violent protests against racism. I do urge the black community to look at the key details of recent shootings objectively and find ways to protest that are not disrespectful to key American symbols and emblems.
The people that African Americans have felt the most hostility towards in recent shootings are the servicemen we recently celebrated during Memorial Day and the anniversary of 9-11. During the time between these two holidays, servicemen countrywide have faced great adversity. Several policemen were killed in the recent Dallas and Baton Rouge shootings. The overall credibility and integrity of servicemen has been questioned since last month’s events in Charlotte and the shooting that took place in Franklin earlier this year. In every recent controversial situation, I believe that policemen have done their best to make wise decisions. They have been trained to always be unbiased, smart, and cool-headed, and I think it is important that servicemen and everyone in their communities, especially African Americans, form relationships based on mutual respect.
Some servicemen recently had the opportunity to improve citizen/police relationships while dealing with the aftermath of the terrorist attack on an Orlando nightclub used by the LGBT community. This recent event, last year’s revision of the 14th amendment, and the Target “bathroom” incident have sparked new discussions among Christians about the definition of marriage. After reading through Bible passages describing the roles of husbands and wives and seeing how God set the precedent for marital relationships by initially creating Adam and Eve and not two people of the same sex, I believe that marriage should be between a man and a woman. I may disagree with certain lifestyle choices of gays and lesbians, but believe that they are people that need to be respected. I will continue to support the efforts of the recovering LGBT Orlando community and the ambitions and dreams of my gay friends.
I believe that not only do LGBT community members deserve support and acceptance but also Muslims, African Americans, and servicemen. I hope that my thoughts on the popular but controversial phrase “all lives matter” have caused you to not only reevaluate your own opinions about recent news events but also understand that everyone, no matter their background, race, occupation, or beliefs, is worthy of love and respect.
