WU Race vs Religion Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man Peer Response

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Please choose 2 peers from each discussion file then write a full response to each peer you choose ( 270 minimum words per response)

Total responses 4 ( 2 per discussion)

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Peer Response for Discussion #1 The discussion is about this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BCScklTfs0 Peers #1 I find it interesting that the context of this was within the confines of the protests occurring over the summer, and it's sad that those movements had to be the catalyst of this conversation. However, I agree with almost everything that was said in this video. Right off the bat, I enjoyed the metaphor of the messy house and racism in the church. I think it frames it perfectly, where the church just sees its problems as too much to fully clean, and instead, it sweeps them under the rug in the form of silence. This silence allows the segregation and issues to go on, just unnoticed and not mentioned. I think a really important part of this was pointing out that the white church is afraid to lose its power, and I feel as though that relates to Emmanuel's reiteration of the Good Samaritan at the end. The church is afraid to help those affected by racism because they are worried about what will happen to them. Rather, by helping those communities, they may be able to help black people rise to the power of where the church is today. Power is not a tangible resource; it cannot be lost. Instead, a powerful system can help the powerless grow in their own power without losing any themselves. The church can help enrich black communities and diminish injustice, but rather, it sits on the sidelines rather quietly. The final point that I enjoyed was the discussion of white supremacy. If there is no true difference in opportunity between races, I agree with Lentz in the idea that I'd rather live my life as if there were; living in a way where I help those on the bottom instead of stepping on their necks on my way to the top. I believe that by pretending as if it is not real, you make it more real. The only topic that I disagreed with is when Lentz clumped all Christians together and claimed that all of the Christians that don't go out and protest refrain from it simply due to money. I think it's very bold to put everybody together into one category since he's putting financially stable and financially unstable people together. If a financially stable Christian is not acting out against injustice, I would 100% agree that they aren't doing so because they may lose money or tarnish their name. However, I believe it's different for those that are not in a good place financially. Not all Christians can drop everything and protest. They may be in a situation where they literally can't afford to miss a shift, so they can't abandon that in the hope that God will provide for them. While yes, it still relates to losing money, it's different in the sense that they have an actual explanation as to why they can't protest. Therefore, it's hard to generalize all Christians together. Can anybody relate to the constant journey that Lentz was describing? I know for me, I grew up in a fairly rural area, so racism and prejudice were prevalent everywhere you went. I try to constantly remind myself about the dangers of those beliefs, but I was surrounded by peers that didn't have the same mindset. Can anyone else relate to a situation like that, where you're in that period of growth and actualization? #2 This video was very eye opening. I couldn't agree more with their take on the church's silence when it comes to racism in our country. Shoving these problems into "one room" when the guests come is a perfect example of how it appears that the church handles racism, and it honestly reminds me of a few other issues that the Church has swept under the rug, but that's a different conversation. Another important point made in this video was this fear from white people about losing their "superiority." I think about this idea very frequently, as it could not be more true. And quite honestly, I think that could be linked to why some people who have absolutely no ties to the confederacy wave their flags high and proud. Lentz mentioned a quote from a minister, "some of y'all white people are worried about us getting power because you think if we did, we would treat people like you have." This is a very powerful quote because of the amount of truth and reality that comes with it. It seems some white people are too worried with being "uncomfortable" when it comes to severe issues such as racism instead of lending a helping hand. The most important point I believe to be mentioned in this video was the talk of passing knowledge down to his children. And I will make it a priority to do the same thing with mine. Some people who have racist parents are able to learn that that way of thinking is wrong, and I am seeing that this is more apparent in our generation of teens/young adults. These traditional views that people have are being replaced with more realistic views, as our world is changing, and it's a new day. I love that he is able to explain to his children what is not acceptable and should not be tolerated, as teaching them young will have a huge impact on them later. They were discussing Jesus and where they think he would be today. I feel that I know exactly where Jesus would be, but what do you guys think? Would he be protesting? #3 I will say when I first starting listening to the conversation, I immediately thought of a church I attended once with my mom. Our church was switching pastors and we decided to go to this church for Sunday service. The pastor and the congregation believed Barack Obama was the anti-Christ and African Americans have no place in our communities. My mom and I left the church service the minute those words came out of the pastors mouth. The Rev is a Methodist preacher who is making a change to Episcopal. And, as a member of a Methodist church, I have stopped going to my Sunday services. The divide of the Methodist Church has left my heart heavy. I now watch the livestream of my brother's church outside of Columbia, SC. This video really struck me and has restored some of my faith, and I really mean that. I applaud both men for bringing up the church and their assistance in oppression from the start. King's held an Ethics Event about Black Catholic History and why it MATTERS! And, how Georgetown just last year, or two years ago, finally recognized the harm they have done to those who served them and built the school and assisted the church to where they are today. It's a clear example of the white church being silent. We push racism to the side, we don't want to discuss it, and it is pushing the solution further away. I will say, when Carl put racism in the form of COVID, it was not my favorite example of how to address and become part of the solution. I understand the rational and logic behind his parallel, but using the exact context of the covid pandemic did not make the argument hold ground for me. Have any of you had similar experiences within your own church? Or, this may be too personal, but have any of you become agnostic or atheist after witnessing the immoral behaviors and ideals of your church? #4 This video was very interesting to watch and there really was not anything that I felt I disagreed with. Right in the beginning, it was really eye opening to realize and recognize how every "Sunday morning, America is as segregated as it ever can be." This quote right here immediately emphasized the systemic problems within institutions our country, and most importantly, in places where people should feel safe and secure, no matter who is around them. Unfortunately today, people feel a higher sense of security when they are with people like them, and that is really sad to see and hear. He then moves into the analogy of the messy house which really describes racism in general because people tend to realize how much work is needed to really work to solve something like this, and they decide they will "clean house" another day. This really struck me because we have always have heard silence is a virtue, but in this moment, silence is the furthest from what we need to ever begin to work towards ending racism. Whether it is with the church, or just the world in general, there needs to be this sort of collective action to come together and work towards finding the right ways to end something that has plagued our country for as long as we know. This most likely starts with a selfreflection really deciding whether or not we are a part of the solution or a part of the problem. Like Carl Lentz said in the video "We do not know who is racist," just like we do not know who has the virus. The only way to find out is to be tested and really see whether the person you are or thought you were is someone that is fighting for what is right. It is all about really looking at yourself and recognizing ways to be better and to make an impact that people may need in this world. With everything going on and the events that have taken place, what role or action do you think an everyday individual can take in really making a difference in this world and with racism? Are there too many people who are a part of the problem who think they are a part of the solution in our world? After watching this video, where do you feel like you stand in regards to the problem or solution? #5 I certainly had mixed feelings throughout this video. The title troubled me because it was “Race VS Religion.” I know that this was a conversation to find understanding between a religious figure and a black man, but the title could be misleading. Again, I see what he was getting at, but that is just a critique I have about it before watching it. One point I happened to disagree with was the argument that white people are afraid of losing power and that contributes to racism. I’m not saying that there aren’t white people who see racism as a way to maintain power, however I do not think it is fair to categorize the majority of white people into this group. People have a lot of unconscious biases about people who do not look like them. This is definitely not limited to black people as many have unconscious biases towards those of Asian descent, Middle Eastern descent, Native American descent, just to name a few. A lot of this stems from how people are raised and the type of environment they grew up in. I believe that the majority of the people with “racist” biases fall into this category, rather than that of the radicals who see oppression as a power tactic. I also disagreed with him when he said something along the lines of, “people who are supposed to act like Jesus don’t because of money…” I cannot recall the rest of the statement, but I think a bigger reason why these people shy away from the conversation is because they are uncomfortable. I don’t think money defines the treatment of others. Every human, despite their skin color, should be treated the same by everyone. I think the people who are supposed to follow in Jesus’ footsteps should guide others to self-reflect so they can realize where they fall short of being part of the solution. I agree that they need to do more, but I don’t think money holds them back from guiding others to think about how they impact the issue. I did agree with him when he said that there are a lot of good people who want to help but feel overwhelmed. I feel as though this speaks to many Americans. Change needs to happen, but I think some the methods people have used to seek change have made people afraid to support the movement. When things became violent in some cases and began affecting innocent lives, many people were turned off and did not want to participate. They still wanted justice for the black community, however, the methods of getting justice has been very controversial, so I think he was very correct when he said that many people who want to be part of the solution feel too overwhelmed. I also liked the way he went about talking about white supremacy because instead of pushing his views on the people watching, he said that it may not in fact exist, but he’d rather be wrong and overly evaluate himself than be ignorant if it is actually real. This was a very good approach to get people to think about his point. Instead of debating about the existence of white supremacy, I liked that he made the point to acknowledge its possible existence and that it is better to be overly aware of your actions than completely unaware. Keeping in mind the current tensions on the subject of social justice, do you think there are anyways that social justice advocates can make their movement more appealing to those who would like to be part of the change but are overwhelmed by the violence that sometimes arises within them? If so, how? If not, why do you think this is not realistic? #6 Of this entire conversation, which was pretty intriguing, the part that stuck out to me was when Emmanuel asked what would Jesus be doing if he were here right now because I was curious to see what this pastor would say. I loved his response that Jesus would be involved in the marches and the movements because I believe he would be. However, I don't think it would be because of the oppression of the black man, it would be because his people are being oppressed. Jesus wouldn't see skin color or race because we are all his children and to him that doesn't matter. I think that kind of ties in with the segregation he was talking about in church. In order to solve that I think we as humans need to adopt a much more inclusive view of each other like Jesus does with all of us. It's a matter of coming together as one people, an entire human race, the way Jesus intended it to be. I'll finish off my post with a question about the segregation in Church I was talking about. How much of it do you guys think stems from tradition and culture? What I mean is, a lot of the people that I go to church with have been going there for their entire lives. Before them their parents went there and before them their grandparents went there. So I guess my question is, do you guys think that segregation in the church is strictly due to race, or do you think it has more to do with the churches and settings of where families established tradition and culture? Peer Response for Discussion #2 The discussion is about this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfo1XJDJKSU Peers #1 I really enjoyed this video, and I couldn't find one bit that I disagreed with. I especially liked Emmanuel's comment at the end, where he said that there's hope for the future since they are having a meaningful conversation with everybody listening to each other, and I think that's a great thing to hear. I enjoyed his answer on seeing color vs. being color blind. Seeing color is necessary, I just think that there needs to be a cultural shift on how color is perceived. Being color blind leads to ignorance in the form of not appreciating people for who they are. Seeing color in a negative light leads to what we have now - racism, discrimination, division. Seeing color in a positive light would lead to acceptable and celebration. Acceptance in the form of recognizing your differences from somebody else, but not treating them differently than you would somebody that shares your background. Celebration would be seen through acknowledgment of cultural and heritage differences and allowing the room to enjoy that. I also agreed with the discussion of viewing the world from somebody else's point of view. To expand on that a bit, anybody that plays a sport can relate to somebody else telling them that their sport isn't that hard. I'm a swimmer, and I can't even begin to count how many times people have said something like "is that even a real sport?" without looking at it from a different perspective. I think the same ideology can be applied to discrimination. Some white people believe racism or inequality doesn't exist since they've never experienced it themselves. Just because somebody hasn't been outwardly racist to you doesn't mean that you can't try to learn or understand how it must be from the lens of somebody that has experienced racism. Stepping into someone else's shoes to experience a different perspective is imperative for bridging the divide between race. Have you ever caught yourself not understanding a different point of view because you didn't take the time to actually learn about or experience the other perspective? #2 I really enjoyed the conversation that was in this video and the people that were in it too because I have watched their show with my family a lot. It was crazy to see two people, who have a television show together about real estate and home renovation and design, bring their entire family to have this uncomfortable conversation. To me, it shows there really are people in this world from all different backgrounds and cultures and just ways of life that care about making a difference in any way that they can. Like they emphasized in the video, "there is a beauty in seeing color" because "cultures and colors are beautiful." We are all unique and I feel like it is important for not only children, but all people to understand that being different is what makes life so special. Unfortunately, we have a history of looking at these differences in a negative way and holding certain people higher then others just because of exterior features. It is just a matter of putting our "glasses" on and really looking at the world in a different perspective and recognizing how blind we can be to certain things, especially racism. I definitely related to this because I feel blind without my glasses/contacts and as soon as I put them on, I see an entirely new world. The key here to me though, which was not discussed, is that my glasses will not make you see better nor will your glasses make me see better. We all have our own set of "glasses" that we must put on to begin to see the world in our own way, the true way, without any external forces pushing on us to look through their glasses. We may have come a long way to an extent, but like they said, we still have a long way to go, but it is in those conversations that give him hope and that is really important. Chip and Jo make a living fixing and renovating houses that need that change, and it is synonymous with them being on this episode. They came to tear down the walls and rebuild a different kind of house. The house I am referring to is the "messy house" that was discussed in the last video, and they are ready to truly rebuild and clean that house to really show its true beauty and make it what it is supposed to be: a house without racism. Do you think there is a universal pair of "glasses" that we all can look through to see everything that we all are blind to in this world, or is it up to us to pick the right pair of "glasses" that suit us the best so we can start to make that difference? #3 I think it is important to teach children to be colorblind because the justice that we seek is to be seen as equal by all and treated the same. If we are colorblind, this is a possibility. I mostly agreed with what was said. What stuck out to me was the response the children had to their father’s question. The question was, “If you saw a white man and a black man at the gas station would you be more afraid of one or the other?” The children’s immediate responses were, “no, why?” This supports the idea that racism is not engrained in everyone’s minds, and it has a lot to do with how people are raised. If those children continue to be raised colorblind, they would respond like this all the time because they were never taught that black people were different, they were just taught we are all human and everyone has unique appearances, so someone who is colorblind could see skin color being the equivalent to the color of someone’s eyes. People don’t discriminate eye color, and I think that if children are raised to be color blind, they won’t discriminate skin color either. I understood his point when he said he thinks seeing color is important, but I slightly disagree with that because I feel like the goal of the movement is to see everyone as equal, not differently. I think being colorblind isn’t plausible in people who have been raised in the older world, but if children are raised to not see a difference in skin color, black children probably wouldn’t feel as uncomfortable being the minority because if we were colorblind, they wouldn’t be seen as any different than we are. That’s not saying they are not unique in their own special ways, but people shouldn’t necessarily be defined by skin color, as that has clearly been a problem. Colorblindness again, would hopefully make it so the difference in skin color is no different than eye color. Again, I understand why he believes color is important, but I disagree because there are other ways of sharing your culture without basing it on skin color, as there are countless different cultures that have predominantly white skin and many cultures that have predominantly black skin, so skin color shouldn’t be a defining component of any given culture. In addition to that, using skin color as a cultural aspect excludes people who aren’t of the same color from that culture, which only furthers the problem. I think seeing color has greatened the divide between people who don’t look like each other, so that is why I think raising children colorblind is a plausible way to start weeding racism out of America, because if children are never taught to see a difference, most probably won’t see one. Other than the argument that color is important to teach children to see culture, are there any reasons why colorblindness could contribute to the issue more than the solution? If so, how? Additionally, if you agree with his argument that it is important to see color, how can seeing color contribute to the solution rather than causing a greater divide? #4 I think that the importance of being color blind or seeing color can be kind of contradictive, because in the video Chip stated that he believed that his kids were color blind and Emmanuel stated that he believes that growing up colorblind is okay, but it is also important to see color as well because of the culture and the beauty of color. I agree with this, I think all children should be able to be exposed to different colors and cultures. The fact of the matter is that they should be raised to understand that people are people no matter the color. Just like Chip said it is okay to highlight our differences and point out how unique we are but understanding that being black or being white does not make you more or less than a human than anybody else. Another thing stated in the video that I believe was very important was the conversation about attacking the problems in our community that deal with racism that the community does not even understand that we have. I believe it is very important for people that do not see the problem to look at it through another person’s perspective that may not agree with them and try to wear their shoes so that they can see the issue at hand. It is very hard to fix a problem if the person that does not see the problem did not go through it themselves which is something we will always face. The comparison Emmanuel made with water and electricity and him being cautious with white people is very important and it is something that I believe many black people can relate to. Having that negative interaction between both people can be very dangerous to all parties involved. Therefore, I believe that having a sit down and having these conversations with one another is so important. There are so many disagreements and arguments between Black people and white people because of the way they go about having these conversations and they quickly turn into arguments and screaming matches. If we are not cautious with another, not only physically but mentally as well, things can get lethal quickly. My question is, do you guys think that you can be raised colorblind, but later develop a tendency to see color or act differently towards a person of color vs someone white? #5 I think that color blind is not the right term to use. I think open minded or love thy neighbor would be a better phrase. It was said that we should see color because there is a beauty in color and culture. I agree with this because color and culture are what create diversity. Without diversity, the world would be super boring. I think the glasses analogy was a really good way of explaining this situation. The Nigerian lady refused to have glasses but once she put them on she was able to see all life and the depths of everything that was going on and see the beauty of the world. The man then says that we need to do the same with color and put our glasses on to see the beauty and culture in every individual person and see how this contributes to the beauty of the world overall. I do not like that Chip brought up the Cancer thing. I understood what he was saying about how he was blind to Cancer and then once he learned about it he was more aware and was trying to connect this to the video but at the same time Chip could never know what the lady with Cancer or Emmanuel goes through on a daily basis with this type of stuff. You can start the conversations, you can be there for them and support them and be an advocate but at the end of the day you never understand the struggles that the person actually goes through. I think it could have been a good analogy if it was worded a little different but to me it just felt like he was saying that to say that he wanted to have this conversation to understand but in reality you cannot really understand you can only listen, support, and make the changes to make the suffering a little less on the person. I agree with the fact that we have made it a long way but still have a long way to go. I think that this movement and these conversations were a good step in the right direction. Lastly I think that listening is a key part of making a difference and this will be the only way to make progress. Do you think that Chip and Joanna Gaines were the right people to have in this video? Do you think that they used their fame in a right way and people will be more likely to listen because they are there?
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Peer Response for Discussion #1
The discussion is about this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BCScklTfs0

Peers
#1
I find it interesting that the context of this was within the confines of the protests
occurring over the summer, and it's sad that those movements had to be the catalyst of this
conversation. However, I agree with almost everything that was said in this video. Right off the
bat, I enjoyed the metaphor of the messy house and racism in the church. I think it frames it
perfectly, where the church just sees its problems as too much to fully clean, and instead, it
sweeps them under the rug in the form of silence. This silence allows the segregation and issues
to go on, just unnoticed and not mentioned. I think a really important part of this was pointing
out that the white church is afraid to lose its power, and I feel as though that relates to
Emmanuel's reiteration of the Good Samaritan at the end. The church is afraid to help those
affected by racism because they are worried about what will happen to them. Rather, by
helping those communities, they may be able to help black people rise to the power of where
the church is today. Power is not a tangible resource; it cannot be lost. Instead, a powerful
system can help the powerless grow in their own power without losing any themselves. The
church can help enrich black communities and diminish injustice, but rather, it sits on the
sidelines rather quietly. The final point that I enjoyed was the discussion of white supremacy. If
there is no true difference in opportunity between races, I agree with Lentz in the idea that I'd
rather live my life as if there were; living in a way where I help those on the bottom instead of
stepping on their necks on my way to the top. I believe that by pretending as if it is not real, you
make it more real.
The only topic that I disagreed with is when Lentz clumped all Christians together and
claimed that all of the Christians that don't go out and protest refrain from it simply due to
money. I think it's very bold to put everybody together into one category since he's putting
financially stable and financially unstable people together. If a financially stable Christian is not
acting out against injustice, I would 100% agree that they aren't doing so because they may lose
money or tarnish their name. However, I believe it's different for those that are not in a good
place financially. Not all Christians can drop everything and protest. They may be in a situation
where they literally can't afford to miss a shift, so they can't abandon that in the hope that God
will provide for them. While yes, it still relates to losing money, it's different in the sense that
they have an actual explanation as to why they can't protest. Therefore, it's hard to generalize
all Christians together. Can anybody relate to the constant journey that Lentz was describing? I
know for me, I grew up in a fairly rural area, so racism and prejudice were prevalent
everywhere you went. I try to constantly remind myself about the dangers of those beliefs, but
I was surrounded by peers that didn't have the same mindset. Can anyone else relate to a
situation like that, where you're in that period of growth and actualization?

#2
This video was very eye opening. I couldn't agree more with their take on the church's
silence when it comes to racism in our country. Shoving these problems into "one room" when
the guests come is a perfect example of how it appears that the church handles racism, and it
honestly reminds me of a few other issues that the Church has swept under the rug, but that's a
different conversation. Another important point made in this video was this fear from white
people about losing their "superiority." I think about this idea very frequently, as it could not be
more true. And quite honestly, I think that could be linked to why some people who have
absolutely no ties to the confederacy wave their flags high and proud. Lentz mentioned a quote
from a minister, "some of y'all white people are worried about us getting power because you
think if we did, we would treat people like you have." This is a very powerful quote because of
the amount of truth and reality that comes with it. It seems some white people are too worried
with being "uncomfortable" when it comes to severe issues such as racism instead of lending a
helping hand. The most important point I believe to be mentioned in this video was the talk of
passing knowledge down to his children. And I will make it a priority to do the same thing with
mine. Some people who have racist parents are able to learn that that way of thinking is wrong,
and I am seeing that this is more apparent in our generation of teens/young adults. These
traditional views that people have are being replaced with more realistic views, as our world is
changing, and it's a new day. I love that he is able to explain to his children what is not
acceptable and should not be tolerated, as teaching them young will have a huge impact on
them later.
They were discussing Jesus and where they think he would be today. I feel that I know exactly
where Jesus would be, but what do you guys think? Would he be protesting?

Reply#1 for discussion #1 in number 2
-

#3

Probably Jesus would be protesting because he is a God of Justice but in the sense of
today's time, I think he would not, aside from being a God of Justice he is also a God of
Love. In my personal view, I think Jesus will be sitting inside a comfortable home using
his intellectual knowledge to use the technology of today's time. He would probably
raise awareness in social media like Facebook or he can even create an informative
video, that is not just about racism but also about COVID and other stuff that needs to
be addressed like corruption. If ever he would be protesting, I firmly believe that he will
not do it alone, even if he can, he might summon all of his angels, instead, he will bring
every powerful Christian leader to give the right information and awareness about facts
that are existing in today's era like racism and discrimination that is not just limited to
America but limitless in the whole wide universe. Jesus is a kind of God or you may cal...


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