The United States and other parts of the world are experiencing rioting, looting, and burning of businesses. These problems began with the choices made by one man in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Monday, May 25, 2020. Police officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on the neck of George Floyd for 8 minutes and 46 seconds even though Floyd repeatedly said that he could not breathe. Chauvin did not move, and Floyd died under the pressure of his knee.
Black people began peaceful protests about police brutality against blacks. Even though peaceful protests continued, many of them morphed into rioting, looting, and burning as well as blaming white people for being complicit. I do not accept that I am complicit in this murder or any other murder. I refuse to accept being called a racist simply because I am white. There are members of my own extended family who are Alaska Native, Native American, Black, Asian, and Hispanic, and they are all family. I have friends who are other races. I do not consider myself better than they are – or worse, and I refuse to use or listen to slurs about other races.
I believe that people of all races are children of Heavenly Father. I believe that He loves each of us and wants the best for each of us. I believe that He expects us to get along with each other and to support each other. I believe the words of President Russell M. Nelson, President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who made the following statement on June 1, 2020. I sustain this man as the prophet, seer, and revelator of the Lord Jesus Christ and take his words seriously.
We join with many throughout this nation
and around the world who are deeply saddened at recent evidences of racism and
a blatant disregard for human life. We abhor the reality that some would deny
others respect and the most basic of freedoms because of the color of his or
her skin. We are also saddened when these assaults on human dignity lead to
escalating violence and unrest.
The Creator of us all calls on each of us
to abandon attitudes of prejudice against any group of God’s children. Any of
us who has prejudice toward another race needs to repent!
During the Savior’s earthly mission, He
constantly ministered to those who were excluded, marginalized, judged,
overlooked, abused, and discounted. As His followers, can we do anything less?
The answer is no! We believe in freedom, kindness, and fairness for all of God’s
children!
I did not read of any evidence of racism in the death of Floyd and cannot say that he was killed because he was black. However, there are other expressions of racism in the nation, and there was “blatant disregard for human life” in Floyd’s encounter with Chauvin. President Nelson’s call for repentance of prejudice toward other races gave me cause for reflection. I would be lying if I said that I do not notice the color of people. I often notice that a person is a member of another race when I first meet them, but I usually find that race becomes non-important as I get to know them better.
President Nelson is not the only person who is calling for repentance. Texas Lt. Governor Dan Patrick said that America must “turn to God” to overcome race-related problems.
“We have racism in this country, Shannon,”
Patrick told “Fox News @ Night” host Shannon Bream on Wednesday. “But it’s really
an issue of love. It’s loving God. You cannot love your fellow man, if you don’t
love God – and we have a country where we’ve been working really hard,
particularly on the left, to kick God out.” …
“The crime against George Floyd, in my
view, was a crime against all black America and against humanity and we’re
coming together,” Patrick said. “We’ve got a lot of healing to do and we can’t
do it unless we turn to God and we need to do that now more than ever.” …
“We need a culture change to address this
racism,” he explained. “You cannot change the culture of a country until you
change the character of mankind. And you can’t change that unless you change
the heart.”
I found Patrick’s comment about changing the heart to be interesting because my scripture studies this week were about this topic. The ancient American prophet Alma was calling his people to repentance. He asked them if they had “spiritually been born of God,” if they had “received his image in your countenances,” and if they had “experienced this mighty change in your hearts” (Alma 5:14).
Elder M. Russell Ballard explained the value of the questions asked by Alma: “I need to regularly take time to ask myself, ‘How am I doing?’ It’s kind of like having a personal, private interview with yourself…. As a guide for me during this private, personal review, I like to read and ponder the introspective words found in the fifth chapter of Alma” (Ensign, May 2017, 64).
The combination of reading Alma’s words and pondering the George Floyd incident caused me to do a lot of reflecting about my own attitude. I appreciate the words of family and friends because I respect them and their opinions as I strive to understand my own feelings. As to the current subject, President Ezra Taft Benson (1899-1994) shared these characteristics of those who have experienced a mighty change in heart and how we will know when our hearts are changed.
When you choose to follow Christ, you
choose to be changed….
The Lord works from the inside out. The
world works from the outside in. The world would take people out of the slums.
Christ takes the slums out of people, and then they take themselves out of the
slums. The world would mold men by changing their environment. Christ changes
men, who then change their environment. The world would shape human behavior,
but Christ can change human nature….
Yes, Christ changes men, and changed men
can change the world.
Men changed for Christ will be captained
by Christ. Like Paul they will be asking, ‘Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?’
(Acts 9:6). Peter stated, they will ‘follow his steps’ (1 Peter 2:21). John
said they will ‘walk, even as he walked’ (1 John 2:6).
Finally, men captained by Christ will be
consumed in Christ. To paraphrase President Harold B. Lee, they set fire in others
because they are on fire. (See Stand Ye in Holy Places [Salt Lake City:
Deseret Book Co., 1974], p. 192.)
Their will is swallowed up in His will.
(See John 5:30.)
They do always those things that please
the Lord. (See John 8:29.)
Not only would they die for the Lord, but
more important they want to live for Him.
Enter their homes, and the pictures on
their walls, the books on their shelves, the music in the air, their words and
acts reveal them as Christians.
They stand as witnesses of God at all
times, and in all things, and in all places. (See Mosiah 18:9.)
They have Christ on their minds, as they
look unto Him in every thought. (See Doctrine and Covenants 6:36.)
They have Christ in their hearts as their
affections are placed on Him forever. (See Alma 37:36.)
Almost every week they partake of the
sacrament and witness anew to their Eternal Father that they are willing to
take upon them the name of His Son, always remember Him, and keep His
commandments (See Moroni 4:3.) (Ensign, November 1985, 5-7).
President Benson described the words and actions of people who are changed by Christ. Like Patrick, I believe that we will never solve the race problem until we bring God back into our nation. I believe that the generation of my children will bring about many of the changes that my generation has not been able and/or willing to do. I believe that they are better people with more compassion for other people. I also believe that they are more spiritual and more willing to turn to God. My generation can help them by changing our hearts. I believe that change is difficult but possible with the right motivation. That motivation will come to anyone who chooses to follow Christ and to allow Him to change their hearts.
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