During a parade this summer in Queens, N.Y., a parody of the death of James Byrd Jr. was featured on a float. United Methodist Bishop Michael J. Coyner of the Dakotas Area raised a challenging question in an October 1998 e-mail message. His question can also be raised about the debates on abortion and racism. I would hope we are careful in our debates, but even within the church, the hatred appears in threats and accusations against people who do not agree on these issues. Care must be taken by all of us that our debates do not lead people to slash out with physical or verbal violence.
Hatred is a taught emotion.
Let us in our words and deeds, teach our children, our young people and each other Jesus' message of love of all our neighbors in order to overcome the hate that is around us and among us. This article was taken from the February 1999 issue of Response magazine . All photographs, unless otherwise noted, are copyright Women's Division, General Board of Global Ministries, The United Methodist Church. External links are provided to enable visitors to find links to other web sites that may be of interest. Not all external links will have materials consistent with the official policies and statements of the Women's Division, General Board of Global Ministries or The United Methodist Church.