Redemption

In my talk this past Sunday at Unity Spiritual Center Denver, I shared some thoughts about the “sin” of racism and how we, especially those of us who are white, can begin to experience redemption individually and assist in the redemption of our society. I offered a six-step process –

Be convicted of our “sin,”
Get right with God.
Confess our sin.
Repent of our sin.
Accept Christ.
Atone for our sin.

In case I may not have expressed it as clearly and succinctly as I would have liked, I have chosen to reiterate and expound on some of those ideas here.

Redeem – If we are to participate in uplifting the consciousness of humanity (redeem) and bringing about the kingdom of God upon the Earth, it is imperative for each of us to do the work.

Conviction – Look honestly at our own thoughts, feelings and beliefs about people who are not white and admit when and where we have judged or attempted to segregate others in our minds.

Get Right with God – Align with the unadulterated Light and unconditioned Love that we know as God.

Confess – Make our unconscious biases conscious. Acknowledge how our words and actions have been influenced by our unconscious biases.

Repent – Make choices that will demonstrate a shift in consciousness and behaviors.

Accept Christ – Invite Love and Light to open our hearts and minds to the truth of our being, that which we in Unity call the Christ.

Atone – Bear witness to the pain and suffering to which we may have unknowingly contributed. And take action to help mend the tear that has been rent in the fabric of humanity because of racism.

You may watch the service on Facebook or YouTube.

I received a response to my lesson from someone who commented that they did not see how they are responsible for atoning for someone else’s “sin.” Further, they said that racism is a disease and that they do not inherit disease. 

I realize that the thought that we might be racist, or that someone else might consider us racist can stimulate defensiveness. I have experienced that myself. I do not consider myself a racist, but I do know that I have thought, spoken and acted in ways that exhibit my unconscious racial biases. To say otherwise would be dishonest and inauthentic. I recognize that I have a great deal more to learn about myself and my racial biases. I am working on it.

My assumption is that many of us, if not all,  have thought, said or done things that persons of color would find offensive, certainly not out of an intention to harm, but because we did not know better. As Maya Angelou said, “I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better.” Our opportunity is to make our unconscious racism conscious so we can do better.

I also recognize that, most likely, no one who was listening to the service on Sunday morning has intentionally contributed to genocide, slavery, or the systemic oppression of people of color. However, if we, as white people, are willing to honestly investigate the ways in which we have enjoyed advantages which have not been afforded to people of color, I believe we will come to the understanding that while we have not explicitly participated in overt racism, we have implicitly contributed to its perpetuation. In being silent we have been complicit in the “sin” of racism. It is not another’s “sin” for which we are atoning. It is our own. I know. It is a hard truth to come to terms with.

Additionally, my assumption is that the comment about racism being a disease and that we do not inherit disease is a nod to Unity cofounder Myrtle Fillmore. From early in her life, Mrs. Fillmore was told that she had inherited an illness. She spent many years suffering from what was then called consumption, now known as tuberculosis. After attending a lecture by E.B. Weeks and hearing the phrase, “I am a child of God; therefore, I do not inherit sickness,” Mrs. Fillmore took that affirmation to heart and used it in her healing process. After several years of continual prayer treatments, other spiritual practices, and changes in lifestyle, she transformed her consciousness and experienced her healing.

We have inherited a belief system called racism. Much like Mrs. Fillmore inherited the belief that she was sick and would die at a young age, we have been conditioned to believe that a person of color is less deserving of respect, belonging or equitable treatment than is a white person.

In the same way that Mrs. Fillmore experienced the effects of her belief system as symptoms in her physical body, humanity continues to experience the symptoms of racism in our collective body.

The belief that being white is superior to any other race has caused a sickness in our society. This sickness has symptomatized in countless atrocities inflicted on people of color, including genocide, slavery, lynching, as well social and economic oppression.

Yes, over the years we have taken action to relieve some of the symptoms, but as we have been reminded so vividly in recent weeks, the symptoms persist. We continue to experience the effects of this mostly unconscious belief system.

Mrs. Fillmore’s healing did not happen instantaneously. When she heard the phrase, “I am a child of God; therefore, I do not inherit sickness,” she was awakened to her conditioned belief that she did inherit sickness. She became conscious of what had been an unconscious belief. She then focused on shifting her consciousness to embrace a life-transforming Truth. Her body gradually changed as a manifestation of her transformed consciousness and her constant and continual actions.

To heal the body of humanity from racism and its symptoms, we start by making our unconscious beliefs conscious, so we can work to release them and embrace a greater Truth – I am an expression of unadulterated Light and unconditioned Love, and so is everyone else.

Like Mrs. Fillmore, we must be vigilant in our commitment to conform our thoughts, beliefs, words, and behaviors to be in complete alignment to the Truth we know.

To my knowledge, because of Mrs. Fillmore’s dedication, the belief in inherited sickness was not passed on to any of her children. Let us take a lesson from Mrs. Fillmore and commit ourselves to doing whatever it takes to end the cycle of inherited racism and its symptoms. Yes, it will take time just as it did for her. We must not let that dissuade us. We begin where we are.

Together, we will transform human consciousness one person at a time, and we will experience a world where racism is a distant memory. We will co-create a world in which every person is revered as an expression of God and valued for who and what they are without respect to the color of their skin or any other identifier assigned to them. True redemption for all.