Next Saturday evening, November l4th, at 7:00 p.m. I will be speaking in the Springs Theatre of the Palm Springs Convention Center. My subject will be SPIRIT DANCE. Following my presentation will be a book signing of my latest collection of columns, SPIRIT DANCE. Tickets will be available at the door, or ahead of time at my Symposium or the offices of the Palm Springs International Film Festival.
A biblical story familiar to everyone is of the man walking along the road from Jerusalem to Jericho. He fell among robbers who "stripped him and beat him, leaving him half dead." A priest walked by, saw him, and walked by "on the other side of the road." A Levite, servant of the priest, also saw the man in the ditch but chose to "walk by on the other side of the road."
How much of the violence in our society today is due to the SILENCE of those who pass by "on the other side of the road?"
THE SILENCE..of those ministers and officers in the Methodist, Episcopal and Presbyterian churches who know that the bible says very, very little about homosexuality. Jesus said nothing about it. They ignore the volumes of material in the bible about love and judgmental hypocrisy... and so choose to "walk by on the other side of the road."
THE SILENCE...of those who refuse to speak up and be counted on the evil of bigotry, disrespect, and the hate that is born of ignorance. THE SILENCE...of those in the Christian church and Jewish community who know that biblical passages are tortured out of context to support the agenda of intolerance and who refuse to challenge such dishonesty.. choosing to "walk by on the other side of the road."
THE SILENCE...of those who know that the anti-abortion violence and hysteria is a direct assault on women and their rights as United States citizens..and so choose to "walk by on the other side of the road." THE SILENCE....of those whose silence promotes ignorance. A woman in Santa Rosa told me that she could not tell her bridge club she came to my Symposiums or she would lose them as 'friends'. She chose to "walk by on the other side of the road."
THE SILENCE....that speaks far more eloquently than words. And this SILENCE must not have the final word...not for gays and lesbians...not for women's rights and abortion fanatics...not for blacks..Jews..and Hispanics..and not for any human being in our society who has been singled out for persecution.
It is all of those millions who choose to pass by "on the other side of the road", knowing better, that create and allow an atmosphere of intolerance to exist that is intolerable.