Can I explain something to those that don’t like all the “#__________LivesMatter” trends?
I’ve seen many say some version of “#AllLivesMatter… end of discussion.”
Well, sometimes the discussion doesn’t need to end, because it never started. When it comes to emphasizing that some people groups matter that don’t feel like they matter, please don’t be offended when they bring it up. Please be sensitive and don’t reply too caustically, too quickly.
Let me give an example:
Right now I might tweet out: “#SyrianChristianLivesMatter” since they are being persecuted and killed for their faith by ISIS and western Christians are largely ignoring it. I’m concerned that when our soil or our oil is threatened we go to war, but when Christians are ethnically cleansed in towns we can’t pronounce (and they look Arabic to us) we Americans don’t seem to care much.
So, saying #SyrianChristianLivesMatter isn’t a slam on all other Christians, or other religions for that matter. It’s just trying to get an underrepresented group into the attention of those that tend to ignore it. Make sense? Likewise, I could use “#YazidiLivesMatter” to emphasize the non-Christian minority group ISIS is killing as well.
For all these reasons, please don’t be offended by or over-reactive to #BlackLivesMatter or #MuslimLivesMatter, etc.
Yes, ALL lives do matter but marginalized people in each country have a right to speak up for themselves to help people take notice of injustice and events that make them feel powerless. That sounds downright Christlike to me in fact. Got problems with that? Go and learn what Luke 4:18 means if so.
So, when someone says “#___________LivesMatter” and you say, “nope… ALL lives matter” you are basically just saying you are not sensitive enough to really listen to them and their hurts. You’d rather dismiss all that.
Hear me? I hope so because they aren’t feeling heard.
FYI: If you want to support the ISIS persecuted I suggest The Cradle Fund started by my trusted Christian friends Chris Seiple and Johnnie Moore (along with several other credible endorsers)
http://www.cradlefund.org
They’ve helped tens of thousands of refugess survive winter this year.
#ISISPersecutedLivesMatter
