by Chad Groening
(AgapePress) – One activist writer and publisher is blasting those who are pushing a plan for whites to pay reparations to blacks for slavery.
David Horowitz is editor-in-chief of FrontPageMag.com. In his Internet publication, the former left-wing radical-turned-conservative lists several reasons why he thinks reparations are a bad idea and even “racist.” For one thing, Horowitz says, those pushing the idea ignore the fact that many blacks themselves owned slaves.
“[The plan for reparations is] racist because in the formulations of the reparations proponents, the injury is committed by people who are not black, and the beneficiaries are designated by their skin color — that is, they are black,” Horowitz says, “which overlooks the fact that there were thousands of black slave-owners, some of whom owned a lot of slaves — as many as 175. And that is yet another problem.”
He also points out that today blacks in America are far better off than those who live on the African continent.
“African-Americans in this country — despite slavery, despite segregation, despite discrimination — are one of the privileged groups in the world. That is, they're the richest blacks on the planet,” he says. “They are 20 to 50 times richer than any African whose ancestors were not dragged over in chains, and therefore remained in the West African countries from which they come.”
The publisher says that no one today is responsible for the institution of slavery that ended more than 130 years ago. Horowitz also says if it were not for the military might of English and American whites, slavery would never have ended. He points out that thousands of whites died in the Civil War to bring slavery to an end.
California Couple Fights Religious Discrimination
by Jim Brown
(AgapePress) – A Christian couple from California has filed a civil rights lawsuit against their former employer after they were fired for making work-related comments during a church prayer meeting.
In July 2000, Michael and Laurie Robinson were working for Tenaya Lodge, a four-diamond resort hotel nestled in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, just south of Yosemite National Park. While attending a church service at Sierra Pines Church, Michael requested prayer for co-workers at the lodge he described as needing “severe spiritual help.” One day after the service, Robinson and his wife both received termination letters, even though Laurie was not present at the prayer meeting.
Michael says it has been a difficult year, but the Lord continues to bless his family. He challenges Christians to never allow their religious freedom to be trampled.
“Never give up on your faith,” he says. “The Lord will always watch out for you; He will never leave you, nor forsake you. Never let anything like this destroy your faith, or better yet, to destroy your right to speak in your church and ask for prayer.”
Laurie says she does not want other Christians to lose their workplace freedom.
“I believe that as Christians, we do need to be outspoken when it comes to our rights, so I would just echo what my husband said — don’t give up your faith or let outside forces squelch your faith,” she says.
The Robinsons say their Christian friends have been truly supportive throughout the ordeal. In fact, their church chipped in to pay for one of the couple’s excessive California energy bills. Despite losing their jobs, the Robinsons say their eight children have never gone hungry, something both feel would not have been possible without God’s provision.
A lawyer for Tenaya Lodge declined comment on the lawsuit.
(This update courtesy of Agape Press.)
