When Prime Minister Stephen Harper introduced his new cabinet he did so in front of a magnificent painting by the late Norval Morriseau, an aboriginal artist. I hope it is a statement about a new commitment to addressing past injustices and working with aboriginal communities to create a better future.
In my estimation one of the best things that happened in Harper's first term was the eloquent and heartfelt apology for the Residential Schools debacle. However, relationships with aboriginal groups have become strained as the Conservatives have backed away from settling land claims.
Harry LaForme, the judge who recently resigned as chair of the Truth and Reconciliation commission http://www.trc-cvr.ca/indexen.html, has said that all of the parties in the sorry history of the schools must both listen attentively and accept responsibility. He includes governments and churches.
Our United Church has paid out millions of dollars in law suits and raised more than a million for a healing fund.http://www.united-church.ca/funding/healing We have apologized for our general destructive attitudes toward aboriginal people in 1986, as well as for the specific wrong of the residential schools.
It seems to me that for all these steps we still need to be committed as a church to honesty and accountability in our government and in our own actions. The national apologies and financial reparations are important, but not the end.
What do you think? Have we done enough? Does our guilt last forever? Do we still work for justice?
3 comments:
Re: Does our guilt last forever?
I think guilt is unproductive as a long term committment. I feel guilt is a teacher, not an executioner. Guilt has mercy in it for those who listen to it. It can illuminate the things we failed to see, and lead us back to the path we strayed from. If "how long should we feel guilty?" is attached to the question of "how long should we pay?", then we may need to ask ourselves how closely together we are tying monetary values to repentence. I would think as Christians we must continue paying, but maybe with a change of perspective. Are we paying, or are we contributing? Sometimes apologies can go so far as to harm, if by continually "paying" we inadvertedly take responsiblity for ALL imperfection in the given system. At some point we may find ourselves enabling failed systems we wish to change. I only know a small bit about this particular subject so my repsonse is more general than you may be looking for. It seems to me that the issues behind injustice against any group, aboriginal or otherwise, are so multifaceted that it takes someone, be it the Church or the gov't, to stand up for justice on their own if necessary. Probably the gov't won't, and I think traditionally it has been the Churches who work in the trenches fighting for the marginalized and the ignored. We talked in Bible study about individuals who managed to bring about social change, so anything is in the realm of possible as far as attaining justice goes. Does the fight still feel worth the battle may be the question. Does our sense of reponsability still apply may be another.Probably the answer to both would be Yes.
I agree. I don't think it's a matter of fighting for justice because we feel guilty. If that's our motivation, then what happens when the guilt goes away or isn't sufficient motivation anymore.
The First Nations people are hurting. That hurt will not go away anytime soon. Some of that hurt comes from the way they were treated in the past, and some of it comes from the way they are treated now. Hopefully, we can all learn to understand each other and learn what it is to be in relationship with each other. Maybe then, the healing can start and positive changes can begin.
I agree about the government not being the one to initiate those changes. The government will make the changes when their voters make it their priority. Much of that work could begin in the church.
Thanks for these responses. I agree that guilt is a teacher rather than an executioner.
I also agree that Christian communities will continue to provide leadership.
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