Race Relations day.

Today is Race Relations day. Officially it is called The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. It is held on March 21st because in 1960, 69 people were killed in Sharpeville in South Africa during what started out to be a peaceful protest. The theme for 2011 is "People in Harmony".

We in New Zealand pride ourselves on our race relations. We think we are pretty good. I think we have a long way to go. I am the father of two adopted Maori/Samoan boys and I have seen and heard of discrimination against them. I also hear some horrible viewpoints expressed against new immigrants amongst some of the people I mix with.

At our Church on Saturday night we hosted a Dunedin Multi-Ethnic Council/ Space2B family night to mark Race Relations Day. I simply include some photos of that event. We shared in a potluck meal with dishes from a number of countries. Many people wore national dress. Then we had some entertainment from a variety of countries. I wish I could pass on the atmosphere of the night. There was warmth, acceptance and fun. I felt like I had been to something sacred at the end of it. It felt like a loving space. At one stage a young woman playing a two string Chinese violin hit a few wrong notes. She faltered and stopped and said, "I am so nervous!" The response was warm applause and encouragement. You could see her relax, start up again and she played simply beautiful music! God was present, though not mentioned - it was a sacred night.

Too religious?

I watched quite a bit of the Civic Memorial service from Christchurch last Friday. There were many good things about it. I hope it encouraged people and gave them hope to move on. There is a big journey ahead. I did think though that it was too religious. They incorporated a whole lot of religions, but through it all belief in God was assumed. I thought that if I was not a believer I would not have been able to identify with much of the service. I also thought that there may be many who are confused, and if anything angry at God, and they may have been sitting there fuming. This was notable when the song "How Great Thou Art" was sung so beautifully. The song praises God for his marvelous creation, but it seemed ironical because that creation had risen up and bit them in the bum in a big way. Anyway, what did you think? Was it too religious for a civic service?