[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":80},["ShallowReactive",2],{"post-\u002Fwriting\u002Fthe-legacy-of-sinners-who-are-saints":3},{"id":4,"title":5,"body":6,"date":67,"description":68,"draft":69,"extension":70,"meta":71,"navigation":72,"path":73,"seo":74,"stem":75,"tags":76,"__hash__":79},"writing\u002Fwriting\u002Fthe-legacy-of-sinners-who-are-saints.md","The Legacy of Sinners (who are Saints)",{"type":7,"value":8,"toc":63},"minimark",[9,13,16,19,22,28,31,39,42,45,51,54,57,60],[10,11,12],"p",{},"No doubt we all have been aware of the social movement against racism that seems to have spread as pervasively as wildfire. If you are any sort of organization or employer, you better have a plan on how you are combating racism in your institution or how you ensure equal opportunity for minorities—because if you don’t, you’re contributing to the problem. The claim is that racism is so embedded and ingrained in our society and institutions, that most of us don’t even see it, or we unknowingly tolerate it in the processes we rely on to function as a society.",[10,14,15],{},"And I believe there’s some truth to that. I certainly don’t think it’s bad to at least bring new perspectives to the table and ensure the voices of minorities are being heard. And at the very minimum, every human being has an incredible gift to offer the world, no matter the ethnicity, upbringing, race, or education.",[10,17,18],{},"But what struck me recently after I’ve had some time to reflect is some of the reactions of some groups who have advocated removing statues of people they have deemed as racist: Christopher Columbus, St. Junípero Serra, and Robert E. Lee to name a few.",[10,20,21],{},"I’m particularly drawn to the claims against St. Junípero Serra, partly because he’s a hero of our Faith, which stands against everything that even leans toward racism. There’s one particular quote that I see has surfaced multiple times:",[23,24,25],"blockquote",{},[10,26,27],{},"“That spiritual fathers should punish their sons, the Indians, with blows appears to be as old as the conquest of the Americas; so general in fact that the saints do not seem to be any exception to the rule.”",[10,29,30],{},"On the other hand, some like Bishop Robert Barron point to different aspects of Serra’s life:",[23,32,33,36],{},[10,34,35],{},"“I won’t deny for a moment that Serra probably engaged in certain disciplinary practices that we would rightfully regard as morally questionable, but the overwhelming evidence suggests that he was a great friend to the native peoples; that he sought, time and again, to protect them from mistreatment by civil authorities; and that he presided over missions where the indigenous were taught useful skills and were introduced to the Christian faith.”",[10,37,38],{},"—Bishop Robert Barron",[10,40,41],{},"I’d invite us to take a step back from the question of statues. And while I am interested in reconciling two very different readings of history, I’m struck more by the man and his legacy. What determines how you are remembered? Your sins or your accomplishments? Your vices or your virtues?",[10,43,44],{},"Can we support the good things Serra did, while forgiving his shortcomings? I mean, is that allowed? Or is the sin of racism and abuse unforgivable? Does it stain his legacy…forever?",[46,47,48],"pull-quote",{},[10,49,50],{},"Is the sin of racism and abuse unforgivable?",[10,52,53],{},"That’s a dangerous road to walk down. And I don’t know if I ever want to hold anyone’s sins as their identity and legacy. Yet we’ve done it as a society countless times: Adolf Hitler, Julius Caesar, etc. And in the opposite direction, too: Abraham Lincoln, who censored newspapers and created his own concentration camp, or Teddy Roosevelt, who basically annexed Panama away from Colombia for his country’s own profit.",[10,55,56],{},"I think what we want to do is hold up some individuals’ actions as models to avoid, right? We don’t want more people committing genocide, racism, or treason. So we mark them as bad people. But I don’t know if that does justice to who they were or what they were intending to do.",[10,58,59],{},"So what does determine how we’re remembered? I’m sure there are countless sociological factors. But I wonder if we’re erasing too much because of our modern sensitivities. Are there good things to emulate in Serra? Or is he just another “bad person” now?",[10,61,62],{},"At this point, I feel like I’m rambling. I don’t really have answers, just questions, concerns, and reflections on the things I see happening.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":66},"",2,[],"2020-09-01","Thinking through St. Junípero Serra and what really determines how a person is remembered.",false,"md",{},true,"\u002Fwriting\u002Fthe-legacy-of-sinners-who-are-saints",{"title":5,"description":68},"writing\u002Fthe-legacy-of-sinners-who-are-saints",[77,78],"Saints","Culture","mun4KJpD9n8pDqlBGDRlBSsmt6QAAfcv1hy25P2ABRg",1790943880773]