We Came as a Duo . . We're Going to Stay a Duo

I do not know of a single person who admits to being prejudice--especially within the "church."  When confronted with the charge of prejudice the resounding answer I have heard is, "Prejudice?  Not me!"  The fact is, we all are prejudice.  We all have things and people that we value, and those that we do not value.  When those values dictate the way that we treat others--good or bad--they become prejudice.

Take the situation of  Jonathan Antoine.  Never heard of Jonathan Antoine?  Well, Jonathan is the seventeen year old who wowed the audience and judges of Britain's Got Talent"--sort of like Susan Boyle did a while back.  One article described Jonathan as an "unassuming, shabby social misfit-type"--long stringy hair, overweight, dressed in a rock tee-shirt, bashful and shy, grungy looking, and not quite what one expects of its future rock and pop stars.  Disdain might be the best way to describe the way that he was questioned by Simon Cowell, the lead judge and creator of the show, especially when he cracked: "Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse."  There was not much respect shown towards Jonathan or his duet partner, Charlotte Jaconelli, as they prepared to sing.  The audience was circling for the failure and ridicule that was to sure to follow.

This is what happened:

 

As was expected the reaction of the audience and judges was of shock and surprise as they heard a wonderful rendition of Andrea Bocelli's and Celine Dion's "The Prayer".  To say the least the audience and judges gave the duo a well deserved standing ovation.  And, once again, as was the case with Susan Boyle, the audience and Simon Cowell were caught in their prejudice and left to eat crow.

I think that this was a fairly blatant example of how one's values can taint how others can be prejudiced against.  But, this was not the end . . . in fact, in the original tape that can be found on You Tube ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kt3Utn4mjeg) Simon Cowell's positive values turn into a prejudice--this time not against Jonathan, but against his singing partner Charlotte Jaconelli.  Several times he lets Jonathan know that he has a future as a singer--as a star, but he needs to ditch his partner.  Poor Charlotte just stood there like a balloon slowly leaking its air as Cowell put her down in hopes of improving Jonathan's chances of winning the competition.  This, too, is an act of devaluation--an act of prejudice.

Poor young lady . . . in front of a international audience she was reduced to nearly nothing as Cowell continued to pursue Jonathan dumping her.  Talk about being devalued.  At one point she looked as if she was going to cry.  Cowell pursued it all the way to the end . . . and then something heroic happened.  Heroic because it went against all the common sense and values of today's society . . . Jonathan responded to Cowell suggestion of dumping his partner by telling him (and everyone else): "Well, we come on here as a duo, and we're going to stay on here as a duo."

It was interesting, before casting the final ballot, that Cowell stated that in his head he saw this one way--the wrong way, but the conventional way in that it would never work, but in his heart he saw it as something magical.  Sadly, the way of the heart is the one true way, while the way of the head often leads to the pain and suffering for those who are devalued--those who are prejudiced against.

Jonathan Antoine is an exceptional talent who may or may not go far . . . at this point it would seem that the sky is the limit.  Yet, there is a long, tough road ahead of him . . . not because of his talent, but because of the way that he looks.  Sad, but true.  Had you heard Jonathan Antoine singing on the radio, how would you have envisioned him?  Probably nothing like he is . . . a prejudice?  Probably not, but definitely an issue of value . . . especially if you were disappointed when you finally saw the "real" Jonathan Antoine.

I do not want to accuse anyone of being prejudice--myself included.  We live in a world and society in which we place value upon things and people based on a myriad of standards--looks, color, education, wealth, clothing, and so on.  Often these values dictate the way that we treat others--some good, some bad, but most with indifference.  Those actions can drop into the realm of prejudice when we size up the value of another based on the way they look before we even know anything about them--just as it was done in Jonathan Antoine's situation on Britain Got Talent.  And, we also witnessed how value--even when trying to help--can drop into prejudice on the very same show a few minutes later with the same people.  Devaluing another to the point of removal is prejudice at its ultimate apex.

Yeah, the kid has a voice--the kid has talent, but more importantly he has got a heart.  He stood by his friend and singing partner when he was being encouraged to dump her because she would drag him down in the competition.  In that moment when he declared that they would remain a "duo"  I witnessed something magical--something special . . . for a moment, I saw God's Kingdom as it should be.  Together they might not win the contest and receive the big contracts and money, but together they showed the world that there is more to life than just the glory and power of rock and roll--there is the friendship and love that sees the value and beauty in everyone.  That is how God sees it . . . and that is how we should see it.

Yeah, sometimes God slips through the facade and allows us to see what could be.  Even on a cheesy show like Britain's Got Talent.  May Jonathan continue to share that vision.  In my eyes he is already a winner.

No Junk

When it comes to God's creation of the human race--God's children--there was and is no junk ever created.  How could there be?  The scriptures tell us that all of humanity was created in the image of God.  God even gave it the thumbs up and said that it was "good."  There is no junk in God's creation especially when it comes to you and me.  And, yet, if one is to believe the world, there is junk all around us--there is junk everywhere!  At least that is what one would suspect from the way the human race treats itself.  I just don't understand it because over and over again I hear people spouting off, "I know I'm somebody 'cause God don't make no junk!!"

I do not believe that God created any junk . . . especially when it comes to the human race.  I know that this belief may be one that others do not believe, but I cannot believe that any individual person would be considered junk in the eyes of God.  I imagine that there are those who will disagree with me on this one, and give to me a litany of worthless junk from the ranks of the human race . . . a litany that would include one's gender, race, education, financial being, religion, ability or disability to name a few.  Name them all . . . stack them up, I do not care because in the eyes of God all God's children are valued, loved, and desired by God.  There is something good and intrinsically valuable in each and every human being created by God.

I present to you Patrick Henry Hughes--a person many would have considered to be junk because he was born with not one disability, but two--he was born blind and with crippling genetic disorder.  Not one strike, but two.  Any parent would tell you that life with any children can be challenging and demanding, but for the parent of a child with a disability . . . well, it can be overwhelming and frustrating to the point that one wants to give up.  Sadly, no one would argue.  Yet, there is value and worth in each and every individual no matter how decrepit the world may view him or her.  The story of Patrick Henry Hughes proves that there is no junk in the eyes of God.  Watch--and listen--for yourself:

Then there are the two guys from Vermont who have embarked on an international campaign to show the world that people with disabilities are no different than any one else--they desire to be loved and accepted for who they are in God's eyes.  Larry Bissonettte--artist, advocate, and blogger--and Tracey Thresher--advocate and blogger--have autism.  Thanks to the computer they have found a voice and a powerful voice it is.  The two of them and their campaign is caught in the movie Wretches & Jabberers.  Here is the official trailer for this movie:

You can read more about them and their talents at the  Wretches & Jabberers official website at http://www.wretchesandjabberers.org/index.php.  At this site you will find links to both of their blogs.  It is well worth the time and effort to explore the lives of these two men--there is no junk here.

God makes no junk.  This only begins to scratch the surface of the value of those humans that others devalue and consider junk.  My last presentation against that argument is that of the website sproutflix which subtitles it sight with the goal of "making the invisible visible."  I challenge you to take a few minutes and watch the short video on sproutflix's homepage called Dreams.  You can watch it at http://sproutflix.org/.  Find and show me the junk . . . you can't.

As I stated, God makes no junk.  This is only the beginning of challenging the world's perceptions of junk . . . this only scratches the surface of what God's children are called to combat in order to fulfill the commandment to "love one another."  It is a matter of value . . . there is no junk in God's eyes.  God loves us for who God created us to be . . . so why can't we?