Which "ism" is more entrenched in American, sexism or racism? Which should religion address?

Choosing between evils is never easy to do. So, I bounced this question off two friends—a white woman and a black man. They agreed that racism is the greater problem. She summed it up saying, “African Americans face more limits than women face in America.”

Assuming they are right in the ranking, I’ve tried to figure out why. At least part of the answer is that none of us in America can isolate ourselves from persons of the opposite sex but many in America isolate from persons of a different race. When we are isolated it is easier to perpetuate and further entrench our stereotypes and prejudices—or just not think about it at all which probably has the same outcome.

I like the stories of Jesus where he repeatedly engaged people who were different whether the rules of society approved or not. With his example and teaching Jesus addressed both race and sex.

The Question: In his speech to U.S. bishops last week, Pope Benedict XVI said: "Any tendency to treat religion as a private matter must be resisted . . . To the extent that religion becomes a purely private affair, it loses its very soul." Do you agree or disagree? Why?

Privacy is at the epicenter of faith. As evangelical Christians we believe that a personal commitment to Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord is the way to salvation and eternal life.
Engagement with others is the leading edge of our faith. Internal faith should be externally expressed. Jesus called us to love and serve God and to love and serve our neighbors.

While some focus on what is public I just want to make sure we start with what is private--a right relationship with God.

There's a story about a Dad who cut up a map of the world that was ripped out of a magazine. He gave it to his child to put together as a puzzle. The child assembled and taped it with surprising speed. When the Dad asked how the child replied, "There was a person on the other side. When I put the person together the world came together too."

It's not either/or, private/public----get the private right to get the world right too.

When a survey says that atheists believe in God it seems obvious that some don't know what an atheists is or who God is or don't much think about logical inconsistency. But, we know that lots of people aren't good at taking surveys!

Or maybe some atheists don't believe in God but would like to if they could find a way. The universality of religion and the quest for God seems to confirm that there is an unsatisfied desire for God is almost all of us. Just because some arrive at an official "no god" philosophical conclusion doesn't mean that the universal desire is satisfied by denial. So, we have 21% of atheists who believe an pray anyway.