By Joseph L. Bass

Many Americans have forgotten fundamental Sunday school lessons from their childhood. I see this when reading newspapers, watching television and observing people in real life.

The forgotten principles are “Vengeance is mine, sayeth the Lord” and “Love thy neighbor.”

Recently there has been a lot of talk about a polarized America, as if this were something new. America has always been polarized. We were founded as a divided nation.

The North was founded on a concept of equality that is still new to world history. Although we have not achieved our goal of equal opportunity for all, few other nations are even attempting to reach such a goal.

The South was founded on a class-based concept that is thousands of years old. A small group of rich and powerful people controls government and the economy for its own benefit. A much larger percentage of people live lives of mind-dumbing servitude, poverty and insecurity.

Most nations are still class-based, and their people have no hope of a better life. No wonder so many take great risks to come here.

The whole of America was founded on killing off as many natives as possible and taking their land. Until immigrants arrived from all over the world, the natives occupied this land for at least 15,000 years. Columbus arrived upon these shores only 525 years ago.

It is not difficult to recognize that hatred and bigotry are still widespread in our society. All groups are involved; no group is innocent. Hostility is directly related to what our ancestors did to each other. It is easy to see that this condition perpetuates tears in the social fabric of our nation.

The tears are caused by people bearing grudges against fellow citizens and taking vengeance upon them based on long-ago wrongs.

This hatred is often inflicted on innocent people who have nothing to do with the wrongs. People with decades of involvement in civil rights efforts become targets because of the color of their skin. Even when they lovingly reach out to others they are wrongly treated with rejection, sneers and haughtiness.

As long as these important Christian lessons are violated, America will continue to be a polarized, divided nation. This greatly hinders our capability to realize our full potential as a people and a nation.

The only way positive changes can be accomplished is for all Christians to acknowledge their sinful ways, repent and follow Chris’s teachings, remembering that “Vengeance is mine, sayeth the Lord” and “Love thy neighbor.”

Joseph L. Bass is the executive director of ABetterSociety.Info Inc., a nonprofit organization in Hobson. Email him at ABetterSociety1@aol.com.