A double-minded person is one who cannot decide what to think or believe regardless of what is true; any way the wind blows or what lies are told, they are caught in the cycle. Individually and collectively - as in the populous of Black America - double-mindedness can be overcome with a discovery and acknowledgment of the truth.

Case in point: if a pastor recites a scripture to his followers warning that the temptations of evil will lead them into sin, and that pastor turns around and condemn those who fall to temptation and into sin, how can that pastor question the morality of the follower when there is a mechanism for the very purpose of causing people to sin. Many will say, well it is up to the follower whether or not to yield to temptation. However, as reasonable and fair as that logic may be, the devil plays dirty.

The truth of that matter is - and one to be acknowledged to overcome double mindedness - if there is some truth to any situation, ignoring the truth to justify a lie is evil in itself? In the case of the preacher, if he knows that evil compels people and that some people will succumb, what does he gain by condemning those that fall?

In the case of Black America, the media practices ignorance of the truth to justify their lies about Blacks. The truth being, Black America have been victims of racial oppression from the time the Africans were brought here and that oppression continues to this day, if it did not this article and the outright racial tension in society today would not persist.

The comments below written by the Reverend Jesse Lee Peterson is a perfect example of the double mindedness and disregard for truth this country is plagued with, which is why racial discord in this country endure and intensifies. Brother Jesse is no more wrong about his points than he is confused. He knows the truth yet refuses to associate that truth with reality.

In an article entitled "Government's War on the Black Family" (full text) he states:

"It began approximately forty years ago, an attack initiated against the black family. This attack has not only been sustained, it has intensified up until this present day. Contrary to popular misconceptions, it has not been conducted by drawling Southerners in white hoods.

Who then, is responsible for this pernicious attack? None other than the United States government, with its policies injurious to the black man and his family; aided and abetted by liberal elite whites who hold power in every facet of American life; and of course, black "leaders", be they politicians, preachers, or entertainers, who have led blacks down the rathole of racial hatred, blame, and excuse mongering."

"If you're black and a hurricane is about to destroy your city, then you'll probably wait for the government to save you.

This was not always the case. Prior to 40 years ago, such a pathetic performance by the black community in a time of crisis would have been inconceivable. The first response would have come from black men. They would take care of their families, bring them to safety, and then help the rest of the community. Then local government would come in.

No longer. When 75 percent of New Orleans residents had left the city, it was primarily immoral, welfare-pampered blacks that stayed behind and waited for the government to bail them out. This, as we know, did not turn out good results."

"Thousands and thousands of children have been taken from their families, and are now being raised by the government. The government has total control of determining whether a parent is "fit" or not. Because the fathers are not in the home to fight this tyranny, there is little the mother can do. A child can go to court from juvenile detention and the judge - not the mother- makes the decision whether or not the child will be placed in a home. The mother thereby loses all moral and legal control over that child."

When one adopts the mind-set of the going trends of society and that mind-set contradicts truth, they tend to believe whatever lie is being told to society. The lie told to society today is that low-income Blacks are to blame for their problems. That would be true if whites had no control and when any human is confined to a certain social living standard governed by institutional and constitutional rules and laws.

Peterson reveals the disillusioned imagery fed to society in his next statement taken from "Moral Poverty Cost Blacks in New Orleans", which states:

"About five years ago, in a debate before the National Association of Black Journalists, I stated that if whites were to just leave the United States and let blacks run the country, they would turn America into a ghetto within 10 years. The audience, shall we say, disagreed with me strongly. Now I have to disagree with me. I gave blacks too much credit. It took a mere three days for blacks to turn the Superdome and the convention center into ghettos, rampant with theft, rape and murder.

President Bush is not to blame for the rampant immorality of blacks. Had New Orleans' black community taken action, most would have been out of harm's way. But most were too lazy, immoral and trifling to do anything productive for themselves.

All Americans must tell blacks this truth. It was blacks' moral poverty - not their material poverty - that cost them dearly in New Orleans."

It is no surprise when whites think this way but when a person of the very race whites seek to taint thinks and believes this way, truth has no part in that person's reasoning, but social hype does. To ignore the long-term after effects of one of the most heinous crimes committed against a people is to disregard the truth completely.

To blame a people for their suffering as long as there is a reason to their suffering is not only hypocritical, but plain and outright oblivious. The morality of Black New Orleans had nothing to do with what happen during the days they suffered, but had everything to do with government control. So Peterson is partly correct in his analysis of Black people; however, in a state of double mindedness, his analysis has no merit.

Black America must stay focused on what is true and beyond dispute. If we allow our minds to absorb the watered-down poison of mainstream hype and stereotypes, we will fall ever deeper into a deadening slumber that will eventually destroy generations to come. Know what is true and determine what you believe from that origin of truth.

© October 2005 By CR Hamilton