Melting pot

     The United States has been referred to for many years as a melting pot. Some seek to criticize this country on the grounds that it lacks sufficient "cultural diversity". I'm sure there are places in the world where, within one nation's boundaries, more languages are spoken or more varied folk songs are sung or more ethnicities are evident. Since settlers arrived on ships in the 1600's, this particular landmass has increased in population, fed by a wide variety of ethnic, religious, and racial group sources. Through the disagreements between the "newcomers" and the Native American, through the unwilling immigrants brought to be slaves, through the slurs and prejudice aimed at Irish, Italians, Chinese, Japanese, etc.- there has been a considerable amount of bumping and jostling as American citizens strive to live together peacefully despite constant differences. You can still find more homogeneous pockets, like in Chinatowns on the west coast and in NYC, or the Amish in PA or OH , or Hispanics in TX or AZ. But, for the most part, this really is a "melting pot". The point of being a melting pot is NOT for each ingredient to remain separately recognizable. When you make a soup, you can still discern the onions from the beans from the meat, from the tomatoes, from the..... I think you get the idea. But each ingredient takes on some flavor from the others so the resulting blend is pleasant. I think it's a really GOOD thing to avoid having a "little Italy" or a "little China" or a "little Syria" or whatever. I believe this country was founded to be a place for anyone and everyone to have an opportunity to join with others in the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness. The point is NOT to have a dictatorship so we are forced to live the standards of one powerful individual. The point is NOT to have a monarchy to all be subject to someone who just happened to be born of a certain set of parents. The point is NOT to live the rules of one specific religion. The point is to be willing to make enough compromises, be tolerant enough, and pleasant enough to get along peacefully. This will not result from adherence to the standards of any individual group or belief system. It is not socialism where everyone is forced to give up what they earn to share with everyone else, although taxes are required to be collected in order to provide for the common defense and larger welfare. It is not oppression where people are imprisoned because they publicly share their opinion, although there is a legal system to protect individuals from being harmed by others. It is elements of everyone and everything but not absolutely one of anything.
     The Lord's Kingdom is similar. Jesus was criticized during His mortal life because he associated with publicans and sinners. He didn't say anything about just accepting what anyone did. He said, "The well have no need of a physician." His influence was needed more among some than others. We are not to judge or hate those who may not be what we would label ideal. We are to love them and, in the process, come to see the good in them which changes us, and for them to see the good in us, which changes them. We don't form a peaceful society by clinging to diversity. We bring with us our ideas, talents, skills, and knowledge then SHARE it with others who all have the right to refuse our offering just as we may not choose what they have. I have my favorite genres of music but I respect others' preferences for whatever type of music they like. I may not want to go to a performance of their preference, but I wouldn't stop them from going. I think most people recognize that truth is generally "somewhere in the middle". The trick is to figure out what is the middle.