A

Conscience, Time, and Life 127

For instance, during the time of American slavery,
whites were able to live in luxury while treating blacks as
subhuman. Women from the Southern States would
literally gather for prayer meetings in the same room in
which they beat their slaves. How could a person ask
„God‟ for mercy while at the same time giving no mercy to
his fellow human? By denying that his fellow was human.
Because of this declared mental gulf between black and
white, no link of conscience could connect the two. The
white master might feel guilt for his behavior toward other
whites, but not over his treatment of blacks.A
Whenever we think that we are special, or divide
ourselves into „us‟ versus „them,‟ or regard some group or individual as
different, then we are denying the possibility of any Perceiver connection
between us, and through this „bombing‟ conscience. And, history shows us
that when conscience is absent, then life is cheap—it is a further indication
of the link between life and conscience.
Let me close this section with another politically incorrect example.
The average citizen today makes a clear distinction between a live baby
and fetal matter growing within the womb of a mother. One is regarded as
human, whereas the other is labeled as subhuman. This mental distinction
allows doctors and hospitals to go to great lengths to protect the health and
integrity of babies, even as they destroy unwanted fetal tissue. As Henry
Morgentaler, a leading Canadian abortion provider, is reported to have said,
“If I felt that the unborn fetus was human, my conscience would really
disturb me.”

A I know that the term „white‟ and „black‟ has become politically incorrect.

However, in this case, the term is accurate because skin color determined
everything.