Failed to Challenge.

Personal comment on my previous post.

The people in the Church of Scotland
who brought to the attention of the Assembly the failings of the church toward Travelling families in Scotland, are to be commended, it is obvious that a lot of integrity and hard work went into their report.

There is two points I feel I need to comment on.

1. No Minister working alone can remove children from a family and send them abroad.
This is the work of a committee. To have a committee you must also have those who appoint the committee, structures need to be in place, not only in Scotland but also in Canada and in Australia. So this is the work of three committees and those who appointed them.

2. Report 9.2: The Churches’ attitudes to Travellers have often reflected the attitudes of society at large. However, although in the research for this report strenuous efforts were made to uncover specific instances of acts of institutional discrimination by Churches against Travellers, no evidence has been found. This is not to say that individual church members have not acted in discriminatory ways and that the Churches have failed to challenge them when they have done so.

I find it strange that the Church of Scotland has defended itself against institutional racism by giving a definitive definition of institutional racism.

Should the agents of an institution conduct the business of that institution
by applying racially motivated procedures and structures - yet remain unchallenged.
This is the definition of institutional racism.

MacPherson Report Precedent. 6.34:

The collective failure of an organisation to provide an appropriate and professional service to people because of their colour, culture, or ethnic origin. It can be seen or detected in processes, attitudes and behaviour which amount to discrimination through unwitting prejudice, ignorance, thoughtlessness and racist stereotyping which disadvantage minority ethnic people.
It persists because of the failure of the organisation openly and adequately to recognise and address its existence and causes by policy, example and leadership. Without recognition and action to eliminate such racism it can prevail as part of the ethos or culture of the organisation. It is a corrosive disease.