Eharmony

When Interracial Relationships are Suppressed

It is appalling to hear news about discrimination but more so if it had something to do with love as I believe that Love knows no boundaries and is the only thing that's constant in this world. So when I hear that a small Kentucky church banned the union of interracial couples, as reported by Eric Pfeiffer in the column below, it broke my heart. In this day and age where dating expatshas been a common and "normal" thing to do, how can this happen now? America is the land of the free and so to hear this is just very disappointing.

It's going to be more difficult for people to answer the question, how can I find true love? if there will be more churches disapproving interracial marriages or relationships. My take on this is that religion must be more flexible and adjust its rules according to the times. There is hope though since the new generation are more open to interracial relationships. They are the future of true love and interracial relationships that can encounter difficulties or challenges in making it work.

Love does not distinguish any color, age, or status in love. How to find the girl for you or how to find the guy for you should not be decided by your church or any authority. You are the only one who can decide who your mate is going to be. One must always stay open to possibilities and refrain from judging people by the color of their skin as it does not reflect a person's worth. You never know who you will meet so just be open.

Many dating expats probably experienced some form of discrimination or challenges while dating and the important thing here is to remain strong and to stand your ground. Like Stella Harville and Ticha Chikuni, her African boyfriend, you must remain standing and make sure that love prevails. What happened to this couple can be a step back for those like me whose advocacy is to help expats find true love but I believe that love will conquer even the most difficult odds.

I guess the good news here is that majority of the world agrees and is open to interracial dating. How can I find true love? is a question that many have been able to answer in the form of a partner whose color is different. Remember that true love will always keep a couple together no matter the circumstance or situation.

Please share your thoughts, experiences and feedback. I would love to hear from you.

Kentucky Church bans interracial marriage by Eric Pfeiffer

A small Kentucky church has chosen to ban marriages and even some worship services for interracial couples. The Gulnare Freewill Baptist Church, located in Pike County, made the vote in response to a longtime member who is engaged to a man whose birthplace is in Zimbabwe.

Other pastoral leaders in the area were quick to denounce the church's vote. "It's not the spirit of the community in any way, shape or form," Randy Johnson, president of the Pike County Ministerial Association, told the Lexington Herald-Leader.

The small congregation, which usually hosts about 40 members each Sunday, held the vote after longtime member Stella Harville, brought her fiancé Ticha Chikuni to church with her in June. The couple performed a song together at the church in which Chikuni sang "I Surrender All," while Harville played the piano.

Chikuni, 29, who works at Georgetown College, is black-and Harville, who was baptized at the church but is not an active member, is white. Dean Harville, Stella's father, said he was told by the church's former pastor Melvin Thompson that his daughter and her fiancé were not allowed to sing at the church again. However, Thompson recently stepped down and the church's new pastor, Stacy Stepp, said the couple was once again welcome to sing.

Stepp's decision prompted Thompson to put forth a recommendation saying that while all members are welcome at the church, it does not "condone" interracial marriage, and that any interracial couples would not be received as members or allowed to participate in worship services. The only exception? Funerals.

The Harville family has formally requested the congregation to reconsider the interracial ban, and Thompson has also said he would like to resolve the issue, the area CBS affiliate WYMT has reported.

A copy of the recommendation, obtained by WYMT, reads in part:

That the Gulnare Freewill Baptist Church does not condone interracial marriage. Parties of such marriages will not be received as members, nor will they be used in worship services and other church functions, with the exception being funerals. All are welcome to our public worship services. This recommendation is not intended to judge the salvation of anyone, but is intended to promote greater unity among the church body and the community we serve.

Members of the church held a vote on Thompson's proposed language, with nine voting in favor and six voting against. The other members in attendance chose not to vote.

Gawker notes that Pike County is 98 percent white and home to the infamous Hatfield-McCoy feud.

The Harville family doesn't see Gulnare's new policy promoting anything like unity or civil peace. "They're the people who are supposed to comfort me in times like these," Stella Harville said.

And Stella's father was much more forceful in his denunciation of the interracial ban. "It sure ain't Christian," Dean Harville said. "It ain't nothing but the old devil working."