I mourn for the family of Trayvon Martin. I mourn for every person of color who feels even less safe now than they did yesterday. I mourn for us all as a society when we care more about unfettered gun possession than we do the sanctity of life.
Every time I write our Senator John Moolenaar about the outrageous assaults happening in Lansing on reproductive freedom or about his own misguided twisting of the concept of religious freedom, he responds touting his belief in the sanctity of life. Where are his so-called “pro-life” ideals now?
Where is the pro-life movement when 400,000 Michiganders need Medicare expansion? Where is the pro-life movement when programs supporting living, breathing children are defunded to support tax breaks for corporations and the super-rich? Where is the pro-life movement when lobbyists try to push more guns and bullets into schools and churches, hospitals and day-care centers? And where is the pro-life movement when Trayvon Martins die every day on our streets?
If you are not outraged at the outcome of the Trayvon Martin murder trial, then do not dare call yourself pro-life. If you care more about forcing unnecessary and invasive vaginal ultrasounds on women than providing them with affordable access to birth control and health care, then do not dare call yourself pro-life. If you live in Midland and do nothing about the fact that Saginaw - our neighbor just 30 miles away - ranks as the #1 most dangerous city for women IN THE ENTIRE U.S., then do not dare call yourself pro-life.
For you are Trayvon Martin. Today, tomorrow, or the next day, a George Zimmerman could stalk, attack, and murder you or your son, your nephew, or your neighbor’s boy and walk away unpunished. When the injustice and stupidity was great enough, even Jesus got angry.
I will continue to be nonviolent, because violence only begets more violence. I will continue to love my neighbors, even when they seek to trample the right of women, GLBT folk, people of color, and immigrants. I will continue to try to find the good in legislators who ignore their own rules of conduct, who seek no public comment or expert opinions, and who pass bills in the dead of night while democracy sleeps. But I will be nice no longer. And neither should you.
Sunday, July 14, 2013
Truth and Meaning: Nice
Truth and Meaning: Nice
Clergy work in a world of words. Sometimes those words come from sacred sources, texts written by those listening to the mouth of god. Other times, our words come from saints and prophets, or great thinkers and theologians.
Today, my inspiration comes from a more modern sage, Patrick Swayze. In the film Road House, Swayze plays a zen-like bouncer, a master of martial arts and a scholar of philosophy. Teaching his new students the art of being a “cooler,” he tells them that they should be nice … until it is time to not be nice.
Nice is an apt word for Michiganders, for that quaint Midwestern attitude of people who strive never to offend others. Nice is especially appropriate for Midlanders. For we live in a nice town. Like another philosophical film, Pleasantville, Midland is a nice town. There is no crime in Midland — at least not the kind of crime you find in other cities like Flint or Detroit. No one in Midland lives in their car, or roots through dumpsters for meals. Like the residents of Pleasantville, everyone in Midland is colorblind. We treat everyone the same regardless of their race, their ethnicity, their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Midlanders elect polite, conservative politicians because we want nice government. We don’t need food stamps or medical insurance assistance. We don’t have unplanned pregnancies and we don’t traffic in women. We trust money to trickle down and politicians to not be swayed by greed and corruption, by private interests with deep pockets.
Nice is good. And, I want you to be nice. I want you to be nice … until it is time to not be nice.
Well, that time is coming.
In Texas, women are being dragged out of legislative chambers. All across America’s heartland, people are being arrested for stopping a pipeline. And just down the road in Lansing, the protests are growing — protests for guaranteed medical insurance for all, for marriage equality, for letting doctors and their patients make medical decisions, for restoring democracy, and for keeping intact the wall separating church and state.
When anti-intellectual fundamentalists run our government, it is time to not be nice. When the powerful and greedy seek to control all of the wealth and property, it is time to not be nice. When bigots seek to oppress women, people of color, GLBT folk, immigrants, and the poor, then it is time to not be nice.
Not being nice is hard. Fighting for human rights and liberties is hard. Swayze concluded his lesson by saying that we just need to watch each others’ backs, and take out the trash.
Clergy work in a world of words. Sometimes those words come from sacred sources, texts written by those listening to the mouth of god. Other times, our words come from saints and prophets, or great thinkers and theologians.
Today, my inspiration comes from a more modern sage, Patrick Swayze. In the film Road House, Swayze plays a zen-like bouncer, a master of martial arts and a scholar of philosophy. Teaching his new students the art of being a “cooler,” he tells them that they should be nice … until it is time to not be nice.
Nice is an apt word for Michiganders, for that quaint Midwestern attitude of people who strive never to offend others. Nice is especially appropriate for Midlanders. For we live in a nice town. Like another philosophical film, Pleasantville, Midland is a nice town. There is no crime in Midland — at least not the kind of crime you find in other cities like Flint or Detroit. No one in Midland lives in their car, or roots through dumpsters for meals. Like the residents of Pleasantville, everyone in Midland is colorblind. We treat everyone the same regardless of their race, their ethnicity, their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Midlanders elect polite, conservative politicians because we want nice government. We don’t need food stamps or medical insurance assistance. We don’t have unplanned pregnancies and we don’t traffic in women. We trust money to trickle down and politicians to not be swayed by greed and corruption, by private interests with deep pockets.
Nice is good. And, I want you to be nice. I want you to be nice … until it is time to not be nice.
Well, that time is coming.
In Texas, women are being dragged out of legislative chambers. All across America’s heartland, people are being arrested for stopping a pipeline. And just down the road in Lansing, the protests are growing — protests for guaranteed medical insurance for all, for marriage equality, for letting doctors and their patients make medical decisions, for restoring democracy, and for keeping intact the wall separating church and state.
When anti-intellectual fundamentalists run our government, it is time to not be nice. When the powerful and greedy seek to control all of the wealth and property, it is time to not be nice. When bigots seek to oppress women, people of color, GLBT folk, immigrants, and the poor, then it is time to not be nice.
Not being nice is hard. Fighting for human rights and liberties is hard. Swayze concluded his lesson by saying that we just need to watch each others’ backs, and take out the trash.
Monday, July 8, 2013
Truth and Meaning: Fascism
Truth and Meaning: Fascism
A popular discrediting tactic used by pundits is to compare an opponent’s position to something Hitler did. Even when the application of this comparison is ludicrous, the strategy can work because our visceral reaction to Nazism is so intense. And this is how it should be. The evils and inhuman achievements of the National Socialists in Germany in the 1930s and 1940s are legendary for their brutality and viciousness.
So let’s take a calm step back and deconstruct this loaded term of political ideology. The Italian term, fascismo is derived from fascio, which means "bundled (political) group." The term also refers to the movement's emblem, the fasces, a bundle of rods with a projecting axe-head that was carried before Roman magistrates as a symbol of authority and power. The name of Mussolini's group of revolutionaries was soon used for similar movements in other countries that sought to gain power through violence and ruthlessness.
Fascism, therefore, is defined as a system of government marked by centralization of authority, stringent socioeconomic controls, suppressed opposition through terror and censorship, and typically a policy of intolerance and bigotry. Fascism seeks to purify a nation of “foreign” influences deemed to be causing degeneration or of not fitting into the culture of society.
So let’s examine recent actions in so-called red states. Legislative rules ignored, voting rights under attack, gerrymandering, right to work laws undermining labor, vitriolic rhetoric aimed at anyone expressing progressive views, and the demonization of GLBT folk, non-Christians, immigrants, the poor and women. And everything backed by a small cabal of ultra-rich neo-conservatives intent on corrupting the system to protect their wealth and status.
I am not suggesting that the United States is heading down an inexorable path to a Fascist state. I am merely pointing out the tragic irony that politicians in Ohio, North Carolina, Texas, and here in Michigan who claim to support small government, who claim to support democracy, who claim to support inalienable freedoms seem to be employing the Fascist tool kit.
And what American hasn’t pondered the question, “Why didn’t the German people do more to oppose the Nazis?” Well, now is your chance to ask it again. When your government passes bills in the dead of night without public comment or debate, why don’t you do something? When local elected officials are dismissed by government-backed dictators, why don’t you do something? When government gets small enough to fit into a woman’s vagina, why don’t you do something? When religious zealots remove another brick from the wall of separation of church and state, why don’t you do something?
As the great American patriot Edward Everett Hale once said, “I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something I can do.”
A popular discrediting tactic used by pundits is to compare an opponent’s position to something Hitler did. Even when the application of this comparison is ludicrous, the strategy can work because our visceral reaction to Nazism is so intense. And this is how it should be. The evils and inhuman achievements of the National Socialists in Germany in the 1930s and 1940s are legendary for their brutality and viciousness.
So let’s take a calm step back and deconstruct this loaded term of political ideology. The Italian term, fascismo is derived from fascio, which means "bundled (political) group." The term also refers to the movement's emblem, the fasces, a bundle of rods with a projecting axe-head that was carried before Roman magistrates as a symbol of authority and power. The name of Mussolini's group of revolutionaries was soon used for similar movements in other countries that sought to gain power through violence and ruthlessness.
Fascism, therefore, is defined as a system of government marked by centralization of authority, stringent socioeconomic controls, suppressed opposition through terror and censorship, and typically a policy of intolerance and bigotry. Fascism seeks to purify a nation of “foreign” influences deemed to be causing degeneration or of not fitting into the culture of society.
So let’s examine recent actions in so-called red states. Legislative rules ignored, voting rights under attack, gerrymandering, right to work laws undermining labor, vitriolic rhetoric aimed at anyone expressing progressive views, and the demonization of GLBT folk, non-Christians, immigrants, the poor and women. And everything backed by a small cabal of ultra-rich neo-conservatives intent on corrupting the system to protect their wealth and status.
I am not suggesting that the United States is heading down an inexorable path to a Fascist state. I am merely pointing out the tragic irony that politicians in Ohio, North Carolina, Texas, and here in Michigan who claim to support small government, who claim to support democracy, who claim to support inalienable freedoms seem to be employing the Fascist tool kit.
And what American hasn’t pondered the question, “Why didn’t the German people do more to oppose the Nazis?” Well, now is your chance to ask it again. When your government passes bills in the dead of night without public comment or debate, why don’t you do something? When local elected officials are dismissed by government-backed dictators, why don’t you do something? When government gets small enough to fit into a woman’s vagina, why don’t you do something? When religious zealots remove another brick from the wall of separation of church and state, why don’t you do something?
As the great American patriot Edward Everett Hale once said, “I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something I can do.”
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Truth and Meaning: Are You a “None?”
Truth and Meaning: Are You a “None?”
The Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion and Public Life completed a study of religion in America last year. One of their most significant findings was that the number of Americans who do not identify with any religion continues to grow at a rapid pace. One-fifth of the U.S. public are religiously unaffiliated, the highest percentage ever in Pew Research Center polling.
The religiously unaffiliated now include more than 13 million self-described atheists and agnostics (nearly 6 percent of the U.S. public), as well as nearly 33 million people who say they have no particular religious affiliation (14 percent). Much of this growth is occurring as Millennials (those ages 18-22) replace older generations. But generational replacement is not the only factor at play. Generation X’ers and Baby Boomers also have become more religiously unaffiliated in recent years. Interestingly, the overwhelming majority (74 percent) of the “nones” were brought up in a religious tradition.
And yet, many in the world of religion write off the “nones” as disinterested in organized religion, or in finding spiritual communities. Many clergy dismiss the religiously unaffiliated as lost souls unworthy of outreach efforts. This attitude prevails because roughly two-thirds of the unaffiliated (65 percent) say in surveys that religion is either “not too important” or “not at all important” in their life.
But I believe that many of these 40 million Americans simply find our current religious bodies irrelevant in modern times. They find churches of today that harbor hateful attitudes and outmoded orthodoxies. I believe that many of the “nones” will welcome a religious community that preaches hope instead of fear, action instead of creed, and love instead of damnation.
If religion is not relevant to solving the problems of the world, then it is just therapy. If religion does not offer hope for a better world here and now, then it is just a social outlet. If religion does not encourage us to live lives of Love, of fundamental change in the human condition, then it is a collection of fairy tales.
Are you a “none?” Please don’t give up on religion. There are churches dedicated to improving this world, committed to the fight for social justice, equality, and human rights. And there are churches that don’t pretend to have all of the answers, and welcome your questions.
The Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion and Public Life completed a study of religion in America last year. One of their most significant findings was that the number of Americans who do not identify with any religion continues to grow at a rapid pace. One-fifth of the U.S. public are religiously unaffiliated, the highest percentage ever in Pew Research Center polling.
The religiously unaffiliated now include more than 13 million self-described atheists and agnostics (nearly 6 percent of the U.S. public), as well as nearly 33 million people who say they have no particular religious affiliation (14 percent). Much of this growth is occurring as Millennials (those ages 18-22) replace older generations. But generational replacement is not the only factor at play. Generation X’ers and Baby Boomers also have become more religiously unaffiliated in recent years. Interestingly, the overwhelming majority (74 percent) of the “nones” were brought up in a religious tradition.
And yet, many in the world of religion write off the “nones” as disinterested in organized religion, or in finding spiritual communities. Many clergy dismiss the religiously unaffiliated as lost souls unworthy of outreach efforts. This attitude prevails because roughly two-thirds of the unaffiliated (65 percent) say in surveys that religion is either “not too important” or “not at all important” in their life.
But I believe that many of these 40 million Americans simply find our current religious bodies irrelevant in modern times. They find churches of today that harbor hateful attitudes and outmoded orthodoxies. I believe that many of the “nones” will welcome a religious community that preaches hope instead of fear, action instead of creed, and love instead of damnation.
If religion is not relevant to solving the problems of the world, then it is just therapy. If religion does not offer hope for a better world here and now, then it is just a social outlet. If religion does not encourage us to live lives of Love, of fundamental change in the human condition, then it is a collection of fairy tales.
Are you a “none?” Please don’t give up on religion. There are churches dedicated to improving this world, committed to the fight for social justice, equality, and human rights. And there are churches that don’t pretend to have all of the answers, and welcome your questions.
Saturday, June 22, 2013
Truth and Meaning: Hope and Love
Truth and Meaning: Hope and love
Hope and love. These are wonderful emotions that people of all faiths can share and grow. We can worship together and feel the transcendent power of our spirits united in common concern. We can work together to help the needy and build beloved community. We can read, sing and pray inspiring words that foster compassion for humanity and our world.
Hope and love are beautiful flowers — fragrant … and fragile. Hope and love require careful nurturing and protection from the elements and from forces that would consume them until they withered and died.
Hope and love require courage. They require the courage to resist the storms of hate and oppression. They require the courage to stand up to the winds of ignorance and bigotry. Hope and love survive only when people have the courage to protect them from violence and the evil influences that poison the soul.
Hope and love are the crops cultivated by farmers of the spirit. And in order to grow a crop of hope and love, we farmers of the spirit must be courageous. We must persevere when problems abound like locusts, or seem as insurmountable as a hail storm. We must labor to fend off invasive plants, the icy frost, or the flames of drought.
But, most of all, the farmers of the spirit must guard hope and love from the attacks of the ignorant, and from the slander of the hateful. We must nurture the fields of hope and love from the violent bullying of those driven by fear and prejudice, of privilege and entitlement, of irrationality and selfishness.
This is not easy work. It can be exhausting, even scary, and always challenging. But the harvest … the harvest is magnificent! The bounty of hope and love will spill over the tables, feeding all who hunger, all who yearn for its sustenance. Farmers of the spirit, join with me! Let us till the fertile soil and protect our seedlings from the pestilence of hate, the storms of fear. Let us stand, hand in hand, until the sweetness of hope and love dispels all bitterness, and let us join in that communion table together.
Hope and love. These are wonderful emotions that people of all faiths can share and grow. We can worship together and feel the transcendent power of our spirits united in common concern. We can work together to help the needy and build beloved community. We can read, sing and pray inspiring words that foster compassion for humanity and our world.
Hope and love are beautiful flowers — fragrant … and fragile. Hope and love require careful nurturing and protection from the elements and from forces that would consume them until they withered and died.
Hope and love require courage. They require the courage to resist the storms of hate and oppression. They require the courage to stand up to the winds of ignorance and bigotry. Hope and love survive only when people have the courage to protect them from violence and the evil influences that poison the soul.
Hope and love are the crops cultivated by farmers of the spirit. And in order to grow a crop of hope and love, we farmers of the spirit must be courageous. We must persevere when problems abound like locusts, or seem as insurmountable as a hail storm. We must labor to fend off invasive plants, the icy frost, or the flames of drought.
But, most of all, the farmers of the spirit must guard hope and love from the attacks of the ignorant, and from the slander of the hateful. We must nurture the fields of hope and love from the violent bullying of those driven by fear and prejudice, of privilege and entitlement, of irrationality and selfishness.
This is not easy work. It can be exhausting, even scary, and always challenging. But the harvest … the harvest is magnificent! The bounty of hope and love will spill over the tables, feeding all who hunger, all who yearn for its sustenance. Farmers of the spirit, join with me! Let us till the fertile soil and protect our seedlings from the pestilence of hate, the storms of fear. Let us stand, hand in hand, until the sweetness of hope and love dispels all bitterness, and let us join in that communion table together.
Friday, June 21, 2013
Heroes
In my journey into ministry, many heroes have lighted my path and fortified me when I faltered or felt weak. Some, like Gandhi and King and Jesus, I share with billions. Others, like Reeb and Liuzzo, Servetus and Weigel, are perhaps known mostly within Unitarian Universalist circles. For me, these icons of courage ARE ministry - they represent the commitment and impact I wish for my own life, either through my own direct action or through those I may influence.
This is why I blog. I write, not because I consider myself uniquely qualified or particularly erudite, but because I can. After years advising youth, I saw what hard work and a willingness to be vulnerable, to serve as a mentor or role model, could do for seekers, for those walking alongside me on the path toward truth and meaning.
That is why, when I was invited to become a regular, contributing blogger to the Midland Daily News, I jumped at the opportunitiy. Midland is a great small town. But, Midland is also a very conservative town - or at least it seems to be dominated by the voices of conservatism and privilege. I saw this as a fantastic opportunity to spread a message of progressive values, of hope and love, of the vision of the beloved community.
Almost immediately, opposition to my message arose. And that opposition has been dominated by the voice of one person.
This voice is the voice of hate. It is the voice of intolerance. It is the voice of violent intimidation. It is the voice of the schoolyard bully.
We all remember the schoolyard bully. Most of us felt powerless to stand up to their strength and their willingness to employ any means to mold our behavior to suit their needs. Those who did resist were beaten or shamed into submission.
In the adult world, the bully has more powerful tactics. And this bully uses them all. He has dressed in the sheets of the Klan, showing this community his endorsement of their legacy of murder and destruction. He taunts and labels opponents with every term of vile slander his mind can conceive - terms of racism, misogyny, hatred of gays and lesbians, and anyone who does not share his unique view of Christianity or American history. He twists and perverts sacred texts, bending them to support his claims. And he directly threatens violent action, all in attempt to silence my words.
Early on, I had to decide - do I engage with this bully or simply ignore him? And while ignoring the bully is a viable tactic, I remembered my heroes. I remembered the authority of my pulpit and my ministry passed down to me from thousands over the centuries who faced their own bullies. And I decided that the powerless, the voiceless, the underprivileged needed me to be a good ally and to stand up to this bully.
And so, I have engaged this man and his alleged supporters. I have endured his slurs and his hate. I have read his threats and lies. And each time, I have refuted his arguments, called him out on his threats, and challenged his assumptions, all with the power of love. For I believe that love can indeed conquer all of the bullies in the world.
This week, so many of you have approached me at General Assembly, offering encouragement in this ongoing struggle. Together, we are standing on the side of love against cowards who wear sheets and burn crosses, against the ignorant and hateful who carry signs and chant slogans, and against our societal paradigms that continue to oppress the poor, the undocumented immigrant, women, people of color, the young and the old, and those who challenge our social norms of gender identity and sexual orientation. I owe all of you an enormous debt of gratitude. Thank you.
This is why I blog. I write, not because I consider myself uniquely qualified or particularly erudite, but because I can. After years advising youth, I saw what hard work and a willingness to be vulnerable, to serve as a mentor or role model, could do for seekers, for those walking alongside me on the path toward truth and meaning.
That is why, when I was invited to become a regular, contributing blogger to the Midland Daily News, I jumped at the opportunitiy. Midland is a great small town. But, Midland is also a very conservative town - or at least it seems to be dominated by the voices of conservatism and privilege. I saw this as a fantastic opportunity to spread a message of progressive values, of hope and love, of the vision of the beloved community.
Almost immediately, opposition to my message arose. And that opposition has been dominated by the voice of one person.
This voice is the voice of hate. It is the voice of intolerance. It is the voice of violent intimidation. It is the voice of the schoolyard bully.
We all remember the schoolyard bully. Most of us felt powerless to stand up to their strength and their willingness to employ any means to mold our behavior to suit their needs. Those who did resist were beaten or shamed into submission.
In the adult world, the bully has more powerful tactics. And this bully uses them all. He has dressed in the sheets of the Klan, showing this community his endorsement of their legacy of murder and destruction. He taunts and labels opponents with every term of vile slander his mind can conceive - terms of racism, misogyny, hatred of gays and lesbians, and anyone who does not share his unique view of Christianity or American history. He twists and perverts sacred texts, bending them to support his claims. And he directly threatens violent action, all in attempt to silence my words.
Early on, I had to decide - do I engage with this bully or simply ignore him? And while ignoring the bully is a viable tactic, I remembered my heroes. I remembered the authority of my pulpit and my ministry passed down to me from thousands over the centuries who faced their own bullies. And I decided that the powerless, the voiceless, the underprivileged needed me to be a good ally and to stand up to this bully.
And so, I have engaged this man and his alleged supporters. I have endured his slurs and his hate. I have read his threats and lies. And each time, I have refuted his arguments, called him out on his threats, and challenged his assumptions, all with the power of love. For I believe that love can indeed conquer all of the bullies in the world.
This week, so many of you have approached me at General Assembly, offering encouragement in this ongoing struggle. Together, we are standing on the side of love against cowards who wear sheets and burn crosses, against the ignorant and hateful who carry signs and chant slogans, and against our societal paradigms that continue to oppress the poor, the undocumented immigrant, women, people of color, the young and the old, and those who challenge our social norms of gender identity and sexual orientation. I owe all of you an enormous debt of gratitude. Thank you.
Saturday, June 15, 2013
Truth and Meaning: The Place for Commandments
Truth and Meaning: The Place for Commandments
A Michigan legislator has introduced a bill allowing the ten commandments to be posted in our public schools (SB 423). Many people object to such efforts, not necessarily because they disagree with the commandments themselves, but on the grounds that such displays infringe on our guaranteed freedoms of religion in this nation.
You may wonder, though, even if someone were not Jewish or Christian, why would they object to displaying the document, since it presents such an seemingly acceptable list of rules of conduct. While acceptance of the ten commandments may seem inherently obvious to some, perhaps even most Americans, they run fundamentally counter to my beliefs and the tenets of my personal faith. I view the posting of the Ten Commandments in my public spaces as an attempt to impose a religion on me and on all those people who do not hold with those commandments’ underlying assumptions and emphases.
So, while I respect anyone's desire to live by these rules, let me explain why I do not.
1. Have no other gods before me — I do not believe in the Christian god...or the Hebrew god, or the Muslim god, or any other religion's specifically delineated deity. I believe that everything everywhere and in all times comprises godness, including each of us. Therefore, I hold all of existence sacred before the gods of the New Testament, the Old Testament, the Qur'an, or any other text. Verdict: I reject this commandment as inconsistent with my religious omnitheism.
2. Do not make graven images/idols — I refuse to be threatened by and intimidated into worshiping what this commandment identifies as a self-proclaimed "jealous god." I bow in commitment to love and to doing everything I can to make this and all worlds better places. I need no golden calf. I worship the vision of beloved community, a future where the inherent worth and dignity of all people is respected. Verdict: I reject this commandment as irrelevant to my religious beliefs.
3. Do not take the name of the lord in vain — I respect others' beliefs, and ask only in return that my own beliefs are respected. I cannot promise to remain respectful, however, when followers of the biblical god curse me and seek to infringe on my freedom of belief by presuming that theirs is the only true religion of my country. I cannot stand mute and allow some to murder, torture and oppress others all in the name of their god. Verdict: I reject this commandment as unfair and disrespectful of my religious beliefs.
4. Remember the sabbath day to keep it holy — I reserve the right to determine the times and places that I consider holy, whether it is in a church or a forest, on Sunday morning or any other day of the week. My sabbath occurs not when I am on bended knee before a god, but when I kneel to feed a hungry child or give hope to the hopeless. Verdict: I reject this commandment as unimportant to my religious practice.
5. Honor your father and your mother — I honor my father and mother because they earned my honor by doing their duty as parents, not simply because they procreated. I take pride in my parenthood, not because I made someone pregnant, but because I love my children and raised them to be loving and responsible adults. A person earns honor by loving all of the children of the world, whether they are a biological father or mother, or not. Verdict: I reject this commandment for its misdirected emphasis from the real meaning of parenthood.
6. Do not murder — The Bible abounds with killing sanctioned by god. This commandment includes only a proscription against killing one's own kind (murder). I reject ALL killing, whatever its form or its supposed justification. Verdict: I strongly reject this commandment as biased and weak in its failure to respect the sacredness of all persons.
7. Do not commit adultery — I believe in respecting the bond of love, which also includes the right of ALL people who love each other and wish to commit to each other to be married and to receive the rights and privileges of married couples. Supporting the institution of marriage should also include making it available to all consenting adults, and ensuring that families have the resources they need to stay healthy and happy. Verdict: I reject this commandment as inconsistent and hypocritical.
8. Do not steal — Every person deserves to own the product of their labor, which goes beyond mere possession of objects or payment of salary. A just society commits to economic as well as legal justice, and does not permit a privileged few to steal wealth from the efforts of the masses. Verdict: I reject this commandment for failing to address the evil of greed and the preventable scourge of poverty.
9. Do not bear false witness — Not lying must also include a commitment to seeking the truth. Too many religious people refuse to examine and weigh evidence regarding their beliefs, which is the worst form of lying — lying to yourself. Verdict: I reject this commandment as failing to encourage free thought and the use of reason.
10. Do not covet anything that is your neighbor's — Loving your neighbor must mean more than resisting jealousy. Loving your neighbor means that I am willing to sacrifice for my neighbor, that I am willing to love my neighbor even if he does not reciprocate that love, and that I am willing to defend the rights of that neighbor regardless of our differences. Verdict: I reject this commandment for failing to address the greater important message of compassion and our ministry to each other.
The ten commandments — as well as every other list of rules suggested by other world religions — have played a part in the development of human society. But, these ancient lists bear little significance to modern society. And their posting in public places, which brings with it an implicit endorsement by the state, is inconsistent with our commitment to the free exercise of religion.
I applaud you if you live by the ten commandments, or the five pillars of Islam, or the analects of Confucius, or the noble truths of Buddhism, and have crafted your personal moral code from these teachings. Unitarian Universalists make all of these codes, and more, available in our churches and fellowships. We educate our children about all religious traditions and in the critical thinking skills needed to craft their own principles. But religious texts should only be made available in public academic settings if they are going to be open to the same free inquiry and analysis as other writings, and not as inherently representative of the beliefs of all Americans.
A Michigan legislator has introduced a bill allowing the ten commandments to be posted in our public schools (SB 423). Many people object to such efforts, not necessarily because they disagree with the commandments themselves, but on the grounds that such displays infringe on our guaranteed freedoms of religion in this nation.
You may wonder, though, even if someone were not Jewish or Christian, why would they object to displaying the document, since it presents such an seemingly acceptable list of rules of conduct. While acceptance of the ten commandments may seem inherently obvious to some, perhaps even most Americans, they run fundamentally counter to my beliefs and the tenets of my personal faith. I view the posting of the Ten Commandments in my public spaces as an attempt to impose a religion on me and on all those people who do not hold with those commandments’ underlying assumptions and emphases.
So, while I respect anyone's desire to live by these rules, let me explain why I do not.
1. Have no other gods before me — I do not believe in the Christian god...or the Hebrew god, or the Muslim god, or any other religion's specifically delineated deity. I believe that everything everywhere and in all times comprises godness, including each of us. Therefore, I hold all of existence sacred before the gods of the New Testament, the Old Testament, the Qur'an, or any other text. Verdict: I reject this commandment as inconsistent with my religious omnitheism.
2. Do not make graven images/idols — I refuse to be threatened by and intimidated into worshiping what this commandment identifies as a self-proclaimed "jealous god." I bow in commitment to love and to doing everything I can to make this and all worlds better places. I need no golden calf. I worship the vision of beloved community, a future where the inherent worth and dignity of all people is respected. Verdict: I reject this commandment as irrelevant to my religious beliefs.
3. Do not take the name of the lord in vain — I respect others' beliefs, and ask only in return that my own beliefs are respected. I cannot promise to remain respectful, however, when followers of the biblical god curse me and seek to infringe on my freedom of belief by presuming that theirs is the only true religion of my country. I cannot stand mute and allow some to murder, torture and oppress others all in the name of their god. Verdict: I reject this commandment as unfair and disrespectful of my religious beliefs.
4. Remember the sabbath day to keep it holy — I reserve the right to determine the times and places that I consider holy, whether it is in a church or a forest, on Sunday morning or any other day of the week. My sabbath occurs not when I am on bended knee before a god, but when I kneel to feed a hungry child or give hope to the hopeless. Verdict: I reject this commandment as unimportant to my religious practice.
5. Honor your father and your mother — I honor my father and mother because they earned my honor by doing their duty as parents, not simply because they procreated. I take pride in my parenthood, not because I made someone pregnant, but because I love my children and raised them to be loving and responsible adults. A person earns honor by loving all of the children of the world, whether they are a biological father or mother, or not. Verdict: I reject this commandment for its misdirected emphasis from the real meaning of parenthood.
6. Do not murder — The Bible abounds with killing sanctioned by god. This commandment includes only a proscription against killing one's own kind (murder). I reject ALL killing, whatever its form or its supposed justification. Verdict: I strongly reject this commandment as biased and weak in its failure to respect the sacredness of all persons.
7. Do not commit adultery — I believe in respecting the bond of love, which also includes the right of ALL people who love each other and wish to commit to each other to be married and to receive the rights and privileges of married couples. Supporting the institution of marriage should also include making it available to all consenting adults, and ensuring that families have the resources they need to stay healthy and happy. Verdict: I reject this commandment as inconsistent and hypocritical.
8. Do not steal — Every person deserves to own the product of their labor, which goes beyond mere possession of objects or payment of salary. A just society commits to economic as well as legal justice, and does not permit a privileged few to steal wealth from the efforts of the masses. Verdict: I reject this commandment for failing to address the evil of greed and the preventable scourge of poverty.
9. Do not bear false witness — Not lying must also include a commitment to seeking the truth. Too many religious people refuse to examine and weigh evidence regarding their beliefs, which is the worst form of lying — lying to yourself. Verdict: I reject this commandment as failing to encourage free thought and the use of reason.
10. Do not covet anything that is your neighbor's — Loving your neighbor must mean more than resisting jealousy. Loving your neighbor means that I am willing to sacrifice for my neighbor, that I am willing to love my neighbor even if he does not reciprocate that love, and that I am willing to defend the rights of that neighbor regardless of our differences. Verdict: I reject this commandment for failing to address the greater important message of compassion and our ministry to each other.
The ten commandments — as well as every other list of rules suggested by other world religions — have played a part in the development of human society. But, these ancient lists bear little significance to modern society. And their posting in public places, which brings with it an implicit endorsement by the state, is inconsistent with our commitment to the free exercise of religion.
I applaud you if you live by the ten commandments, or the five pillars of Islam, or the analects of Confucius, or the noble truths of Buddhism, and have crafted your personal moral code from these teachings. Unitarian Universalists make all of these codes, and more, available in our churches and fellowships. We educate our children about all religious traditions and in the critical thinking skills needed to craft their own principles. But religious texts should only be made available in public academic settings if they are going to be open to the same free inquiry and analysis as other writings, and not as inherently representative of the beliefs of all Americans.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
