Rally for Secular Government: Importance of Diversity Across Systems
Alabama Rally for Secular Government
May 3, 2014
I am an ordained minister who believes in the separation of church and state. This is not to say that I believe that there is no place for religion in government or politics. This is only so far as the religious traditions across the diaspora call us to be ethical, compassionate, and connected. Our politicians need to be grounded in ethical understanding, compassionate towards the other, and connected to their world and the people they serve. That said, that means they need to be able to communicate within the religious, philosophical, and ontological views of the people the serve- ALL OF THE PEOPLE THEY SERVE.
I am a Unitarian Universalist. As a minister of my tradition, I must share with you that I do not speak on behalf of the congregation that I serve. Today, I speak as a representative of my religion and my own views. However, we believe in the “independent search for truth and meaning” and we believe in letting individual churches make up their own mind about what to believe and think. Our churches house Christians, Buddhists, humanists, atheists, Jewish people, earth-centered religionists, and much more. We believe that it is in the unity of our diversity that we learn and grow- that religious and philosophical diversity in community and communication helps us to imagine a future transformed by our care and thought. We respect the diversity of views within our community because we recognize that that rich tapestry enriches us all.
In addition, Unitarians before us such as John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and deist Thomas Jefferson taught us, we believe in the democratic process. I grow weary of politicians and clergy who look to the past and say- “well that is what the forefathers intended.” The white men who founded this country did the best they could with the knowledge they had. They were revolutionaries. The dared to think outside the box. Many of them were well read in Hinduism and Buddhism. They were not monolithic Christians speaking only for their side of things and they were not perfect. The words were not “to form a perfect union.” The words were to form a MORE perfect union. They recognized, through the humility taught to them by their Unitarian puritan heritage, that there was always room for improvement.
We are here to recognize that there is MUCH more work to do. However, for the democratic process to work we need to be mindful of all voices and perspectives. That diversity ensures our survival. We have learned from the natural world that biological diversity helps us adapt to a changing world. We need biological diversity, philosophical diversity, political diversity, and more. When we fail to be compassionate of one another’s views, we fail to recognize the important information that comes from that diversity.
I am neither a fan of Bill O’Reilley or Bill Mahr for the simple reason that the way they present their views are in the form of conversation stoppers. We cannot be in the business of stopping conversations. We need to be in the business of deeply listening and hearing one another. As a society, we are TERRIBLE at this. We do not teach listening skills to our children and youth. We do not model it well ourselves most of the time. Yet, for compassion, acceptance, and understanding to be possible, we need to be able to listen deeply. Not to what WE think the other person is saying, but to what they are actually saying. If our politicians are so focused on defending their religious point of view, how can they hear the diverse voices of the people they serve? If the people here gathered are so focused on our point of view and perspective, how can we hear the diverse voices of the people who serve us?
As a natural humanist who does not believe in God, per se, I believe reason combined with deep interconnection are key to living an ethical life. As Rev. William R. Murray writes, “Humanistic religious naturalism promotes an ethical life in which one thinks and acts from a larger perspective than one’s own egoistic interests, a life that affirms the worth and dignity of each person, a life filled with wonder and reverence for the extraordinary magnificence of the natural world and human creations. It includes gratitude for the gift of life itself and the capacity to enjoy it.” We need each other to survive lest we end up like Tom Hanks, stuck on an island making friends with a volleyball.
Our world is filled with enough harshness. We need compassionate listeners who are willing to be wrong and to engage in the messy world. We need people, who like Jesus, ate with the poorest and the least of these. We need people who, like Buddha, are willing to sit with the suffering of everyday people. We need people like Dorothy Day who tried new ways of being in community to help heal the world. We need people like Einstein, who transcend their sins for the betterment of all people. We need risk-takers who are willing to be imperfect and open to possibility.
There is a wonderful series on Aljazeera America called Borderland. In it, a young woman name Alison Melder, joins five other United States citizens as they learn the history and backgrounds of three immigrants who died in the Sonoran desert. Alison Melder is a Republican from Arkansas who believes strongly that, in her words, “illegal immigrants take American jobs and should be deported.” Alison is an example of someone who, through compassion, came to a deeply ethical and complex realization. Visiting the home of the place where an immigrant lived, she comments, “Rules do not understand human suffering.”
“Rules do not understand human suffering.” A thought created from engagement and reflection and an openness to listening and being with the other in their suffering. For secular government to work, it needs to be deeply engaged in the ethical struggles that face us today. Whether you attend a church, synagogue, mosque, temple, free thinker group, or keep to your own path, the simple truth is that we need people who are willing to, like Jesus, be AMONG the people- open to transformation and change- WITHOUT forcing our religious beliefs on them. Pray if that is your practice. Meditate if that is your practice. Engage in serious and reasoned thought if that is your practice. However, we risk failing as a people if we let our individual perspectives inform our government. Religious and philosophical freedom in accountable and interconnected community- that is what we need.
Francis David once said, “We need not think alike to love alike.” So, let’s get government focused on the needs of the people and accepting the religious diversity that makes this such an amazing place in the world. Let’s not think alike. Let’s not believe alike. Let us instead open our loving mind and thinking hearts to a world transformed by our care- hand in hand, day by day, breath by breath. May it be so.
I am a Unitarian Universalist. As a minister of my tradition, I must share with you that I do not speak on behalf of the congregation that I serve. Today, I speak as a representative of my religion and my own views. However, we believe in the “independent search for truth and meaning” and we believe in letting individual churches make up their own mind about what to believe and think. Our churches house Christians, Buddhists, humanists, atheists, Jewish people, earth-centered religionists, and much more. We believe that it is in the unity of our diversity that we learn and grow- that religious and philosophical diversity in community and communication helps us to imagine a future transformed by our care and thought. We respect the diversity of views within our community because we recognize that that rich tapestry enriches us all.
In addition, Unitarians before us such as John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and deist Thomas Jefferson taught us, we believe in the democratic process. I grow weary of politicians and clergy who look to the past and say- “well that is what the forefathers intended.” The white men who founded this country did the best they could with the knowledge they had. They were revolutionaries. The dared to think outside the box. Many of them were well read in Hinduism and Buddhism. They were not monolithic Christians speaking only for their side of things and they were not perfect. The words were not “to form a perfect union.” The words were to form a MORE perfect union. They recognized, through the humility taught to them by their Unitarian puritan heritage, that there was always room for improvement.
We are here to recognize that there is MUCH more work to do. However, for the democratic process to work we need to be mindful of all voices and perspectives. That diversity ensures our survival. We have learned from the natural world that biological diversity helps us adapt to a changing world. We need biological diversity, philosophical diversity, political diversity, and more. When we fail to be compassionate of one another’s views, we fail to recognize the important information that comes from that diversity.
I am neither a fan of Bill O’Reilley or Bill Mahr for the simple reason that the way they present their views are in the form of conversation stoppers. We cannot be in the business of stopping conversations. We need to be in the business of deeply listening and hearing one another. As a society, we are TERRIBLE at this. We do not teach listening skills to our children and youth. We do not model it well ourselves most of the time. Yet, for compassion, acceptance, and understanding to be possible, we need to be able to listen deeply. Not to what WE think the other person is saying, but to what they are actually saying. If our politicians are so focused on defending their religious point of view, how can they hear the diverse voices of the people they serve? If the people here gathered are so focused on our point of view and perspective, how can we hear the diverse voices of the people who serve us?
As a natural humanist who does not believe in God, per se, I believe reason combined with deep interconnection are key to living an ethical life. As Rev. William R. Murray writes, “Humanistic religious naturalism promotes an ethical life in which one thinks and acts from a larger perspective than one’s own egoistic interests, a life that affirms the worth and dignity of each person, a life filled with wonder and reverence for the extraordinary magnificence of the natural world and human creations. It includes gratitude for the gift of life itself and the capacity to enjoy it.” We need each other to survive lest we end up like Tom Hanks, stuck on an island making friends with a volleyball.
Our world is filled with enough harshness. We need compassionate listeners who are willing to be wrong and to engage in the messy world. We need people, who like Jesus, ate with the poorest and the least of these. We need people who, like Buddha, are willing to sit with the suffering of everyday people. We need people like Dorothy Day who tried new ways of being in community to help heal the world. We need people like Einstein, who transcend their sins for the betterment of all people. We need risk-takers who are willing to be imperfect and open to possibility.
There is a wonderful series on Aljazeera America called Borderland. In it, a young woman name Alison Melder, joins five other United States citizens as they learn the history and backgrounds of three immigrants who died in the Sonoran desert. Alison Melder is a Republican from Arkansas who believes strongly that, in her words, “illegal immigrants take American jobs and should be deported.” Alison is an example of someone who, through compassion, came to a deeply ethical and complex realization. Visiting the home of the place where an immigrant lived, she comments, “Rules do not understand human suffering.”
“Rules do not understand human suffering.” A thought created from engagement and reflection and an openness to listening and being with the other in their suffering. For secular government to work, it needs to be deeply engaged in the ethical struggles that face us today. Whether you attend a church, synagogue, mosque, temple, free thinker group, or keep to your own path, the simple truth is that we need people who are willing to, like Jesus, be AMONG the people- open to transformation and change- WITHOUT forcing our religious beliefs on them. Pray if that is your practice. Meditate if that is your practice. Engage in serious and reasoned thought if that is your practice. However, we risk failing as a people if we let our individual perspectives inform our government. Religious and philosophical freedom in accountable and interconnected community- that is what we need.
Francis David once said, “We need not think alike to love alike.” So, let’s get government focused on the needs of the people and accepting the religious diversity that makes this such an amazing place in the world. Let’s not think alike. Let’s not believe alike. Let us instead open our loving mind and thinking hearts to a world transformed by our care- hand in hand, day by day, breath by breath. May it be so.