I have a request.
I would like this site to be a place where people of different minds can come to be challenged and respected at the same time. I would like us to model respectful disagreement.
Now, obviously, I am liberal. And I’m not against sites where liberals or conservatives can come together with others who feel the same way and blow off some steam. But, I would like this to be a place where we can speak passionately from our hearts and still see those who disagree with us as human beings worthy of respect.
I think the balance we need is to be tough with ideas, and gentle with each other. If any of us take pot shots at people from another group, it will feel like all of us are laughing at all of them. At the same time, if we don’t stand up for our beliefs we have failed in our duty to teach. So we need critical analysis of actions and words of certain groups, and hospitality toward the people from those groups. To criticize a conservative or liberal position can be helpful, but to ridicule conservatives or liberals isn’t.
We cannot change the world if we only speak to people like ourselves. I started my blog with a hope of sharing ideas not usually covered by the mainstream media. I obviously have very strong opinions I want to share, but the blog has grown into a community that includes conservatives who disagree with what I am saying, but come every day to be challenged. They are honored guests here. I wince when I see my liberal mates ridiculing them.
All of us will slip sometimes and say things that are unfair, but think what a wonderful gift we will give the world if our conversation models how intelligent people can reach across the divide and discuss together how to make this a better world.
I agree with everything you said in this blog but here my good friend is the dilemma. Only a short time ago a Republican state legislator posted a call for the execution of gay folke and refuses to apologize for it. Paul Ryan was head by a number of people making jokes about a 71year old man being slammed to the floor by the police becuase he dared to disagree with the Congressman. The Republican Speaker of the Iowa House prayed for the death of the President and his family from the Speaker’s podium. Women legislators who dare to question defunding of Planned Parenthood were called “whores” and told to “shut up!” by the President Pro Tim of a state legislature! Forgive me but I cannot be “civil” in the face of this kind of evil and pretend that it is only ideological differences that separate us. I am by no means Jesus but he certainly was not “civil” to the Pharisee and Scribes nor was he apologetic for his words. So what do you do? Just be very polite to these people and hope that they will see the Light? That was tried in Germany and we all know what happened there!
Bishop,
Thank you so much for sending this. Would you mind sending this to my facebook page so everyone can see it? I think that is a wonderful question for exploring this issue. I try to cut and past the conversation back to the blog.
Jim
Polite and civil are not the same things. I’m always fascinated anytime someone throws around Nazi Germany as a reason to do or not do something. Particularly in this case since “Obama is a nazi” is one of the favorite cries of people whose minds I most wish would change.
The Holocaust is a handy hammer to swing because it got so much press. But let’s look at a genocide where the numbers were maybe not as staggering but the oppression was longer-lived and far more pervasive: British rule of India.
A short lawyer who watched the oppression of non-whites in South Africa chose to learn from that system and the approach he derived was to fight anger with civility. Not courtesy, or passivity; civility.
And we all know what happened there.
The distinction between polite and civil is a good one. Perhaps a useful question is, “Is what I’m doing or saying dehumanizing?” That may seem to be a low bar but the behavior described by Bishop Gentry is dehumanizing – it denies the basic personhood of the people attacked. Regardless of the extent to which we disagree with someone, I don’t believe we can call ourselves Christian if our response is dehumanizing. Another question, especially given Jim’s initial comments, might be “Does what I’m saying or doing encourage or discourage the free flow of ideas, or shut it down?”
Joanne, Wonderful insights. Thank you.
Hi Jim,
This stuff has been rattling around in my head for some time now, and I finally got it together today. I couldn’t seem to just cut and paste it onto the Facebook page last time I tried with something, and that may be just as well. I really don’t know if it’s too inflammatory. I state very strong opinions as if they were patently fact …….
I can trust you to connect all the dots and read between the lines!
“The Religious Right and Ayn Rand’s Resurrected Libertarianism”
Let me begin by saying that these days I’m struggling mightily with uncharitable thoughts, but hope to work through them and find peace.
The times are full of frightening events: social unrest here in the US and around the world, the collapse of the old order in some places, the global economy tottering, wars, famine, and the looming specter of global warming, which promises to exacerbate every other ill. We have many reasons to fear. I’ve often said, “A human being is a certain kind of a thing,” meaning that there’s something we humans share – a fundamental general shape and content of psyche. We all have the same hopes and fears, at a basic and sometimes unconscious level. These assorted elements of the psyche can be found within by any of us, if we apply ourselves to a critical self-searching, and if we are dedicated to finding out all of what’s in there.
The late Ayn Rand is apparently the “philosopher” darling of The Tea Party. However, her brand of Libertarianism is the polar antithesis of the teachings of Jesus, and this presents a certain problem to the current right wing coalition. This in itself helps explain the zeal with which the right wing clings to its ideologies. People generally don’t like feeling afraid. Being efficiently, even callously businesslike or righteously angry may seem to feel a lot better in the moment. One craves a sensation of power and control. A big part of fear is the feeling of powerlessness, and the realization of one’s vulnerability, given the awful scale of the Universe. But the fear can’t be banished by tinkering with power structures; it’s just thinly papered over.
Free Market Libertarianism and the Religious Right represent elitism, economic on the one hand, theological on the other. Membership in either the dominant, wealthiest economic class or the Dominant Religion are badges of both authority and success. For those interested in staving off fear by exercise of power and control, perhaps the combining of these two elements makes eminent sense. But how much control will be enough?
The psyche is also chock full of little snippets from our years of schooling, and the ruling caste went to school too. There may be nothing so chilling to an economic elitist as the dim memory of the tales of The French Revolution, and the image of the guillotine. And the world has given us a number of other examples of what happens to an oppressive ruling class when the masses rise up and exact vengeance. One can say, “Well that could never happen in modern-day America.” But we’re talking here about the obscure depths of the psyche, where the more primitive fear looms the larger. Clearly the French aristocracy hadn’t sufficient control over the masses.
The Religious Right, which loves to quote scripture, brings to mind the “scribes and pharisees” of Jesus’ day. According to The Book, Jesus was unequivocal in his pronouncements. Those who quoted the letter of the law, but who despised the poor, were hypocrites; they had become a generation of vipers. Those who called Jesus their Lord, but didn’t bother to care for the sick, the hungry – they were going to The Fire. Now these are not the verses the Religious Right make use of in their political machinations, but they’ve read them somewhere back in time. Those verses are in that boiling mix in the psyche.
I decided years ago that it was foolish to think one could know what someone else believed. People are not always strictly honest, after all. And it’s also true that sometimes one will hope to believe something, or think one ought to. I decided it’s all too confusing; you just have to go by what people do. By looking into the fears in my own soul, I can know a couple of things. A ruthless free market Libertarian capitalist does indeed have more to fear from the masses than I do. The more success they’ve had, the greater the fear. And a partisan of the Religious Right who claims a certain holiness of class, but spouts scripture mostly to oppress various minorities and set himself above, has a good deal more reason to fear hellfire than I do. Whatever he claims to believe, those flames are there in his psyche too. For one who wraps himself up in both of these conundrums at once ………..
It seems to require either arrant cynicism or a genuine schizophrenic twist. But in any case, in their hidden hearts these folks must be way more frightened than I am. No amount of external control can ever be enough, but one can see why they’re moved to try. I suppose it’s no wonder that they’re so good at striking those chords of fear in us all. It’s just that it’s beginning to look like a panic, and when the ship of state (or the planet, for that matter) gets into heavy weather, you really don’t want the most frightened people running it. Anyway, I’m trying to find compassion for that fear, even though I know it may well end up putting us on the rocks.
I have struggled with this over the past year or so, simply because of Facebook. I have several acquaintances from Jr. High and High School who are evangelical Christians and/or Tea Party types. We often “cross swords” as far as the verbal sparing goes. Sometimes I’ve felt that just reading the bigoted and stereotypical prejudiced opinions of these friends has been a negative thing in my life. Why am I subjecting myself to these people who depress me with the knowledge that they REALLY THINK THIS WAY! But I have talked to these friends and let them know that the reason I can keep the dialog open is because they don’t become abusive with me. Name calling and disrespect is not something I can personally tolerate and still call someone a friend. We have come to a place where we can discuss. Some days are better than others for me. But I have to ask myself: if I only surround myself with people who agree with me, how will I ever make a difference? I do think it’s possible that I can make a difference. I have to. We ALL matter. Sometimes our presence and acceptance of others regardless of how alike or not we are, is a testament to tolerance. Living by example is sometimes the only thing there is to offer – when words fail. These friends who try my patience and inspire me to do deep breathing exercises…. I love them. They ARE good people. If someone was in need (in front of them), they would give the shirt off their back. I’ve seen it. And I don’t understand how they can behave in such a giving way and yet spew some of the rhetoric they do. So I’m banking on that good part. And hopefully I’m speaking to our common ground, when I have the energy to counter. Some of my liberal friends have asked me how I can associate with “those people”. I just say that they listen to me when they can, and I listen to them when I can…. and at present, that seems like something good to me. I often ask, “what makes you think you are better than ….” and then I look at my friend and I look in the mirror.
I watched “To Kill a Mockingbird” yesterday. My sister said a student of hers had a t-shirt that said “What Would Atticus do?” Atticus Finch inferred truth where it could not be directly said…. but it was heard. It was. I do appreciate and know the value of those who have the strength to shout their truth from the rooftops. And sometimes I feel that. But sometimes, I see the value of softly speaking, and having an ear lean in… and question… what is she saying?
Jennifer,
Those are important insights. Listening to hateful words is like sucking poison from a snake bite. The work takes it’s toll and we have to do a lot of self care and realize when we just need to take a rest from it. Not putting up with abuse is part of your gift to those lost in anger and fear. Thanks, that’s a lot to think about.
Jim