The Government We Get

If you look up to the tabs at the top of this blog page, you will see one titled, "Journalistic Poetry." I began writing those poems in January of 2016, in response to the new administration in the White House. There are currently 21 poems in that collection, most written during the first 100 days of the current administration. The following poem was first posted in September of 2017. ~ CK

Fas-cism: a political system based on a very powerful leader, state control of social and economic life, and extreme pride in country and race, with no expression of political disagreement allowed.  (Cambridge Dictionary)

The Government We Get

This is how the dread begins –

                    too easily.     

Fascism is too easily

Spoken.

The word itself

Suddenly stops

                   all examination

And hinders

                 possibilities.

It makes us think

                   in graphic images –

Lets us picture the other

As mindless oppressors

                   whose foreign tongue

And jack boot heels

Set perimeters of conformity –

And the other

                    is always the other.    

Fascism is too easily

Held

In times of hate

When the world becomes

                 afraid and uncertain.

It has been

Our default mode

Of governing

Ourselves – as if

                   we would be governed.

What harm is it

                   to want to be

With people who look like us?

Where we can speak with ease

                   and without care?   

We gravitate toward a system

                   that helps us

Not think

Not struggle

                   when times are hard.

We then hand it over

                   to those in charge

To set the perimeters of conformity. 

Just let me have

                    my own couch

And kitchen table –

And people like me.

It all seems natural

And normal.

Therein lies the problem.

This is how the dread begins.

                                              

                                                  ~ CK 

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Another Look at Faith and Politics

The following essay was first posted on November 8, 2012. It was titled, "My Best Wishes to the Republican Party," and it was an appeal for the party to return to its roots that had served our country well. We had a balance in the "point-counterpoint" between the Democratic and Republican perspectives. At the time, I saw increased levels of fear and hate in our public discourse with the advent of the Tea Party and the Republican's catering to their movement. At the time, I understood the fear and hate in our national dialogue to be a hindrance to our ability to come to a consensus in matters that are important for community and national life.

I stated at the time, "The next couple of years may reveal whether the Republicans will do some soul searching or simply redouble their strident and provincial efforts." As we have seen with the Presidential election last November and the continued support of Roy Moore in my home state of Alabama, the Republicans have indeed doubled down in their appeal to fear and hate along with the promotion of white supremacist views.

The Alabama senate race between Democrat Doug Jones and Republican Roy Moore is at the moment a statistical dead heat. Whoever wins the special election next Tuesday will depend upon who turns out to vote. In my 2012 essay below, I expressed dismay over both the faith and the politics that were at the forefront. Today my dismay is only increased when I see how professed people of faith can simply disregard their own values in their efforts to win a political victory. In the case of Roy Moore, even before any of his interests in teenage girls surfaced, he was not fit for the senate based upon his record as a judge, his white supremacist views, and his misunderstanding of church and state.

Here is that essay from 2012. You can judge for yourself how well it still applies to our current state of affairs.

My Best Wishes to the Republican Party

I did a blog post a while back, How the Republicans Could Win by Losing. The point of that essay was that the Republican Party has changed over the past 30 years by increasingly catering to the radical right wing and that a loss in the presidential election might cause the party to steer back to what it used to stand for.  The next couple of years may reveal whether the Republicans will do some soul searching or simply redouble their strident and provincial efforts.

We have seen the Republican Party veer from its staid roots of business and enterprise to embrace the religious right and oust some of its most solid members. Long time Republican senator Richard Lugar of Indiana was rejected during this election cycle by his party in favor of a Tea Party radical as was Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania back in 2010.  In Indiana’s case, that senate seat will now go to a Democrat.  The radical right-wing element of the Republican party has made it clear to long-respected  moderate Republicans that they are no longer welcome.

It is Time for a Divorce

The union between Christian evangelicals and the Republican Party has not been good for either.  I grew up a Southern Baptist and have friendships with evangelical Christians that have continued to this day.  I chose to leave the Baptists but continue to claim my Christian heritage.

Increased levels of Hate and Fear

The marked change that I have noticed among evangelicals that is most distressing to me is the level of hate and fear that I see coming from them. There was a time when conservative Christians tried to be a light to the world wherever they happened to be.  When the Republicans co-opted the “Religious Right” and snagged them into the political system, many of those Christians, so it seems, became so identified with the political party that they lost the heart of their own faith-identity. Instead of seeking to preach the love of Christ, the Religious Right began to see political opponents as enemies. Never mind what Jesus said about loving one’s enemies, the Religious Right began to see their true mission to be a political cause that would seek to vilify and remove anyone with different views.  I have been appalled by the levels of fear and hate projected throughout the social media on the part of my religious friends, many of whom I have known since their younger days when they had better judgment.  

Unsavory Appeals to Matters of Faith

If right-wing politics has distorted the faith of conservative Christians, religion has been just as bad for the Republican Party. I can remember when Democrat Jimmy Carter was running for president and spoke freely of his Baptist faith as a born-again Christian. Gerald Ford was his Republican opponent and his Episcopal tradition did not quite know how to respond to such born-again talk. Since those days, the Republicans have capitalized on the sentiments of born-again Christians. They have expanded on Richard Nixon’s Southern Strategy to bring the Southern white voters into their fold, and the evangelicals were just one element of that strategy.  By convincing Southerners that their party was the place where traditional values were honored, white evangelical Christians came in by the thousands, first as “Reagan Democrats,” then as registered Republicans as the Southern states shifted from Democrat to Republican. 

Today, politicians freely appeal to the religious values of voters with buzz words like “right to life,” and “family values” while instilling fear that Democrats would take away our religious freedom if given the chance to serve in public office.  The result has been that many conservative Christians have bought a political package with an agenda of selfish exclusion and myopic hate. It is time for Christians to look to the rock from which they were hewn and it is time for Republicans to return to the examples of their more staid and responsible leaders of the past.

Regroup and Retool

My point is that I have seen better examples of faith and better examples of political action than has been exhibited by the Religious Right and the Republican Party over the past few years. The presidential election this year [in 2012 when this essay first appeared] has demonstrated that a significant number of Americans are rejecting the fear, hate, and exclusion demonstrated by the new Republican Party. I hope that this means that we as a country have made a turn. I hope that we can continue to put racism, enmity and division behind us and begin to work together to build a country that works better for the common good.

Unfortunately, the election result also shows us that a significant number of Americans are fine with racism, enmity, division, and provincialism. There are still a lot of people who will vote to cede power to wealthy corporations and think that they are securing their own liberty. There was not a “landslide” political win.  My hope is that we will begin to see a more reasonable Republican Party that does not kowtow to the radical right. I would love to see responsible Republican opponents who respect science and education.  We need a healthy two-party system, not one of gridlock and bitterness.

Whether the Republican Party will rethink its options or redouble its narrow efforts is yet to be seen.  Nevertheless, my hope is that in our current struggle we can rise to our better angels (to borrow a phrase from another Republican: Abraham Lincoln). My best wishes go to the Republican Party. I hope that they can return to the political arena with a healthier message and a true concern for the country that is not clouded by fear and hate.     

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Grace in a Time of Hate

A side street view of Grace Episcopal Church

Some of us have been distressed by the season of hate that seems to have taken hold in the U.S. Earlier this month, the presence of white supremacy groups marching on Charlottesville to protest the town’s decision to move a statue of Robert E. Lee was disturbing to many. As a Southerner who seeks to live a Christian life, I was particularly distressed to see how so many white Christians could not bring themselves to denounce white supremacists and the hate speech they promote. Southern Evangelicals have been especially shameful, in my opinion, in refusing to call out white supremacy, and refusing to hold a president accountable for his blatant disregard for moral values and democratic ideals. 

The torches, the swastikas, the chants of "Blood and Soil," and "Jews will not replace us" were so out of place for the America I thought we should be living in by now. At the same time, so few white Christians were willing to speak out; so many conservative politicians stood silent, offering no opposition to the words and actions of hate.

Southern Confession

I will tell you a secret. I am “southern born and southern bred,” having grown up in Alabama. We have a state rich in natural beauty, but also steeped in racial prejudice. Here is my secret: I have been assuming all of my adult life that the rest of the country would help my state redeem itself. When I saw the success of the civil rights movement along with the advances made in the U.S. to bring about equity and justice, I thought that my home state would eventually realize its errors. I thought we would have to mend our ways as we came to realize the responsibility that comes with being part of “one nation, under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.”

I thought a just nation would bring my state in line so that humanity would flower and prejudice would subside. As I have looked out at our country over the past several months, I fear that Alabama has had more of an influence on the rest of the nation than the nation has had on Alabama. The fear, hatred, prejudice and violence that I thought would subside in my state, have instead spread across the country.  We seem to have dispensed with the guardrails of common decency in our public discourse.


Is This the New Normal?

So now you see why recent events have been demoralizing for me.

I know that not everyone is turning a blind eye to white supremacy and hatred. I know that last November a little over half the country voted against a right-wing demagogue. I know that many people at the time found his bigotry and sexism beyond the pale. Yet the fear is that this “beyond the pale” bigotry is in danger of becoming the new normal. Some days, it can all seem overwhelming.

By the end of last week, I felt the need to spend some time in prayer in light of what I saw as the state of our nation. Though I have my own faith community, I have also visited other churches in town. Having been to Grace Episcopal Church on a number of occasions, I felt that this would be the most beneficial church for me to visit. I knew that because of the prayers they pray, the music they sing, and the work they do on the city streets, this would likely be the place for me to find some respite in light of distressing national news. I hoped that it would be a place for me to settle my mind and spirit; a place to pray and contemplate; a place to hear a word of hope and encouragement.

Grace Notes

On Sunday morning, I headed over to Grace Church. I was not disappointed. The Anglo-Catholic liturgy, music, and prayers provided the space to settle. The homily, delivered by the Rev. Robyn Arnold, gave acknowledgement to the political distress that I felt. She stated as she began her Sunday message that her parishioners understood that she seldom spoke politically from the pulpit. Nevertheless, she felt the need to address the events of the past week. Because she spoke from the heart to the heart, I found her message to be more pastoral than political. 

I left with an encouragement that I can carry on and perhaps even do this hard thing that may be called for in the days ahead. Moreover, I was reminded that we can be faithful witnesses even in the small things we do right where we are and that can make a real difference.

I jotted down a few sermon notes on the service leaflet. In the margin beside the parish prayer requests there was enough space to write . Here is what I walked away with from the homily:

 
Remember who you are.  You are created by God and made in God's image.

Realize that anger  leads to hate and that hate will eat you up on the inside. It is possible to “be angry and sin not,” so take care not to let hate take control.

In the Gospel reading for the day, Jesus said that “it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles." (Matthew 15:11)

Bishop Desmond Tutu said, “Do your little bit of good where you are; it's those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.”

We must remember that God is love and therefore trust in God’s love.

We must respond to hatred and injustice, but that response will differ with different people: some will respond publicly to oppose injustice, hate, and greed; others will respond more quietly to do small things in love right where they are.

We are to be Christ in the world at every opportunity.

We are called to show the peace of Christ in our words and in the work of our hands.

Benediction

The other thing I like about attending Grace Episcopal Church is that as I drive back home, I can listen to “A Writer’s Almanac” on NPR. I get to hear Garrison Keillor tell about literary milestones for this day in history and then share a poem. On this day, the words he always closes with were a particularly appropriate benediction:

“Be well, do good work, and keep in touch.”

And then the road home, to carry on tomorrow.

_________________________

Photo taken from the website for Grace Episcopal Church


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Spirituality is Relational

My orientation, and my bias, is toward spiritual practice and ecumenical dialogue. This week has been a roller coaster ride in seeing the good and the bad. In all of it it I was reminded that any meaningful and authentic life is one lived in relationship with others and that any spirituality will likewise be relational. 

Here are the three "events" for me over the past week.  

I.                 Reporting a Culture of Abuse

On Monday, I read more about the pedophilia scandal in the Catholic Church. You have probably heard of the film, Spotlight, "The true story of how the Boston Globe uncovered the massive scandal of child molestation and cover-up within the local Catholic Archdiocese, shaking the entire Catholic Church to its core." I have heard good things about the movie, though I haven't seen it yet. Our local diocesan newspaper, One Voice, which is rather conservative, ran an article about the film. The title of the article was, “Spotlight is not anti-Catholic, Vatican newspaper says.”  On the same page they ran another news item about yet more sexual abuse at a Catholic school in Pennsylvania. Both articles were from the Catholic News Service.

 The article about Spotlight observed:

"it is now clear that too many in the church were more worried about the image of the institution than the seriousness of the act."

"All of this cannot justify the very grave crime of one, who as a representative of God, uses this prestige and authority to take advantage of the innocent," the article said.

The film, in fact, shows the kind of devastation wrought on victims when "they don't even have a God to plead with anymore, to ask for help," it said.

The second article related to a case in Altoona, Pennsylvania, “Report:Priests abused hundreds of kids in Altoona-Johnstown Diocese.” The opening lines reported:

Hundreds of children were sexually abused over at least 40 years by priests and other religious leaders in the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown, a statewide grand jury found.

At least 50 priests or religious leaders were involved in the abuse and diocesan leaders systematically concealed the abuse to protect the church's image, according to a grand jury report released March 1 by Attorney General Kathleen G. Kane.

Even after at least 15 years of increasing awareness of the scandal, as a Catholic convert, I find it shocking and incredible that what I can only call "a culture of abuse" has existed within the church. Even with the distressing news of new allegations in Pennsylvania, I see it as a sign of hope that it is being reported rather than ignored in our diocesan paper. A tenuous hope, some may say, but I must also acknowledge the positive aspects of our community of faith. At least more of our society is aware of the problem which hopefully will lead to better protection of our children. (To read a poem I wrote on the subject in 2002, “Slowly God Arises,” go here)

II.             Responding to A Culture of Hate

Being Muslim in Alabama panel discussion
(Photo from Over the Mountain Democrats Facebook page)

On Wednesday night of last week I went to a forum at the Vestavia Library, "Being Muslim in Alabama." The event was billed as “a discussion with Mark Potok, Senior Fellow at the Southern Poverty Law Center; Khaula Hadeed, Executive Director of the Alabama Chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations; Ashfaq Taufique, President of the Birmingham Islamic Society. Today's polarized political climate calls for reasonable dialog and sincere effort from each of us to better understand the rich, varied fabric of American society and all the members of  the U.S. culture that never stands still. Come learn more about Alabamian Islamic relations and ways we can better understand one another as we work to make a better community for us all.”

Potok shared some statistics involving hate crime and hate speech. He pointed out that following 9/11, hate crimes actually went down until 2010 when specifically anti-Muslim groups began to appear. In 2014, other hate crimes went down while anti-Muslim hate crimes went up. We began to see ginned up issues and conspiracy theories geared toward inciting fear and hate.

Khaula Hadeed and Ashfaq Taufique shared a bit of what it is like being Muslim and living in Alabama. We heard some informative discussion, yet with the polarization and the reactionary political environment we are witnessing today, solutions are not easy. One of the most salient bits of advice offered was that we should simply get to know someone of the Islamic faith. “Have a meal with them,” Mr. Taufique said. “It is difficult to hate someone you have shared a meal with.” He added that he gives this same advice to people in the Islamic community regarding getting acquainted with others. “It will not diminish your faith,” he tells his colleagues, “to get to know your non-Islamic neighbors.”

The most encouraging thing for me was not in any answers (there are no easy or simple ones), but the encouraging thing was that the auditorium was filled to capacity with citizens who are concerned about making a difference.

III.         Mindfulness in Our Spiritual Practice

(Photo from Jim Burklo's website)

On Friday morning I read Jim Burklo's blog on “Prayer and Mindfulness” which highlights the relational aspect of spiritual practice in terms of self and others as well as self and Other (i.e. “God”).  

In my own experience, the best thing I can do for my friends is to listen to them.  If I’m doing too much of the talking, then I’m not adequately listening.  And when I listen, I do best if I really listen: just be present in silence and give my friend my full, compassionate, truly interested attention. . .  Mindful prayer is being God’s friend, and letting God be a friend to us:  simply being, attentively, with each other’s’ being.

Spiritual practice is indeed an endeavor that involves listening, waiting, and paying attention. With all of the reminders this week of betrayal of trust in the church and words of hate in the public square, it was good to be reminded of the need to push the personal “reset button” by spending time in meditation and to practice mindful prayer.

Jim Burklo's blog, Musings, is on the Progressive Christianity website and can be found at  http://tcpc.blogs.com/musings/.

There you have my Monday - Wednesday - Friday summary of the week past. Now on to the week ahead.

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You may also be interested in reading the following posts:

• Spirit Work, Soul Work
• Western Zen
• Trending Up or Moving Backward?

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