Most of the ideas that we think of as "Rights" are political. That means that they have been established by a consensus of the society we live in. When we* designed those "Rights", we had specific purposes in mind.
One simple example is the "Freedom of Religion". Our recent ancestors had endured a series of religious wars from 1518 through 1651. The experience of lethal intrusions of politics into religion and religion into politics was enough to convince reasonable men to insulate each from the other.
The recent experience in the health care arena, where we began an approach to universal health financing (the ACA), followed by the concerted efforts to prevent universal coverage, has led many to insist that there is or should be a "Right" to healthcare. This will only come about if it can be shown that there is a good REASON for the RIGHT.
Another compelling argument for the view of "Rights" as a political decision is the recent uproar over the "Freedom of Speech" as applied to Nazis, to the KKK, and to white supremacists in general. We* have determined through many years of experience that government and government-affiliated bodies must not restrict the voicing of points of view, regardless of how repugnant they may be. It is only when "voicing" crosses the line into "incitement" or malice (falsely shouting "fire" in a crowded theater), that the authority of our society needs to step in.
Now, how does this apply to individual citizens or crowds? It doesn't. Anne Coulter complaining that her "freedom of speech" is violated when a notoriously left-wing group of students won't listen politely to her extreme right-wing provocations is silly. She has a nation-wide bullhorn through her books and through right-wing media to spread her point of view much further than any crowd of college students could ever hope for. The Nazis who canceled their march in Boston because their views weren't going to be shown the proper courtesy? Instead of condemning the people there for failure to show reverence toward "freedom of speech", let's applaud the good people of Boston for showing their decency and resisting actual evil.
Our democratic republic has been formed through two centuries of elections, legislation, court rulings, and the constantly reported history of them. Neither liberalism nor conservatism formed us. We have melded the two over the centuries to develop both the rights and responsibilities that are needed for a functioning society. We* are not finished; we may never be finished. As long as we keep the needs and desires of ALL Americans as the center of our ideals, we will be a better nation tomorrow than we were yesterday. Whether you are a liberal or a conservative, that should be your aim as a citizen.
Like every other aspect of our society's authority structures (AKA "Government"), our "Rights" need to be molded over time with a liberal view to the future and a conservative respect for the past.
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* "We": Throughout this article, the plural pronoun refers to the same collective as it does in the Preamble to the Constitution of the United States of America. (i.e. "We, the people of the United States".)
Saturday, August 26, 2017
Friday, August 11, 2017
"Christian Nation" is a Contradiction in Terms.
The claims that the United States is a Christian nation (or that it should be), come from people with many shades of opinion about the definition of the word "Christian". There is also no consistency in the practical characteristics of this "Christian Nation". A deeper understanding of all of these words and ideas can teach us that a "Christian Nation" is an impossibility, either in America or anywhere else, either today or at any other time in history.
Christianity is the religion that formed over the first 300 years following the life and death of Jesus of Nazareth. It did not form in a vacuum. Jesus was an observant Jew with deep knowledge of the scriptures and history of his people. His understanding of the relationship between God and creation (including humanity) began with the stories of creation (Adam and Eve, Noah, Babel, etc) and reached a major turning point with Abraham. God's call of Abraham was specifically intended to make his descendants into a nation that would bless all nations of the world. Before Abraham, the primary purpose of any tribe was the survival of the tribe itself. This often required the killing of those who were from other tribes. The "Abraham" idea of a tribe that would be a blessing to other tribes was a revolutionary fork in the road for the history of humanity. The history of the people of Israel (the descendants of Abraham) through the slavery in Egypt, the rise and fall of kingdoms, the exile in Babylon, and the restoration of Judea, led to the next major turning point in the human understanding of God: the mission of Jesus.
Over the centuries between Abraham and Jesus, God's plan for "blessing all the nations" had become lost. The chosenness of the "Chosen People" had become a jealously held possession of the Jews. Although much of Jesus' ministry happened within this closed culture, there were many times and places where he broke out of it. In the stories of the Samaritan woman at the well, the Syro-Phoenician woman, and the ten lepers, the culture of isolation did not prevent Jesus from teaching and healing. Even his most famous parable, "The Good Samaritan", has a despised foreigner as its central character. (A more accurate modern translation of the parable would call this "The Good Illegal Alien").
As Jewish disciples of Jesus spread out into the world in order to escape persecution by Jewish religious leaders, they quickly came upon a major cultural contradiction. This "Jesus Movement" that they were preaching was dramatically attractive to non-Jews. The leaders of the disciples (now, "Apostles") came to recognize just how universal the Gospel is. Led by the most deeply Jewish of the early members of their fellowship (Saul of Tarsus, a.k.a Paul), the "Good News of the Kingdom of Heaven" was opened up to "all nations".
Now we are getting to the point of this. The Christian religion as it was intended from the first centuries does not recognize the boundaries of nations.It does not allow the division of people by any human standard, whether cultural, racial, economic, or political. As the current debates in the United States over immigration policy have shown, a nation must define itself through citizenship and boundaries. Unless it can control its borders, it cannot truly be a "nation". From the other direction, no assembly that calls itself "Christian" can ever allow borders. Not only are all those who "call on the name of Jesus" members of the fellowship, but those who are NOT members are the ones Christians are called to minister to.
Being a citizen of the United States and being a follower of the Jesus Movement (Christianity) are two very separate and distinct memberships.
Christianity is the religion that formed over the first 300 years following the life and death of Jesus of Nazareth. It did not form in a vacuum. Jesus was an observant Jew with deep knowledge of the scriptures and history of his people. His understanding of the relationship between God and creation (including humanity) began with the stories of creation (Adam and Eve, Noah, Babel, etc) and reached a major turning point with Abraham. God's call of Abraham was specifically intended to make his descendants into a nation that would bless all nations of the world. Before Abraham, the primary purpose of any tribe was the survival of the tribe itself. This often required the killing of those who were from other tribes. The "Abraham" idea of a tribe that would be a blessing to other tribes was a revolutionary fork in the road for the history of humanity. The history of the people of Israel (the descendants of Abraham) through the slavery in Egypt, the rise and fall of kingdoms, the exile in Babylon, and the restoration of Judea, led to the next major turning point in the human understanding of God: the mission of Jesus.
Over the centuries between Abraham and Jesus, God's plan for "blessing all the nations" had become lost. The chosenness of the "Chosen People" had become a jealously held possession of the Jews. Although much of Jesus' ministry happened within this closed culture, there were many times and places where he broke out of it. In the stories of the Samaritan woman at the well, the Syro-Phoenician woman, and the ten lepers, the culture of isolation did not prevent Jesus from teaching and healing. Even his most famous parable, "The Good Samaritan", has a despised foreigner as its central character. (A more accurate modern translation of the parable would call this "The Good Illegal Alien").
As Jewish disciples of Jesus spread out into the world in order to escape persecution by Jewish religious leaders, they quickly came upon a major cultural contradiction. This "Jesus Movement" that they were preaching was dramatically attractive to non-Jews. The leaders of the disciples (now, "Apostles") came to recognize just how universal the Gospel is. Led by the most deeply Jewish of the early members of their fellowship (Saul of Tarsus, a.k.a Paul), the "Good News of the Kingdom of Heaven" was opened up to "all nations".
Now we are getting to the point of this. The Christian religion as it was intended from the first centuries does not recognize the boundaries of nations.It does not allow the division of people by any human standard, whether cultural, racial, economic, or political. As the current debates in the United States over immigration policy have shown, a nation must define itself through citizenship and boundaries. Unless it can control its borders, it cannot truly be a "nation". From the other direction, no assembly that calls itself "Christian" can ever allow borders. Not only are all those who "call on the name of Jesus" members of the fellowship, but those who are NOT members are the ones Christians are called to minister to.
Being a citizen of the United States and being a follower of the Jesus Movement (Christianity) are two very separate and distinct memberships.
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