Thursday, September 24, 2015

Being Persecuted



"Not only that—count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable.”
Matthew 5:11 (The Message)

Let me begin by saying two things that have nothing to do with the topic for this Musing. First, thank you for reading my Musings each week. I really feel humbled by the fact that you want to read what I have to say. And second, this Musing is a bit long so I apologies for that up front. So on to the topic at hand.

Unless you’ve been hiding or not paying attention Pope Francis is in the USA for a visit. I have come to respect this Pope as he tries to walk a fine line between the traditional doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church and his believes that we need to care for our planet and for the poor and powerless and have compassion for those caught-up in divorce and offering absolution to those who have had abortions. But I am still waiting for him to speak “ex cathedra” on these issues. That is "from the chair" of his official seat as Bishop of Rome. This phrase refers to binding and infallible papal teachings which are promulgated by the pope when he officially teaches in his capacity of the universal shepherd of the Church a doctrine on a matter of faith or morals and addresses
it to the entire world. So I am watching and waiting, liking some of what I am hearing but 
realizing that much like the US President, the Pope can say a lot of things and what he says 
carries weight but in the end others have to agree and be willing to implement what they want 
in order for real change to come.

But something he said at the White House troubles me. This is from an online CNN story:
{Pope Francis} said that it was right that society was "tolerant and inclusive" but warned that American Catholics were "concerned that efforts to build a just and wisely ordered society respect their deepest concerns and their right to religious liberty. That freedom remains one of America's most precious possessions."
What concerns me is that this sounds a lot like someone speaking about having their rights violated and could be construed to mean they are being persecuted for their beliefs. This is the language of the religious right and of many Republican candidates for President. They are seeing the recent Supreme Court decision concerning the right to marriage for all consenting adults and the Affordable Care Act requirement for funding of birth control and abortions as cases of persecution. This is the way Ms. Davis, the county clerk who refuses to issue marriage licenses to homosexual couples, describes her plight, as persecution.

I cannot keep silent about this, persecution, really? Let’s remember a few things. First off we are not a Christian, Buddhist, Jewish, Hindu, Wicca, Islamic or other religion nation. We are a civil society that does not recognize any religion as official for our nation and its people. This means everyone is free to worship and believe whatever they want. This leads me to my number two, because of our religious freedom we who are people of faith have to constantly assess situations and circumstances and decide for ourselves how we will observe, obey, ignore or violate the rules and laws of our secular society. If an elected official cannot fulfill the legal requirements of the job they have been elected to because of their faith then they are obliged to resign. It isn’t persecution to require them to do their job.

Likewise with the Affordable Care Act; corporations are not individuals and a company cannot have religious beliefs. It can be owned and operated by people who have religious beliefs but as a company these beliefs are not germane to whether or not the company complies with the law of the land. They can offer alternative plans, they can advocate for changing the law, they can protest what they are being required to do but in the end, their religious beliefs do not have any sway in whether or not a company has to comply with the law. This is not religious persecution; it is the price of religious freedom and a government that is free from religious controls.

If you want to know what persecution is read the stories about what is happening in ISIS controlled areas of the Middle East. Look at the stories from Pakistan. Talk to those who objected to war on religious grounds. Check out the history of our world and see all the times and places people have been truly persecuted for their religious beliefs (Druids and Jews in Europe, Christians under Rome, Native peoples in the US, Australia, Central and South America, peoples of Africa, etc). I do not think that an elected official who is told to do the job she was elected to do even if it violates her religious beliefs is persecution because she has options, she has other opportunities and her life isn’t at stake.

To those who think that the erosion of “Christian values” in American society and the laws that are being enacted that seem to violate these beliefs is persecution I say, “Welcome to what this nation was meant to be.” It seems that we are trying to find a way to be that civil society that is not controlled by any one religion or belief system. Christianity is not now nor has it ever been the religion of the United States of America. It has been the dominate religion and as such has held tremendous power and sway in our nation but as we become more diverse and more secular its domination is fading and being replaced by a more open, free and divergent understanding of what is right and true and just for a civil society. Just look at what the latest Pew Research polling shows:

The simple truth of the matter is that Roman Catholics, evangelical Protestants, and other Christians are not being persecuted for their beliefs. They simply are experiencing the shift of our nation from Christocentric to pluralistic and not liking that shift very much. This isn’t persecution, it’s change.

Dear God, thank you for this nation. Thank you for Pope Francis and his witness. I pray for those people everywhere who are being persecuted because of their faith. Help me to find my way faithful around this nation as we give up our past ways and search for ways forward. Amen.

Thursday, September 17, 2015

A Boy and His Clock



Listen, you idiots—learn good sense! You blockheads—shape up! - Proverbs 8:5 (The Message)

Newsflash…A boy and his clock. I could believe it when I first saw the story about Ahmed Mohamed and his clock. I mean a 14 year old boy brings a clock to school to show to his engineering teacher because he is excited about what he was able to accomplish and he is arrested? Seriously? He was brought to the principal’s office and asked if he tried to “make a bomb.” He was arrested and led through the school in handcuffs. The police and school officials describe what Ahmed carried as a “hoax bomb.” When asked by then police what it was he carried he said, “A clock.”

I understand the precautions we need to take in our schools. Too many serious, violent things have happened for us not to be hyper-cautious. I understand the English teacher being anxious. What I don’t understand is the assumption that what he had was a “hoax bomb.” If he said it was a clock and there wasn’t anything to prove it wasn’t then why did Ahmed get arrested? I mean almost anyone could look at a box of electronic elements and see if it was in fact a clock or an attempt to make something look like a bomb. Why didn’t the police believe him? Why didn’t they ask the engineering teacher to take a look at the device?  Why didn’t they have a bomb expert look it over? I would think that any of these people could have told them it was a clock and not a “hoax bomb.”

I give thumbs up to President Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Education Secretary Arne Duncan and many others who have reached out to Ahmed and told him to “stay curious and keep building” or something similar. I agree with them that we need to encourage curiosity and scientific exploration. I support children and youth trying things out and building things. I want our young people to feel safe and free to build things and bring them to their teachers to show off what they’ve done and to get their teachers to encourage and support them.  If we are so worried about safety that we are willing to assume that anything electronic that is home made is a bomb or hoax bomb then we are in trouble. If we won’t believe a young man who has never been in trouble and never caused people to question his motivations when he tells us what he has then we are in trouble. As Hillary Clinton tweeted, “Assumptions and fear don’t keep us safe – they hold us back.”

I can’t ignore the fact that Ahmed is Muslim and brown. I can’t ignore the fact that this took place in Texas. I can’t ignore the fact that the police chief is white and the school district official is white. I can’t ignore the fact that when it comes to people with brown skin and Muslim names the assumption by officials is the person is dangerous and their intentions are suspect. It seems that there was a very real assumption that Ahmed was not willing to tell the authorities the whole truth and they felt the best way to handle things was to haul the boy off to the police station. What if this where a white kid? I think his parents would have been called and he would have been warned about bringing something like that to school. I don’t want to make assumptions but I can’t ignore all this.

I have read stories about 5 year olds being accused of sexual harassment for trying to kiss a girl at school. I have heard of kids being dragged before police for having a pocket knife. And now we can add a boy and his clock to this list of ridiculous over reactions. Yes we need to keep our kids and schools safe. Yes we need to have clear policies and procedures. Yes we need to have very low tolerance concerning things like weapons, and sexual harassment and questionable devices. But we also need to trust what the kids say and take into account the circumstances and situations. We need to assume innocence and ignorance not malicious intent. And we need to figure out how to ignore the creed and race and focus on the situation.

I see that Ahmed is still suspended from school. Why? I see he is changing schools. I can understand that move. I see MIT says they hope he will apply. That’s good news. A boy of 14 has had to confront a situation that is incomprehensible and that’s too bad. A brown skinned person is once again harshly treated and subjected to things that seem out of proportion to the situation. Racism lives. A Muslim youth is assumed guilty, of having ulterior motivates, and of being able and willing to do something to cause fear and anxiety. Islamophobic we are!

Ahmed and all you other curious builders out there, keep at it. Even when the world seems against you remember that great things can come if you believe in yourself, your dreams and can move beyond the limited thinking of others.

Dear God, thank you for Ahmed and all those who are curious, who dream dreams and have visions and seek to explore your wonderful universe. Help us to name our racism and Islamophobia. Help us to see not the color of a person’s skin but their humanity. Help me to be a witness to how you want us to treat each other and the world. Amen.
                

Thursday, September 10, 2015

The Cost of Doing What Is Right



"But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt.” - Luke 6:27-29 (NRSV)

A note before I begin, you may have noticed that there wasn’t a Musing last week. Nothing happened. The week got away from me and I didn’t get one done. I apologize if for some reason you were concerned.

Amy and I are considering some much needed updates to our home given the fact that the house was built in 1978 and still has its original gas furnace and aluminum framed windows. We had an evaluation done of our home and I received the list of things needed and associated costs today. I am left once again with a terrible dilemma, do what is right and suffer for it or do some of what is right and be inconvenienced.

To do everything they suggest and do it with the most energy efficient, planet friendly methods and products would cost us well over $25,000. Now that isn’t a lot from many angles but it is for us and where we are financially right now. If I compromise on what is best for the earth and go with what is ok I can get into the $15,000 range which is much more doable. But I don’t like the feeling I get when I consider going with the lesser option. And I know this feeling well, I get it often when contemplating where to do my shopping, what to buy, who and what to support with my time and money, and all the other places and ways I am confronted with the conflict between what I know I ought to do, what I would like to do, and what I feel I can afford to do.

I mean I really want to own a car that is the best thing for our planet but look at the costs: A Tesla Sudan runs $79,500, a Chevy Volt will set you back $31,000, and even a Prius comes in at $25,500. And there is the question about whether or not electric cars are better for the planet given the impacts of production and end of use disposal. I would love to buy fair trade and sustainable in all aspects of my life but they don’t make clothes in my size, the quantity of what I need often makes buying in this way expensive and some of what I want can’t be found.

Over and over I am forced to have to either go with my values and beliefs and it costs me or I compromise and it costs me too.  I am left with a question for the universe, “Why does it cost so much to do the right thing?” In a lot of ways I feel that to live out my values, my faith in the area of shopping and such I would have to be fairly well-off financially. It seems to me that our system is designed to allow for those who have the resources to do what is best and right while those of us without all the resources are left to do what is ok or not so good because we cannot afford to do otherwise. Sure I know that I have a lot more options than many others, especially those in under-developed countries. I know that if I really wanted to do something, get something, make something happen I could figure out a way for one thing but when faced with many things I don’t feel I have the wiggle room to do what I want to do, what should be done.

I know the argument that one watt saved is a watt saved, one drop of water conserved is one drop of water not wasted but why can’t I save many watts, conserve many drops of water? It comes down to cost and I feel that I could save more watts and water if I could afford to do more of what could be done instead of just doing what I can afford to do. I want vinyl windows, I want full insulation, I want a ductless heat pump but I can only afford the windows, the insulation and a much more efficient gas furnace. And I feel I have not lived out the values that I hold. I feel that I have had to compromise my faith and my relationship with God and creation. As silly as it may sound, I feel that I have let myself, others and God down because of the choice I have had to make, a choice based upon economics and not my faith and values.

I am truly thankful that God is understanding and forgiving. I am thankful that doing a little bit does make a difference. I am thankful that I do have choices and options. And I am thankful that I don’t feel good when I am forced to accept less than what I believe should be. I am also thankful that I can share my frustrations and limitations as we all seek to be faithful.


Dear God, help me make wise choices that reflect my beliefs and values, especially when they reflect yours. Help me to live with the choices I make and to never be fully satisfied with them until I can make the best ones possible. Thank you for giving me a sense of what is just and right and forgive me when I don’t do everything possible to be just and live righteously. Amen.