Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out

Just make sure you stay alert. Keep close watch over yourselves. Don't forget anything of what you've seen. Don't let your heart wander off. Stay vigilant as long as you live. Teach what you've seen and heard to your children and grandchildren. - Deuteronomy 4:9 (The Message)

Ok so we are a month into the challenges of a new administration. We have been assaulted on many fronts and the rumors and rhetoric are swirling around like a tornado. There have been marches, protests, letters, petitions, calls to elected officials, and all sorts of actions taken. We have prayed for immigrants, Muslims, Jews, militants, refugees, people of color, women, and even the President and his administration. And for the most part things are still turbulent and chaotic with no end to this ride in sight. I am beginning to hear people say things that make me think they are tired and ready to just pull back and cover up like a turtle retreating into its shell. I get it. I feel that way at times too. I have been remembering a slogan from my youth: “Turn on, tune in, drop out.” I have been feeling the temptation to follow this advice.

So, I had to remind myself of where that phrase came from and what it meant to see if I really want to live by its intent. It came from the late great Timothy Leary in 1966 when he said it at a press conference. Here is the quote: Like every great religion of the past we seek to find the divinity within and to express this revelation in a life of glorification and the worship of God. These ancient goals we define in the metaphor of the present — turn on, tune in, drop out. ("Transcript". American Experience documentary on the Summer of Love. PBS and WGBH. 2007-03-14.)

He later explained what it meant in his 1983 autobiography: "Turn on" meant go within to activate your neural and genetic equipment. Become sensitive to the many and various levels of consciousness and the specific triggers that engage them. Drugs were one way to accomplish this end. "Tune in" meant interact harmoniously with the world around you – externalize, materialize, express your new internal perspectives. "Drop out" suggested an active, selective, graceful process of detachment from involuntary or unconscious commitments. "Drop Out" meant self-reliance, a discovery of one's singularity, a commitment to mobility, choice, and change. Unhappily my explanations of this sequence of personal development were often misinterpreted to mean "Get stoned and abandon all constructive activity". (Timothy Leary, Flashbacks: A Personal and Cultural History of an Era pg. 253)

Given what Timothy Leary said it meant I think I can safely quote it and adopt it as part of my way of coping with things. In order to survive and thrive in the present situation I must “turn on” my spiritual connections with God, Christ, creation and other people. I should pay attention to my soul and my psyche keeping both engaged and exercised so that they are functioning at their peak. Doing this will help me “tune in.” That is find and become active in the places and programs, actions and activities that externalize, make manifest, and show to the world my connection to God and God’s values. And of course, I can then “drop out.” I can commit to choice and change and discover how combining my connection with God to those of others we can mobilize and alter the world. In “dropping out” I can comfortably forgo giving the present leadership a chance, waiting for things to shake out, and shutting out all that makes me uneasy because I am coming at the world from my connections with God, self and others and know that what I am saying and doing comes from God.

I am fearful that many kind, caring, progressive people who want to protect others, save the planet, and make things right will get too tired and apathic and adopt that misinterpretation of this quote and just “get stoned and abandon all constructive activity.” We cannot let that happen. We cannot fall into that trap. For once we give up. Once we stop calling for change. Once we halt our marches and stop signing petitions and sending our elected officials emails, and demanding they address our issues at town hall meetings evil wins. We must remain vigilant so that our children and grandchildren, neighbors and friends, strangers and enemies all know what is right and good and decent. So as combat troops say to one another, “Stay frosty my friends.”

Dear God, help me to remain vigilant. Help me to stay connected to you, creation, myself and others. Help us all to stay frosty. And help those most traumatized by what is happening in our nation and world. Amen.

Being Prepared

…if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. - Matthew 24:43 (NRSV)

I met this morning with one of the leaders of the Neighborhood Emergency Team for the Hayhurst area. The church is a staging site in the case of an emergency. It got me to thinking about being prepared for that Big One (the earth quake that is due in this area) and other disasters natural and human caused. Am I prepared for whatever might come my way? Is it even possible to be prepared?

I know that there is a standard basic emergency kit that everyone from the CDC to Homeland Security to the Red Cross recommend you put together for your home and office and car and for each person in those locations. I know that a lot of what is on that list I have around my house and office. I also know that the most important stuff may not be there at all (enough water, work gloves, etc.). And I know that it is spread out which can be a problem in a disaster. You can purchase kits and food supplies (some of which is guaranteed to have a 25-year shelf life). You can get kits for your car, for your home, for you to carry with you at all times. You can subscribe to a service that will send you more gear and supplies each month so that you will never have to worry about having the right stuff. There is even a sub-culture known as “preppers” who make every effort to have whatever they might need to survive the end of civilization. And our Mormon friends have this whole survival and shelter thing covered with detailed manuals complete with scriptural references.

I guess that I really need to put that kit together, spend the money, and make a schedule for rotating supplies and medications. I really don’t have any good reason not to. I surely am not one of those religious fanatics that will climb up the nearest mountain, spread my arms wide, and sing “glory hallelujah” embracing the end as if it was the culmination of God’s divine plan. In case you didn’t get it, I do not believe in some end of the world, apocalyptic Day of the Lord preordained by God to bring all creation to an end. I do believe that disasters happen, that a living planet like ours has destructive moments, and that humans can and do cause very bad things to happen that threaten life as we know it. So, I know that I need to be prepared for some disaster to strike.

But there are other disasters that can’t be prepare for by assembling a kit of first aid supplies, work gloves, food, and water. I also know that accompanying disasters of the physical kind are emotional and spiritual disasters. If – nope that’s wrong – when the Big One strikes I know that my psyche and my spirit will be traumatized. So, I need to prepare for that as well. I can include some items to help in my kits – a Bible, perhaps a notebook of quotes and sayings, maybe a candle or a rock or something physical that has helped me in my spiritual practices. I might want to include a game, cards, or something that can take my mind off things for a little while. Maybe a set of prayer beads would be good. And always I need to keep in my mind at least passages like “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult.” (Psalms 46:1-3 NRSV). And “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39 NRSV).

So, this weekend I will dig out of the attic an empty storage container. I will begin to gather up supplies for my emergency kit. I will make my plans, figure out how to remind myself to rotate my supplies and get myself a little more prepared for what will, eventually, come. I will also work at my spiritual practices, because even if all my stuff is gone I can rely on the practices that have, are, and will see me through.

Help me O God, to be prepared in mind, body and spirit for the disasters that come. Give me strength of will and spirit to face whatever comes. Help me to prepare for whatever life may bring. Thank you for being a safe harbor in the storms of life. Amen.

The Rule of Law

Bring me a coin and let me look at it." They handed him one. "This engraving—who does it look like? And whose name is on it?" "Caesar," they said. Jesus said, "Give Caesar what is his, and give God what is his." - Mark 12:15-17 (The Message)

Be a good citizen. All governments are under God. Insofar as there is peace and order, it's God's order. So live responsibly as a citizen. - Romans 13:1 (The Message)

We will be hearing a lot about “the rule of law” as we head further into the new administration of the US government’s executive branch. Mostly it will be spoken by those who are rallying against what that administration is trying to do. I spent last evening at the Muslim Educational Trust event “MET Emergency Forum! Understanding Justice and Equality for All Through the Strength of Law and Compassion.” It is clear that many challenges to what the administration is doing will be relying on the standard of the rule of law. So, this got we musing; what do we mean by the rule of law and what do I do with Biblical passages like these two that seem to be telling me that it is my duty as a faithful person to support the civil authority?

Let’s begin with the rule of law. Here is what that phrase means in a nut shell (From the website: http://worldjusticeproject.org/what-rule-law):

Derived from internationally accepted standards, the World Justice Project’s definition of the rule of law is a system in which the following four universal principles are upheld:

1.       The government and its officials and agents as well as individuals and private entities are accountable under the law.

2.       The laws are clear, publicized, stable, and just; are applied evenly; and protect fundamental rights, including the security of persons and property and certain core human rights.

3.       The process by which the laws are enacted, administered, and enforced is accessible, fair, and efficient.

4.       Justice is delivered timely by competent, ethical, and independent representatives and neutrals who are of sufficient number, have adequate resources, and reflect the makeup of the communities they serve.

In other words, it is what I think most of us assume to be the way things work in these United States of America – at least that is the goal and we try hard to meet it. It means the courts are independent of other branches of government and to some extend of each other. That no person, even the President, is outside the law. And that actions by government agencies and officials are subject to the rule of law and can be overturned, modified, restricted, or labeled illegal. This applies to Executive Orders, policies, directives, and any other tool anyone in government can use.

Ok now to these pesky passages. When wrestling with the Bible I usually begin with Jesus and when it comes to the gospels I always go to Mark first since it is the oldest gospel and a source for Matthew and Luke. This passage from chapter 12 about paying taxes has been deemed authentic by the Jesus Seminar. (It was organized in 1985 to renew the quest of the historical Jesus and to report the results of its research to the general public. The goal of the Seminar was to review each of the sayings and deeds attributed to Jesus in the gospels and determine which of them could be considered authentic. More than 200 professionally trained specialists, called Fellows, joined the group at various phases. These Fellows represent a wide array of Western religious traditions and academic institutions. They have been trained in the best universities in North America and Europe. The Seminar met twice a year to debate technical papers that were prepared and circulated in advance. At the close of debate on each agenda item, Fellows voted using colored beads to indicate the degree of authenticity of the words and deeds attributed to Jesus in the gospels.  From the website: https://www.westarinstitute.org/projects/the-jesus-seminar/). I believe that Jesus really did say something akin to this which means I have an obligation to civil authority. When I bring Paul into the conversation and his words from Romans I must hear them in light of what Jesus said which leaves me again at the place of being obligated to adhere to civil authority. So, what do I do when what the civil authority is saying and doing does not fit with my understanding of the rule of law and with the character and values of God?

Paul Achtemier in the Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching: Romans writes: “Both passages make clear that one has an obligation to civil authorities…as well as to God…the obligation to human authorities who rule for the purpose of restraining evil in human society, and promoting good, may not be ignored…Obedience to civil authority is a Christian duty, but it is to be exercised within the framework of the Christian‘s more far-reaching commitment of obedience to God.” What I take this to mean is that I have an obligation to critically access what the civil authority is doing and determine if it is restraining evil and promoting good. When it is, I am to support said authority. When it is not, I am obliged to act based upon my commitment to God and God’s values and will.

In the context of the rule of law then I feel that when an act, decree, executive order, etc. violates this standard it has stopped restraining evil and promoting good and therefore I am obligated by my faith and my partnership with God and Christ to do what I can to keep that decree or order from being executed. I am to disobey the civil authority because it isn’t functioning as it should.

You can say I am rationalizing. You can accuse me of playing fast and loose with the Bible. But for me, for my understanding of the faith, of what it is God values, of what is the character of God and Christ, and what my obligation is to God and civil authority I must stand in opposition to civil authority when it fails to restrain evil and promote good. As Martin Luther famously said when he was brought to trial for heresy, “I cannot and will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. Here I stand, I can do no other, so help me God. Amen.”

Dear God, be with our president and other elected leaders. Guide them as you can to have the overriding goal for all they do be the restraining of evil and promoting of good. Be with all those who experience the civil authority promoting evil and restraining good. Be with us all as we try to determine where it is we stand, how much obligation we have to civil authority, and how far we must go when we oppose what that authority is doing. Give me the strength of conviction to risk for your sake. Amen.