America is an ideal that can never be completely fulfilled.
That’s not something to be disparaged but celebrated: we are always looking to
live our values in more and more expansive ways.
One of the great freedoms that makes the United States
exceptional is the First Amendment, especially the clause against the
establishment of religion. It is a value under siege in our own country, often
lacking altogether in many others.
Take, for example, the war on Christianity. I’m not talking
about the fake war that floods the airwaves at Christmas time with pundits
mistaking the separation of church and state for some Stalinist attack on
Christianity, but the real war being waged against Christianity in other
countries. In countries with authentic religious freedom there is no war on
Christianity. The danger to Christianity (and other faiths) comes not from
freedom but from the lack of freedom.
Muslim extremists in Nigeria have killed scores of
Christians simply because they are Christians. Muslim converts to Christianity
in Pakistan and Iran face the death penalty since conversion out of Islam is a
capital offense in those countries. Indonesia has seen dozens of churches
attacked by Islamists, and as Egypt and Syria move more deeply into the
Islamist camp the oldest Christian communities face extinction.
But don’t imagine it is only Islam that is taking on
Christianity. Hindu nationalists in India are trying to outlaw Christian
missionary work, and Communist China and Vietnam are doing their best to crush
their growing Christian movements. And in the Holy Land itself Christianity is
caught between Judaism and Islam, each of which is determined to keep
Christianity from growing.
What all of these countries have in common is a lack of
religious freedom. This is not a matter of Christians being more open than
Muslims, Hindus, or Americans being more open than is the Chinese, this is a
matter of the United States been rooted in 18th Century
Enlightenment values and allowing those values to expand our hearts and our
laws.
While too many politicians want to take us back to the
1950’s I want to go back to the 1750’s. I want to see a rebirth of the Age of
Reason. Of course this was also a time of slavery and there was no women’s
suffrage, and anyone who reads this blog regularly knows that is not what I am
talking about. But the freedoms we cherish and seek to expand to all people
have their roots in the radical ideas and ideals of the Enlightenment, ideas
and ideals that are under attack today from within our own country.
4 comments:
"America is an ideal that can never be completely fulfilled." I agree. There are continuous media questions like "Is the American dream dead?" This is a ridiculous question if the American dream is "the pursuit of happiness." There are infinite paths to pursue and no guarantee of success, since “happiness” is a very philosophical goal. The enlightened and clever founding fathers understood this when they chose the wording. It is an abstraction with many personal meanings and is a life-time pursuit.
Likewise, in your wariness of “truth” in a prior entry, I think you mean you are wary of persons who think they have found it or know it. Consistent with your position on “doubt”, “truth” is something we spend a life-time seeking. Like many wise men have said, “The more I learn, the more I realize I don’t know.” The more certain someone is that they have found the truth; the further from truth they are.
Pursuit of enlightenment requires rational exploration of understanding with a questioning mind. Invoking the term “war on…” is an appeal to irrational emotions, group think, and single-minded, unchallengeable loyalty to a cause. These are mutually exclusive positions.
"America is an ideal that can never be completely fulfilled." I agree. There are continuous media questions like "Is the American dream dead?" This is a ridiculous question if the American dream is "the pursuit of happiness." There are infinite paths to pursue and no guarantee of success, since “happiness” is a very philosophical goal. The enlightened and clever founding fathers understood this when they chose the wording. It is an abstraction with many personal meanings and is a life-time pursuit.
Likewise, in your wariness of “truth” in a prior entry, I think you mean you are wary of persons who think they have found it or know it. Consistent with your position on “doubt”, “truth” is something we spend a life-time seeking. Like many wise men have said, “The more I learn, the more I realize I don’t know.” The more certain someone is that they have found the truth; the further from truth they are.
Pursuit of enlightenment requires rational exploration of understanding with a questioning mind. Invoking the term “war on…” is an appeal to irrational emotions, group think, and single-minded, unchallengeable loyalty to a cause. These are mutually exclusive positions.
As a Christian priest, I found your comment welcome. As I read about the so-called "atheist movement" and their vilification of, among other things, Christianity, I can't help but notice a lack of historical knowledge about religion, politics, evil, good, power and passion. Perhaps there is a different kind of war going on in America. If it is a war of words, it isn't a war that has much content. And yes, Christianity outside of our borders is under considerable assault. Thanks for commenting. I appreciate it.
As a Christian priest, I found your comment welcome. As I read about the so-called "atheist movement" and their vilification of, among other things, Christianity, I can't help but notice a lack of historical knowledge about religion, politics, evil, good, power and passion. Perhaps there is a different kind of war going on in America. If it is a war of words, it isn't a war that has much content. And yes, Christianity outside of our borders is under considerable assault. Thanks for commenting. I appreciate it.
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