With palms together,
Good Morning Everyone,
Be forewarned: What follows is a political statement from an avowed liberal.
This morning I woke thinking about my country. Sleep is a wonderful nurturance. In the Soto Zen Sutra book there is a chant called the Gokan No Ge and we recite it as part of oryoki, (eating meditation). One of the lines says that we are eating “for our parents, teachers, leaders, and homeland,” these are the four benefactors. (As an aside, I have noticed that many centers drop the actual list of benefactors in favor of simply saying, ‘the four benefactors.’) I suppose patriotism is a bit of a problem when our practice is to open ourselves to the universality of all things. Still, it is important, I think, to keep in mind what frees us and what retains us. The United States, as far as I am aware, was founded for the sake of freedom, in response to tyranny, and has made freedom its abiding and deeply held creed since its inception.
Conservatives seem to struggle with this. On the one hand, they want government off our backs. They seek less governance, less regulation, and fewer social programs, i.e., no more Obamacare. On the other hand, they want a more authoritarian government, government overseeing and regulating personal moral conduct, and a strong military and police to enforce law and order, i.e., laws to “protect” heterosexual marriage, laws against sexual conduct between consenting adults, laws against a right to privacy, etc. When looked at closely, it seems less governance of business is good and less governance of individual citizens is bad.
The religious right has a part to play in this. I have noticed conservatives do not seem to trust human beings. Hence, the need for criminalizing certain private, consenting, human behaviors. I believe this comes from a strong affiliation with the Christian right which puts forth the toxic notion that human beings are inherently sinful, and therefore, need a strong and wrathful God (read government) to bring them into line.
All of this points to the need for a separation of church and state and clear lines regarding the reach of government. Religious leaders running for office have a special duty, it seems to me, to be clear about their motives and whether they are actually capable of being objective in their governance.
A case in point: the newly elected Governor of Alabama, a Deacon in his church, a conservative born again Christian, who just after his inauguration proclaimed his belief that anyone not born again in Jesus Christ was not his brother or sister. For a government official to proclaim a division between those who believe and those who do not is disturbing. What’s more, the self-righteous arrogance behind such thinking, is what makes that faith tradition a tradition to closely watch.
I believe Christians, Jews, Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, Pagans, New Agers, Tree Huggers, and everyone else has the right to practice their faith tradition, but that rights stop at their door and have no business entering my door unless invited, even if it is a tenant of their faith to attempt to convert the entire world.
Politicians with beliefs residing in faith traditions that require efforts to witness for the sake of conversion ought consider a different line of work. They cannot be impartial and will, sooner or later, allow their beliefs to color their judgment regarding lawmaking for the common good. Oppression is oppression even in the name of saving us from ourselves.
Be well.
Good Morning Everyone,
Be forewarned: What follows is a political statement from an avowed liberal.
This morning I woke thinking about my country. Sleep is a wonderful nurturance. In the Soto Zen Sutra book there is a chant called the Gokan No Ge and we recite it as part of oryoki, (eating meditation). One of the lines says that we are eating “for our parents, teachers, leaders, and homeland,” these are the four benefactors. (As an aside, I have noticed that many centers drop the actual list of benefactors in favor of simply saying, ‘the four benefactors.’) I suppose patriotism is a bit of a problem when our practice is to open ourselves to the universality of all things. Still, it is important, I think, to keep in mind what frees us and what retains us. The United States, as far as I am aware, was founded for the sake of freedom, in response to tyranny, and has made freedom its abiding and deeply held creed since its inception.
Conservatives seem to struggle with this. On the one hand, they want government off our backs. They seek less governance, less regulation, and fewer social programs, i.e., no more Obamacare. On the other hand, they want a more authoritarian government, government overseeing and regulating personal moral conduct, and a strong military and police to enforce law and order, i.e., laws to “protect” heterosexual marriage, laws against sexual conduct between consenting adults, laws against a right to privacy, etc. When looked at closely, it seems less governance of business is good and less governance of individual citizens is bad.
The religious right has a part to play in this. I have noticed conservatives do not seem to trust human beings. Hence, the need for criminalizing certain private, consenting, human behaviors. I believe this comes from a strong affiliation with the Christian right which puts forth the toxic notion that human beings are inherently sinful, and therefore, need a strong and wrathful God (read government) to bring them into line.
All of this points to the need for a separation of church and state and clear lines regarding the reach of government. Religious leaders running for office have a special duty, it seems to me, to be clear about their motives and whether they are actually capable of being objective in their governance.
A case in point: the newly elected Governor of Alabama, a Deacon in his church, a conservative born again Christian, who just after his inauguration proclaimed his belief that anyone not born again in Jesus Christ was not his brother or sister. For a government official to proclaim a division between those who believe and those who do not is disturbing. What’s more, the self-righteous arrogance behind such thinking, is what makes that faith tradition a tradition to closely watch.
I believe Christians, Jews, Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, Pagans, New Agers, Tree Huggers, and everyone else has the right to practice their faith tradition, but that rights stop at their door and have no business entering my door unless invited, even if it is a tenant of their faith to attempt to convert the entire world.
Politicians with beliefs residing in faith traditions that require efforts to witness for the sake of conversion ought consider a different line of work. They cannot be impartial and will, sooner or later, allow their beliefs to color their judgment regarding lawmaking for the common good. Oppression is oppression even in the name of saving us from ourselves.
Be well.
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