It fascinated me to learn about the career of the late Congressman Jim Olin when his wife, Phyllis, spoke on “Life of a Unitarian in Congress” at our June 10, 2007 Sunday service. Rep. Olin served our district (Virginia’s 6th – yes, the same district we are in now) from 1982 to 1993. I happened to move here in ’93, shortly after his retirement. It seems amazing, now, to think that someone who was not only a Democrat, self-described “Yankee,” and labeled “liberal,” but a UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST, could get elected for 5 terms from this central Shenandoah Valley whose ham-fisted conservatism we love to lament!
What has changed?
W.B. Yeats, reflecting on the troubles of another place and time, wrote, “The best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity.” That seems so true here and now. One cause, and/or symptom, may be the recent trend of pushing political candidates to talk “about their faith.” The Religious Right has driven that dialogue, enabled by a shallow and credulous media that seems totally unaware of Jesus’ warning against loud, pious hypocrites in Matthew 6:5.
Unfortunately, I think this trend has driven the voices of sanity and fairness into a nervous retreat. If “faith” is defined as theology or belief in the supernatural (as our friend Eric LaFreniére, for one, defines it), then I do not believe faith belongs in political discourse. Values are a different matter. Any human society grounds itself in some concept of values. While right-wingers belligerently push a skewed and negative set of values, many liberals and progressives have become afraid to discuss values at all.
That’s too bad. It makes us sound (even if unfairly) like soulless wonks. I am thinking of a candidate I heard give the reason for supporting universal healthcare as “keeping us globally competitive.” (Was that candidate advised against expressing compassion, or calling for justice, for those whose basic needs go unmet in the midst of our wealth and technological wonders?) And I recall a local brainstorming session, organized by the political organization I mostly support: Asked to identify challenges that need fixing, some among us mentioned poverty and sprawl. Big issues; moral issues for those who care about their fellow-humans and/or the earth. Yet others said NO, NO, we mustn’t use disturbing words like “poverty” or “sprawl,” lest fence-sitters get scared away. I think the discussion concluded with a plan to find new words – “nicer” words with more syllables and more obscure meanings, so our message will be neither controversial nor compelling!
In another community, I heard the same thing happened when a party activist praised “separation of church and state” – others responded oh, no, we dare not use those words!
But what can such clueless leadership offer to voters?
It doesn’t require a religious framework to have strong values – but it takes knowing what they are. Here are some of the values supported by progressive people, regardless of theology – or at least, values that progressive people WOULD support if we had more conviction:
- Doing justice and loving mercy (as per Micah 6:8).
- The Golden Rule, as stated with varying words in scriptures from most of the world’s otherwise very diverse religions.
- And, of course, those UU Principles. “The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large” certainly includes separation of church and state! And our national and world community are SO in need of respect for “The inherent worth and dignity of every person.”
Can it happen?
–Chris Edwards