Awakening in the News:
The News-Leader writes about our Bible Belt alternative...
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by Phil Snider
 

As the United States transitions into what some theorists have labeled a post-Religious Right America, it is time for a fresh political and religious conversation to develop that moves beyond divisive either/ors and embraces in-depth conversation and dialogue.

This conversation has been promised many times before, but when the campaign season heats up, candidates and supporters from all sides of the aisle quickly go back to sensationalized oppositions in an effort to rally bases and galvanize support.  Instead of furthering conversation on matters that will shape our lives and planet for years to come, complex issues and ethical dilemmas are watered down so they can fit into nice 15-second sound bites. 

Perhaps this happens because it is easier to set up simple oppositions and then demonize those who disagree with them than it is to participate in constructive dialogue.  In a manner reminiscent of radical dualistic philosophies, political and religious perspectives here in the States have all too often reflected either/or categories in which one side has all the Truth (with a capital T) and the other side is woefully ignorant.  Clear, sharp, black and white distinctions are made that pit good vs. bad:  You are either from the right or the left, liberal or conservative, pro-choice or pro-life.  You either support the troops or you don’t; you are either with us or against us.  Not only do such simplifications betray the nuances and complexities inherent to each situation, but they also lead us to treat those with whom we disagree as objects of scorn rather than as human beings with dignity.

In the fundamentalism of my youth, I was repeatedly told that the brand of Christianity taught to me was the only way to correctly understand God, and it was my responsibility to persuade others to accept the Truth as it had been communicated to me.  Those who did not possess this Truth were not only wrong, but were denied access to God and eternally condemned.

As I moved away from such forms of fundamentalism later in life, I’ve been surprised to see the same dynamic at work in several other, more "progressive" circles.  While it’s not believed that one’s opponents will face eternal condemnation, the “us vs. them” construct that leads to the demonization of that which is other remains in effect, even among many who are repudiated by the absolutist claims of the very fundamentalism they are working so hard to avoid.

When I reflect on the life of Jesus as recorded in Christian scripture, I’m often shocked at how difficult a path he took--even well before his crucifixion.  You’d think he would have tried finding several like-minded people to be his followers.  Instead, he called zealots (those who resisted and conspired against the Roman Empire) and tax collectors (those who worked on behalf of the Roman Empire).  Jesus was known for telling stories in which the hero came from the most despised group in the culture.  Calling into question all assumptions and prejudices as to who was in and who was out, he ate with different classes of people (which was a major taboo back in the day).  He had a way of bringing radically different kinds of people into community with one another, and as a result they lived with a sense of shared humanity and inherent worth.

By subverting various attempts to demonize and objectify the other, Jesus consistently placed an emphasis on establishing right relationship over and above right belief.  This is not completely uncommon, for each of the enduring religious traditions of the world remind us that when we fail in love, we fail in all things else.

Liberals and conservatives alike can raise their voices to hammer home how “right” they are until the cows—or donkeys and elephants—come home, but until respect for the Other and in-depth dialogue become serious priorities, our collective future will be significantly diminished.  Let us consider how we might be part of a new kind of conversation that can transform the political and religious landscape of this great nation.