A Strange Faith

You, like me, may wonder why a subset of religionists want to take over -dominate- all of government and impose their will upon every strata of society. Their intent is to control all areas of human life including the media, education, the courts, business, religion, arts and entertainment, medicine, science and the economy. They and they alone will dictate what we may read, hear, see and say. The consequences of resistance to them will be severe. Fundamentalist Islam? No. It is a brand of fundamentalist ‘christianity’, but equally as fanatical and merciless.

Since adherents to this false religion firmly believe that only a fractional number of people, a remnant, will be saved eternally (them), it begs the question why they want to impose christian sharia law upon those who are damned anyway. But, they do.Their thirst for power is insatiable.

At least temporarily they have succeeded in their crusade, with every institution of society now ruled by their twisted, conflicted morality. No more Sesame Street in their world. No more vaccines for children. No more separation of church and state. No more aid for the elderly. No more voting. No more democracy. No more history. No more facts. No more immigrants. No more diversity. No more equality. No more justice. No more civil rights. No more human rights. No more constitutional rights. No more rule of law, save theirs. They command. We comply. It is God’s will. It is a very repressive and draconian religion. But, it is also an inconsistent one. 

Why, for example, do adherents to this faith consider the sexual exploitation of children condemnable, but the starvation of children commendable? Why is the raping of children appaling, but the bombing of them acceptable? Why is trafficking children terrible, but depriving them of life saving food, medicines, vaccines and water trivial? Is a child’s worth that negligible?

Why do they grouse incessantly about their own paranoid grievances, but take such pleasure in other people’s genuine suffering? Why do they derive such satisfaction from concentration camps and relish terrorizing the vulnerable? How do they find such cruelty so gratifying?

There are a multitude of deep and irreconcilable contradictions between the virtues this theology exclaims and the vices it exhibits, between the rectitude it professes and the malignity it practices. It must be called out for what it is: a diabolical and destructive heresy that will lead to the deaths of millions of innocent people. It will do unimaginable damage to the true message of the gospel and enduring harm to the whole of the human family.

Let’s Discuss….IMMIGRATION

1. The Border under previous administrationS was out of control. Far too many people, by orders of magnitude, were entering the US illegally or with specious asylum claims. The burden of this influx of humanity fell mostly upon border states. Housing, education, medical care, social services, and community resources were strained beyond capacity. With approximately 12 million undocumented immigrants already living in the US, the influx of tens of thousands more per month was both overwhelming and alarming. Something needed to be done.

2. Enter the Biden program, aka CHNV. It did ease the border pressures a little, as was the intent, but not without predictable processing congestion and chaos. On the heels of the successful and orderly admissions of Ukrainians and Afghans,- people who were unquestionably in extreme distress- the Biden administration inexplicably expanded the list of populations it would admit to the US. Suddenly millions of Cubans, Haitians, Nicauraguans, and Venezuelans were added to the already critically backlogged USCIS application rolls. Pandemonium ensued. Cities and States all over the contiguous US absorbed the swelling number of immigrants placing extreme stress on their local and state services. Unfortunately, the entrance of Ukrainians and Afghans slowed to a trickle due to the glut of applications for visas from these new populations. US citizens began to resent the newcomers, fear them (mostly due to racist memes), and grow increasingly reactionary. Initially happy to welcome Afghans to whom we owed a debt, and Ukrainians who were mercilessly attacked by Russia, citizens of the US soon felt submerged by a flood of immigrants from countries that were not experiencing war or devastated by natural disaster. As Americans’ resentment grew, so did their resistance, their anger, and their vulnerability to anti-immigrant propaganda. And, to make matters worse, the border was still out of control with no end in sight.

3. Enter Trump. And, the pendulum swung. The US has always been a welcoming nation for immigrants from every corner of the earth. All Americans, save the Native Americans, are themselves products of immigration. But, too much of a good thing can quickly become a bad thing and this was just such a case. Anti immigrant fears and resentments were ignited and stoked by cynical politicians, racist idealogues, YouTube prophets and christian nationalist preachers. They exploited Americans’ feelings of grievance and fear by suggesting that the new immigrants would soon earn citizenship, vote for communist radicals, and destroy America. (And, they ate our pets!) The immigrants had to go or be expelled by any means necessary. The anti-immigrant rhetoric grew darker and darker. All immigrants, even those here for 40, 50 and 60 years, were dehumanized, vilified and soon terrorized and brutalized. Fear and bitterness metastasized into hate. What should we do?

4. Firstly, we should resolve, once and forever, that concentration camps and an American gestapo are NOT the fix. Cruelty is neither corrective nor constructive, and is patently un-American. Secondly, we should admit that we have a real immigration problem. For reasons I do not comprehend, but I don’t believe for entirely altruistic ones, far too many immigrants were absorbed into America in too short a period of time. Many, of course, were most deserving, and many more were simply opportunistic. The managers of immigration policy did not manage it very well. We messed up. 

We have to find our balance, our moral compass, preserve our decency and humanity, restore some order to the immigration system, and own our mistakes. Then and only then will we begin to deal humanely with the immigration problem that WE created.

5. Recommendations:

a. Immigrants already admitted under CHNV should safely remain in the US with work authorizations and a pathway to residency or citizenship. (They are well absorbed into society now, are working, paying taxes, and are benefits, not burdens to their communities)

b. Expedite the reception of Afghans who are STILL waiting for us to honor our commitment of protection to them, as they did for us.

c. Pause CHNV except for Haiti. Expedite the admission of Haitians under extended TPS, or better, asylum with a pathway to residency. Haiti is hell on earth.

d. Naturalize DACA recipients.

e .Either defend Ukraine, or open a permanent pathway to safety for Ukrainians. But, do not abandon them to the horrors of Russian occupation.

f. Deport genuine criminals. Do not fabricate crimes for the purposes of justifying mass deportation. Driving with a broken tail-light is not murder. We know the difference.

g. In the same way that tech industry immigrants receive a special visa classification, grant farm, hospitality, construction, and services workers a similar classification.

h. STOP BEING SO MEAN! 

The Chosen One

I’ve always been mystified, if not a bit terrified, by how intensely Islamic extremists, of which there are far too many, protect and defend the honor of their revered Prophet Muhammed. At the slightest criticism of him, whether real or perceived, they explode with rage and retaliate with savagery. Absolutely no disparagement of, or disagreement with their al-Mustafa, their chosen one, can be tolerated or go mercilessly unpunished.

A radicalized element of MAGA echoes a comparable sentiment and impulse, a fanatical devotion to and defensiveness of Trump, their chosen one.  

And, on some level, they may be partially correct. Trump may have been ‘chosen’ by God. But, it was not to bless us. It was to test us. Far too many are failing the test. They are failing their nation. They are failing humanity. And, they are failing God….who is love. 

We, who cling to God’s love, rejecting hate and the dehumanization of anyone, and who never vindicate violence must respond with forgiveness and peaceable resistance. We must never return evil for evil, lest we fail the very same test. 


To Save Western Civilization:

A MAGA disciple of no small renown recently posted an explanation of and justification for all the chaos, cruelty, corruption and carnage we are presently enduring. He revealed that the MAGA rai·son d’ê·tre, its singular imperative is to Save Western Civilization! In order to do that they must suspend the Constitution, purge the US of any and all immigrants, as well as gay/trans persons, and impose ‘christian’ law upon the entire populace by force if necessary. The two most existential threats to the survival of Western Civilization, according to this MAGA luminary, are the influx of immigrants who dilute the culture and the LGBTQ agenda which pollutes the culture. Liberals, who not only tolerate but welcome and protect those two groups, do not recognize the collective peril they both portend. Therefore, liberals and all progressive institutions are complicit in the demise of America, and constitute a threat to national viability. 

That unwavering conviction, dogma to christian nationalists, informs and incites MAGA apologists to champion whatever extreme measures they deem necessary to save civilization.

With stakes that high one should not expect dialogue, compromise, comity, rationality, tolerance, or moderation from such a catastrophizing ideology. Dissent will be met by violent suppression. In the MAGA paradigm, America is embroiled in a life and death struggle, which at its core is not so much political as it is religious. It is the belief that we are engaged in an apocalyptic battle between good and evil and that MAGA represents our last best hope for good. Thus, the MAGA fervor. It is not without notice that cynical politicians and billionaires are exploiting and amplifying the deep fears and sincerely held precepts of MAGA followers.

Those of us who follow a different way also believe that we are in the throes of a cosmic clash between good and evil. But, our faith teaches us that we overcome evil with good. Very different posture vis a vis evil. We believe that if our enemy is hungry, we must feed him, if thirsty, we must give him water. We believe that we must love and bless, forgive, pray for and do good to our persecutors and adversaries. We believe that we must turn the other cheek and give our extra to those who do not have enough. We believe that we must feed the hungry, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless, welcome the foreigner, visit those in prison, tend to the sick and infirmed, and care for the poor.  We believe that the meek will inherit the earth, not take it. We believe that we must do everything within our ability to help create a just and equitable society for all. We believe that we are to be ambassadors of reconciliation and utterly reject any hint of revenge or control. We believe that we must love our neighbors as ourselves. Like our Shepherd we propose. We do not impose. We reveal. We do not revile. We serve. We do not subjugate. We invite. We do not impel. Ours is a religion, too. But it’s not very popular anymore. 

Is Israel Dispensable?

As I watch with dismay Trump’s profiteering and self-dealing with the Gulf States, and as well with jihadist nations for heaven’s sake, I realize that there is now an odd man out….Israel. I also realize that our geopolitical relationships have become entirely transactional, void of moral considerations. Alliances are little more than one individual’s cost benefit analysis. We have, of late, shamelessly betrayed our allies once we determined that the price to stand with them was too high, or upon receipt of a more lucrative offer. Our loyalty can now be purchased. Our fidelity is for sale to the highest bidder. Because of our unquestionably fickle, feckless and avaricious character, we will soon consider Israel too burdensome, too expensive, too dependent, too Jewish to defend. Israel is now disposable and will soon go the way of Ukraine, Mexico, Europe, Canada, Africa, Afghanistan. Taiwan? The list goes on. 

The wheels for a sellout of Israel are already in motion.The US administration has strategically placed a shocking number of neoNazis and virulent antiSemites in positions of significant governmental authority. They have already begun spinning anti Israel propaganda which will surely intensify in the coming months. They have already begun excluding Israel from regional security conversations and decisions. They have already begun arming Israel’s nemeses whose unwavering ambition has been and still is Israel’s destruction.

It is as predictable as the sun rising in the east. When Israel needs us most, and they will, we will abandon them. The pattern is well established. The money spigot is open. We will forsake Israel for a bit of flattery, 30 pieces of silver and an airplane.

I am not a Zionist, but I support Israel. I abhor the genocide of the Gazan civilians, but I believe Hamas, as both an ideology and an entity, must be neutralized. I lament Israel’s descent into inhumanity knowing that they are answerable to G_d. Israel has wandered so far from its founding values that it is unrecognizable. But, G_d has not and will not disown his people. Neither should we, not for any inducement.

Consequentialism:  When The Ends Justify the Means and Two Wrongs Make a Right

Consequentialism is the Machiavellian philosophy that maintains it is acceptable, even noble, to do wrong in order to correct a perceived greater wrong, i.e. the ends justify the means, or in other words, two wrongs do indeed make a right. Generally, it is understood that the sum of that equation = wrong. It is also recognized that consequentialism rises to the level of evil when it inflicts harm, pain, and suffering on others; when it is intentional; when it terrorizes people; when it deprives people of their humanity; and when it is done with malice or in retribution. It is the very thing we teach our children not to do. Two wrongs, we tell them, never make a right. But, that is being challenged by the resurrection of an old heterodoxy.   

Christian nationalism is a consequentialist ideology. It is an oxymoron. As incompatible as consequentialism is with christianity, it is, nonetheless, deeply ingrained in the psyche of many  Americans. They are religious, but bitterly angry, even apoplectic. They vindicate cruelty. They repress speech they find disagreeable. They disavow responsibility for the suffering of others, save their own. Armed with lethal weaponry, they justify the use of violence, especially in furtherance of their aims. They eviscerate the rule of law, being a law unto themselves. They intimidate, threaten, and torment the noncompliant. They nonchalantly ignore the endemic greed, corruption, profiteering and profligacy of their own virtue vigilantes They enthusiastically welcome the demolishing of entire societies. But, why? Why do they want to hurt people?

Because of their beliefs. They are consequentialists. They must destroy to rebuild.

They have, they believe, a divine mandate to save, or at least control, America and subsequently the world. As grandiose as that sounds, they are convinced of their chosen status and mission. Therefore their unquenchable thirst for power and the ruthlessness of their tactics are justified because, they insist, with their newly amassed secular authority they will create a more righteous, meritorious, and holy society modeled after…their leader? (Well, no, really no.) A kingdom made in their own image? (Well, we aspire to be loving, not livid. So, no, we do not subscribe to that.) A nation and government that is ruled by them? (Well, we Catholics have been there, done that. So, no, pass.)

After destroying multiple nations, and millions of lives in the Inquisitions and the Doctrine of Discovery, owing to our Divine charge, and because we smugly thought the ends justified the means, we Catholics have, at least partially, learned our lesson. I wonder if Christian Nationalists will learn theirs before it is too late for multiple nations and millions of lives? 

When I was Young

When I was young 

I was profoundly influenced by two books: Deitrich Bonhoeffer’s, “The Cost of Discipleship.” and Corrie ten Boom’s, “The Hiding Place.” Both of those heroic figures were anti Nazi dissidents at a time when the majority of their Christian contemporaries were supporters of Hitler and his policies, however cruel. Hitler had enticed the Christians with promises of special privilege and pride of place in a new and expanded Third Reich, a Deutschland that he and he alone would make great – again. Besides, the Christians resented the Jews so for them their embrace of Hitler was a win-win proposition. Hitler would rid Germany of the Jews, and they, the Christians, would enjoy the prerogatives of power. Ten Boom and Bonhoeffer utterly rejected this Faustian bargain. 

Both resisted the malignant rise of facism and its hate filled ideology by speaking out against injustice, by hiding Jews, and by ministering to the oppressed. Both suffered intensely at the hands of the Nazis. Corrie with her family of five, who sheltered Jews, were arrested for harboring fugitives and interned in a concentration camp, a Nazi death camp from which she  alone survived. Deitrich was arrested for helping Jews escape to Switzerland and for openly opposing the Nazi regime. He was held and tortured by the Gestapo, transferred to Buchenwald and finally executed in Flossenburg. Neither were given court hearings as the ‘Law,’ degraded as it was, did not apply to Jews or their protectors, regardless. They were simply whisked away. Through unspeakable agonies, both Corrie and Deitrich left a legacy that inspired countless millions to engage in the ceaseless, intrepid and holy work of resistance to evil through mercy, and forgiveness, and sacrificial love. 

The parallels between then and now are inescapable. Then it was Jews who were denied their humanity. Now it is immigrants, and trans persons, and women, and liberals, and scientists, and educators, and journalists, and judges, and even popes. We are again confronting the awful specter of facism, its malevolence and its contempt for all things humane. Now we, too, are called to live with resolute courage and absolute moral clarity in the face of viciousness masquerading as virtue. Now our own situation requires from us an unwavering resolve to confront the sinister forces that threaten to engulf our nation. Now we, too, must comprehend the incomprehensible; that our contemporaries, like Corrie’s and Deitrich’s, can not or will not discern the wickedness they so effortlessly excuse, and so passionately defend. Now we, too, must weigh and accept the consequences of doing what is right. And, now we, too, must summon the courage to resist this evil reincarnate.

Now I am old. But I will -never forget- what I learned when I was young.

Palm Sunday – what went wrong?

Christians around the world just celebrated Palm Sunday, the day that commemorates Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, the day that began his last week of teaching and ministry before his crucifixion and resurrection. On that day his followers enthusiastically welcomed him as they would a long awaited conquering hero, replete with a parade, prostrations and exuberant shouts of hosanna. Their king had arrived! But, within a week the exclamations of hosanna had been replaced by roars of ‘kill him!’ and ‘give us Barabbas!’ What happened? They assumed, incorrectly, that Jesus had come to overthrow the oppressive and immoral Roman government. They thought he was going to establish a temporal kingdom, a Jewish theocracy that would gain control over all of society: the government, the courts, the educational system, media, business, family life, the arts, and of course, religion, of which only Judaism could dominate. Once they realized that Jesus had not come, in fact, to establish a Jewish nationalistic state, but had come to change hearts as opposed to the government, they utterly rejected him, his way, his mission, and his purpose. They rejected the salvation he offered, preferring instead Barabbas, an insurrectionist and criminal, who represented the promise of earthly power. They simply did not understand Jesus or his kingdom. They wanted change and the Way of Jesus, they determined, was woefully inadequate. Sheer force, coercion, and violence, if necessary, were required. Jesus, the Prince of Peace, was far too gentle to meet the moment.

And, today christian nationalists are making the very same mistake, echoing the very same cry, ‘Give us Barabbas!’ They do not understand Jesus or his kingdom either.

Hubris and Humility

What is wrong with America?

Hubris

What do we need? Grace

What opens us to grace?

Humility

Hubris is an excessive or foolish overestimation of and belief in oneself or one’s own abilities and knowledge. It shames others, not simply to accomplish a goal, but derives pleasure from humiliating and disparaging them. Hubris makes us self-important, contemptuous of others, and unkind. 

Hubris ignores warnings and advice from others. It discredits the experience of others. Hubris denies the validity of external expertise while it devalues education and acquired knowledge from any source outside its own. 

Because of this excessive pride, those exhibiting hubris treat others as inferior, are demeaning and degrading to others, and due to their perceived superiority over others are unwilling to listen to perspectives other than their own.

Opposite of hubris: humility

“God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” James 4:6

“Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” Prov. 16:18

I somewhat understand what people are trying to accomplish, and I have encountered a kind of conceited moral superiority from devotees of both the right and the left, but I believe in all cases their approach was and is counterproductive, even destructive. Pride will destroy us. Humility opens the door of our hearts, and consequently, our nation to God’s grace. 

GRACIOUSNESS

Graciousness is a quality that reflects the character of God and is highly esteemed in the Bible. Exodus 34:6 “The Lord God is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion and truth.” It encompasses kindness, compassion, and a generous spirit, manifesting itself in the way individuals interact with others. Graciousness is a reflection of the heart, deeply rooted in the love and mercy, the very nature of God. The term describes the attributes and actions of God, as well as the expected behavior of His followers. Graciousness is the integration and expression of strength with humility.

Antonyms: boorish, surly, churlish, rude.