Autumn Election

This has been a spectacular autumn foliage season in New Hampshire. The colors are extraordinary here in the Lakes Region this year. The warm, dry summer-like weather has made the viewing of the leaves even more pleasant. But along with the autumn foliage comes the fall election. That has been much less pleasant. In fact the political climate of this election season has been downright nasty. 

Pondering these two regular autumn occurrences – elections and foliage - makes me wonder if they have more in common than I realized. After all, autumn means the death of annual flower and vegetable gardens. The beautiful colors of autumn are caused by the dying of the leaves. Already the maple leaves are decaying on the ground, providing nutrients for the next growing season. Hopefully the political manure of this autumn will also serve as fertilizer for a better spring. 

The cycle of nature causes me to look at the cycle of nations. It makes me wonder if our American culture is also dying. Nations and empires do not last forever. Ask any Brit about the British Empire. It is a shadow of its former self. In the Bible we read about the great Assyrian, Babylonian, Persian, Greek and Roman empires. Those ancient superpowers are dead and gone.  

Why do empires fall? I was watching a television detective show the other day. Primetime dramas are not generally known for their wisdom, but I heard some truth in this episode. A mom was asking her son about his homework, specifically about the reason for the fall of the Roman Empire. The boy responded with a one word answer: “Hubris.” That about sums it up.  

There is a lot of hubris on display in America these days. I think it is destroying our nation and our culture, not to mention our religion. I would not be surprised if we are witnessing the beginning of the end of the American experiment. People on both sides of the political spectrum are warning of such a thing ... if the other side wins. I suspect at least one of them is correct; perhaps both of them are right.  

It seems to me that many people can no longer discern right from wrong, truth from falsehood, or good from evil. Especially distressing to me as a pastor is the role of popular American Christianity in the decline of public and private morality. Financial and sex scandals have revealed the rot at the core of the American church for years. The current sell-out of the church to political power makes it clear that any authentic spiritual power is now gone from the pulpit and pew. 

Jesus said that you can discern the health of a tree by its fruit. The fruit of popular Christianity these days is rotten. That does not mean there are not genuine followers of Jesus in America. You can find them in nearly every church. But genuine Jesus-followers are a small spiritual minority in a large religious institution that has lost its way. Call this faithful remnant the Moral Minority.  

The situation makes me sad. Perhaps this feeling is just the result of the decrease in sunlight as we leave the autumnal equinox behind and head toward the winter solstice. The loss of daylight tends to affect my mood. But I suspect it is more than that. There is a lack of spiritual light in the church. The American nation and the American church seem to have forgotten what they are and what they are meant to be.  

I am not sure that this election – or any future election – can turn around this cultural and spiritual decline. I hope it can delay it a bit and give us a chance to change course. Yet it has been a long time coming, and I suspect it will be a long time before it turns around. King Solomon is said to have been asked to create a signet motto that would be true in both good and bad times. He responded, "This, too, will pass away."  

The glory days of American political and cultural leadership in the world may be passing away. The days of the Christian church’s spiritual and moral leadership have already passed away. The hypocrisy of the church has caused it to lose any credibility in the eyes of society. I only pray that this winter of decay is short-lived and that a spring of resurrection will come sooner rather than later. 

There Are No Others

Much of the rhetoric of this election focuses on our differences. Lines are drawn between types of people. Between Americans and foreigners, legal and illegal immigrants, Republicans and Democrats, red and blue states, conservatives and liberals, pro-life and pro-choice, north and south, white and black, gay and straight, fascist and socialist, Christian and non-Christian, Jew and Muslim, and on and on and on and on. 

I understand why differences can seem like a big deal. But the differences seem inconsequential compared to what unites us. When I look at people who are “different” from me, I see variety but not separateness. There is a visceral feeling of unity. We are one human family. 

I like old photographs. Especially those from the early years of photography. I do not get onto Facebook much except to post links to this blog. When I do, I take some time to look at short motion pictures and still photographs of ordinary people in the 1890’s and 1900’s.  

I look at these pictures, and I see family. It does not matter if they are related to me or not; they are family. I look at their eyes staring into the camera lens, and I see myself staring back. I recognize myself in those eyes. It does not matter what race or gender the people are, or their nationality, ethnicity, economic class or religion. I see myself. 

I mean this quite literally. We share 99.9% of our DNA with every other human being. We are only one-tenth of one percent different. Physically we are nearly identical. Also we are one spiritually. We share one soul, if you want to call it that. Emerson called it the Over-Soul. Perhaps a better word is Spirit. I don’t know what to call our common nature, but I see it. 

For that reason I cannot see people as other than me. They are me. If we realize this deep truth, then our behavior reflects the truth. Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.... Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.”  

That is why Moses told the Israelites, “You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.” JFK had it right. “Ich bin ein Berliner.” I am the foreigner. I am the immigrant.   

I am the extremist on the far end of the political spectrum. I am the enemy, which is why Jesus told is to love our enemies. I am the misogynist, the bigot and the racist. I am the transgender person. I am the queer person. I am the prisoner and the prison guard. I am the Gazan. I am the Israeli. I am the atheist and the Christian nationalist.  

Looking at it from another perspective, I am none of these. These are just labels that draw attention to differences that we have invented. They are not real. Instead of calling attention to the differences, let’s pay attention to our common identity. Our true identity is the oneness that we share.  

That common identity fosters love instead of hate. It encourages generosity instead of greed. It produces kindness instead of meanness. It means that we care about the well-being of our neighbor as well as ourselves. “Love your neighbor as yourself,” Jesus said. That is because your neighbor is yourself.  

The Indian sage Ramana was once asked, “How should I treat others?” He responded, “There are no others.” We are the other. That goes for other creatures also. We are the other creatures with whom we share this planet. You can experience that for yourself simply by looking into the eyes of an animal. There are no others. There are only other forms of our greater Self.