I have stopped watching the ABC
Evening News. Neither do I watch CBS and NBC. Nor CNN or Fox (although I admit
I have only watched Fox News a handful of times in my life.) I have even
stopped listening to NPR. I stopped watching and listening because I could no
longer stand the bias and the sensationalism.
It seems like there is no longer
any news. There are only reports of who hates whom and for what reasons. That
is not news. That is just hate. HATE TV. I cannot stand to even look at a
national politician these days, much less listen to them rant about the other
party.
I have always been an independent
“undeclared” voter. I vote for persons and not their party affiliation. But I
have gotten to the point where I hesitate to vote for anyone affiliated with either
major political party. They have both turned into hate groups.
Republicans hate Democrats and
all things liberal. Democrats hate the president and all things conservative. Both
parties seem more concerned with thwarting the other party rather than advancing
our nation. Instead of cooperation there is “the resistance,” which is the
language of war. Even those who say they are against hate are livid in their
hatred of haters. A couple of days ago a political activist shot a Republican
congressman at a baseball practice because of his party affiliation!
Colleges and universities used to
be bastions of reason, tolerance and learning. No longer. Now they are hotbeds
of hate. If students do not agree with a guest speaker’s social agenda then he
(or she) is booed off the dais before given a chance to speak, or students walk
out in protest. No longer do students seek to listen and learn from people with
different perspectives. As Epictetus said long ago, “It is impossible to begin
to learn that which one thinks one already knows.”
Religion has not helped. When religions
are not fostering hate themselves – from the far right or the far left – then
they are silent, intent on navel-gazing or promoting their own version of the
Elysian Fields. In America Christianity has become part of the problem. Liberal
Christians are simply cheerleaders for the Democratic Party, and conservative
Christians are chaplains for the GOP.
This is an opportunity for people
of faith to lead by example. We need to champion the cause of civility in
public discourse. Christians – of which I am one – need to look beyond our personal
opinions and strive for something greater and higher. God is not a party
loyalist. God is the Lord of all nations and peoples. A God of love, not hate.
Personally I reject the religions
and politics of intolerance, and I will work for peace in a world of hate. Jesus
called us to be peacemakers. He commanded us to love our enemies. The apostle
Paul called us to be ministers of reconciliation. I will take my lead from them.
And if I really need to watch television news, I will tune to BBC.