Nowadays I need travel no further than the shed in our
backyard, where my miniature artificial tree has been waiting patiently since
last Christmas. It used to be the topmost part of a full-size artificial tree. Now
this small portion is all I use. It stands about two and a half feet high. The
job involves nothing more than making sure it is securely in its base, putting
on one string of lights, and placing it on the shelf in our bay window. Voila!
A beautiful – and more importantly, an easy – Christmas tree.
I like my tiny tree. Especially as night falls. As I write
this, it is dusk. The tree lights are just beginning to shine against the dark
background of green boughs. It prompts me to remember the symbolism of
Christmas tree lights. They are said to represent the stars that shone in the
sky on the night that Jesus was born. The words of the apostle John’s Christmas
poem come to mind, “And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has
not overcome it.”
That is the type of reassurance I need these days. These are
dark days. Authoritarianism is growing in our country in the guise of Christian
Nationalism. A Christianized form of Sharia law is being promoted by the far right.
The history of our country is being rewritten to marginalize democracy and deny
the equality of all people. Science is being undermined. Intellectual inquiry
is discouraged in favor of indoctrination.
It is a dark time in our nation. It feels like we might be
approaching an American “Dark Ages.” A year from now we will know better just
how dark, after we learn the results of the 2024 election, and whether they are
accepted by the states, the courts, and the people. Right now it is dusk in our
land. By next Christmas it may be night. In any case the darkness now feels
deep to me. For that reason I look for light in the darkness.
Eighteenth century poet William Cowper wrote a number of
well-known hymns. One is entitled “Light Shining out of Darkness.” The opening
stanzas say: “God moves in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform; He plants
his footsteps in the sea, And rides upon the storm. / Deep in unfathomable mines, Of
never-failing skill, He treasures up his bright designs, And works his
sov'reign will. / Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take, The clouds ye so much
dread, Are big with mercy, and shall break, In blessings on your head.”
There is a storm coming. I suspect the upcoming presidential
election will be the leading edge of the storm, not the end of it. As it
approaches I will be looking for God riding upon the storm and working his
sovereign will in the midst of it. I look forward to seeing the mercy breaking
forth from that storm in divine blessings. I have faith that light shines in the
darkness, and the darkness will not overcome it.
Posts
3 comments:
Thank you for your always lovely and encouraging reflections….”the fellowship of kindred minds”
Forgive me if I am misreading your remarks, but I have never heard of a "Christianized version of Sharia". What exactly is it and who specifically is promoting it?
It seems, and again please correct me on this, that you are blaming the "far-right" for the darkness creeping in. Is that your position? I ask because my sense is that there is a lot of blame to go around, both right and left. Also, it is no secret that the label "far-right" is a euphemism for Nazis. Is that your position?
I will understand if you don't publish this comment. But a private response would be appreciated. I enjoy your blog and youtube channel and I thought you were rising above the political divide. Am I wrong?
Sharia Law is the law that guides Islamic society according to the teachings of Islam. It is most severely enforced in countries were fundamentalist forms of Islam dominate. There are many fundamentalist Christians would have the same thing happen in our country. They see America as a Christian nation that is to be ruled by Christian law as interpreted by conservative Christians.
Two examples of this are the recent Christian position that being prolife on abortion is the teaching of the Bible, which is to be encoded into American Law. Another example is to teach the religious doctrine of Creation – as creationism – in public schools. Also the belief that Christian prayer and Bible reading should be done in public schools. Also the anti-LGBTQ stands that they want legislated. As far as who does this? All those evangelical leaders, governors and legislators who push this agenda are the ones I am referring to. I am sure you can fill in the names as well as I can.
Yes, I am blaming the far right for the creeping darkness of our present time. They are the real danger now, not the left. It is a false equivalency to imply that the right and left are equally to blame for the movement away from liberty in our country. The far left is communism and the far right is fascism. Both are dangerous. But in our country now the much greater threat is the far right. The far right is gaining control of one party and threatens to destroy our democracy. The present situation has gone beyond the usual “right versus left,” “liberal versus conservative” dualism.
I think it is important that you understand the context in which I am writing this. I am a registered Republican, and I have tended to vote Republican. I will be voting in the upcoming Republican presidential primary in NH next month. If my candidate wins the primary, I will be voting for that Republican candidate in the general election. So I do not want you thinking I am a part of the left criticizing the right and engaging in partisan politics.
What is happening in my party now is far beyond typical politics. That became clear in 2020 when the RNC for the first time in our history decided not to have a party platform that articulated our positions and principles. Instead it said that the party would support whatever the candidate said. That was a clear step into authoritarianism. January 6 and the attempt to overturn a democratic election made it clear how dangerous this movement is.
The last section of your comment gets to the heart of the issue. I see it as the issue of how Christian nonduality is expressed in the world. Transcending the dualism of politics does not mean remaining neutral when it comes to issues tht effect our society. It does not mean that we do not take a moral or a political stand. Neutrality is an illusion. To do nothing and say nothing when evil and injustice threaten is to side with evil and injustice. That is what the Hebrew prophets teach us.
Reality is beyond good and evil. True God – the God beyond the theistic God - is beyond good and evil. Yet when speaking of God using human language, we call God good. We say that God is Light. We do not say that God is evil or darkness. While we are living incarnated lives we need to choose between light and darkness good and evil. An example for this for me is Thomas Merton. He lived the contemplative life of a monk and articulated nondual Reality. Yet he spoke out on the social issues of the day.
The supreme example of this is Jesus. He was not neutral when it came to the issues of his day, especially when it came to advocating for the most vulnerable of society. He spoke out and he acted, and he was executed because of it. It is true that Nondual Reality is expressed in all people, right and left – even good and evil. How can it be otherwise if all is One. But conscious nondual awareness is expressed as good. Divine incarnation is Light. This is the light is shining in the darkness. We are to let that light which is our true nature shine through our human lives.
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