Well, the great thing about the news is that you can wake up and
a huge story has developed. This morning it was the capture of Saddam Hussein.
I don't know about you, but I for one hope that maybe this is a pivotal day for
the country of Iraq. Maybe they will be able to self-govern and find peace and
stability. So much of what happened this year in the news was a reflection of
the long struggle in Iraq.
The stereotype slash joke about Unitarian Universalists is that
we go into the bookstore and consider every section the religion section. There
is some truth in that. We find answers to life's big questions in a wide range
of source material. We draw no hard distinction between the so-called secular
and the so-called sacred. The new folk song from Peter Myer, Everything is Holy
Now, is quickly becoming a religious liberal anthem.
And so to reflect on the last year and make judgments about the
year's top RELIGIOUS news stories is no straightforward task. Some news items
obviously are in the realm of religion. The Pope's 25th anniversary. The
Episcopalians and their new bishop. The Alabama State Supreme Court justice who
loved the Ten Commandments. These are big stories and they obviously hit on
religious matters. But what about the death penalty cases in Illinois?
Here's another one. Think back to the beginning of this year.
Other than the looming war and the Catholic sexual misconduct crisis, do you
remember the big "religious" story that seemed as though it might
very well dominate the news for the year? Cloning. In January there was an
Italian fertility doctor who said that he was going to clone a baby boy. There
was the Raelian religious group that claimed that we humans have come from the
clones of space aliens some 25 thousand years ago.
Well, this morning we take up a discussion of the big religious
news stories of the last year. We'll discuss briefly what we as religious
liberals bring to the table around the news. And we'll look for some signs of
what is coming up in next year's religious news.
I have to tell you my favorite religious story of the year. Not
the most important, just my favorite. A catholic elementary school in Los
Angeles found a way to deal with budget deficits. Hoping to raise more money
than the regular Friday fish fry, St. Michael's Elementary decided to try its
luck at the track. About 100 people contributed 25 dollars each toward making a
bet at Santa Anita (with a name like that, you know good news is coming for
this catholic school). They picked six winning horses and won nearly 200,000
dollars.
An item from the beginning of the year. In Rome this week, the
Vatican issued a new set of guidelines for Catholic politicians. The Vatican
reaffirmed the inviolability of Church teachings on such subjects as abortion,
euthanasia and same sex marriage. The Vatican said it was publishing the
guidelines now because of new political debate over recent scientific and
medical developments.
On that front, early in the year, President Bush declared one
Sunday in January National Sanctity of Human Life Day. This designation fell on
the eve of the 30th anniversary of the court case Roe V. Wade in which the
Supreme Court decided that abortion would be legalized nationwide. President
Bush finds himself in front of a new effort on the part of those who are
opposed to a woman's right to choose to claim legal rights for an unborn fetus.
If a fetus is afforded legal status as a person, the groundwork will have been
laid to overturn Roe. It is a religious move, despite scientific and medical
developments.
In another development on that front, in Austin, Texas a fourth
clinic which would provide a wide range of services to women, including
abortion services, was effectively blocked by an evangelical anti-abortion
activist, acting alone. His protest centered around an economic blockade of all
local contractors and sub-contractors working on the clinic. His initiative
worked so well---Planned Parenthood is scrambling to find contractors willing
to travel---that he has convened a national gathering of anti-abortion
activists to learn how to spread this project. When I mentioned this story to
some of you, you let me know that this was very similar to efforts here in
Bettendorf. This church helped then. It continues to help.
You can be proud that when Planned Parenthood came to this
church to ask if we could host a fundraiser that will help planned parenthood
continue to provide important services, this congregation responded. We hosted
them. Many of our people helped organize the set up. It was a successful
evening.
I want to bring up a story that makes many of us confused and
concerned. And that is the President's attempt to bring into the public square
religious discourse. The rise of evangelical Christianity, it seems, has
impacted how faith is discussed. It is true that presidents have always used
religious language from time to time, at specific occasions. Religious language
can unite a people. Abraham Lincoln's speeches come to mind. But religious
language can be divisive in the public arena. I want to give you some short
examples from President Bush of how he uses religious language.
In his State of the Union address, as an argument for going to
war, President Bush declared: Once again, we are called to defend the safety of
our people and the hopes of all mankind. The liberty we prize is not America's
gift to the world; it is God's gift to humanity.
To speak of God's gift to humanity in the service of attempting
to persuade a people to go to war strikes me as, on the one hand difficult to
swallow and on the other hand, blatantly dangerous.
The President said, "Yet, there's power, wonder-working
power, in the goodness and idealism and faith of the American people."
This phrase, "Wonder working power" is a not so subtle reference to
an evangelical hymn which uses that phrase in regard to the blood of Jesus.
That hymn, by itself, is just terrible theology. To invoke it
and relate it to the goodness and faith of the American people is a uselessly
divisive tactic. Prophetic writer James Baldwin always said "To be
American is to be white." In this white house, I sense, to be American is
to be evangelical. There is a world view underneath the theology of American
evangelicalism that must be addressed: And that is this polar opposite: good
versus evil, right versus wrong kind of approach that ratchets up and distorts
reality such that discourse is effective squashed because anyone brave enough
to question the speaker appears to be on the side of wrong and evil. We find
ourselves on potentially dangerous ground. One of those speechwriters, in
defending the President's use of such language, said, Well this is a country
with the soul of a church. Someday maybe we'll take up the good and the ugly
aspects of that sentiment. I think that might be kind of interesting.
I want to marry that story=Religious Language and the White
House= to an effort earlier in the year by the Conservative Christian think
tank, the Institute for Religion and Democracy in producing guidelines for a
Christian-Muslim dialogue. It sounds terrific on paper. It acknowledges the
importance of multi-faith dialogue. It acknowledges the rich contribution of
faith communities in the American fabric. On closer look, however, there are
some real issues. At the base of that document, written by American Christians
for American Christians, is a desire to convert the Muslim to Christianity.
Franklin Graham, the son of evangelist Billy Graham, serves,
essentially, as the President's pastor. He called Islam an evil and wicked
religion. He ties his humanitarian efforts, through his organization
Samaritan's Purse, to the evangelistic goal of spreading the good news of Jesus
Christ. Franklin Graham illustrates one of the big stories this year and that
is the Christian-Muslim relationship and more generally the plight of the
American Muslim.
This is one of those stories that could have turned out better
than predicted. There were outbreaks, here and there, of anti-Islamic
harassment, but nothing on the scale of what was expected. Locally, leaders of
the Islamic community tell me that they have been overwhelmed by local churches
support. They have been asked to come to talk. They have been asked about what
they need, especially in the early part of the war. It is one of the positive
stories this year, especially considering what could have been.
In fact, one of the best local stories this year, is the great
success of our ongoing September 11th service, involving Jews, Christians,
Muslims, Unitarian Universalists, Mormons, Buddhists. A remarkable witness and
something that this community should be especially proud of.
There are so many serious news items that touch on religion.
Coming to grips with the Post 9-11 world--the war, the protests against the
war, Afghanistan and the Taliban, our desire to understand the Shiites, the
struggle over civil liberties, the role of the world community in our foreign
policy, especially the united nations. It is enough to make one's head spin.
So, if the underlying issues weren't so serious, it would be
comic relief to talk about Alabama Chief Justice who installed a monument to
the Ten Commandments in the state's supreme court and his subsequent dismissal
after his refusal to remove it. In a strongly worded dismissal, his fellow
justices found that he failed to respect the law. Mr Moore was unrepentant.
"We fought a good fight," he said. "I'd do it all the same all
over again. God is the basis of our law and our government. I cannot and will
not violate my conscience." On Thanksgiving Roy Moore went up to
Massachusetts and gave a speech on Plymouth Rock. Watch out for his sure to be
coming Senate race or maybe the House race. We have not heard the last of him
yet.
Even before the consecration of the first openly gay bishop
among the Episcopalians, potential trouble was brewing in that denomination. In
the form of the newly enthroned Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams. A
fascinating fellow. He is a scholar, a theologian of remarkable depth. He is
also a poet. He has some tradition theological views and some progressive
social stances. He is not easy, at all, to characterize. He was a strong voice
against the war. He is a strong voice against commercialization and
globalization. He ordained a practicing homosexual to the priesthood and is
supportive of female bishops. Anglican leaders in the two/thirds world and
among conservatives in the first world find him, let's say, flawed. And that
was all in February.
Enter Gene Robinson. Earlier this year, the first openly gay
Bishop in the Episcopalian denomination, the American branch of the worldwide
Anglican communion, was consecrated. A remarkable story. And so far, it seems
to me that the Episcopalians have done a decent job of staying in the same room
together so that they might talk about what the future holds. Some groups are
threatening to walk. But they are holding on and it will be fascinating to see
what happens. Rowan Williams' abilities are in part the credit for this.
The Presbyterian Church, USA and the United Methodists have on
their agendas attempts to come to grips with the issue of sexual minorities.
The other big story is the State Supreme Judicial Court decision
in Massachusetts which found that the state's ban on same sex marriage was
grounded in persistent prejudice. I have spoken to this issue, on a newscast
and in a local paper, and have stirred up some conversation, which I consider
important. Given our time constraints, we'll take it up another time.
What we as Unitarian Universalists bring to the table
What do we as Unitarian Universalists bring to the table? With
what eyes do we read and absorb and analyze the news. First and foremost, there
is no single answer to that. As we are made up of Republicans and Democrats and
socialists and greens and libertarians and apolitical types, we come with
different eyes to the table. Independent eyes. Cherishing the idea that there
is no official party line within our movement, we bring our independence to the
table most of all.
Second, we bring a deep appreciation, an abiding conviction of
the worth and dignity of each person. When there is injustice in the world, we
sense that we are all less secure. I resonated with the winner of the Nobel
Peace Prize, Shirin Ebadi, an Iranian Human rights activist, who said earlier
this week: "If the 21st century wishes to free itself from the cycle of
violence, acts of terror and war ... there is no other way except by
understanding and putting into practice every human right for all mankind
regardless of race, gender, faith, nationality or social status." Third, I
think the Unitarian Universalist brings to the reading of the news, a sense
that if any response is going to be formulated to the issues of our day, it
will come from no one other than the collective us, the global community, the
US community, the local community, the church community. Most of us in this
room are not in a position to mobilize the global community. Some of us have
mobilized the region, the metro quad cities. Some of us have mobilized our
church community, or our friends, or our family. Whatever can be done, we must
do it. Emerson, as he surveyed what is possible in living a life of faith that
would make a difference in the world, settled on this phrase, determined doing.
We are a people, we Unitarian Universalists, who believe in expressing our
faith in action. In discussing the AIDS crisis, Dr. Paul Zeitz, head of the
Global AIDS alliance, commented on our societal response. "People are
going to look back at this time and say, "My God, they had such incredible
wealth. They had the technologies to stop this but they just let it go
on." My sense is that when we read the news, we are inclined to say, Given
my relative privilege, what can I do to ensure that this injustice doesn't just
go on and on.
The fourth thing is freedom of conscience. Remember the story of
the Pope issuing a statement of the inviolability of the church's teachings
about this matter or that. From the beginning, religious liberals have insisted
on the power of individual conscience in the matters, religious, political and social,
that confront us. There is great freedom that we bring to the table--that in
some ways is a remedy for many of the religious issues in the news. We have
always been about heightening one's sense of responsibility, one's sense of
personal ethics, one's sense of morality, that is grounded in realistic and
frank discussion. This is why we have Our Whole Lives for instance, in which
serious discussion of sexual matters is placed in the religious and ethical
realm. A strong sense of personal ownership for decision making is something
that we religious liberals bring to the table.
The last thing we bring to the table is related to this last.
The Vatican issued that statement because of a fear of recent medical and
scientific developments. We bring no such fear. We are open to medical and
scientific developments to such an extent that one of our bedrock convictions
is that revelation is ongoing. Ours is a tradition that welcomes new insights
from whatever quarter it comes--science, poetry, literature, medicine,
philosophy. This is what makes our tradition in some ways somewhat confusing
for folks who are not a part of us. And sometimes confusing among us. But the
point is that we will not be constrained. Freedom is the first word you see
when you come into this sanctuary, so instead of being fearful we are free to
explore whatever developments present themselves, and to discuss them and grow.
While the stories I've highlighted this morning are especially
difficult, the good news is that across the nation and across the world, small
faith communities are working for systemic change. Locally, Quad Cities
Interfaith has just hired a new organizer. They work, right now, on issues of
economic justice, livable wage. They work on public transportation issues. They
work on immigrant rights. They work to make education more equitable. The
community outreach committee is working on important matters related to the
commercial exploitation of children, building a network of interfaith
activists. And communities of faith are responding to difficult circumstances.
Locally, Churches United brings all kinds of communities together to feed the
poor and the hungry. Once a month, food is given from this congregation to the
hungry.
Across the country, communities of faith are responding to
issues of environmental racism, are building houses, are hosting deep dialogues
about important issues. This year, we participated in the 60th annual Union
Thanksgiving Service with the Temple and with Edwards Congregational Church,
our progressive partnership that has endured since the middle 19th century.
This morning, I focused on the tough stories. The story of the
Catholic church and its ongoing attempts to address sexual misconduct in the
priesthood will continue. The Massachusetts decision will have an impact on the
presidential races, as will the question of American foreign policy especially
related to multinational efforts and the United Nations. Religious language, I
sense, will continue apace. Religious denominations will continue to struggle
over issues of sexual minorities and sexuality in general.
But the big trend that I see coming up in 2004 is related to
issues of the separation of church and state. I anticipate that we will have
discussions about such issues in our Sunday morning forum and in other arenas
as well. The Supreme Court is taking up a case involving a state-administered
scholarship in Washington that was denied to a theology student. It is a case
that is similar to the whole school voucher discussions and it will be an
important case to track around separation of church and state issues.
The trend that I hope to see is that this congregation, all of
you, will play a huge role in impacting the religious developments on the local
scene. That we will work with those congregations that wish to join us around
the commercial exploitation of children. That we will raise our voice in the
pursuit of wholeness for all people. That we will raise our voice for freedom
and individual conscience. That we will be one of the shapers of local news,
local religious opinion. Given our privilege, the opportunities are great.
December 14, 2004, Unitarian Church, Davenport, Iowa. Rev. Roger Butts