THE OTHER

Ken Burns' remarkable film series "The Civil War" has been rebroadcast recently on PBS. Sally and I have made it a point to watch it again and discuss it. We have it on DVR. Last night we viewed episode 5 which tells of a Confederate officer who ordered that a Union gun boat in Galveston harbor be fired upon. When he later boarded the now disabled ship, the officer discovered that his own son lay dead on the deck of the boat in a Union uniform. It is a poignant example of what can happen to a people when ideas become so contentious that sides are formed and arms are taken up. Family members and neighbors end up killing each other.

There are many historical examples of nations and communities turning upon each other with unimaginable violence. Religious views, tribal identities, politics, and ethnicity are some of the most common causes. The slippery slope toward carnage begins when, convinced of the superiority of their particular group, public influencers employ the strategy of deligitimizing the other people, not just their opinions. It is a tactic that seeks to convince one's group that those people who think, act or look that other way are inherently deficient and malevolent. It is an intentional, cynical effort on the part of some to instill a deep, irrational fear of the "other" in one's own group.

Left unchecked it inevitably leads to scapegoating, ethnic cleansing, heresy trials and societal collapse. I have had conversations with friends recently that have made me realize how far down this road we have already gone. One veteran of the civil rights movement of the 50's and 60's observed with genuine alarm that racist rhetoric is gaining a foothold in mainstream dialogue once again. You know it is a fact that Blacks and Hispanics are on the receiving end of some pretty disgusting commentary in some circles today. So also is the old McCarthy era "un-American" paranoia making a comeback. When someone says, "We must take our country back," we should ask some probing questions. Do they mean put a Republican back in the White House? Or do they mean return to a 1950's status quo when whites dominated everything and minorities were in their place in the social pecking order? When someone says something is "not scriptural," do they mean it doesn't agree with their understanding of the Bible? Or, do they mean that those who share that view are under the influence of Satan?

On the religious front, Rob Bell published a book with the title "Love Wins" (Harper One) wherein he puts forth the idea that God's love is greater than some of our old theologies have been willing to consider. Upon hearing that Sally and I like the book, a friend who has not read the book in essence declared Bell was a greedy trouble maker who was contributing to a "great end times deception" that would lead to the takeover of world government by the anti-Christ. Somehow he "knows" this even though he has never met Rob Bell or read his book.

Jesus challenged us to love both neighbor and enemy. Name calling, stigmatizing and cultivating ill will against those with whom I have differences is not the way to anything good. On the contrary, it becomes fertile soil for the germination of horrific evil. We better stop it before it is too late.

Reform Immigration Law Now

It seems to be such common sense. If someone breaks the law, they should expect punishment if they get caught and there should be no expectation of benefit to any lawbreaker for doing so. In the abstract it is hard to argue against that logic. But what if it is an ill conceived law? For example, what if the rule of law says one must pay the English throne a punitive tax for tea? According to the above stated logic, those under British authority, if they wanted to be law abiding citizens, should have paid the tax so long as it was the law. Yet, when I was taught American history, I was taught that those who carried out the civil disobedience and vandalism that came to be known as the "Boston Tea Party" were considered American Revolution heroes. Their act of sneaking onto a British ship and throwing its cargo into Boston Harbor helped fuel the passion for the ultimate revolt against England by our nation's founders.

It was once against the law to assist a runaway slave. Harsh penalties were called for by the courts for anyone caught doing so. Yet, today, most people regard the activists who operated the "Underground Railroad" which gave sanctuary and assistance to slaves escaping from the cruelties of slavery to be humanitarian role models.

And who can forget that Jesus was executed for the charge of being a lawbreaker?

Some laws are not good laws, especially laws that are intended to preserve the status quo of the "already haves" while prolonging the suffering of those circumstantially ensnared in poverty and struggle. Laws and attitudes that arise from a self-focused withholding of opportunity and resources from the disadvantaged are not good laws. In fact, in my view, they are evil laws that need to be changed.

What is very troubling to me is that some of those arguing for harsh "law and order" treatment of immigrants who have made their way across our borders in search of work and a better life without waiting years and years to maybe get legal permission, also claim to be followers of Jesus. Since I can't for the life of me find anything in the teachings of Jesus, or the overall biblical ethos that justifies treating people this way, I have to conclude that this insensitive and inflexible attitude arises from another source. Some apparently have confused their Americanism with their Christian discipleship.

Sadly, this confusion has become a breeding ground for angry sterotyping and scapegoating in these times of economic downturn and rising unemployment. Otherwise decent and well meaning people are being swept up in what can only be described as ugliness and hostility toward whole neighborhoods and ethnicities. Some media commentators are enriching themselves by working their listeners into a bigoted froth.

Come on, my fellow Americans, we're better than this, aren't we? Everyone knows we have been hanging a help wanted sign over the no tresspassing signs at our borders for years, as Jim Wallis of Sojourners has pointed out. Rounding up people who only seek to work and make a better life for their family, putting them in chains and handcuffs, jailing them and forcing them to leave the country and very often their immediate family members because they do not have the right piece of paper is not the answer. Changing existing laws to remove the roadblocks and delays so that America will once again be a welcoming land of opportunity for hard working individuals who want to contribute to the strength and growth of our economy and our communities is the answer.