"Politics depends on our ability to persuade each other of common aims based on a common reality. It involves the compromise, the art of what's possible. At some fundamental level, religion does not allow for compromise. It's the art of the impossible. If God has spoken, then followers are expected to live up to God's edicts, regardless of the consequences. To base one's life on such uncompromising commitments may be sublime, but to base our policy making on such commitments would be a dangerous thing. "
He then gives the story of Abraham as an example. Background info on this: God told a dude named Abraham to sacrifice his son. Abraham got his son tied up (no idea how he managed THAT lol), raised the knife up.... And God was like "whoa! Just kidding! Here's a ram, sacrifice it instead."
"But it's fair to say that if any of us leaving this church saw Abraham on a roof of a building raising his knife, we would, at the very least, call the police and expect the Department of Children and Family Services to take Isaac away from Abraham. We would do so because we do not hear what Abraham hears, do not see what Abraham sees, true as those experiences may be. So the best we can do is act in accordance with those things that we all see, and that we all hear, be it common laws or basic reason."
In other words... Obama is suggesting that we as a country work together on the things we CAN agree on.
Let's use abortion as an example. If we are all working together, as Obama suggests, can pro-life people no longer fight abortion? No... but while you are fighting to eliminate abortion completely (a fight that has been waged for... 30 years? With no results?) the nation as a whole can take steps to lower the amount of abortions that ARE performed. We can educate sexually active young people about options they have to avoid pregnancy and STDs. Church's can teach young people to avoid casual sex in the first place, and nurture young women at risk so they see that they are someone of worth, and don't engage in reckless sex just to feel loved. We would become a more responsible society with a much higher percent of our children being loved and wanted. The amount of abortions would decrease. EVERYONE would be happier!
My question to you today:
If this country were to stop our infighting and actually begin working together for the good of our nation, what other positive changes would occur?
3 comments:
It would be a completely different world for everyone. How great would that be?
I personally don't feel that religion should be part of politics at all. In fact in Canada, if you bring up religion your career is over. The U.S. used to be more like that.
I think focusing on education and working together is a great idea. For the whole world!
When my wife R and I moved to TH, she was very interested in working to promote (and legalize) midwifery. We quickly found that the other main person working on that in TH was as politically and theologically conservative as we were politically and theologically liberal. It was the beginning of a very fruitful and challenging friendship, but 3 years later my wife and her friend K, are still close friends and work together on a lot of things, and teach each other lots, and also frequently get so fed up with the bizzarre positions of each other than they don't speak to each other for a week or two.
It's always struck me as a little microcosm of what can happen when liberals and conservatives really try to work together. It has changed our lives in so many little ways. It has been very rewarding and also fairly complex and difficult. The infighting never really stops, but it gets put on hold, and pushed to the back to make room for cooperation on joint goals.
-Brian M
gave you an award over at my place! you haven't blogged an award for a while, so enjoy!
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