The political polarization of our society has now reached a new and dangerous level. Honest disagreements over policy issues have turned into a growing vitriolic rage against political opponents, and even threats of violence against lawmakers are now being credibly reported.
Just a few months ago, a deeply concerned, veteran member of Congress called me to express real despair about the alarming level of disrespect, personal attacks, and even hateful rhetoric that was occurring among her colleagues -- reflecting a degeneration of public debate in our national culture. This month, another member of Congress called to express real fear about threats of violence he and other elected officials had experienced against themselves and their family members. Political debate, even vigorous debate, is a healthy thing for a democracy; but to question the integrity, patriotism, and even faith of those with whom we disagree is destructive to democratic discourse, and to threaten or even imply the possibility of violence toward those whose politics or worldview differs from ours is a sign of moral danger, and indeed, a sign of democracy's unraveling.
Both members are people of faith and were calling to ask for help from the community of faith to lead in this dangerous moment and to begin to help heal what was becoming an increasingly alarming and frightening situation. I recently had lunch with a friend, a political conservative with whom I both agree and disagree on various policy issues. He expressed his real discouragement over how more and more Americans now get their news and information from only highly ideological and partisan media sources with whom they already agree, and who daily fuel the most passionate emotions of their loyal followers -- on both sides of the political aisle.
So for several months, a group of Christian leaders have been praying, talking, and discerning how the churches might lead by example to help create a more civil and moral tone in our national politics. We have confessed that, too often, Christians have merely reflected the political divisions in the body politic instead of trying to heal them in the body of Christ. People of faith from all our religious traditions could help create much-needed safe, civil, and even sacred spaces for better public discourse at this critical moment in our nation's history. What has come from our prayerful discernment is "A Covenant for Civility: Come Let Us Reason Together." Church leaders from across the political and theological spectrum -- who have voted Democratic, Republican, and Independent in recent elections -- have come together around this civility covenant, and the breadth of the signatories is a powerful statement in and of itself. Together we offer what we feel is a strong biblical statement motivated by deep concern about our present situation; we are now inviting thousands of other pastors and lay people in all of our churches to sign this covenant and then seek to implement it in our congregations, communities, and nation.
The Covenant for Civility begins:
As Christian pastors and leaders with diverse theological and political beliefs, we have come together to make this covenant with each other, and to commend it to the church, faith-based organizations, and individuals, so that together we can contribute to a more civil national discourse. The church in the United States can offer a message of hope and reconciliation to a nation that is deeply divided by political and cultural differences. Too often, however, we have reflected the political divisions of our culture rather than the unity we have in the body of Christ. We come together to urge those who claim the name of Christ to " put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you" (Ephesians 4:31-32).
We need to behave differently, for both the sake of our spiritual integrity and the health of our democracy. We have forgotten some of the key values of faith: respect, truth, honesty, humility, patience, kindness, confession, forgiveness, prayer, and the unity of the body of Christ. It is time to recover them again. Let the change we call for begin with us.
Jim Wallis is the author of Rediscovering Values: On Wall Street, Main Street, and Your Street -- A Moral Compass for the New Economy, CEO of Sojourners and blogs at www.godspolitics.com.
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Scott Cairns: And One For All: The Profound Mystery Of The Body Of Christ
But, as an American, I'm neither required to participate, nor donate, and thank (Deity) for that.
My opinion is just as important as yours.
That's not debate.
That's harassment.
This nonsense about hatred of Obama, racism, spreading lies, etc., is really a way of saying, "If you disagree with me I'll shout you down and silence your opinion by calling you names." It's not working anymore. Everyone knows the definition of a racist: Anyone winning an argument with a liberal.
The country is no more divided than at any other time, and the hate-filled rhetoric was certainly never more prevalent than when Bush was President. It's disingenuous to believe otherwise. Every issue is divisive, as they are meant to be. It's called having an opinion. If you don't like the divisiveness, simply agree with everything I believe.
It's the right wing crazies that have done this - painting up Obama as Hitler, teabaggers wailing without neurons, etc. When there's a little pushback by the left or anyone else with a functioning brain and bit of compassion in their heart, some people label it "polarization". It's not. It's pushback against the crazies. There is absolutely no reason in the world to be civil towards the right-wing wac.kos. We must fight them every step of the way.
The christian communities created this problem and it is your problem to solve.
I could never agree with anyone who has a history of murder, torture and the fear of progressive science. After all, you (christian community) belove a man you tortured and murdered (Jesus). You torture little boy children in the first few hours of coming into this life (circumcision).
You say you want small government and to stay out of their lives yet you spew hate and discrimination agains the lgtb community...then make it the law of the land. You put discrimination in our great American constitution. How sad you are.
Civility? I only hope that one day a desicion comes down that takes your free money away and give 'separation of church and state' its true meaning.
christianity=fascism ... thats the true danger.
You want civility? Lead the way countering your own flock of the hate spewing speech to all churches globally. Then I will believe you.
Generalizations and stereotypes are just as destructive and pointless as incivility.
There is no one Christian mindset, because we all happen to have different actual minds. Civil discourse can't begin with generalizations, stereotypes, and preconceived notions about what people believe.
I read a book titled "Generations" about 15 years years ago by Strauss and Howe. In it they predicted the sort of polarization that we are seeing based on their review of the differences between Boomers and GI's (the generation in between they termed "Silent", and they have yet to produce a president).
In that book they pointed out many similarities between boomers and the generation that started the civil war. The civil war started when Lincoln - an abolitionist of high intellect from Illinois- was elected to the presidency. Given the level of animosity thrown at Obama - a moderate democrat of high intellect who is black and is from Illinois - their analysis is prophetic.
Generations - It's worth loooking at.
Freedom of speach does not give a pass on freedom to lie.
The attacks on every secular safety net in this country are evidence that they are smelling blood. People who would normally have some compassion, some empathy are vicious in their assaults on the poor, the unemployed, the children. These same people are not willing to admit that their success in this country came by way of help from the same government they now protest. But that’s what your religious friends want—otherwise we would have been hearing from them all along.
( wow, one keeps talking like thateth, one ends up thounding liketh Daffy Duck )
More worrying that the occasional whacko is the almost daily vitriolic commenting on the online blog commentary of my local newspaper, where the extremists are very verbally abuse to those who express even a moderate view. I wrote a commentary on guns and gun violence and commented on the Constitutional provision for gun ownership--to which one person (called "sixgun") replied that it would be interesting when the revolution comes because the liberals and lefties won't have guns, and the right will, so it will be a very short battle. It is very disconcerting. It leads me to suspect that it would take very little for armed conflict and violence to occur.
We can meet, have lunch, shake hands, and discuss, but if we still think that the other person is fundementally foreign, 'the other', ultimately our behavior will follow suit. Humans have tried thousands of ways to behave rightly with each other - and to no significant avail, simply because we cannot get in our heads first, that we're fundementally related - that we're brothers and sisters. That is the true message of the major religions. Jesus, Buddha, and the other great teachers explained this. Until we get the first step right, our behavior will not fundementally change.
Yes, Mr. Wallace, churches could do that ...if they wanted to. But most churches, especially the ones with the hell fire and damnation creed, preach the "them and us " doctrine. If you don't belong to their particular splinter group, you are considered evil. And let's face it, there are enough of these groups to foster hate around the country.
I admire your work. But right now very few listen to reason. So it's hard not to be cynical when the dregs of our society seem to be in the ascendancy.
It's tragic really, it's god's science after all.
Also, for this to work, both sides need to sign. There has been overheated rhetoric on both sides. One only has to cruise these webpages to see people referring to "repugs" or "rethugs" or people tarring all Conservatives with the same brush.