The Character Issue

In both times Bill Clinton was elected President, George H. W. Bush and Bob Dole often referred to the importance of "character" in guiding how people should vote. Admittedly Bill Clinton had some flaws, but they were nothing compared to the character of some of today's candidates. Without naming names, I wonder what Mr. Bush and Mr. Dole say about some who are running for office today -- who lie about their educational history, who send pornographic messages "to just a few friends," who threaten reporters, etc. Characters, indeed. God save us from ourselves.

Bane and Blessing

As reported in today’s Huffington Post, “A new survey of Americans' knowledge of religion found that atheists, agnostics, Jews and Mormons outperformed Protestants and Roman Catholics in answering questions about major religions, while many respondents could not correctly give the most basic tenets of their own faiths.” If “religion” is as important for people as we say it is, you’d think that the faithful would know more about the subject than the atheists and agnostics who reject it.

Religion is both bane and blessing. Religious people have done much good over the centuries, but as the world continues to shrink and we can’t help but rub shoulders with people of other religions, it is increasingly a source of conflict. I need not enumerate any examples. We know them well.

No wonder Jimmy Buffett sings:

Fruitcakes in the galaxy (fruitcakes in the galaxy)

Fuitcakes on the earth (fruitcakes on the earth)

Struttin naked towards eternity

We’ve been that way since birth

Half-baked cookies in the oven (cookies in the oven)

Half-baked people on the bus (people on the bus)

There's a little bit of fruitcake left in everyone of us

Religion! religion! oh, there's a thin line between Saturday

Night and Sunday morning. Here we go now.

Where’s the church, who took the steeple

Religion is in the hands of some crazy-ass people

Television preachers with bad hair and dimples

The god’s honest truth is it's not that simple

Its the Buddhist in you, it's the pagan in me

It’s the Muslim in him, she's catholic aint she?

It’s the born again look it's the wasp and the Jew

Tell me what's goin on, I aint gotta clue.

Although I sometimes felt as if I was in the “religion business” for most of my life, I know better and there are better songs to sing than Fruitcakes. There is One who came that we might have life, not religion. Matthew 11:28-30 is traditionally translated: “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

I think Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase in The Message captures better the meaning of Jesus’ words: “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me – what how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

On Being

I’m continually impressed by NPR’s On Being (formerly Speaking of Faith) and its host, Krista Tippett. The granddaughter of a Southern Baptist minister and a Fullbright scholar, she also holds a Master of Divinity from Yale University. The program can be heard in the Tampa area on Sunday mornings at 6:00 am (WUSF 89.7) or the more complete program can be heard on line: onbeing.publicradio.org.

I heard her this past Saturday at a seminar in Denver along with Paul Raushenbush, religion editor of the Huffington Post. Krista quoted someone (I don’t remember who) and I can only give a paraphrase, but it’s a keeper: “Religious people need to understand that non-religious people can be moral; and non-religious people need to understand that religious people can be intelligent.” Such mutual understanding would go a long way in bridging the cultural gulf that divides us. For me, that quote also captures the basic theme of the programs. If you’ve never listened, I’d encourage you to check it out.

Here is a paragraph from the website:

"Being is a spacious conversation — and an evolving media space — about the big questions at the center of human life, from the boldest new science of the human brain to the most ancient traditions of the human spirit. The program began as an occasional series on Minnesota Public Radio in 1999, then became a monthly national program in September 2001, and launched as a weekly program titled Speaking of Faith in the summer of 2003. 

Being is heard on a growing number of public radio stations in the U.S. — 240 and counting — and globally via Internet and podcast. In 2008, the program was awarded the highest honors in both broadcasting and electronic media — our first Peabody and our second Webby Award. Being is the only public radio program in the U.S. to achieve this distinction. 

Krista envisioned a program that would draw out the intellectual and spiritual content of religion that should nourish our common life, but that is often obscured precisely when religion enters the news. Our sustained growth as a show has also been nurtured by a cultural shift that seeks conversation, shared life, and problem-solving within and across religious traditions and across categories of belief and non-belief. Being has both responded and contributed to a growing acknowledgement that there are basic questions of meaning that pertain to the entire human experience. The particular dramas and dynamics of the 21st century — ecological, political, cultural, technological, and economic — are bringing this into relief."

On political campaigns

If I could wave a magic wand, I would prohibit all political advertising. Since much (most?) of advertising is deceptive -- trying to hook you to buy a product whether or not the facts are correct or you even need it). Signs with candidates' names are OK in my book -- name recognition is important, but so many political ads on TV and radio are reminiscent of the proverbial sellers of snake oil. In their place, I would have the appropriate government sponsor x number of debates. If a candidate decided not to participate, too bad! Candidates would also be free to make as many speeches before live audiences that they could. Then the electorate would have a better chance of seeing the candidate for who he or she is. I would even allow them to purchase broadcast time to make a speech, but the slick ads are over the top and incessant. I don't believe any of them and they tend to discourage people from voting, at least they discourage me.

I know, it will never happen. Free speech clause and all of that, but one can dream.