TENNESSEE TURNS INWARD

"NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Tennesee's Republican governor says he will let a bill become law effective April 20 that protects teachers who allow students in their classrooms to criticize evolution and other scientific theories, such as global warming." (Lucas L. Johnson, Associated Press, April 10, 2012 on msnbc.msc.com/id/47001)

 

There are historical examples of society turning against science, technical advancement and change. One instance would be the Amish who decided to freeze their culture at the early 19th Century level. Of course, as a culture, they are protected and allowed to exist by the larger one that surrounds them and as a result they do not have to compete militarily, economically or intellectually in order to sustain themselves. They also get special exemptions regarding military service, as well as not being required to participate in many ways with the surrounding society. The only reason they exist is because the culture that contains them grants them a great deal of grace, which flows from our traditions of pluralism and tolerance.

If the United States follows the example of the Amish, we will doom our society to third world status and other countries, who do not have our religious hang ups, i.e. China and India, will pick up the torch of knowledge tied to scientific methodology and let it burn brightly in their societies, which will bring them great wealth and power as their scientists create the future.

Our universities are full of students from mainland China. The two who were murdered at USC are but an example. A full 50% of the students in our Ivy League universities are from Asia. The Chinese want what we have and know the secret to our success lies in our institutions of higher learning, which support individualism, creativity and pursuit of knowledge for the sake of knowledge free of right wing and left wing orthodoxies. If we fetter our exporation of knowledge, new ideas and products created by Americans will disappear.

 

The Tennessee law, contrary to the propaganda of its proponents, will narrow our options and we will end up depending on others, while we wallow in and flaunt our self-righteousness just like the Muslim countries have done the last six hundred years. There was a time during the high middle ages when Islam was where it was at, but they lost it because their fundamentalists took over.  And look at where they are now, struggling to fit into the modern world. 

God help Tennessee for they are cursing themselves, not having a clue as to the wider repercussions of their decisions.  God help the rest of the United States as we, entranced by the misnomer, "religious freedom", consider following their example.

The Balance of Power

Social balance of power, just like the balance of nature, is constantly in flux. Occassionally, one force begins to dominate the others and gets the entire system so out of whack that it needs adjustment. We, in the United States, are living in such an era; greed has become our God once again. And as a result common decency suffers in the hands of heartrless supervisors, politicians, corporate moguls, doctors, bankers, bishops and preachers, who not only despise the weak but also pick their pockets. Who is supposed to be the balancing force? Who is supposed to trigger guilt and slow our mad dash into self-aggrandizement? Who is to call us back to values that serve all of us? And who is to teach us that God expects us to watch out for, to care for and to protect our sisters and brothers? And who is to remind us that all humans are God's children? Who is to proclaim that human compassion is God mandated? Who is to teach us right from wrong?

From a sociologial point of view, churches, synagogues, temples and mosques are charged with that responsibility. We are warned that we cannot serve both God and money. Yet, I do not hear a single voice raised against our delerious pursuit of money and political power. All three western religions honor ancient prophets whose chief task, contrary to what the loudest religious voices are saying, was not to predict the future but to expose the dark energies in human souls and to point at the inevitable destruction greed and power-lust wreak upon whatever society gets caught in their webs. Strangely enough, Walt Disney, a celebrity well known for his anti-religious attitude, provided us with a modern story of the importance of conscience in the animated film, Pinnochio, where Jimminy Cricket tutored the wooden puppet in doing the right thing and recognizing evil in order that Pinocchio might become human.

The ancient prophets also nurtured conscience much the same way as Jimminy Cricket. They reminded society that some sins were deadly, always have been, always will be. And they still serve by reminding us that this kind of self-destructive behavior never appears as some slimy, greasy creature, but as a well dressed, good looking, soft spoken salesperson, who promises safety, security, success, salvation and svelteness. Salespeople who also fail to mention the downside, the hardening of hearts, the searing of consciences, the dehumanization of self and enemies and the necessity of destroying anyone who gets in the way. Just take a look at the religious right's support of torture and their justification that it saves lives. Our current crisis is what happens when religious institutions abandon their prophetic calling. They blame abortion rights, women's liberation and gay marriage, but not their own worship of power and money, which is idolatry of the most destructive kind. Our decline is not due to extending human rights to minority groups which is nothing more than loving one's neighbor as oneself, but to unbridled ambition to get rich and remain powerful at any cost.

We tolerate lies, avoid our social responsbilities, and demand that we should not have to pay taxes. We pretend that people and corporations need no laws or regulations. We argue that the marketplace if left alone will correct itself and cause no harm. We pretend that our group knows everything and has no blind spots. We argue against facts and when caught show no shame. We pretend that because we have been annointed by God, it doesn't matter if we sin. We hate the earth and refuse to believe it is in any danger because we believe it will soon be destroyed anyway. Our hearts have grown cold, we have closed our minds, and our ears filter out anything we don't want to hear. All that matters is money and power. All that matters to religion is money and power. We are worshiping Mammon, not God.

God help us. We need to adopt Jimminy Cricket as an example. He was ignored because he was humble and exercised no real power. But, as we know from religious teachers in all religions and in all times, St. Jimminy holds the real power, the kind of power that changes people and societies. It is the kind of power that softens hearts and opens minds. He humanizes life and makes the world a liveable place.