Politics, Practicality, Piety

You know, when you have a catchy title like this one, these blog entries practically write themselves.

OK, so I had to reach to find three words that begin with the same letter, but the words serve to describe three ideas I saw in posts this week. I admit that I was happy to see these ideas, because the combination suggests that the class is working in some of the ways I had hoped it would when I made the syllabus.

For example, politics: No reflection on “religion” should happen without reference to political realities. Whether you define “politics” broadly as the expression of power relationships or more narrowly in terms of specific social issues, religion is a prime example of both. Many of you wrote about the UCC (along with ELCA and Catholicism) and the stance they take on matters like war, abortion, prison sentencing, etc. Obviously, these are all issues that sit at the intersection of relgioon and poitics; in fact, when most people talk about them they really don’t bother to separate the two, because they don’t experience them separately. Some people object to the political terms “liberal” and “conservative” because they introduce too many other positions, but sometimes I think “that’s the point.” As we grow more aware of how politics connects issues, we cannot simply make decisions based on single issues. I think it’s good for all of us to examine these faith traditions and to see that, when they get involved in the world (politics), things get complicated and kind of messy.

It’s no different in more immediate or “practical” matters. The issue of “violence” came up in some posts, and I certainly understood when Liz, for example, wrote that “I always pictured religious orders being sort of fearless in the determination to help those less fortunate than (sic) them. It saddens me in some ways that even now these religious groups are afraid to step in and help because of a few instances of violence.” Although Liz raises a good point, I also know that she would never advise anyone to venture into areas where they might get hurt. If a congregation like Immanuel is scared, can it even survive, let alone find the time and space it needs to pray and think? If there is violence in a neighborhood, what can we reasonably expect (religious) people to do in response?

“Piety”: I like the UCC slogan that God is still speaking, because it raises questions about what we are doing to listen. That seems like a good question to put to all of these faiths: how do you hear God’s voice when it comes to social issues? It’s also a good question to ask ourselves and to write about when we’re comfortable doing it. A few of you have been willing to do that, and I think those efforts help to make the course more meaningful and complete. Each of us should be challenged by what we are seeing to understand the positions by other faiths; I think we also should be wondering whether or not we should alter own own faith as well. jw