Despite all evidence to the contrary "secular liberals" continue to assert that freedom, genuine participatory democracy, and justice can be achieved by means that contradict those ends. Our the liberal religious tradition has taught that we can not coerce freedom, nor can we browbeat a people into conforming to "Western style procedural democracy," nor cab we establish justice while enriching multinational corporations. Yet secular liberals persist in the discredited idea that society can be rearranged by enlightened elites acting for good purposes, and that institutional power can used to achieve such a rearrangement. The debate between Democrats and Republicans is entirely within the logic of secular liberalism.
On the other hand, that religious movement which is our heritage has taught that freedom arises when we become the change we would achieve. In order to achieve peace, we must work for non violent solutions to conflict. In order to achieve freedom, we must give others the right to make decisions. In order to achieve a democratic world, we must respect the right of others to control their own destinies.
Universalist minister Olympia Brown expressed our the idea well when she wrote: " We can never make the world safe by fighting. Every nation must learn that the people of all nations are children or God, and must share the wealth of the world." Now those whose minds are held captive by the logic of secularism might object, this religious ideal is utopian! But Brown responded "You may say this is impracticable, far away, can never be accomplished, but it is the work we appointed to do."
Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote: "The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it.
You may murder the liar, but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish the truth. You may murder the hater, but you do not murder hate, nor establish love. Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars.
Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."
[ nitpicking ] Twelfth Night being January 6th, this is actually the 1st day of Christmas, Christmas day itself being a "mass day." [/ nitpicking ]
That aside, thanks for the O. Brown quote, particularly in conjunction with MLK. January, for all the New Year hullaballoo over resolutions and new beginnings, seems to me to be one of the hardest times of year to get up out of bed and out into the world doing the important work. We all need a good pants-kicking as the temperature drops. ;-)
Amen, amen.