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Posted: July 10th, 2007 at 12:41am By: Rev. Jay Speights
America is becoming more and more diverse every day. We have to pause and ask, "How have we embraced this ever-increasing diversity?" In the last book that Martin Luther King wrote just before his assassination, "Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community," he offered a forward-thinking perspective about how the United States could move toward a more civil and united society.
This book was written after many of the goals of the civil rights movement, such as the Civil Rights Act of 1963, and voting and housing laws, had been enacted. With theses goals achieved, I guess King was wondering where the country was heading. Yes, laws had been changed to foster equality and fair treatment for all. But had the heart and soul of America changed so that it could emerge from this tumultuous time with a sense of community?
Just before his death King saw a country deeply divided by race and class. The scars of the civil rights movement were fresh, and there was still a lot of work to do with much resistance. Let us not forget the debate and mass demonstrations concerning the Vietnam War, which were extremely divisive as well. As you know, King was assassinated in 1968. Here we are in 2007, and can we honestly say that we have made much progress since his death or since he posed the question, "Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community"?
In my opinion, I think America is more divided than ever. Four decades after King's death, race and class are still front-burner issues. Many minority Americans still have to defend or protect the basic rights that they are entitled to under the Constitution. The poverty gap has widened, not narrowed, and the United States is in another war that has this country deeply divided. In addition, hate crimes and religious intolerance are increasing. Has much changed? I would have to say the issues for the most part are the same. But how America chooses to deal with them may be different, which explains why the United States for the most part is still a divided country.
Forty years ago when America was confronted with these issues, that generation was asked by the leaders of that era, such as Dr. King, to examine their hearts and souls to determine what was right by God. Under this approach, real progress was made. America seemed to be moving toward a society that would heal its wounds and grow together and not further apart. Yes, we were on our way toward a more civil society.
Then something happened that seemed to reverse this progress: A new brand of leadership with a new approach began to appear on the scene and claimed to speak for God. These leaders appealed to Americans from an "us against them" paradigm, which became the abiding theme of American politics and community interaction.
This type of thinking is destroying this nation, and it is being done in the name of God. As long as it exists, we will never heal from our torn past and move toward a more civil and united society. Our great American experiment in diversity and pluralism does not have to fail. We can make it work or at least begin to put it back on track. How can we do this? We can start by having a method to evaluate leaders who claim to have strong religious beliefs and invoke the name of God in campaigns, causes, pulpits, speeches, etc.
There is a very simple method for doing this. If you believe that God is compassionate, just and loving, then you can easily assess where any leader stands with God, regardless of what they say. If someone believes in God, then they should have a set of core beliefs that guide them in their lives and interactions with others. These core beliefs should include justice, compassion, peace, love and understanding. These are divine guiding principles and should be the cornerstone and foundation for any government or society.
So any leader who supports unjust wars, or works to support or enact policies that foster divisiveness and fails to meet the basic needs of vulnerable populations could not credibly invoke the name of God in any cause with which they are associated. These leaders are not worthy of our support or friendly ears. By applying this method for evaluating leaders, it will force new leaders to step forward, who ask us to embrace our differences not fear them, and rally around a shared set of core beliefs. This will put the great American experiment in diversity and pluralism back on track. It's just that simple.
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Rev. Jay Speights has an MA in public policy and is an interfaith minister and the main U.N. representative for The New Seminary in New York. You can learn more about his work at the United Nations at The New Seminary website or at harmoniousday.webexone.com. His email address is {email jayspeights@newseminary.org}jayspeights@newseminary.org{/email}. © copyright 2007 by Jay Speights.
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America is becoming more and more diverse every day. We have to pause and ask, "How have we embraced this ever-increasing diversity?" In the last book that Martin Luther King wrote just before his assassination, "Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community," he offered a forward-thinking perspective about how the United States could move toward a more civil and united society.
This book was written after many of the goals of the civil rights movement, such as the Civil Rights Act of 1963, and voting and housing laws, had been enacted. With theses goals achieved, I guess King was wondering where the country was heading. Yes, laws had been changed to foster equality and fair treatment for all. But had the heart and soul of America changed so that it could emerge from this tumultuous time with a sense of community?
Just before his death King saw a country deeply divided by race and class. The scars of the civil rights movement were fresh, and there was still a lot of work to do with much resistance. Let us not forget the debate and mass demonstrations concerning the Vietnam War, which were extremely divisive as well. As you know, King was assassinated in 1968. Here we are in 2007, and can we honestly say that we have made much progress since his death or since he posed the question, "Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community"?
In my opinion, I think America is more divided than ever. Four decades after King's death, race and class are still front-burner issues. Many minority Americans still have to defend or protect the basic rights that they are entitled to under the Constitution. The poverty gap has widened, not narrowed, and the United States is in another war that has this country deeply divided. In addition, hate crimes and religious intolerance are increasing. Has much changed? I would have to say the issues for the most part are the same. But how America chooses to deal with them may be different, which explains why the United States for the most part is still a divided country.
Forty years ago when America was confronted with these issues, that generation was asked by the leaders of that era, such as Dr. King, to examine their hearts and souls to determine what was right by God. Under this approach, real progress was made. America seemed to be moving toward a society that would heal its wounds and grow together and not further apart. Yes, we were on our way toward a more civil society.
Then something happened that seemed to reverse this progress: A new brand of leadership with a new approach began to appear on the scene and claimed to speak for God. These leaders appealed to Americans from an "us against them" paradigm, which became the abiding theme of American politics and community interaction.
This type of thinking is destroying this nation, and it is being done in the name of God. As long as it exists, we will never heal from our torn past and move toward a more civil and united society. Our great American experiment in diversity and pluralism does not have to fail. We can make it work or at least begin to put it back on track. How can we do this? We can start by having a method to evaluate leaders who claim to have strong religious beliefs and invoke the name of God in campaigns, causes, pulpits, speeches, etc.
There is a very simple method for doing this. If you believe that God is compassionate, just and loving, then you can easily assess where any leader stands with God, regardless of what they say. If someone believes in God, then they should have a set of core beliefs that guide them in their lives and interactions with others. These core beliefs should include justice, compassion, peace, love and understanding. These are divine guiding principles and should be the cornerstone and foundation for any government or society.
So any leader who supports unjust wars, or works to support or enact policies that foster divisiveness and fails to meet the basic needs of vulnerable populations could not credibly invoke the name of God in any cause with which they are associated. These leaders are not worthy of our support or friendly ears. By applying this method for evaluating leaders, it will force new leaders to step forward, who ask us to embrace our differences not fear them, and rally around a shared set of core beliefs. This will put the great American experiment in diversity and pluralism back on track. It's just that simple.
— — —
Rev. Jay Speights has an MA in public policy and is an interfaith minister and the main U.N. representative for The New Seminary in New York. You can learn more about his work at the United Nations at The New Seminary website or at harmoniousday.webexone.com. His email address is {email jayspeights@newseminary.org}jayspeights@newseminary.org{/email}. © copyright 2007 by Jay Speights.
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