Civil
Liberty Reflections
The Present State of Chaos
Sermon preached by
The Rev. Michael R. Leduc
at First Parish in Plymouth Unitarian Universalist
February 3, 2002
Readings:
From The Revolutionary Function of the Modern Church
by John Haynes Holmes, 1912
To say that we are living in an age of strange transition and disorder,
is to repeat one of the most familiar commonplaces of the times; and
yet no other
statement is adequate as a description of the present day. It is to
be supposed that centuries hence the historians of human progress will
be able to characterise our era with that same degree of exactitude
with which contemporary historians characterise the various epochs of
the past; but to-day it is impossible to say anything more precise than
that the old is going and the new has not yet come. Institutions which
we had come to regard as in some sense divinely ordained and thus destined
to endure so long as humanity should exist upon the earth seem now to
be crumbling away before our very face and eyes, and we know not what
institutions are to be planned and reared in their stead. Principles
of government, education, and business which we had learned to accept
as ultimate achievements of human wisdom and hence as final formulations
of social order, are falling daily into ever greater
disrepute, and in our failure to discover any new and safer principles
we seem to be drifting straight into a condition of general anarchy.
Even our ethical and spiritual ideals are being called into question,
and the demand is being heard upon every hand for new standards of individual
and social morality. What it all means and where it is all going to
take us, no [one] can say. But that the present state of chaos just
as surely means the ending of one epoch of human history and the beginning
of another as the great upheaval of the Renaissance meant the close
of the Middle Ages and the
opening of modern times, is perfectly evident to even the most casual
observer of social evolution.
Faith In That Which Cannot Fail
(based on We Speak of Life #57)
by Richard Gilbert
In this peaceful place we consider those things that cannot fail.
We come from our diverse walks of life,
Each with our own problems,
Our own pains, our own possibilities.
We live in a world not certain to be saved;
We live in a time that buffets us with change;
We live in the midst of upheavals of the spirit,
In a world where what we thought was sure is not.
In the quietude we reflect on the sources of our strength:
The rolling heavens of stars and planets which call forth our wonder;
The beauty of a natural world which catches us by surprise with
its myriad forms and textures;
The faithfulness of those who walk the difficult days with us,
Who see us through the lonely nights;
The confidence that the meanings of life lie not far from us;
The surety of noble causes which capture our imagination,
And make worthwhile our struggles;
The miracle of our very being in such a world as this;
The presence of that which is beyond our comprehension,
Which can neither be named nor defined,
That presence in which we find sustenance for our spirits.
"May we find here strength in that which cannot fail:
In a love of truth which faces every fact,
In a sense of community which leaves no one out,
And in ideals which are close to life
Yet ever lead us on and on."
Sermon
Every time I read John Haynes Holmes' words I am struck with how accurately
they describe the situation in our world today. He seems to have a clear
and concise understanding of the turmoil we are currently experiencing
in our culture and in the world in general. We live in a time of transition
and disorder. We live in an age that questions everything. Nothing is
sacred. Nothing is taken at face value. Cynicism and skepticism abound.
Everything is probed, prodded, evaluated and analyzed. Most everything
is relativized with individual desires being raised to the level of
undeniable, indisputable, non-negotiable rights. Little is stable or
secure any longer. Yes, the world, and our society are in a state of
chaos and upheaval. Is there anyone who would deny this? We are faced
with a world turned upside down where all our familiar patterns have
been broken? Yet, I would ask if this is any different than it has ever
been? Sadly when Holmes wrote his words in 1912 the storm clouds of
World War I were beginning to gather. Events of that time headed us
on a path that resulted in generations of unimaginable suffering and
destruction. We continue to feel the ripples of those events today and
I wonder if, in these beginning years of the new century we are treading
that same well-worn path again. I will be honest with you, I believe
we are headed down that same road once again and I am fearful.
The past few months have been intensely stressful for most of us. Our
optimism has been shattered. Many people have been questioning their
faith as they seek meaning and hope in the face of terror. In an experience
new to us, or at least to most white Americans, we struggle to readjust
to a life that feels less secure than what we have been used to living.
The fear we are feeling has us doing and accepting many things we would
never, ever have accepted prior to September 11th.
In an experience familiar to anyone who had recently flown, Donna,
Kiley and I went to Logan Airport two weeks ago. All three of us were
nervous about flying. The presence of a National Guard checkpoint and
two identification checks before we could board the plane was unnerving.
The security agents that looked like Green Berets, while intellectually
reassuring were a constant reminder of the chaotic and fearful times
in which we live. Watching a single mother and her two young children
being pulled aside before entering the plane, searched, being made to
take off their shoes, and then being scanned by one of those hand held
metal detectors brought a lump to my throat. Yet, we quietly accept
this as the price of safety. What it reminded me of was when we were
in Mexico two years ago. There were machine gun wielding troops ever
present in the streets. I remember being nervous then, thinking how
they are not a sign of a healthy or safe society with the power of the
State omnipresent and unrestrained. It is the power of the State being
framed as a presence for safety when in actuality it is a presence for
societal control and oppression.
Be that as it may, what I found even more disturbing two weeks ago
were the security searches when we went to Disney World. Before anyone
could enter any of the parks, everything was opened and searched. Parents
had to empty diaper bags and strollers were searched. I thought to myself,
"What sort of a world are we living in when we have to be concerned
about our safety in an amusement park filled with families and young
children?" This was a rhetorical question of course though it too
reflects the fearful and chaotic times in which we live.
How do we answer these fears and anxieties that permeate our lives
at the current time? We are living in a time of transition...an in-between
time where the old world is falling away and a new world has not yet
formed. We are living in a world of transition where old answers are
easy answers but are they the right answers? Do they adequately address
the challenges presented to us in a fast moving, rapidly shifting world
where the denying of our interconnection with the entire world only
increases problems rather than solves them? If I were writing a book
this chapter would be entitled "What Sort of a World Do We Want?"
First we would have to ask how our faith informs our decision making
as we address this question. Then we have to ask how that faith is expressed
in the institutions we both create and influence. For some this would
be seen as an intersection of religion and politics. This, however,
assumes they are separate entities that parallel each other and work
independently. Rather, I believe they are not separate but one and the
same. Our faith informs our politics and how we express our religious
vision in the world. These days, our faith has been sorely tested and
in some cases gone up in the smoke of the destruction of the twin towers.
It seems to me that in this time of transition, when everything is up
for grabs, it is important that our church and its values be offered
loud and clear in the world.
As T.S. Eliot (who was himself raised a Unitarian) wrote in his poem
"The Wasteland,"
"These fragments have I shored up against my ruins."
Published in 1922 it reflects a world changed by the horror of World
War I. It proclaims, as did so many writers of that time, the sad truths
of human finitude, moral fragmentation and death. It was a world not
unlike the world in which we live today.
What are the fragments we have shored up against the ruins? What are
the sources of strength we embrace that get us through the day, that
help us to make sense of the world? No doubt whatever they are they
have been sorely tested and there have no doubt been a few surprises.
In our second reading this morning, Richard Gilbert offers us some
of the sources of our strength: the wonder and beauty of the natural
world, the faithfulness of those who walk with us, confidence in the
meaning of life, community, the nobility of causes which make the struggles
of our lives worthwhile and the mysterious presence beyond our comprehension
that helps to sustain us. To these I would add human dignity, an honest
acceptance of differences where people are not divided into "us"
and "them" and easily labeled "evil" because their
beliefs differ from ours. Along with these would be our dedication to
freedom, not only as a political ideal but more importantly as a religious
ideal from which the political ideal arose. The vision of our faith
demands a far different world than the one in which we are living. We
have a faith that can give us hope and can offer the world a new vision.
It is a time for our church to rise up and be a loud and persistent
voice for moral good in the world. This is the kind of world I would
like to us striving toward. Not one in which violence is seen as an
acceptable response to so many of life's changes for it is an absurdity
to believe sanctioned violence can prevent or control unsanctioned violence.
Each of us will no doubt have our own additions to this list for it
is far from complete. I invite you to ponder what additions you would
make to the list of what sustains and guides you in your ethical and
moral decision making. I would invite you to consider how those faith
statements reflect the kind of world you want to have.
What kind of a world do you want to have and are you willing to help
create? Since September 11th we are constantly being exposed to language
that feeds our anxieties and leaves them free floating. Some folks sitting
in this room will no doubt be angry with me saying I am speaking of
politics from the pulpit if I say I believe our government is fanning
the flames of fear to implement regressive and repressive programs that
are in actuality dismantling our democracy under the guise of saving
it. Yet a world where sanctioned torture is being seriously considered
by intellectuals and government officials alike, the convening of secret
military tribunals, suspects being held for unlimited periods of time
without access to counsel or even being charged with a crime is the
reality of our existence. If you think torture is a purely political
issue, think again. If you think secret military tribunals without any
accountability to the laws of our nation is a purely political issue,
think again. If you think arrests and incarceration for suspected crimes,
where your conversations with a lawyer…if you are even allowed
to see a lawyer…can be listened to by the government is purely
a political issue, think again.
Fear has made us see as acceptable things that are inherently unacceptable
and violate our human dignity, our freedom and our sense of who we are
as a nation. If we, as a nation do the things I have described, then
how does that make us any different than those whom we fight and label
as "evil?" Is this the kind of world we want? It's the kind
of world some people want…and they are the ones who won't be affected
by these measures…at least not yet.
Yes, we are in a place of transition and change. We are in a period
of chaos where the world as we know it is disassembling. The thing about
chaos is things will reassemble in a new way. And we can influence how
that reassembly takes place. Old thinking has resulted in the predicament
we are in. I don't think it's going to get better any time soon. It's
time to begin thinking in new ways, of new possibilities, within a new
framework that's also an old framework. Imagine if we really practiced
our Unitarian Universalism, or Christians really followed the teachings
of Jesus, or Moslems, Mohammed, or whatever the faith, and we made room
for each other respectfully and lovingly. What the world would look
like?
Some would say this is unrealistic. But is it only unrealistic because
it is convenient to see it as such? To make it work would take far more
energy and creativity than most of us would be willing to expend.
I would ask again, however, what kind of a world do you want? Amen.
