English has some evocative,
anthropomorphic collective nouns for groups of animals. For example, a group of
lions is a pride, of whales is a pod, of crows is a murder, and of geese is a
flock. One the loudest, most obnoxious, aggressive, and least intelligent
primates is the baboon. A group of baboons is, perhaps appropriately, a congress.
Many people regard politics as
a dirty business in crisis. Is that widely held perception accurate? What, if
anything, is the proper relationship between religion – especially Christianity
– politics?
This post is the first in an occasionally
interrupted series on Religion and Politics that explores those and other questions.
In particular, this post offers a definition for two key terms (politics and state) and highlights some of the interesting parallels between the
Occupy and Tea Party movements.
The Concise Oxford
Dictionary defines politics as a plural noun, usually treated as singular, denoting
“(1) the activities associated with the governance of a country or area OR a
particular set of political beliefs or principles; (2) activities aimed at
improving someone’s status within an organization… (3) the principles relating
to or inherent in a sphere or activity, especially when concerned with power
and status…”
J. Philip Wogaman, a Christian theologian
and ethicist with whom I studied, in Christian Perspectives on Politics,
observes that politics originally
denoted the interaction of citizens in the polis (Greek for city or state). A state consists
of “society acting as a whole, with the ultimate power to compel compliance within
its own jurisdiction.” States claim a monopoly on the legitimate use of force. Politics thus connotes the ideas,
forces, and relationships that generate political power.
In other words, politics are
our social reality. The philosopher Thomas Hobbes argued that a self-centered,
fearful people need a Leviathan (i.e., monarch) to impose restraint and order
on them that they may live in safety. John Locke defended a more positive
version of Hobbes’ theory, contending that people enter into social contracts
to form civil, democratic societies for their mutual benefit. Rousseau’s
position was yet more positive. People form communities to enlarge their individual
existence and identity.
Theologically, each of those
views expresses a different understanding of human nature, ranging from the
total depravity implicit in Hobbes’ view to the perhaps tarnished but not
destroyed imago dei consonant with Rousseau’s view. Regardless of the position
that resonates most closely with one’s own theology, all three positions
capture the reality that no person exists independent of others. The early Christian
hermits, precursors to the monastic movement, who sought to live in isolation
from other humans and the temptations of society remained dependent upon the
larger community (e.g., for food or clothing). Biblically, God’s people live
covenant with one another and with God. Contemporary Christian ethicist Stanley
Hauerwas helpfully insists that Christian ethics are inherently political,
defined by the narrative of Jesus.
The Rev. Canon Giles Fraser,
formerly the Canon Chancellor of St. Paul’s Cathedral, London, has written:
For too long the Church has been obsessed with its own
internal workings and with silly arguments about sex. Now is the time for a
new debate and a new emphasis. For if we are not fully involved with complex
discussions about the relationship between financial justice and the way our
financial institutions work, then we might as well give up on being a proper
Church and admit that we are the spiritual arm of the heritage industry. (“Sitting
on a fault-line at St Paul’s,” The Church Times, Issue 7755, 4 November
2011, accessed at http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/content.asp?id=120132.)
Both the Occupy and Tea Party
movements claim to represent the 99% of the population in the United States and
the United Kingdom who feel disempowered and disenfranchised because of the
current economic recession and the barely discernible, limp recovery. For details
on wealth, income, tax burden, and housing disparities as well as on the
federal government’s fiscal problems, see slides 8 to 15 of my Religion
and Politics – part 1 PowerPoint presentation. For more on the Occupy
movement, see Ethical Musings: Musings about Occupy Wall Street – parts 1,
2,
and 3
and Ethical Musings: Why
Occupy Wall Street Resonates with People.
The prophet Ezekiel declared, “As
I live, says the Lord God, your sister Sodom and her daughters have not done as
you and your daughters have done. This was the guilt of your sister Sodom:
she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did
not aid the poor and needy. They were haughty, and did abominable things
before me; therefore I removed them when I saw it.” (Ezekiel 16:48-50)
Amos, another prophet, reiterated
those sentiments: “Therefore because you trample on the poor and take from them
levies of grain, you have built houses of hewn stone, but you shall not live in
them; you have planted pleasant vineyards, but you shall not drink their wine.
For I know how many are your transgressions, and how great are your sins— you
who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe, and push aside the needy in the
gate.” (Amos 5:11-12)
And Jim Wallis, founder of the
Sojourner’s Community in Washington, DC, and a contemporary prophet, echoes his
predecessors:
•
When they stand with the poor, they stand with
Jesus.
•
When they stand with the hungry, they stand with
Jesus.
•
When they stand for those without a job or a
home, they stand with Jesus.
•
When they are peaceful, non-violent, and love
their neighbors (even the ones they don't agree with and who don't agree with
them), they are walking as Jesus walked.
•
When they talk about holding banks and
corporations accountable, they sound like Jesus and the biblical prophets
before him who all spoke about holding the wealthy and powerful accountable. (“Praying
for Peace and Looking for Jesus at Occupy Wall Street,” Huffington Post,
October 6, 2011)
The next post in this series on
Religion and Politics will explore theological and ethical principles important
for Christian participation in politics.
No comments:
Post a Comment