Pulling Jesus From a Hat

This is as good a time as ever, I suppose, to get back in the proverbial saddle.  I haven’t blogged in over two years for a variety of reasons, some of which may be revealed over the next few entries.  I will try to test some fresh or perhaps, refreshed perspectives on religion, politics, social media and the relationships that ripple the “Waters of Our Lives.”  Thanks Mr. Shakespeare for reminding us there is nothing new under the sun.

During the past couple of years, I’ve experienced some life lessons disguised as close friendships.  I have had to relearn that I am an extremely sensitive individual despite what some may think given my outward persona.  Relationships, especially my ultimate ones, are my roots.  Some folks say family should be your anchor.  I believe this is true, but consider family to also include those to which you have a special bond even though they are not related by either blood or marriage.  I have called these people soul friends in past posts.  To be blunt, it just really sucks when you lose a friend regardless of circumstances.  It has been frustrating to those loved ones, that I cannot let go of people or things over which I have no control.  The “Serenity Prayer” has never been more apt.  That being said, my wife and soulmate has told me that she understands that this is the way I was made and that she just wants to help me through it.  Wow!  Anchors aweigh, thank you Lord, I have the best.  

Despite having worked hard, mostly through prayer, at not being hyper-focused on things I can’t change, I may have unwittingly substituted a renewed interest in politics and a fascination with social media.  Prior to last year, I was on Facebook, yet was rarely active.  A job and location change with fewer security requirements actually allow me to possess a cell phone at all times, so I got a really big one that I could read without having to squint.  In addition to the move from my last position, the aforementioned reference to my estranged relationships, have provided me further incentive to become focused on other activities, and so it is, said social media.

Enter, Danny, my middle son, with a strike of unabashed enthusiasm for Ayn Rand and Rand Paul.  I am sure my fiscal conservatism and Libertarian leanings had some influence on him, but his desire to become more knowledgeable about capitalism and politics has become captivating. I am very happy that all of my kids have chosen to be readers and sponges, seeking out new and old ideas alike.  They have their Mother’s influence to thank for their appetite, not only because of the great food she prepares, but also due to her insatiable hunger for reading and collecting books.  Danny has recently devoured Rand’s The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged as well as presidential candidate Paul’s most recent book, Taking a Stand.  Although I do not accept her presumption regarding altruism and am not a true disciple of objectivism, Rand’s works may provide the best ever case for capitalism, and against socialism.  As for Paul, I am a proud supporter, yet fear he doesn’t possess the charisma or the social agenda so many conservative Americans think they want. 

A prophetic verse from Emerson Lake & Palmer’s 1973 Karn Evil 9, 1^st Impression describing a Carnival-like (KarnEvil), then future society comes to mind.   

“Not content with that,

With our Hands behind our Backs,

We’ll pull Jesus from a Hat,

Get into that, Get into that.”

 It was the night of the first Republican debate, and I was excited to see if our guy would make any headway.  The Fox News presentation started like the Super Bowl pregame show and quickly turned into a circus.  More from ELP's progressive rock epic rings true.

“Welcome Back My Friends to the Show that Never Ends,

We’re So Glad You Could Attend,

Come Inside, Come Inside.”

This was no debate, but a question and answer session dominated by the leader in the polls and worst qualified candidate, Donald Trump.  I will give him kudos for the one question he actually answered, that being that he reserved the right to run as a 3^rd party candidate.  He also gets points for not using the god card.  I guess he can afford to be his own person even if that person is not one I want running the country.  Every single candidate besides Trump and Rand Paul proverbially pulled Jesus from a Hat!  It was one of the most egregious displays of using God to further personal gain that I have ever witnessed.  We are instructed in Matthew not to display our faith through performance.  I do believe some of these guys are sincere, but terribly misguided in their approach.  After the debate, a friend mentioned on Facebook that he was definitely choosing a godly candidate like Ben Carson.  Huh?  I left that alone, but wanted to share that Rand Paul is a devout Presbyterian (not an oxymoron despite the grief we take), yet took the high road, by not pulling Jesus from a hat.

Even though I am a Christian, I believe strongly in separation of church and state.  Christian values were important in the establishment of this country as were many other cultures and philosophies.  These values are still relevant to individual leaders as well as the American consciousness, but I don’t think it matters if my future president is a Christian.  If you don’t think God works through everyone, then you never paid attention in Sunday School.  A Muslim president may not be tenable now, or ever, to the populous, yet pitting the two subject Faiths is certainly not Christian nor do I believe it is healthy for the country. 

I have many friends scattered across the political spectrum.  If I chose them based on shared political views, I’d have few.  I am a fiscal conservative and a social moderate.  From an economics point of view, it cannot be refuted that bigger pie for everyone is better than trying to reallocate a smaller one that will continue to get smaller if those who invest capital are not incentivized.  And even though I have my own moral and religious beliefs, I don't prescribe that these all be laws of the land.  It is really about how much liberty you are willing to cede for your cause.  I'm primarily only interested in trading a bit for my family's safety.   I am therefore, a classic liberal.  That is, being liberated from government.  

Ben Franklin said that “Those who surrender freedom for security will not have, nor do they deserve, either one.”  Following the debate, I had a heated argument over the Patriot Act (oxymoron) with one of my best friends.  Senator Paul challenged Chris Christie regarding administration of the Act, indicating that fewer innocent citizens and more suspected terrorists should be targeted.  Christie replied that you don’t know until you sort them out.  The audience got a laugh, but Paul’s point was that legal methods such as search warrants should be used.  My friend thought Christie was right.  I did not as I scrambled to remember the Franklin quote above.  No one wants another 9/11, but if you live scared and skirt the laws in place to protect individual liberty, the terrorists win and the soul of freedom bleeds!  I suppose they also win if our flesh bleeds.  As individuals, we generally don’t care about anything unless it affects us directly.  I’m betting that my friend would be really interested if they came for his arsenal.  As I finish this post after the tragic events in Paris, my stance will be challenged more than ever.  This is as it should be in a free society.  I don’t have the answers, but only know what we potentially stand to lose.  Clearly, these are confusing times.

The most difficult issue for me to abide by given my conservative nature, and political aversion to social law, is abortion.  As much as I support one’s right to make this choice, it is gut-wrenching to hear the callousness with which a human life is considered.  I believe that when one is faced with such a situation, it should be treated as a moral and ethical dilemma.  At the very least, some soul searching would be in order, preferably some spiritual guidance.  It might have gone without saying that I don’t like paying for Planned Parenthood with my tax dollars.

I believe the core difference in political ideology has to do with what one considers basic or natural rights.  I have found that what some folks call rights are only based on their utopian views as shaped by today's construct.  Free healthcare and education are cited as examples.  Certainly these things would be desirable, especially if they were actually free.  They cannot be free, nor are they what I consider inalienable rights.  We have the right to life and to pursue happiness.  Odd that many that are quick to tout higher ideals, forget the basic right of life.

Has anyone ever noticed that the term “Politically Correct” is also an oxymoron?  We practically bend over backwards to keep from offending folks because of their race, religion, sexual orientation, etc.  When it actually comes to politics, however, the gloves come off.  I have never seen such proliferation of hate, ignorance and misinformation as on Facebook, mostly aimed at those with different political views.  Of course it is not limited to social media.

A few years ago, I was asked to attend regular interfaith gatherings as a representative of my church, I believe mostly, due to interactions I had had with an associate pastor (not the one I accompanied to these meetings, btw).  He believed I would be a good choice since I seemed to be a “progressive” thinker, perhaps accepting of other religions and cultures.  I know I am a progressive rocker, not sure about progressive thinker.  Overall, it was a great experience.  Everyone was very thoughtful and I learned a great deal.  Then it happened.  It was maybe the 3^rd or 4^th meeting that someone went on a political rant and starting bashing George Bush.  Many others joined in.  What the hell?  I sat quietly, not something at which I’m particularly adept.  While Bush was far from a perfect president, I have the distinct impression that he was a sincere public servant and a good leader, not something I can say about many.  I was actually more bothered that someone felt comfortable in that setting to say such things.  But, what really blew me away was the response I got when I recounted this experience to the associate pastor.  He told me that liberals tend to be more in touch with their spirituality.  In other words, no one would expect that a dumbass conservative would be attending an interfaith gathering.  Holy Shit, so to speak.  I was almost speechless, but managed to reply that I thought he was being extremely shortsighted.   As usual, I thought of stronger words as I ruminated on the encounter.  What an outlandish display of arrogance.  I still admire this guy for his biblical knowledge, but it just goes to show that few are immune to the phenomenon of perpetuating misinformation and stereotypes.

I know we’ve all experienced it, but it is true beyond all doubt that church is among the most socially and politically charged venues.  Again, if I chose my church based on whether everyone agreed exactly with me, I wouldn’t find one.  In many ways, it is preferable to congregate with those who share only the most essential spiritual beliefs.  Certainly, my family and close friends have no qualms about giving me their opinion and I’d have it no other way.  That is how we grow and learn.  My hope is that I can, likewise, be positively influential.  My entire family has grown and prospered as a result of our association and fellowship at Trinity Presbyterian Church.  Indeed, my boys have all developed into incredible young men with impeccable character, due in large part to their church experience.  We all are, however, “still reforming.”

It was, in fact, Danny’s interaction with his friends at TPC, which motivated him to learn more about his faith and political ideals.  When he felt as though his views were being challenged by his friends, he turned to literature, both of a religious and social/political nature.  Although he confided in us, he did the investigation on his own.  Of the many things that bothered him, the most offensive was that his friends considered their view to be more Christian.  In other words, they believe that a socialistic government is more Christ-like because it is about taking care of people less fortunate.  Wait a minute. Did I not just describe basically the same kind of biased interchange with my pastor friend?  If you are being coerced via law, it is not benevolence.  In fact, Socialism is by nature an authoritarian system.  Then there is that term Democratic Socialism (yet another oxymoron).

 

I suspect a wider perspective will accrue to Danny and his friends as they strive to learn during their college years and beyond.  From my perspective, a healthy dose of economic theory along with religion and philosophy curricula wouldn’t hurt anyone. 

In a world where most people don’t really want the truth, but only constant reassurance of what they believe is the truth, I want to reiterate how proud I am of my children and how they have become critical thinkers.  I give my dad much credit for playing the Devil’s advocate, when as kids, my sister and I thought we had all the answers.  It is difficult at best, in this day and age, to uncover the truth.  Despite what Bill O’Reilly advertises, a “No Spin Zone” does not exist.  Thank goodness for the occasional segment with Dennis “Miller Time” to cut to the chase, and through the “Fair and Balanced” arrogance.  Indeed, the sentiment may be legitimately thought provoking, but even the meme presented above has been spun to help prove my point.    Even I can pull Jesus from a Hat.

 

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