Sermon

         Freedom, reason, and tolerance have always been the foremost values of our religion. The exercise of the vote is an expression of these values. Ancient Athens led the world in the sixth century BCE by placing in the hands of its citizens the right to shape their lives by the use of their reason (even though it was only free men). In a sense, this was an expression of confidence in human beings as being able and worthy to make decisions for themselves and the welfare of others. It was the beginning of humanism, a system of thought that centers on humans and their values [Am. Heritage Dictionary] and their ability to manage their own affairs, rather than being the puppets of gods.

         When I searched the Bible to find such confidence in human beings before the Christian era, I did not find it. The ancient Hebrews were ruled by various tribal chiefs of the Twelve Tribes of Israel and then by Judges. One of the wisest Judges was, surprisingly, a woman called Deborah-no doubt this is why the name became so popular! In the Book of Judges, the Bible tells us, "Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time. She used to sit under the Palm of Deborah between Ra'mah and Beth'el in the hill country of Ephraim and the people of Israel came up to her for judgment." [Judges 3, 4:4] This was probably about 1200 BCE.

         However, the tribes were always at war and we read several times in the Book of Judges, "In those days, there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes." The biblical writers are letting us know that Israel needed a unifying leader, a king. So the Bible introduces Samuel, the prophet, who is eventually guided by God to choose, or to anoint (or ordain), the first king of Israel, Saul. We could say that the Bible was "making a case" for Israel needing a monarch, like other more organized societies in the middle-eastern world.

         The vote for the individual was a long way off. Even Jesus acknowledges this when he says famously, "Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's…" (Matt: 22:21). Of course, Jesus goes on, "…and to God the things that are God's." In modern day language, we might say that this is advice to care for the state but keep your spiritual life in order as well! So perhaps this brings us full circle as to why we should vote wisely and from a spiritual center. We would like it very much if we could elect a wise leader and so we keep hoping and voting.

         On July 24, 1972, I became a citizen of the United States. It was just five years after my arrival on American soil. I was more excited by the fact that I could vote than that I was now a citizen. I had left England at the age of 20 years, just one year before I could have voted. It felt like I had waited a lifetime to vote. Like many young people, I found it very hard to know how to vote in local elections for my eyes were always on the national scene and the closest big city to me of which I felt so much a part, New York City. I couldn't vote in New York because I lived across the Hudson River in New Jersey!

         It was not until I became a homeowner and with children in school that I became interested in local elections. I now believe that to raise politically aware citizens, we should require scrutiny of local politics in High School.

         It never occurred to me that I would one day belong to a religion whose fifth principle is to affirm and promote "the right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large."

         If you are new to Unitarian Universalism, perhaps you find it strange that we have the "democratic process" as a religious value! Both Unitarianism and Universalism were movements that grew out of the idealism of the new republic that had cast off the yoke of the rule of monarchy. Our Declaration of Independence begins, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights. . ." In this declaration is the sentiment, not only that we are equal but also that God endowed us worthy and able to shape our own lives with, actually, a vote. It is no wonder that Americans are sometimes confused about separation between church and state?!? The Founding Fathers did not think of separating their activities from their spiritual lives. Thomas Jefferson and John Adams exchanged many letters where the affairs of state and religious beliefs are intertwined.

         Our religion is very much influenced by the ideals of democracy. This influence is not just that of the Founding Fathers but also of our Puritan ancestors who organized their churches on democratic principles of self-government, which they called congregational. Like them, our congregations reserve the right to call and ordain our own ministers and control our own property and funds and vote on issues that are important to the congregation, with the guidance of its own bylaws.

         So this combination of the inheritance from the Puritans and the Declaration of Independence certainly inspired us and this is how the vote became holy for us with our bylaws as a guiding document. We know that democracy isn't a perfection system but as Winston Church noted, "Democracy is the worst form of government-except for all the others."

         The political process on Beacon Hill these last few weeks regarding same-sex marriage has been an interesting thing to behold. Representatives had their people answering phones at every minute of the day to record our opinions. This deliberation is absolutely historic-actually aimed at granting civil and human rights to a long oppressed group-same sex couples. Mostly, our political vision expands and improves as time goes on but it can also take a step backwards when it is distorted.

         I'm all for staying in sync with my spiritual center when making important decisions but when I hear that people in our White House are praying for God to be on our side, I am mightily worried that some people are feeling specially "chosen" over others for their work in this world. This is when I think we'd better keep the state and the church entirely separate. Otherwise, we will end up having a religious tyranny and not our version of religion. But, our religious values can certainly inform our actions, particularly when they are filtered through the faculty of reason.

         When I heard that our UUA president, Bill Sinkford, was speaking at a workshop on voter registration, voting, and the democratic process that our Brockton church was hosting, I was curious about how interested people in our local area are in voting. (By the way, 93 UUs attended that workshop.) I went to the Fairhaven Town Hall and found that of 16,000+ residents in Fairhaven, 10,000+ are registered to vote. That is quite good considering most of the rest are probably children. However, the percent that vote in local elections is low, 15% in some cases, as in public school elections, and 43% for the last presidential one. I would be very interested to know what percent of eligible voters are registered in New Bedford and what percentage vote. This is a good story for the Standard Times, I would think, as a preliminary educational step to encourage people to register and vote.

         The nation cannot afford another election when so few turn out to make such an important decision. I know that we eventually become disappointed in all leaders. One person said, "We'd like to vote for the best man but he's never a candidate." We have to deal with the candidates brave enough (or foolish enough) to want it.

         In the 2000 presidential race, across the nation only 51.3% of registered voters actually voted. Add to that, thousands of votes of black Americans who were not counted in Florida and you have a very strange election result, which I believe has landed us in an unnecessary war with unnecessary loss of life!

         I voted in the primary elections in the town of Dartmouth last week. The ballots were big paper ballots that we marked with a heavy black marker. I then had to feed the ballot into a big machine that looked like a photocopier. I believe it recorded the vote. It's no doubt better than the punched cards that stymied the Florida vote and more verifiable than the touch screen systems. If we believe in this process of democracy-and it is all that we have to work with-I hope we will each of us talk to our friends and neighbors about this duty and privilege we have to shape the future of our community and nation. And if people need to be driven to the polls, I hope we will be willing to drive them.

         Our UUA president, Bill Sinkford says, "…I want to urge all of our congregations to take on voter registration and get-out-the-vote campaigns as part of your work for this year." (Note that his letter is attached.) The presidential election this November will be a critical one for the history of our nation and indeed the world. Please, talk to all your friends and neighbors about this, regardless of their political leanings. In fact, you may not want to talk politics if you want to keep good relations!

         In the responsive reading, Abraham Lincoln said, "Let us have faith that right makes might, and in that faith, let us, to the end, dare to do our duty as we understand it." May the internal voice of conscience lead us to do our duty in the political process. And may we be inspired to encourage others to do so too.

References

The following has inspired and informed this sermon:

"The Right of Conscience and the Use of the Democratic Process Within Our Congregations and in Society at Large," by Earl K. Holt III, from With Purpose and Principle: Essays About the Seven Principles of Unitarian Universalism, Frost, Edward A, editor. Boston: Skinner House Books, 1998.

The American Heritage Dictionary, 4th Edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2001.