Reading: A Letter from Rev. William G. Sinkford, President Unitarian Universalist Association

October 2004

Dear Friends:

Since our congregations opened their doors for the new church year last month, they have been ministering in a deeply divided nation. The United States seems to have vanished beneath the battle lines drawn between blue states and red states, conservatives and liberals, Democrats and Republicans.

Most destructive and divisive in this political campaign is its tone of fear and fundamentalism—the notion that there is only one way to be religious; only one holy scripture worthy of being followed; only one way to be patriotic; only one way to be a family; and, sadly, only one way to be an American.

We religious liberals share our pews with those who do not share our theology. Liberal Christian, Jew, humanist, Buddhist, Pagan -- all find a home in our UU congregations. We know pluralism as a blessing, and our lived experience—that our differences need not divide us—is a great gift that we can offer this campaign-scarred nation.

Jason Shelton, a UU minister and director of music at our congregation in Nashville, Tennessee, wrote a wonderful hymn this year. He reminds us that when we stand on the side of love, we embody healing virtues:

The promise of the Spirit
faith, hope, and love abide
And so every soul
is blessed and made whole
The truth in our hearts is our guide.
We are standing on the side of love.

Dear friends, as Americans, there is more that unites us than divides us, and there can be but one common destiny for this nation. So let us stand purposefully on the side of love. The message of fear has been trumpeted throughout this election season. The message of love is quieter, but it is the antidote to that fear. Let us do what we can to help this quieter message be heard. And let us all do our part to bless and make whole a country wounded by partisan conflict and weary of division.

In the Faith,

Sermon

         This is a difficult time for our nation. War and electioneering dominates the news and perhaps our conversations with friends. Keeping an optimistic frame of mind is not easy. I whimsically pondered what kind of person I would like to see as the leader of our nation. I looked back in history to discern what qualities in admirable leaders have inspired me. It is hard to consider recent presidents, for history needs some time and space to get a clear view of the effects of the policies they created.

I chose Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Although he was only a candidate in the 1950’s, I added Adlai Stevenson, a Unitarian, who was called an “egghead” because he was a thoughtful intellectual.

Political Science Professor, Doug Roscoe, of UMass Dartmouth, said that George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Franklin D. Roosevelt usually make the list of the greatest presidents. What do these men have in common that not only do we admire them but the nation holds them in affection to this day? Professor Rosco maintains that “great presidents have been able to ascertain what the people truly want, though they might not know it, and [they] led the country to those goals using all the powers available to them. They sought power for the good of the country, not for self-aggrandizement.” He pointed out that Washington, Lincoln, and Roosevelt each faced major challenges (a new country, a civil war, a depression and a world war, respectively).

Another UMass Professor, Dr. Kenneth Manning, says that a great president has “the ability to discern the true interest of the people,” which is what benefits them the most even though it might hurt his party. He gives the example of how Lyndon Johnson pushed the civil rights of 1964 even though he knew it would cost the Democratic Party the southern vote. FDR went to war knowing that it was an unpopular decision. A great president sacrifices what is popular for what is right. What we have today, of course, are two candidates with opposite views of what is right for the people. The Catholic Church is fully and publicly in support of the platform of the one who is not Catholic. Can a candidate win against the power of the Catholic Church? Let us look at the qualities of our great presidents.

George Washington’s birthday was celebrated from year one of his presidency, as if the nation needed an annual party. George was not a well educated or particularly brilliant man but he had a quiet, diplomatic, manner about him, apart from a noble bearing, that made people respect him and listen to what he had to say. The question of what to call the President arose. The Vice President, John Adams, wanted to call him “His Highness, the President of the United States of America and Protector of Their Liberties.” It sounded too much like royalty for most people and there was no support for it. “President of the United States” and “Mr. President” for short were more acceptable. Anglophiles called Martha Washington, Lady Washington. It was George, however, who added in a little religion from the start; in 1789, at his swearing in, he was asked the now familiar, “Do you solemnly swear that you will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States and will, to the best of your ability, preserve, pro tect, and defend the Constitution of the United States?” He repeated the oath and added solemnly, “So help me God.” During the days of his military service, he had been known to ascribe victories to the help of Providence. His biographers are puzzled as to why Washington stopped going to the Episcopal church of his youth. They wondered whether “he was affected by waves of Unitarianism and deism that accompanied the Revolution…[and yet Washington agreed that churches of all kinds should be supported by taxes, even those of the Jewish and Mohammedan faiths and if a man had no religion, his tax should be given to a charity of his choice]. (p. 223, Alden) Washington won two elections unopposed. His graciousness, modesty, honesty, benevolence, and quiet facilitation set the new nation securely on its feet. His memory was to be eclipsed by a more spectacular president, Abraham Lincoln.

Lincoln came to office in 1861 grounded in philosophy and law and possessed of great rhetorical skill for making moral arguments. He had little political experience but lots of experience in losing political races. He won less than 40 per cent of the popular vote and won because of the Electoral College system. Once elected, Lincoln made excellent cabinet choices. He was known to never hold a grudge. One of his favorite sayings was, “Judge not that ye be not judged.” He sprinkled many of his speeches with favorite biblical texts and he carried a well-thumbed devotional text with him (The Believers Daily Treasure – a meditation manual). Though he was certainly an abolitionist his main reason for going to war with the south was to preserve the union of the free and independent states. He was careful how he used God in his arguments and especially avoided specifying which side God was on. He was fully aware of two opposing truths held by those holding to slavery and those against. Lincoln’s eloquent arguments a gainst the enslavement of human beings would lead to a far longer and more devastating war than anyone could have imagined. And Lincoln could not have imagined the segregation and Jim Crow laws that would follow.

Lincoln was elected to a second term in 1864 but was killed in 1965. He was described in eulogy as “simple and sincere, plain and honest, truthful and just, benevolent and kind. His perceptions were quick and clear, his judgments were calm and accurate, and his purpose good beyond question.” (Gurley, 1865)

Franklin D. Roosvelt’s accomplishments are well known in our time. He was elected in 1933 in the depths of the Depression. He told the American people that they “had nothing to fear but fear itself.” He restored their confidence in government, established work programs for the vast numbers of unemployed, founded relief programs to feed the hungry, established social security, and gave the nation hope. His disabilities made him understand what others suffer and he was an inspiration to others to carry on in the face of great physical challenges. He sought to educate the people about the political situation through his famous “fireside chats.” However, no one can be President for four terms without criticism, especially for consenting to inter Japanese Americans but not German Americans during World War II.

All three of these presidents put the welfare of the nation before their own self interest or their party’s interest—this is what made them great! What made them great was their way of being.

When I called you, some of you named your most admired presidents as FDR, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Regan, and Truman.

In nine more days, we will vote to bring into being a certain reality, led by the winner of the presidential election. Another UMass professor of political science, Shannon Jenkins, wrote to me, “I can say with certainty that political science research does show that voting makes a difference. Any one individual may think: well my vote won’t decide the outcome. But research is clear that when groups of similar people participate in the political system, politicians do notice and will respond to their preferences.” I would make a stronger statement: It is decidedly unpatriotic NOT to vote.

There is also another very good reason: the British might take back the Colony! On the Internet, I found a “Notice of Revocation of Independence.” It says,

“To the citizens of the United States of America, In the light of your failure to elect anybody as President…we hereby give notice of the revocation of your independence, effective today. Her Sovereign Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will resume monarchial duties over all states…including [Massachusetts]. To aid in the transition to a British Crown dependency, please comply with the following acts:

1. Look up ‘revocation’ in the now official Oxford Dictionary and start pronouncing English words correctly, especially “tomaaaaato” not tom-ato.

2. Start referring to “soccer” as football.

3. Learn to enjoy warm flat beer and steak and kidney pudding.

4. Take 6 weeks annual vacation and observe statutory tea breaks.

5. Drive on the left side of the road, please!

6. Stop referring to the World Series of Baseball and instead call it the National Series of USA, Cuba, and Japan.

7. Finally, tax collectors from Her Majesty’s Government will be with you shortly to ensure the acquisition of all revenues due (backdated to 1776).”

And if that doesn’t get you out to vote, I don’t know what will!

I said this was a sermon of hope! I believe that the war in Iraq is a quagmire that will remain so for us no matter who is in the Whitehouse. But I also firmly believe that the turning point of the war will come from wise leadership within the Iraqi people but it won’t be like the democracy we are used to seeing. It will likely be an Islamic form of democracy, perhaps like no other. It will either be led by or advised by a 74-year old wise cleric by the name of Grand Ayatollah Sistani, who was under house arrest in the holy city of Najaf during Sadam’s years. He will not communicate with occupiers of his land but he will give deeply thought out opinions on various situations to the most lowly and also the most highly connected. So brilliant and wise was he as a child that by the time he was in his twenties, he was trusted to give his own opinions on Islamic law. In August, he returned to Najaf after having a heart operation in London. He then and gave the word to begin immediate d isarmament and it occurred. Did you wonder whether that was a trick? My information comes from an article entitled “Iraq’s Shadow Ruler” in last week’s Time Magazine (pp 46-51) Didn’t you wonder why all of a sudden, the people in Najaf were suddenly laying down their arms. I think that it is a case of Big Daddy coming home and telling the children to behave, and so they do!

Here are a few more rays of hope. If more people than ever before vote, no matter who wins, that person will get the message that a huge number of people hold opposing views on: stem cell research, women’s rights, pandering to the rich and corporations, working with the nations of the world, injecting religion into government (there IS supposed to be a separation—hello!), and so on.

Another hope came to me from the Internet. “[We have to stop worrying and] do something unstoppable. In the legacy of Einstein and all great thinkers, we have to harness the power of our thoughts. [For] 60 seconds each day….visualize [your chosen candidate] being elected…See the celebrations and excitement and sense of fulfillment all across America. See yourself rejoicing with people in your home, neighborhood, and workplace. See us all rejoicing with people all over the world! See [your candidate] sworn into office. Feel the hope, joy, and gratitude. Feel it in your hearts. Believe it is possible. [Then visualize the world that you want to create…] I’m not making this part specific because it was decidedly biased! But you get the idea. Now, I’ve done my visualization for my candidate as I was writing this. I also noticed that my daughter said, send this to six other people, so I got onto email and forwarded it, so it might be in your mailbox when you log on today! If it isn’t, write to me and I’ll send it to you.

I found this last practice particularly hope-inspiring. May you vote from your conscience and your deep spirit, whatever is your choice, for the important thing is to vote, the practice of a free people and by it we make manifest our Fifth Principle: The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process. If you need help getting to the polls, please let me know.

Notice that our last hymn is on the insert in your Order of Service. It has come to us from the National Council of Churches with the election in mind. Our Music Director has put it to a familiar tune.

References

The following has inspired and informed this sermon:

Alden, John R. George Washington: A Biography, New York, N.Y.: Dell Books, 1984.

Gurley, Phineas, D. Dr. It is from the April 19, 1865 funeral sermon of the pastor of the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church.

Miller, William Lee. Lincoln’s Virtues: an Ethical Biography, New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2002.

Nash, Gerald D., editor. Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice Hall, Inc., 1967.

Time Magazine, October 25, 2004. “Iraq’s Shadow Rule” by Johanna McGeary.

Special thanks to University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Professors Shannon Jenkins, Doug Roscoe, and Dr. Kenneth Manning for their deeply thoughtful words that very much guided my thinking today.