Torch Column: Reverendly Yours

03 November 2016

Reverendly Yours - Rev. Tom Goldsmith

It doesn’t take a bona fide oracle (even of Greek vintage), to forebode an ominous future for our nation. Angst permeates the air, whispering in the wind an unraveling of both democracy and civility. The writing is certainly on the wall, clear as day, waiting for its prophecy to be fulfilled. And yet we seem paralyzed to thwart the pending doom despite advanced warning.

America’s love affair with guns, flaunting and shooting them, appears ready to play a major role in the drama unfolding. The signs are ripe with pending significance. The acquittal of the Bundy brothers, whose armed take-over of an Oregon Wildlife refuge, needs to be placed in context of other highly disturbing violent proclivities. A precedent has now been established for future militants to use violence in their irrational grumble with the government. God seems to factor into this craziness as well, as though civil law does not apply when God is on your side. And the jury acquittal might even be interpreted as a divine sign: not guilty of possession of firearms despite the capture of 30 guns and 16,000 live rounds of ammunition. This is totally surreal. The astounding dismissal of clear evidence harks back to young black men being shot in the back by police officers, with no accountability. Camcorders be damned! Second amendment rights now leap to the fore, but don’t let Black Lives Matter protesters carry as much as a toy pistol. The second amendment, apparently, applies only to whites.

The rise in crime against Muslim Americans has taken a page from the KKK. A “militia,” aka vigilantes, from west Kansas has been the most recent display of terror unleashed in a minority community. And Trump supporters vow violence if their candidate is not elected. The sound rationale offered is that the election is rigged and stolen. But rigged only if their candidate loses. Reminds me of flipping a coin: heads I win; tails you lose.

My mind is scrambled trying to figure out what this all means and what lies ahead. Regardless how the election turns out, countrymen will turn against countrymen as violence gains new legitimacy. The mocking of a disabled reporter, the smears against immigrants, the extra policing in black neighborhoods, the shocking treatment of women, all advocated by a man with a real chance to become president, sanctions an aggressive and vicious tone in our nation’s discourse. And when language uttered by civic leaders spews hate the center cannot hold.

I’d like to say, especially as we approach the holiday, that the light of hope will see us through the darkness. But the strong winds howling nearby threaten the light that yearns to pursue the welfare of all beings. My spirit is grateful for our church community, which offers shelter through its caring, and also never wavers in its commitment to make the world better. I believe that in the weeks and months ahead, other concerned people who feel lost in this maelstrom of violence and injustice, will come seeking shelter in our community. Let us welcome them, build a larger and stronger community, affecting change throughout our nation. TRG