Two hundred and forty-eight years ago tomorrow, the members of the Second Continental Congress penned the words of the Declaration of Independence. When one of the 200 printed copies reached King George III, Britain’s monarch denounced the declaration, calling the authors "misguided Americans" with "their extravagant and inadmissible Claim of Independency." Despite however “misguided” or “extravagant” the Founding Fathers were, their words penned in this famous document are now etched into history forever.

As the Preamble to the Declaration of Independence states: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

Abraham Lincoln called the Declaration of Independence “a rebuke and a stumbling-block to tyranny and oppression.” According to archives.gov, “[I]t continues to inspire people around the world to fight for freedom and equality."

Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness undergirded the colonists' claim for the right to be independent of Britain and free to form a government by the people, not a king. They wished to be free from the oppressive rule and taxation forced on them by the Crown. In forging a new country, they were men of differing opinions who came together for the greater good. While there were not yet any political parties in this nascent nation, the Founding Fathers indeed put the good of the country over their own individual political beliefs.

Recently, Republican and Minority Leader Senator Mitch McConnell wrote an op-ed in the New York Times, expounding on the need to uphold our democratic ideals. Yet, he continues to throw his support to the one candidate who is the biggest threat to our democracy. If only McConnell would put his country over his party instead of capitulating to this candidate and the minority members who wield the power of the GOP for their own benefit and not for the American people. But alas, he does not have the bravery to face the Freedom Caucus of the Republican Party, or perhaps he is driven by his own quest for power. By falling in step with them, his words on democracy ring hollow.

As a former Republican, I feel sad that the Republican Party has moved so far to the right and no longer supports the Constitution, democracy, or the rule of law. Democracy needs two viable parties to survive, both committed to democracy and both committed to the greater good. We no longer have that in the US.

We may disagree on different policies, like reproductive rights, immigration, the economy, taxes, gun control, or foreign policy, but we can all support the Constitution and democracy.

Lawmakers as well as military personnel take oaths to support the Constitution. When they support a candidate like this who, by his own actions, as seen in his recent criminal trial, believes he is above the law and has demonstrated that he believes he does not have to obey the Constitution, these lawmakers have broken their oath of service. When lawmakers say they are for democracy but throw their support behind him, a convicted felon (on 34 counts) who tried to influence the 2016 election in his favor, then these lawmakers have put their party over their country.

By contrast, last week, former Representative Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), a military veteran and current member of the Air National Guard, endorsed Biden for president saying, “[W]hile I certainly don’t agree with President Biden on everything, and I never thought I’d be endorsing a Democrat for president, I know that he will always protect the very thing that makes America the best country in the world: our democracy…[he] poses a direct threat to every fundamental American value. He doesn’t care about our country. He doesn’t care about you. He only cares about himself. And he’ll hurt anyone or anything in pursuit of power.” Kinzinger is a clear example of putting the country over his party.

Unlike Kinzinger, those in the Republican party who adhere to their presidential candidate and the Far Right rather than to their oaths of office or any convictions regarding democracy demonstrate their allegiance is not to the flag or to America. They do not have life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for all Americans in mind - only for themselves. They are no longer the “Grand Old Party,” a nickname from the 1870’s that marked their role in preserving the Union during the Civil War. Republicans who claim they are the party of Lincoln, have become so un-Lincoln as to not carry forth his beliefs in democracy. Lincoln held democracy so dear that he gave his life for it, at the hands of a mad man who was pro-slavery, anti-abolition, and anti-immigration (as a member of the Know Nothings party). Lincoln, the antithesis of Booth, died on the right side of history. Booth is an anathema, forever denounced by history.
 
When leaders and far-right members put the Republican party over the country, they elevate a presidential candidate who promises to consolidate power into his own hands, threatens vengeance against his political enemies, plans to use the military against peaceful protesters, and prepares to arrest, detain, and deport illegal immigrants. Democracy will be lost. Where there is no democracy, there will be no debate on reproductive rights, immigration, the economy, taxes, gun control, or foreign policy, or any other policy issue, because all policies will be at the whim of a dictator. When you vote, vote for democracy, even if that means putting the country over your long-held party. In the long run, when democracy wins, we all win.

John F. Kennedy, in his inaugural speech on January 20, 1961, said that throughout history, there are generations chosen to defend democracy and “freedom in its hour of maximum danger.” He said, “I do not shrink from this responsibility – I welcome it…And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country.”

What can we do for our country? We can be that stumbling block to tyranny and oppression to prevent would-be dictators and their allies from ascending to power and destroying democracy. Become informed through trusted resources about the candidates and the issues. Register to vote. Encourage people in your sphere of influence to register to vote. And vote! Like your life, your liberty, and your pursuit of happiness depends upon it. Because it does.




NOTE: Fast forward from 1776 to 1916, to another revolution against the British Crown. On the island of Ireland, Republicans (those for an independent Republic of Ireland) fought the British for their right to self-govern, and finally in 1922 won their independence. The Republic of Ireland was created from the 26 predominately Catholic counties out of the total of 32 Irish counties. The remaining six counties in the northern part of the island who were predominately Protestant became Northern Ireland, a country that would (and still does) remain part of the United Kingdom. The Cliffs of Moher were beautiful to behold on a recent trip to Ireland.


Text and photograph copyright © 2024 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved.


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A NOTE ON SOCIAL JUSTICE:
Jesus says the greatest commandments are to love God and to love people (Matthew 22:37-40). The Christian faith boils down to these two precepts.

Social justice puts that love into action by helping individuals who are oppressed, mistreated, or suffering, and by pursuing ways to dismantle systems of oppression. How we treat others, particularly those less powerful in society than ourselves, matters (Matthew 25:31-46).

Racial justice is one aspect of social justice. Check out my web page on “Justice Matters” to find resources and to connect with organizations engaging in the cause of racial justice.  Click here to learn more.

The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me…to set the oppressed free.  Luke 4:18
 
 
The parables of Jesus are often a mystery. Jesus seems to speak in riddles; it is easy to miss the point. Even theological experts disagree among themselves on how a parable is to be interpreted.
 
For years, I have accepted the interpretations by conservative theologians that often claim a “moral” to every parable. Yet, context is key. Placing the stories in the context in which they were told and how they were heard is important. As I seek to do that and as I re-read them with fresh eyes, I have come to a new appreciation for Jesus’ mission and for His storytelling skill of weaving together situations that would have been common to His hearers with a totally different message or ending than they (or I) expected. A closer look at Jesus and His parables demonstrates how His teachings turned society on its head and threatened the prevailing societal order to empower the oppressed in society.
 
One such example is the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector found in Luke 18:9-14. Jesus tells the story of a religious leader, a Pharisee, who prays conspicuously in the temple courtyard. Standing inconspicuously off to the side is the tax collector. He prays, too, but it is a short and simple prayer begging God for mercy as he recognizes himself as a sinner. The typical interpretation of this parable is that we are to come before God in prayer with humility.
 
Yet, is that what Jesus is really saying? Is this parable just about humility and prayer? Could there be more to this story?
 
The Pharisee is a member of the elite religious establishment. The tax collector is ostracized from society for his work in collecting taxes; he is part of a much-despised group in society. Interestingly, they have something in common: they BOTH collect taxes. Yes, the temple leaders extracted taxes from the peasants just as Rome did and the amounts were just as onerous. The monies collected from the temple tax enrich the pockets of the religious leaders and other elites. This double-taxation, from the religious leaders and from the Roman rulers, imposes a horrendous financial burden on the peasants in this agrarian society. The poor become poorer while the rich become richer.
 
There is no mercy from the Pharisees and other religious leaders for the poor who cannot afford to pay either the temple tax or the temple sacrifice. When a poor person cannot pay, they are ostracized from the temple and from society. They are deemed “unclean” and a “sinner” because they cannot participate in the temple ritual of cleansing. This stigma creates difficulties in finding work and so the poor are pushed deeper into poverty.
 
In this parable, the tax collector is most likely a toll collector who sits in a toll booth collecting money on behalf of his employer. Unlike the tax collector (think of Zacchaeus) who extracts taxes over and above what is due and keeps the excess, this toll collector does not make a livable wage. He works in a job where he is despised by everyone. As a worker, he is expendable, for there are other out-of-work laborers who would take his place out of financial desperation.
 
The Pharisee in this story dehumanizes the toll collector, slandering him as being a robber, an evildoer, and an adulterer of God’s law. The audience would have expected this; they probably agreed. But they would have expected the toll collector to be humiliated and slink off out of the temple courtyard into oblivion. To their surprise, the toll collector agrees he is a sinner and loudly shouts to God to intervene. He knows he has cheated people (at the behest of his employer) and he expresses remorse. He also knows he does not belong at the temple as he is considered irreversibly unclean. But he is not going away quietly! And how dare he go directly to God?! His very presence challenges the Pharisee’s own claims of righteousness. The toll collector implores God directly for mercy instead of staying enmeshed in the Pharisaic system of clean and unclean. In doing so, the toll collector threatens the very economic system that profits the Pharisee.
 
To the shock of His audience, Jesus says the toll collector, not the religious Pharisee, is the one who receives mercy and justification from God. (Ironically, the Pharisee is everything he accuses the toll collector of being.) Even though the toll collector can never repay who he cheated because he does not know the people from whom he extracted the tolls, he is still forgiven despite the impossibility of reparations. That, too, would have shocked the listeners’ ears.
 
Why does Jesus tell this story? He casts a spotlight on the excesses and corruption of the religious leaders. He zeros in on who the oppressors are. He points the peasants to the problem and helps them name it: oppression. It is only when a problem is named that a solution can be found. Armed with this realization, the peasant population just might try to change this unjust system. And that is what the religious leaders fear: an uprising that would dethrone their power and rob them of their ill-gained riches.
 
The Pharisees understood this parable and its accusations against them. It instilled fear in them, fear that Jesus was turning the crowd against them. While Jesus helped the peasants identify the problem of oppression that was killing them, the religious leaders were plotting their own solution to kill this problem called Jesus.
 
As part of His mission, Jesus came to free the oppressed (Luke 4:18). The Pharisees would have none of that.
 
 
 
NOTE: Unfortunately, oppression is all too common and not just in Bible times. Today, laws that seek to take away our individual rights, such as bodily autonomy and being able to get the medical care we need, are indeed oppressive. Oppressive laws and the underlying attitudes supporting them impact women, people of color, immigrants, the LGBTQA+ community including trans people, pregnant people, as well as other minority groups. Standing up for the oppressed is what Jesus did. We must go and do likewise.
 
 
NOTE: Inspiration for this blog is from Parables as Subversive Speech: Jesus as Pedagogue of the Oppressed by William R. Herzog II.
 
NOTE: June is Pride Month. Check out history.com.
 
 
Text and photograph copyright © 2024 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. The two characters in this parable are opposites but they both reflect the corrupt societal system at work. This photo is of the swirling reflection of the mountains with a hint of color from a setting sun, taken on Trollfjord in the Lofoten Islands, Norway.
 
 
Not a subscriber to the monthly blog posts? Click here to subscribe. Subscribers receive an email each month that includes the post with the lead photo as well as bonus photos not posted on the website. Email addresses are never sold or shared.
 
 
 
A NOTE ON SOCIAL JUSTICE:
Jesus says the greatest commandments are to love God and to love people (Matthew 22:37-40). The Christian faith boils down to these two precepts.

Social justice puts that love into action by helping individuals who are oppressed, mistreated, or suffering, and by pursuing ways to dismantle systems of oppression. How we treat others, particularly those less powerful in society than ourselves, matters (Matthew 25:31-46).

Racial justice is one aspect of social justice. Check out my web page on “Justice Matters” to find resources and to connect with organizations engaging in the cause of racial justice.  Click here to learn more.
 

 
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”  Matthew 25:40
 
 
Have you ever prayed to God for your favorite sports team to win? I am sure I have. I do wonder if God really takes sides in sports!
 
But what about when the stakes are higher? It is not hyperbole to say that democracy is on the ballot in November. In the last few weeks, even some Republicans have called out their far-right colleagues for repeating Russian president Vladimir Putin’s propaganda that seeks to divide the US and destroy our democracy as well as end our influence in global affairs. Far-right Republicans have become Putin’s puppets and their leader is a dictator-in-waiting. In this war on democracy, which side is God on?
 
The Far Right would have us believe that Jesus is on their side, that Jesus is a warrior-king returning from heaven to exact vengeance on those who do not look like, act like, or who are not white, straight, Republican men. They have co-opted Christianity to promote white Christian nationalism that seeks to dismantle American democracy.
 
I wonder if Jesus were here today and registered to vote, would He be a Republican or a Democrat?
 
A photo of a bearded white man in a red logo cap speaks volumes of how the Far Right sees Jesus. Noticing similar images in my news feeds from the January 6 insurrection and related rallies, I am hard-pressed to believe that Jesus would bless these misuses of His image, let alone stand in solidarity with the Far Right’s proclivity to eviscerate our human and civil rights. This violation of rights will lead to authoritarianism and oppression of those who do not espouse their extremist dogma. When their candidate recently took over the Republican National Committee, more than 60 staffers were immediately fired and new job applicants were asked if they believed the 2020 election was stolen from him. A negative answer denied them a job at the RNC.
 
Perhaps it is easy to say that if Jesus were living in present-day America, He would be whatever political persuasion we want Him to be. Or maybe we would be adamant that Jesus would never take sides. But would He?
 
Obviously, God is for good and not on the side of evil. The Bible has a lot to say about God being on the side of the oppressed, the foreigner (immigrant), and the poor.
 
Jesus' own words put Him squarely in the middle of partisan politics. No two-party political system existed back in Jesus' time because Jesus did not live in a democracy. He lived under a Roman dictatorship headed up by Caesar. This was not a two-party system, but there were two sides: the oppressors made up of the Roman government with lots of help from the religious leaders and the oppressed (everyone else). Clearly, this was not a democracy.
 
Throughout His ministry, Jesus constantly stood up for the oppressed. His anger as seen through overturned temple tables was a display of righteous anger against the oppressive religious powers that forced poor people to buy their way to ceremonial cleansing. If the poor could not afford the temple sacrifice or could not pay the significant temple taxes, they would be ostracized from the temple and society as unclean outcasts who would then have difficulty finding work, driving them deeper into poverty.
 
Many of His parables are stories not just of some moral truth, but speech denouncing oppression. (More on that in future posts.) These words landed Him in hot water with the religious leaders and the Roman dictators who then executed Him as a nonviolent activist/insurrectionist, accusing Him of trying to overthrow the government to be king. He threatened their positions of power by empowering the masses to think about how they were being treated by their oppressors and to embrace new ways to treat other people. He taught a new way of living that ushered in the kingdom of God on earth. This new world order threatened to shake up the power structures where the Roman rulers and religious leaders sat perched on top.
 
Yes, Jesus took sides. He always sided with the powerless, the marginalized, the ostracized, and the outcasts. He cared most for the least of these. He saw in each person their humanity and the image of God.
 
If we truly follow His teachings, we will take sides, too. We will check to see if politicians truly support democracy and fair voting. We will look at politicians' human rights track records and see how they treat others, particularly those who are different from themselves. We will pay attention to candidates' promises and check to see whether the poor and marginalized are prioritized in their proposed policies and check to see who is harmed by their proposals. We will listen to their rhetoric when they refer to others, particularly those different from themselves, being attentive to labels that dehumanize, demonize, and devalue others. And we will vote based on all the above. Because when we stand up for the least of these, we are always on the winning side. For all eternity.
 
 

 
NOTE: You may disagree with some or all the specific policies promoted by Democrats, but the authoritarian and fascist regime promoted by the Republican Party (yes, even those not on the Far Right because their silence is complicity) will destroy democracy and this country. Policies will no longer matter when they are at the whim of a dictator. We will no longer have a voice. If he wins a second term, it will be so much worse that his first one. He has aligned himself with people who are currently making plans to take down the federal government, one agency at a time, so they can be in control (known as Project 2025). Together, though, we can vote them out!
 
 
Text and photograph copyright © 2024 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. The photo above is from my recent trip north of the Arctic Circle to the Lofoten Islands in Norway. Shot on Trollfjord near Svolvær, it depicts a mirror image of the mountains reflecting into the glacial waters. Unlike this photo, the two major US political parties are not mirror images of each other. Instead, they are opposites: one seeks to promote the good of the people as defined by the US Constitution and the other seeks to destroy democracy.
 
NOTE: May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Check out: https://www.asianpacificheritage.gov/
https://www.archives.gov/news/topics/asian-pacific-american-heritage-month
https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/asian-american-pacific-islander-heritage-month
 
 
Not a subscriber to the monthly blog posts? Click here to subscribe. Subscribers receive an email each month that includes the post with the lead photo as well as bonus photos not posted on the website. Email addresses are never sold or shared.
 
 
 
A NOTE ON SOCIAL JUSTICE:
Jesus says the greatest commandments are to love God and to love people (Matthew 22:37-40). The Christian faith boils down to these two precepts.

Social justice puts that love into action by helping individuals who are oppressed, mistreated, or suffering, and by pursuing ways to dismantle systems of oppression. How we treat others, particularly those less powerful in society than ourselves, matters (Matthew 25:31-46).

Racial justice is one aspect of social justice. Check out my web page on “Justice Matters” to find resources and to connect with organizations engaging in the cause of racial justice.  Click here to learn more.
 
 
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers over all wrongs.  Proverbs 10:12
 
 
My mother is known in our family for her many sayings, often ones she probably learned during the Great Depression, like “waste not, want not.” Some of her quips may have been more obscure or even original, but we all remember her and honor her memory by reminding each other of her many endearing expressions.
 
Lately, one of her sayings plays on repeat in my head: “What is this world coming to?” I wonder, if she were living today, what she would think about how the world has changed over the last decade. I shudder to think what the world, or at least the US, is indeed coming to when there is so much division and polarization.
 
How did we get here? It has not always been this way. What has changed?
 
I have heard it said (not from my mother!) that the US stock market turns on fear and greed. I observe fear and greed at work in the broader society today. Sadly, this mode of operation is not new: white slave owners pitted the poor white class against Black slaves so the two groups would not join forces against these slaveholding plantation owners. Those with power were greedy to hold onto it. They were also afraid of being outnumbered if coalitions formed against them. They instilled fear in the other groups, portraying each group as threatening to the other and themselves as the benevolent savior, all part of a divide-and-conquer scheme for power and control.
 
Today, the extreme polarization we are experiencing is similar: it has its roots based in fear and greed (and often racism). Far-right politicians, greedy for power will instill fear in their followers of some imagined impending danger. And of course, they, like the slaveholding plantation owners, are the ones who can protect their followers, especially when they rally around a far-right “strongman.” Authoritarianism is not the answer.
 
When a political party is afraid of losing their status in society, their fear propels them to double down on their authority. This greed to dominate fueled with fear sees losing in the political arena as an existential threat. They will do anything to avoid losing, even refusing to concede their losses and peacefully transferring their political power to their successor. We have already witnessed this by many in the Republican Party after they lost the presidential election in 2020.
 
What is really driving the fear we see today?
 
Underlying the anger, accusations, and even violence is a deep sense that the world is changing and that change threatens some people.
 
The US is becoming more racially diverse and more pluralistic, particularly in terms of culture and religion. The majority of the US population has historically been white, but demographics are changing. Experts predict that by 2045, whites will no longer be in the majority. This change has been happening gradually for the past 100 years or so. But for many white people, these statistics are frightening. Already today, whites under the age of 18 are in a minority relative to all under 18.
 
Politicians and pundits who play on this anxiety of being relegated to the minority drive many of the divisions in this country. Truth gets lost in the lies designed to induce fear. Conspiracy theories are promoted. For example, the Great Replacement Theory that espouses the idea that immigrants will take over and replace white people is often part of the fear-mongering.
 
Isolationism in our society exacerbates this dynamic. When we hear lies that demonize people who are different from ourselves and if we do not know anyone in the group being singled out, we may believe those lies and become afraid. Our fear turns into anger, an emotion that makes us feel we are in control. Anger turns into hate when we bully, dehumanize, and scapegoat the other group. And hatred leads to violence perpetrated against this marginalized group. (Think of all the hateful rhetoric and violence against trans people, for example.)
 
In vilifying their political enemies, these leaders and politicians lose sight of their opponents’ humanity. Hate becomes the badge of honor and flames the fires of ignorance. No longer does their opponent have a face, or family, or any redeeming qualities; they are instead the “enemy” that is out to get those of the opposing political party. Opponents are deemed “evil” (or “vermin,” a word borrowed from Hitler’s playbook). Forgotten is the fact that these are individuals who live and love in their families, neighborhoods, schools, and workplaces. No longer human, the adversary is to be eliminated at all costs and by any means. Violence is often seen as the answer. But as Jesus said, those who live by the sword, die by the sword. Or guns, as may be the case today. Violence is never the answer.
 
I wonder if those who feel threatened by this shift in demographics worry about how they will be treated by the soon-to-be majority. In some twisted version of the Golden Rule, are they worried they will be treated as they have treated those historically in the minority?
 
As American society becomes more racially diverse and more pluralistic, the status quo will change. Those who depend on the status quo for their power and do not view a racially diverse and pluralistic society positively will feel afraid and threatened.
 
Fear is a strong emotion. Showing love and compassion to those who disagree with us can change this vicious cycle. Realizing our opponents’ humanity can stop the hateful and destructive rhetoric.
 
Recorded in the Gospels are many instances where Jesus was confronted by religious leaders and by Roman rulers. Not once did He ever dehumanize His opponent. Even when angry, He did not personally attack those who created systems of injustice. His values of loving neighbors as well as enemies allowed Him to value His opponents, to see the image of God in each of them, and to show compassion towards them.
 
What does that look like today? Perhaps we listen to those in our orbits who have differing viewpoints, showing curiosity instead of criticism. Perhaps we debunk the conspiracy theories to reassure others that they need not feel threatened by change. Maybe we acknowledge their fears with compassion and lead with love. May we see the image of God in them and realize we are all created by God and in His image. We are all reflections of the Divine. And in this democracy, we are all created equally.
 
What is this world coming to? With curiosity, compassion, and love, we can overcome fear, anger, and hate by tearing down the walls that divide us, reaching across the aisle, and seeing the image and reflection of God in everyone. For today, maybe the best saying of all is “Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers over all wrongs.” May it be so! Mom would be so proud!
 
 
 
Text and photograph copyright © 2024 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of reflections in the Königsallee (King’s Alley) canal in Düsseldorf, Germany.

 
 
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Check out these websites:
https://www.nsvrc.org/saam
https://www.whitehouse.gov/gpc/briefing-room/2023/05/01/recognizing-sexual-assault-prevention-and-awareness-month/

 

Not a subscriber to the monthly blog posts? Click here to subscribe. Subscribers receive an email each month that includes the post with the lead photo as well as bonus photos not posted on the website. Email addresses are never sold or shared.
 
 
 
A NOTE ON SOCIAL JUSTICE:
Jesus says the greatest commandments are to love God and to love people (Matthew 22:37-40). The Christian faith boils down to these two precepts.

Social justice puts that love into action by helping individuals who are oppressed, mistreated, or suffering, and by pursuing ways to dismantle systems of oppression. How we treat others, particularly those less powerful in society than ourselves, matters (Matthew 25:31-46).

Racial justice is one aspect of social justice. Check out my web page on “Justice Matters” to find resources and to connect with organizations engaging in the cause of racial justice.  Click here to learn more.
 
 

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Sometimes keeping up with the news is hard work. Not only are there numerous “breaking” stories, but many are emotionally challenging to hear. It is difficult to read all the “bad” news and not become jaded. Or simply overwhelmed. Sometimes hope in a better world is lost.
 
A recent news story that saddened me to read was that of the death of Alexei Navalny in a Russian penal colony in the Arctic. He was only 47. He is survived by his wife, two children, and his mother. My heart goes out to them.
 
Navalny was Russian President Vladimir Putin’s most vocal domestic critic. Interestingly, Putin has never mentioned Navalny by name in public, not even after his death. Yet Navalny was obviously viewed as a serious threat to the Kremlin when he was poisoned in 2020 by Russian agents. Recovering in a Berlin hospital, it is a miracle he survived. After treatment and totally undeterred, Navalny fearlessly returned to Russia. He was arrested upon entry, tried on false charges, and sentenced to prison. I wondered why he had returned to Russia where he most certainly would face prison or death. Or both.
 
Alexei Navalny was an anti-corruption, pro-democracy political activist who believed in the rights and freedoms of all Russians. He longed for a better Russia. He was a proponent of a parliamentary republic and fought for the establishment of democracy in his beloved country. As Putin’s adversary, Navalny was not simply an enemy of the Kremlin. He was the face and voice of democracy. This is not just a case of Putin v. Navalny, but rather it is authoritarianism v. democracy. With the death of Navalny at the behest of the Russian government, it seems authoritarianism has taken the upper hand. But as one Navalny supporter observed, men can be killed but their ideas cannot; they will live on.
 
Perhaps in snuffing out the life of Alexei Navalny, Putin has inadvertently galvanized Navalny’s supporters in carrying on his mission, one that was so dear to him that he was not afraid to die for it. Navalny is a beacon of hope, a lighthouse showing the way to a better world amidst a sea of troubles. Yet, we must choose hope. Unlike optimism, hope is a decision and one that demands action.
 
In one of his last letters to a friend, Navalny, in mentioning Taiwan and South Korea, said that if they could transition from authoritarianism to democracy, then there was hope that Russia could, too. “Hope,” he said, “I’ve got no problem with it.”* Hope for a better future for his country propelled Navalny forward and compelled him to return to Russia and certain death.
 
This forceful removal of a political opponent reminds me that democracy is indeed on the US ballot this November. Authoritarianism is globally on the rise and democracy proponents must win against strongmen who advocate authoritarianism. The Republican candidate has a history of praising and enabling Vladimir Putin. His intent to emulate Putin is clear when he said he will become a dictator on Day 1 if elected and that he plans to go after his political opponents. Unlike his previous term as president, he has a new set of advisors who have been plotting for four years to destroy American democracy. We must take him at his word and defeat him at the ballot box.
 
To live by your values is indeed risky in a polarized world. Navalny, as a Christian, envisioned the Russian people hungering and thirsting after righteousness and ultimately being satisfied when their country will see justice for all. Navalny loved his country and stuck by his values. Even when it killed him. He was a nonviolent activist standing up to power.
 
Jesus was also a nonviolent activist who stood up to power. His mission included freeing the oppressed and calling out the religious leaders and Roman rulers who oppressed. He never wavered. And they killed him.
 
While I am heartbroken over Navalny’s tragic death, I take comfort in the fact that even when activists are killed, their ideas live on in their followers. Even now, his wife is preparing to step into his shoes. May Alexei Navalny’s hope in democracy live on and ultimately change his beloved country into one “full of dignity, justice, and love.”** May his ideals and tenacity live on in his followers. May his death not be in vain. Hope is a powerful force.
 
 
 
*Alexei Navalny as quoted in the 2/19/24 New York Times article Inside Aleksei Navalny’s Final Months, in His Own Words
**Yulia Navalyana, Navalny’s wife, as quoted in a video from the 2/19/24 Washington Post article Navalnaya steps up to lead fight vs. Putin as morgue retains her husband’s body
 
 
 
 
ALSO IN THE NEWS: Two other recent news stories caught my attention.
1 - On February 10th, the Washington Post reported the Republican candidate as saying that he would encourage Russia to do “whatever the hell they want” with NATO member countries who did not pay their fair share of dues. He apparently does not understand NATO. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was created in 1949 as a defense against Russian aggression. Member states include the US, Canada, and 29 European nations. Sweden is set to join soon to bring the total member count to 32.  NATO stipulates that an attack on one member country is an attack on all NATO countries. So, for him to invite his favorite dictator and mentor to launch a war against a NATO country is treasonous, for it encourages a foreign power to effectively attack the US. Our national security, as well as that of all NATO countries, has been unnecessarily put at risk.

2 – Also in the news is the Alabama State Supreme Court’s ruling that frozen embryos created during in vitro fertilization (IVF) are people and anyone who destroys them is liable under the Wrongful Death of a Minor Act. This caused Alabama clinics to halt IVF for patients in the middle of the process and turn new patients away. In issuing the ruling, the Alabama State Supreme Court Chief Justice Tom Parker, as quoted in the Washington Post on February 19, said, “Human life cannot be wrongfully destroyed without incurring the wrath of a holy God, who views the destruction of His image as an affront to Himself.” By invoking his own religious interpretation of when human life begins, Justice Parker overstepped the boundary between church and state and has imposed his personal view on all citizens in Alabama. The Alabama state legislature disagreed with this ruling and passed a bill protecting IVF. Supporting IVF is popular with the American people where 1-2% of all births are conceived using IVF. It is a vital solution to the heartbreak of infertility. But interestingly, support for IVF backs anti-abortion GOP legislators into a corner in two ways. When they say they support IVF, how does that square with their anti-abortion stance based on their definition of when life begins (at conception)? Is contraception their next target? And secondly, if they say they support IVF, why did GOP senators strike down a US Senate bill in 2022 that would have protected IVF nationally and on February 28, block the bill from being reintroduced in the Senate? The fall of Roe v. Wade has far-reaching tentacles into the personal lives and medical treatments of many Americans. Blurring the lines between church and state is something the Founder Fathers rightly tried to avoid.  This is just the beginning of the slippery slope in a post-Roe world and an example of what can happen when a minority of white Christian nationalists try to impose their views on the majority.
 
Whew! February was a busy month! Thanks for reading!
 
Text and photograph copyright © 2024 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of the Pigeon Point Lighthouse built in 1871 near Pescadero, CA. It is the tallest lighthouse on the West Coast.
 
 
March is Women’s History Month. Check out these websites to learn more:
https://womenshistorymonth.gov/
https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/womens-history-month.
 
                                                                                                         
Not a subscriber to the monthly blog posts? Click here to subscribe. Subscribers receive an email each month that includes the post with the lead photo as well as bonus photos not posted on the website. Email addresses are never sold or shared.
 
 
 A NOTE ON SOCIAL JUSTICE:
Jesus says the greatest commandments are to love God and to love people (Matthew 22:37-40). The Christian faith boils down to these two precepts.

Social justice puts that love into action by helping individuals who are oppressed, mistreated, or suffering, and by pursuing ways to dismantle systems of oppression. How we treat others, particularly those less powerful in society than ourselves, matters (Matthew 25:31-46).

Racial justice is one aspect of social justice. Check out my web page on “Justice Matters” to find resources and to connect with organizations engaging in the cause of racial justice.  Click here to learn more.

Traveling is a privilege that I do not take for granted. While I love taking photos and learning about the culture where I visit, I have observed that customs and languages vary significantly, even between neighboring countries. Among democratic nations, citizens’ rights and freedoms are vastly different.
 
Hungary is a beautiful country, but it is democratic in name only. All three branches of government are controlled by the Hungarian prime minister who rules as an autocrat. In countries like Chile, an authoritarian dictatorship is seen through the rear window; Chile’s climb back to democracy is a testament to its citizens’ fortitude and persistence.

2024 will be an inflection point in US democracy. The upcoming elections will determine this nation’s future course. The ballot contains not just the choice between two candidates for the office of president. But rather, it is ostensibly a referendum between democracy and authoritarianism. The US is already sliding into authoritarianism. Will we be able to stop this movement toward a far-right autocratic regime?
 
One of the main reasons that democracies fail is the proliferation of misinformation and disinformation, both of which involve the spreading of false information. Disinformation, however, is spread intentionally to create harm. Since 2017, the US tumbled from the 17th ranked democratic nation to #23 as evaluated by V-Dem Institute* at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. Since even before 2017, both misinformation and disinformation have increased significantly.
 
One example is at the start of the presidential campaign in 2015, without evidence, the Republican candidate started calling national news outlets “fake news” and continued his rhetoric against mainstream media. As a result, from 2015 to 2021, the percent of Republicans who trusted in national news outlets fell from 70% to just 35%.
 
When information is distrusted, no one knows what or who to believe. Citizens become vulnerable to the influence of those peddling lies, typically by those seeking political power by any means regardless of the consequences to the nation.
 
One key issue during this current election cycle will be the narrative of January 6, 2021. Any politician or candidate who spins the events of that day to gloss over the seriousness of the threat to democracy is not interested in truth and should not be entrusted with the responsibility to govern. Related to this is the “stolen election” lie from 2020 by this candidate and his allies.
 
To know whether a candidate has denied that President Biden won the office of the presidency fairly, check out electiondeniers.org, a website by a non-profit that details these candidates and those who continue to promote election falsehoods. Note that almost one-third (172) of all members of Congress are election deniers. In the House of Representatives alone, 153 members are election deniers. This is significant because in the event that no presidential candidate wins a majority of electoral college votes, the House of Representatives chooses the president with the 435 members having one vote each.
 
Not only do far-right Republican politicians promote election falsehoods, but they also promote Christian nationalism and the shadow network spearheaded by the Council for National Policy. Please see my previous posts on the existential threat posed by Christian nationalism and its leaders entitled A Slippery Slope (Oct 2023) and Monsters, Inc. (Nov 2023).
 
While it is easy to lose hope, there are things that ordinary citizens can do to strengthen democracy and stop the far right and their would-be dictator.
 
The obvious tool to use is our right to vote. Above all else, voters need to coalesce around candidates who support democracy in all the rights and freedoms it gives to its citizens. Policies on climate change, reproductive rights, immigration, gun safety, and the economy are totally irrelevant if we do not have a functioning democracy in which to debate these issues. Without democracy, an authoritarian regime will make policy decisions based on its whim, not based on scientific evidence nor the will of the people. Democracy must be made a priority over individual policy issues. New coalitions need to form to keep the far right from taking power. That means that more centric voters may have to cross the aisle to vote for a more left of center candidate.
 
What else can an ordinary citizen do?
 
Become informed of events and politics. Do not rely on social media as a news outlet. Seek the truth from reputable media. Read content from more than one source. Independent news outlets like NPR and the BBC are nonprofits that have less incentive to sensationalize and offer free email newsletters. Other reliable news sources include the New York Times, the Washington Post, Axios, and ProPublica. AllSides News (allsides.com) is a unique resource that shows the same news story from the left, center, and right perspectives.
 
Become informed about specific candidates on the federal, state, and local levels. Educate yourself and do not be afraid to share that information with friends and family to promote the truth. Push back on conspiracy theories. Be civil in your interactions and actively listen to those who disagree with you. Reject violence as the means to a political end.
 
Democracy is protected by free and fair elections. It is important that the people involved are nonpartisan and have integrity. States oversee elections, even for federal offices. State governors, attorneys general, and secretaries of state have key roles in ensuring elections are carried out fairly. Know who you are voting for in these positions. Consider working as a poll worker. Volunteer to work in the campaign of a candidate who promotes truth and democracy. Maybe even run for local office yourself!
 
Support organizations that promote democracy and fair elections like Americans United for Separation of Church and State, the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law, Campaign Legal Center, FairVote, the League of Women Voters, and Protect Democracy.
 
Democracy is not a given. It takes work to keep it strong and help it survive. Bad actors greedy for power can destroy it. But complacency is complicity. Democracy matters and it depends upon ordinary citizens like you and me to keep it strong and make it work for everyone.
 
Perhaps tourists to the US will be impressed someday with the strength of our democracy! We can only hope…and do our part in making it happen.
 
 
 
 
*V-Dem Institute is an independent organization that measures hundreds of attributes of democracy in countries around the globe. Click here for their 2023 report.
 
For more information on democracy, how governments slide towards authoritarianism, and possible solutions, I highly recommend Harvard professors Steven Levitsky and Daniel Zimblatt’s books, How Democracies Die and Tyranny of the Minority: Why American Democracy Reached the Breaking Point.
 
 
Consider watching a PBS documentary entitled “A Citizen’s Guide to Preserving Democracy” based on Dr. Richard Haass’ book with the same title. Click here to watch.
 
 
DISCLAIMER: I am a member of the League of Women Voters. Views expressed are my own.
 
 
NOTE: February is Black History Month. Check out here.
 
 
 
Text and photograph copyright © 2024 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of the Hungarian Parliament Building in Budapest.
 
 
Not a subscriber to the monthly blog posts? Click here to subscribe. Subscribers receive an email each month that includes the post with the lead photo as well as bonus photos not posted on the website. Email addresses are never sold or shared.
 
 
 
A NOTE ON SOCIAL JUSTICE:
Jesus says the greatest commandments are to love God and to love people (Matthew 22:37-40). The Christian faith boils down to these two precepts.

Social justice puts that love into action by helping individuals who are oppressed, mistreated, or suffering, and by pursuing ways to dismantle systems of oppression. How we treat others, particularly those less powerful in society than ourselves, matters (Matthew 25:31-46).

Racial justice is one aspect of social justice. Check out my web page on “Justice Matters” to find resources and to connect with organizations engaging in the cause of racial justice.  Click here to learn more.

After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.  Matthew 2:9-12
 
 
The golden casket sits in repose at the rear of the cathedral. The iron bars guard the content within. A young man asks me via Google Translate who is buried here. My explanation leaves him perplexed. The story obviously gets lost in translation.
 
In the 12th century, the Bishop of Cologne (Köln in German) acquired the remains of the Three Wise Men. Construction began in 1248 on building the grandest cathedral that would house the holy remains. When it was completed in 1880, the Cathedral of Cologne was the tallest building in the world until the Washington Monument was built four years later. Today, Cologne’s cathedral is the tallest twin-spired church in the world and Germany’s most visited landmark.
 
January 6th marks the Christian tradition of Epiphany, when the Three Wise Men followed a star to the Christ Child. Unfortunately, January 6th in the US marks another epiphany: the realization that an insurrection at the US Capitol nearly ended democracy as we know it.
 
On the surface, these two events appear to have nothing in common other than the date. One commemorates the worship of the Christ Child by three foreign sages and the other event marks a failed coup. But perhaps these two events have more in common than meets the eye.
 
The Wise Men search the heavens and find a star so significant that they leave home, traveling a great distance, to follow the celestial light to a foreign country. When it stops over the place where Jesus is, they worship Him and shower Him with expensive gifts. After finding the Christ Child, the Wise Men choose to disobey Herod’s request for them to return to him and divulge Jesus’ location. They defy empire as they seek a different route back to their home.
 
Perhaps there are parallels between the Wise Men’s quest and the insurrectionists at the Capitol. Those who descended on the US Capitol building on January 6, 2021, followed their own star, a president who refused the peaceable transfer of power after he lost re-election. Many traveled long distances to attend his rally to show their devotion to him. When the insurrectionists followed his instructions to invade the Capitol, they may have thought they were defying empire; yet, they played into the hands of one who would use empire for his own power as an authoritarian leader of an attempted coup.
 
Both the Wise Men and the insurrectionists bowed to worship one who would be king. Both, in their own way, defied empire. However, the Wise Men refused to allow the state to eradicate religion. The insurrectionists, on the other hand, blurred the line between church and state as they brandished crosses and other Christian symbols to lend legitimacy to their cause.
 
The conflation of church and state is foundational to Christian nationalism. As discussed in previous posts, Christian nationalism is a political movement that co-opts Christianity for legitimacy. The end game is destruction of democracy and the installation of an authoritarian dictatorship. A virtual shadow network led by the Council for National Policy is a consortium of Far-Right members of the Republican Party, evangelical Christian leaders, and ultra conservative donors. Their concerted efforts are alarming. Democracy in the US is hanging in the balance.
 
The US has been described as the Great Experiment in democracy. Other counties have modeled their governments on the institutions and principles in American democratic government. Surprisingly, the US is not the most democratic country in the world. According to V-Dem Institute* at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, the US is not even in the top 10% of democratic countries. In fact, it is ranked 23rd, down from 17th in 2017. V-Dem Institute lists several actions that are prevalent in countries where democracy, as in the US, is slipping into authoritarianism: the censorship of media, the repression of civil society organizations (like advocacy groups, nonprofits, civil rights organizations), the spread of disinformation, and the increase in polarization in society. One of the best ways to combat this slide toward authoritarianism is to fight disinformation by supporting responsible media and by calling out lies and misinformation.
 
Another way to support democracy is to work to heal the cracks of society’s foundation. Addressing racial injustice and economic inequality is at the crux of the problem. Social policies aimed at benefits for all, rather than stigmatizing the poorest and marginalized, will go a long way to heal our nation. Universal health care, a robust minimum wage, preschool for all children, paid parental leave, subsidized day care, and universal basic income are all concepts that other wealthy, democratic nations employ that reduce economic inequalities and therefore reduce resentment and polarization. Policies like these are more than just social justice issues; they help create a healthy democracy.
 
One major difference between the US and other modern democracies is how other countries have become more democratic as they strive to keep their institutions relevant for the times. George Washington believed that he and the Founding Fathers could not create a constitution that would foresee and address all future issues. He expected the Constitution to change as society changed. Unfortunately, today’s reality has not aligned with his expectations.
 
What keeps democracy in the US from changing with the times? Why are governmental institutions inflexible? To change the Constitution, two-thirds of Congress and 38 states must ratify any amendments. This almost impossible bar to clear keeps the Constitution static and archaic. In comparison, Norway has a lower threshold for approval of constitutional amendments and therefore can be nimbler in changing with the times. Between 1814 and 2014, Norway’s constitution was amended 316 times, placing the country as the 3rd most democratic nation by most measures. By contrast, the US Constitution has only been amended 27 times since 1791, with only 15 ratified during the same 200 years as Norway’s 316 amendments.
 
Certain rules in the US allow politics to be governed, not by the majority, but by a minority. The Electoral College allows a president to be elected without the support of the popular vote (like what happened in 2000 and in 2016). Because of the Senate’s structure of having two senators per state regardless of population, the Senate can be ruled by a majority of states that together represent a minority of the population. Not only does that mean that laws can be passed by representatives of the minority, it also allows US Supreme Court Justice appointees to be confirmed by the Senate with less than the majority representation of the people.
 
This rule by a minority creates polarization in Congress where extremists wield undue power. As we have witnessed recently within the House of Representatives, government becomes dysfunctional when extremists thwart the majority.
 
Changing the structure of the US Senate to allow representation based on population would go far to ensure majority rule. Likewise, increasing the number of members in the US House of Representatives to align more with population growth would better represent voters. The last time any seats were added was in 1912. On average, each representative today represents 700,000 people; a century ago, there was one member for every 200,000 people.
 
By having life-time appointments for US Supreme Court Justices, the Court is ruled by those who have been on the bench so long that they are out of touch with today’s society. No other democracy has life-time appointments to their highest court. By imposing staggered term limits, each President would appoint the same number of Justices and each Justice would serve a limited time. Not only would term limits decrease the Court’s polarization by political party affiliation, the Court would better function as the checks and balances on the Executive and Legislative branches that it was designed to be.
 
Democracy is fragile. The soft, unspoken guard rails of mutual tolerance and institutional restraint have been ridden roughshod and are no longer capable of protecting democratic institutions. Deep divisions and polarization in our society threaten American democracy. How do we keep democracy from running off the rails? How can we keep it from dying an untimely death?
 
These longer-term solutions of abolishing the Electoral College, increasing representation in Congress, and imposing term-limits on US Supreme Court Justices may at first glance seem impossible to accomplish in today’s divisive environment. While these solutions are currently improbable, they must be pursued. Ultimately, they will become possible. Like other political changes that were initially deemed impossible, such as the abolition of slavery and women’s suffrage, we must begin by promoting the possibility of changing the Constitution, Congress, and the US Supreme Court. Only then can actual change happen.
 
When we reimagine our democracy as a nimble, living institution, change will happen. Promoting these concepts of change and voting for candidates who also hold these ideals will go a long way toward creating the change needed to strengthen democracy so that Christian nationalism and other destructive forces cannot destroy it.
 
For what good will it do to build the “grandest” country in the world only to house the dead relics of democracy within?
 
 
 
 
*V-Dem Institute is an independent organization that measures hundreds of attributes of democracy in countries around the globe. Click here for their 2023 report:
https://v-dem.net/documents/29/V-dem_democracyreport2023_lowres.pdf
 
For more information on democracy, how governments slide towards authoritarianism, and possible solutions, I highly recommend Harvard professors Steven Levitsky and Daniel Zimblatt’s books, How Democracies Die and Tyranny of the Minority: Why American Democracy Reached the Breaking Point.
 
 
Text and photograph copyright © 2024 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter, Cologne, Germany.
 
 
Not a subscriber to the monthly blog posts? Click here to subscribe. Subscribers receive an email each month that includes the post with the lead photo as well as bonus photos not posted on the website. Email addresses are never sold or shared.
 
 
 
A NOTE ON SOCIAL JUSTICE:
Jesus says the greatest commandments are to love God and to love people (Matthew 22:37-40). The Christian faith boils down to these two precepts.

Social justice puts that love into action by helping individuals who are oppressed, mistreated, or suffering, and by pursuing ways to dismantle systems of oppression. How we treat others, particularly those less powerful in society than ourselves, matters (Matthew 25:31-46).

Racial justice is one aspect of social justice. Check out my web page on “Justice Matters” to find resources and to connect with organizations engaging in the cause of racial justice.  Click here to learn more.
 
 
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

“Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.”  Isaiah 12:2
 
 
Tilting my head to get a better view out of the window, I marvel at the setting sun, luminescent against the expanse of fluffy cotton clouds. Suspended above the clouds as my flight glides seemingly effortlessly through the “feather canyons” toward the evanescent sun, I cannot help but be amazed at God’s celestial handiwork.
 
From below, clouds can be menacing and threatening as they cover and darken the sky. Yet above the clouds, the sun shines and the sea of clouds curl and swirl their fluffy waves across the elusive horizon. Joni Mitchell’s timeless song, From Both Sides, Now, alludes to these two sides of the clouds as the refrain “I’ve looked at clouds from both sides, now” dances through my mind. What can we learn from this heavenly creation?
 
We are living in times of uncertainty and fear. Climate change poses an existential threat. White Christian nationalism endangers our democracy here in the US and around the globe. Gun violence snuffs out life every day. Divisiveness and vitriol roil the spheres of our politics and our relationships.
 
Fear is a normal emotional response to a real or perceived threat of impending danger. Fear’s purpose is to warn us of danger. But when the nightly news instills fear in us repeatedly, fear becomes the norm. This hyped, exaggerated fear threatens to dominate our thoughts and emotions.
 
At this time of year, we celebrate the birth of the Infant Jesus. It is easy to lose sight of Jesus’ mission and purpose among all the glitter and gifts. It is also easy to imagine the Baby Jesus lying in a manger and ignore His purpose in being born of human flesh.
 
Jesus, in all His glorious divinity, steps out of the heavenly clouds and into the manger of earthly humanity to show us how to love and how to overcome fear. Many times, Jesus tells His followers not to fear. He is empathetic to their plight in a world of Roman oppression. His love compels him to first enter this fearful and difficult world as a baby in a stable and ultimately to teach how to fear less and love more.
 
As the prophet Isaiah hints, salvation is the opposite of fear. When we trust in and live by God’s love, we are saved from fear. We can live unafraid. His perfect love casts out all fear. Fear does not have the final say in our lives.
 
Jesus’ concept of salvation includes wholeness in the present. Wholeness implies a lack of irrational fear.  When He heals the sick, the blind, the lame, and the leper, He restores people to physical health. But more importantly, He restores their soul, making them whole and allowing them to be part of society again, no longer afraid of being shunned or ignored.
 
We are saved from fear by trusting that His way of love and healing will ultimately win. He is in the business of saving lives in the present as well as souls for all eternity.
 
In a time of horrendous Roman oppression, He taught His disciples how to live a new way, one of love, and one that ushers in the kingdom of heaven on earth. When Jesus says the kingdom of God is within them, He means that His kingdom is possible in the here and now. He shows His followers how to be free from living in fear, free from the fear of oppression, and free from injustice, where all live together in perfect harmony. Although there were times when His disciples were rightly afraid, they learned to live out of love. They shared what they had; they took care of each other. When we love like Jesus did, love and peace reign. This is the kingdom of heaven on earth.
 
The religious ruling class and the Roman government were threatened by this new and better way to live that upset their apple carts of power, greed, and control. As a result, they lynched Him. But they could not squelch the power of love.
 
Perhaps both sides of love are at work here: one side that provides salvation and wholeness and the other side that casts out fear. And maybe if we truly believe in the power of love by loving our enemies as well as our neighbors, we can bring about the kingdom of heaven here on earth.
 
It might mean deciding not to vilify our political enemies and instead, showing them love and empathy. Choosing love over hate breaks down fear and barriers.
 
Maybe love will spur us on to action, to stand up for the marginalized, to rectify injustices, to reverse climate change, and to seek civic actions that support our fragile democracy. By doing so, we can work out of love to bring about changes to the very things of which we are afraid.
 
From the manger to the cross, Jesus teaches us how to love one another and how to live out our lives in love. We do not need to fear.
 
Perhaps the clouds do teach us another tune. Perhaps they are indeed both sides, now. Maybe it is not just an illusion, as the song goes, but we really can know clouds, love, and life. Without fear.
 
 
Lord Jesus, You humbled Yourself to be born as a helpless infant in a smelly stable. But You did not stay there. Your teachings changed the world and continue transforming it into Your heaven on earth, through love. May we love You with all our being, love our neighbors as ourselves, and love even our enemies. For Your sake, as Love personified. Amen.
 
 
Text and photographs copyright © 2023 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo from above the clouds with the setting sun.
 
 
Not a subscriber to the monthly blog posts? Click here to subscribe. Subscribers receive an email each month that includes the post with the lead photo as well as bonus photos not posted on the website. Email addresses are never sold or shared.
 
 
 
A NOTE ON SOCIAL JUSTICE:
Jesus says the greatest commandments are to love God and to love people (Matthew 22:37-40). The Christian faith boils down to these two precepts.

Social justice puts that love into action by helping individuals who are oppressed, mistreated, or suffering, and by pursuing ways to dismantle systems of oppression. How we treat others, particularly those less powerful in society than ourselves, matters (Matthew 25:31-46).

Racial justice is one aspect of social justice. Check out my web page on “Justice Matters” to find resources and to connect with organizations engaging in the cause of racial justice.  Click here to learn more.
 
 
Scripture quotations are taken from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1946, 1952, and 1971 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Cruising the smooth waters of Loch Ness, my eyes are peeled for any Nessie sightings. Glancing upward, the ominous clouds darkening the sky may be more of an immediate danger than a mythical monster. A castle diverts my attention as it stands sentinel at the edge of the water, or at least part of it is still standing, reigning majestically over the expanse of Loch Ness.
 
Urquhart Castle, built in the 13th century, was a Scottish military fortress. Over time, these stone walls saw many battles as the castle and surrounding land changed hands, mostly between the Scottish crown and various Scottish clans. William of Orange’s soldiers garrisoned here as they fought the Jacobites. In 1692 when the English soldiers left Urquhart, they blew up the castle rather than letting it fall to the Jacobites.
 
I am struck by the fact that ultimately, the castle was destroyed by its occupants to keep it out of enemy hands. The Jacobite uprisings were a political movement, but like many political ideologies, it was wrapped in religion. Christian nationalism is also a political movement wrapped in religion. It has a long and tangled history, comprised of unlikely bedfellows, all striving to achieve similar goals in the political arena.
 
In the previous post, we discussed the slippery slope we descend to authoritarianism when we support Christian nationalism, a dangerous political movement that distorts Christianity to destroy democracy. It sows seeds of disinformation and divisiveness to vilify and exclude groups of people different from themselves. Despite having the word “Christian” in its name, it is not a Christian movement. The end game is power through authoritarianism as its players seek to control both the government and society. Certain ideas from conservative Christianity are co-opted to legitimize its actions.
 
Christian nationalism is the culmination of centuries of domination, destruction, and oppression of minority peoples that is rooted in white supremacy. Its roots go back to the 15th century Doctrine of Discovery that gave white European settlers a false sense of entitlement that played out in the displacements and killings of Indigenous peoples and then later, the enslavement of Africans. (See Note #1 below.)
 
For brevity’s sake, we will start with the 1954 US Supreme Court’s ruling in Brown v. Board of Education that deemed racially separate schools were not equal and must not continue to be segregated according to race. White Christian schools that refused to integrate could lose their tax-exempt status. Jerry Falwell, Sr, was an outspoken racist who fought to keep his Christian academy segregated (he later started Liberty University). Bob Jones University, an evangelical Christian school in South Carolina, did indeed lose its tax-exempt status for a while because it refused to admit Black students. Galvanized by the threat of losing their tax-exempt status, these and other evangelical leaders began to work together to defeat the gains made by Black citizens during the Civil Rights Movement.
 
At roughly the same time, the Republican Party began to lose support after Watergate. Paul Weyrich, a Republican operative, saw an opportunity in a bloc of voters, namely evangelical Christians, who historically did not vote. Teaming up with these aggrieved evangelical leaders, Weyrich used the issue of abortion to enlist evangelicals to vote Republican. (See Note #2.) Weyrich and Falwell created the Moral Majority, Inc., in 1978. They worked to defeat President Jimmy Carter’s second candidacy (he was not conservative enough for them) and they even coached Ronald Reagan in evangelical jargon, ultimately influencing a landslide victory for Reagan in 1980. By colluding, the Republican party got the votes it needed, the Christian Right/Moral Majority evangelical leaders got their tax-exempt status and the power to influence public policy, all funded by wealthy conservative donors.
 
But Weyrich did not stop there. He cofounded the Council for National Policy (CNP), the Heritage Foundation, and the Republican Study Committee, which became the pillars of the radical right. CNP is a secretive, umbrella organization that brings together far-right politicians and the Religious Right, with the backing of ultra-conservative donors. Their members lead many offshoot extremist organizations based on white supremacy. They operate today as a shadow network.
 
What is particularly alarming about this evolution of organizations and the shadow network they lead are their tactics. The “playbook” of Weyrich, found in the book entitled The Integration of Theory and Practice: A Program for the New Traditionalist Movement by Eric Heubeck, states that their goals are:
 
“1) Falsehoods are not only acceptable, they are a necessity. The corollary is: The masses will accept any lie if it is spoken with vigor, energy and dedication.
2) It is necessary to be cast under the cloak of "goodness" whereas all opponents and their ideas must be cast as "evil."
3) Complete destruction of every opponent must be accomplished through unrelenting personal attacks.
4) The creation of the appearance of overwhelming power and brutality is necessary in order to destroy the will of opponents to launch opposition of any kind.” (See Note #3.)
 
If these goals sound eerily familiar, it is because this is the current playbook used by this partnership between far-right politicians, the Religious Right, and wealthy conservative donors in their concerted effort to destroy specific US institutions and replace them with those they control. They introduce legislation, file lawsuits, strip funding from federal departments, and usurp the authority of federal agencies, such as the FDA and EPA. They seek to destroy democracy from the inside out, all in the name of Jesus. It is not the Jesus I know.
 
Many organizations, some of which are nonprofits, operate within the umbrella of the CNP or are run by CNP members. While this list is not exhaustive, it includes: Family Research Council, Focus on the Family, American Family Association, Concerned Women for America, Susan B. Anthony List, Students for Life of America, Live Action, Faith & Freedom Coalition, United in Purpose, National Religious Broadcasters, Alliance Defending Freedom (see Note #4), Leadership Institute, Federalist Society, American Center for Law & Justice, Heritage Foundation, Tea Party Patriots, State Policy Network, and National Rifle Association. (See Note #5.)
 
Funding for many of these organizations comes from the Prince/DeVos families as well as from the Koch brothers’ network called FreedomWorks (that also funds Americans for Prosperity and Freedom Partners). The National Christian Foundation is a network of wealthy evangelical donors that also funds some of these organizations. Hillsdale College is a beneficiary of the work of CNP and its donors and is an integral part of their mission.
 
Members and prominent leaders associated with these organizations include (or have included) Chuck Colson, James Dobson, Tim and Beverly LaHaye, Pat Robertson, Tony Perkins, Mike Huckabee, Mike Pence, Phyllis Schlafly, Anita Bryant, Oliver North, Wayne LaPierre, Charlie Kirk, Ralph Reed, George Barna, Ginni Thomas (wife of US Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas), Cleta Mitchell, Leonard Leo, and Jay Sekulow. In addition, 46 of 435 members in the US House of Representatives belong to the far-right House Freedom Caucus lead by Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa) with vice-chairman and co-founder Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio). Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga) is one outspoken member and a self-professed Christian nationalist.
 
Another member of the House Freedom Caucus is the newly elected House speaker, Mike Johnson (R-La). Make no mistake:  he is the proverbial wolf in sheep’s clothing. His “nice guy” demeanor may deceptively cover his extremist views, but his track record reveals otherwise. Johnson, by his words and deeds, shows he is a Christian nationalist who does not support democracy, nor separation between church and state, nor human and civil rights for those he deems “other.” He promotes establishing his own interpretation of God’s law as the ultimate authority in the US government, despite the fact the Founding Fathers worked to prevent any one religion from ruling supreme (as discussed in last month’s post). The fact that he is in such a powerful position to influence legislation and is also second in line to the presidency is very alarming. (See Note #6 below more detail.)
 
The Republican party (especially members of the far-right House Freedom Caucus), the Religious Right, and their wealthy backers all stand to gain from their collusion. The Republican party gets political power through votes, the Religious Right gains power through influence over laws that impose their conservative beliefs on the rest of society, and their donors get tax breaks and other financial incentives via legislation promoted by the Republican party, making them even wealthier. A match made in heaven. Or not!
 
Christian nationalism masquerades as patriotism, wrapped in religion. Its goal is to destroy democracy and usher in authoritarianism. Who needs a Loch Ness monster when, like the soldiers at Urquhart Castle, there are people in this country who will blow up the US Constitution and its institutions to save it from imaginary enemies and thus garner all the power for themselves.
 
We cannot let them succeed. For if we do, life as we know it has ended. In the name of freedom, they will strip ours. In the name of religion, they will shove theirs down our throats.
The Founding Fathers are turning over in their graves. No Loch Ness monster required.
 
 
 
 
For additional reading on the topic of Christian nationalism, I highly recommend the following books:  Jesus and John Wayne by Kristen Kobes Du Mez, The Flag and the Cross by Philip S. Gorski and Samuel L. Perry, Shadow Network by Anne Nelson, The Power Worshippers by Katherine Stewart, How Democracies Die by Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt, and The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy and the Path to a Shared American Future by Robert P. Jones.
 
Note #1:  The Doctrine of Discovery is a 15th century papal bull that authorized the domination and subjugation (including the murders or displacements) of anyone found on lands discovered by white European colonists. This document was issued by the Pope and sanctioned by the various European kings and heads of state that sought new lands in the Americas.
 
Note #2:  Please see my August 2022 post entitled How Did a Medical Procedure Become So Politicized? – Part 1 for more information on Paul Weyrich and the politicizing of abortion.
 
Note #3:  Per 2004 paraphrase by Katherine Urica from theocracywatch.org
 
Note #4: The Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), the legal arm of CNP, uses religion as a weapon as it works to promote anti-gay, anti-trans, and anti-abortion laws through legislation and through the court system. The ADF has initiated over 500 anti-LGBTQIA+ bills in state legislatures in 2023 alone, with 70 becoming law. The ADF is behind the lawsuits to allow discrimination against gay couples by wedding planners, photographers, website designers, and wedding cake designers. Hate crimes against the LGBTQIA+ community have increased due to their influence. ADF is also anti-abortion and had a key role in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the lawsuit that reversed Roe v. Wade. The Southern Poverty Law Center has deemed the ADF a hate group.
 
Note #5:  This list of organizations is from Shadow Network by Anne Nelson.
 
Note #6: Mike Johnson (R-La), as a member of the US House of Representatives, was a major leader in efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, both in co-designing the plan to object to certifying the results in Congress and in leading the Texas amicus brief to overturn election results in key swing states. During his tenure in the House, he introduced the “Don’t Say Gay” bill to suppress discussions of sexuality and gender identity with children. He voted against the “Respect for Marriage Act” that gives equal protections to gay couples and interracial couples. Johnson has spoken out in support of criminalizing gay sex. He has consistently voted against legalizing abortion. He is in favor of gutting Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and other social programs that help the poor. He is also a proponent of dismantling the Johnson Act, a bill sponsored by then-Senator Lyndon B. Johnson (no relation!), to maintain separation between church and state. Prior to his election to the US House, he worked as a spokesperson and attorney for the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), the legal arm of the CNP (see Note #4). It bears repeating that the Southern Poverty Law Center has designated the ADF as a hate group. 
 
 
 
 
NOTE: November is Native American Heritage Month (aka American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month). Check out these websites to learn more: https://www.nativeamericanheritagemonth.gov/
https://www.ncai.org/initiatives/native-american-heritage-month
https://www.bia.gov/NNAHM.
 
 
 
Text and photograph copyright © 2023 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of Urquhart Castle at Loch Ness, Scotland.
 
 
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A NOTE ON SOCIAL JUSTICE:

Jesus says the greatest commandments are to love God and to love people (Matthew 22:37-40). The Christian faith boils down to these two precepts.

Social justice puts that love into action by helping individuals who are oppressed, mistreated, or suffering, and by pursuing ways to dismantle systems of oppression. How we treat others, particularly those less powerful in society than ourselves, matters (Matthew 25:31-46).

Racial justice is one aspect of social justice. Check out my web page on “Justice Matters” to find resources and to connect with organizations engaging in the cause of racial justice.  Click here to learn more.

A phrase elbowed its way into our lexicon in recent years. As I learn more about it, I am alarmed that it threatens to destroy both US democracy and civil society as we know it. What is this phrase? Christian nationalism. What is it and why is it so alarming?
 
First, let’s define “nationalism.” Nationalism is an ideology that promotes extreme patriotism to one’s nation. Citizens are expected to put the nation above their own interests, rights, and liberties. Political leaders curtail individual rights in the name of national interest and hold its nation’s interests above all other nations. There are many nationalistic movements around the globe. North Korea is an example of a country that embraces nationalism to the point that they literally have the most undemocratic country on the planet. Hungary is an example of a country that is democratic in name only while being controlled by a dictator. Nationalism is a slippery slope to authoritarianism and it starts with disinformation and seeds of division sown between groups of people within a nation.
 
Christian nationalism, sometimes referred to as “white Christian nationalism,” is a political movement in the US that is associated with far-right leaning citizens and politicians. This American version of nationalism is extreme patriotism wrapped in the cloak of Christianity whose loyalty is not to the US but to its own ideas of government based on its cultural and religious doctrines. It seeks to destroy the US, its constitution, and its institutions in order to remake the nation into its own image.
 
The term “Christian” is a dog whistle for white, straight, conservative, male (typically), and native-born Americans. It is a term that glorifies themselves as “good, decent people” and to normalize their extreme beliefs. Being a true American (and patriot) is defined as being their version of a "Christian." This excludes nonwhites, LGBTQA+, women, and foreign-born people as true Americans.
 
Christian nationalism is not a Christian movement but rather a political one. The goal is not to follow Christ but to gain power and societal control. It is a distortion of the Christian faith with the goal of the destruction of democracy.
 
Through disinformation, divisiveness, and polarization, the movement seeks to subjugate or eliminate all people deemed “other,” including women, the LGBTQA+ community, people of color, and immigrants. They vilify and exclude those they deem different from themselves and seek to take away their rights and liberties, all in the name of “religious liberty.” By doing so, they enhance their own rights, privileges, and power at the expense of everyone else. This ideology does not resemble the teachings of Jesus who never excluded or oppressed anyone.
 
Recent laws implemented by far-right state legislatures curtail or ban reproductive rights and gender-affirming care*. The agenda of Christian nationalism is clearly anti-women, anti-trans, anti-gay, racist, and xenophobic. With far-right politicians in Congress and conservative judges on the federal bench, the rights and freedoms we all enjoy in the US are being stripped away. Through restrictive laws upheld by a nation’s judiciary, a democracy slides into authoritarianism where ultimately no one will have freedom.
 
One of the foundational beliefs of Christian nationalists is that the US was created as a Christian nation by the Founding Fathers, that it was always intended to be a Christian nation, and that it has veered so far from being a Christian nation that it must be destroyed and rebuilt. (Sometimes this is called Christian Reconstructionism, not to be confused with an individual who reconstructs their own personal beliefs.) A look at history, however, tells a different story.
 
The Founding Fathers never intended to create a Christian nation. The first settlers came to the New World to escape religious persecution. They understood the suffering caused by a government that imposed a particular religion on its people. The Founding Fathers created a nation that could withstand and even encourage diversity of thought and of religion, a place where freedom means individual expressions of religion. They created a free nation, but they did not create a Christian nation.
 
While mostly religious, the Founding Fathers did not agree on any one theology. However, they did agree that this country was not nor ever should be a Christian nation and they took great care to ensure that it did not become a country where one religion ruled supreme. Thomas Jefferson encouraged James Madison when the latter created the Bill of Rights (the first ten amendments to the US Constitution) to include a “wall” between the church and state. The First Amendment includes freedom of religion and declares through the Establishment Clause that the government cannot establish a state religion. The Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment states that everyone has the right to exercise their own religion.
 
If the Framers of the US Constitution, including the Bill of Rights, wanted to create a Christian nation, they had the power to do so. Instead, they went to great lengths to ensure that never happened. While the phrase “separation of church and state” is not actually used in the Constitution or the Bill of Rights, Jefferson used it when describing his vision for this nation, a vision shared by the Framers who built this principle into the creation of our government. Maintaining the separation of church and state is imperative for everyone’s individual rights and freedoms.
 
Christian nationalists use the argument that the phrases “In God We Trust” on US currency and “Under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance are proof that the US was created as a Christian nation. However, neither of these phrases proves that claim. The phrase “In God We Trust” was first added to the two-cent coin in 1864 during a religious resurgence due to the Civil War. “Under God” was added to the Pledge of Allegiance in 1954 by President Eisenhower and members of Congress to distinguish the US from communist countries during the Cold War. In fact, a much older motto for the US was adopted in 1782 by the Continental Congress when designing the official US seal: E Pluribus Unum, which means “out of many, one.” And in 1795, this motto symbolizing the principle of unity and equality that this nation was built upon was added to the $5 gold coin. History teaches us that our Founding Fathers intended this nation to be built on unity and equality, not Christianity.
 
Well-intended Christians may also believe the falsehood that the US was created as a Christian nation. But as history informs us and as stated above, the US was not founded as a Christian nation and was never intended to be. To believe otherwise is dangerous because it enables Christian nationalists to use Christianity for their own twisted purposes of gaining power and control over society. Violence is often a means to their end, just as we witnessed their destructive insurrection on January 6th, 2021. On that day we also saw Christian symbols co-opted to legitimize the violence.
 
By portraying Jesus as a warrior-king, Christian nationalists undermine the very tenets of Christianity. We know from reading the Gospels that Jesus did not come as a warrior to overturn the oppressive Roman government. His way was love, not hate. His goal was justice, not tyranny. His actions were merciful, not mercenary. Throughout history, however, many people claiming to follow Jesus perpetrated horrendous deeds in His name for the sake of power. Christian nationalists have joined their ranks.
 
The main point to remember is that the end game of Christian nationalism is not actually to have Christian values and principles rule the land. These are simply the means to the end which is absolute power and societal control. This slide from democracy to authoritarianism is indeed a slippery slope, one we cannot afford to descend.
 
Christian nationalism and its end-game of authoritarianism will win if we do not stop it. We cannot be silent or apathetic. Become knowledgeable about the issues. Stand up for truth. Call out disinformation. Vote for candidates who work for the good of all people. Support non-partisan organizations who work for free and fair elections, like the League of Women Voters (https://www.lwv.org/) and give to their education fund (https://www.lwv.org/league-women-voters-education-fund). Support organizations that fight Christian nationalism, like Americans United for the Separation of Church and State (https://www.au.org/).

We cannot ignore this threat; it will not go away. But together we can turn the tide to build a more equitable society where all are free to worship as they please and all have the inalienable rights that the Founding Fathers established in the Declaration of Independence: the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. May it be so!
 
 
God, may we have eyes to see the dangers of this movement and may we have the courage to take a stand against it. For Jesus will not be mocked. His principles cannot be twisted for political purposes and for the sake of power. May we be one nation indivisible in our pursuit of love, justice, and mercy. Amen.
 
 
 
In future posts, we will look at the history of Christian nationalism, its major players, and also the dangerous implications for democracy in the US. In the meantime, I highly recommend the following books on Christian nationalism: Jesus and John Wayne by Kristen Kobes Du Mez, The Flag and the Cross by Philip S. Gorski and Samuel L. Perry, Shadow Network by Anne Nelson, The Power Worshippers by Katherine Stewart, and How Democracies Die by Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt.
 
 
*See previous posts on reproductive health care (Aug, Sept, Oct 2022) and gender-affirming care (June 2023).

DISCLAIMER: I am a member of the League of Women Voters. Views expressed are my own.
 
NOTE: Hispanic Heritage month began on September 15. See these links for more information: https://www.hispanicheritagemonth.gov/
https://www.archives.gov/news/topics/hispanic-heritage-month
https://latino.si.edu/hispanic-heritage-month
https://www.pbs.org/articles/celebrate-hispanic-heritage-month
 
 
 
Text and photograph copyright © 2023 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Above photo of Klimsenkapelle (Klimsen Chapel) atop Klimsenhorn peak as seen from Mt Pilatus, Switzerland.


Not a subscriber to the monthly blog posts? Click here to subscribe. Subscribers receive an email each month that includes the blog with the lead photo as well as bonus photos not posted on the website. Email addresses are never sold or shared.
 
 
 
A NOTE ON SOCIAL JUSTICE:
Jesus says the greatest commandments are to love God and to love people (Matthew 22:37-40). The Christian faith boils down to these two precepts.

Social justice puts that love into action by helping individuals who are oppressed, mistreated, or suffering, and by pursuing ways to dismantle systems of oppression. How we treat others, particularly those less powerful in society than ourselves, matters (Matthew 25:31-46).

Racial justice is one aspect of social justice. Check out my web page on “Justice Matters” to find resources and to connect with organizations engaging in the cause of racial justice.  Click here to learn more.