In the Name of…Good Conscience

So…a little while back the State of Louisiana mandated that the Ten Commandments must be posted in all schools, visibly and prominently. Then, a few days back, the State of Oklahoma mandated that the Bible be taught in schools. Both directives apply to public schools. And both, I’m sure, will face major legal challenges.

Here’s the thing: we’re a nation of immigrants, right? Some are Christian, but some are Jewish, Islamic, Buddhist, Hindu, Atheist, etc. There are as many varieties of religion as there are of skin color. And it is absolutely wrong to pick one and then indoctrinate children based on that particular faith.

This harks back to a time when the white settlers in the west relegated the indigenous populations onto small parcels of land with the promise of a better life, then forced their children into schools which taught the “Christian” way of life, along with how to dress, talk, wear their hair. It was wrong then, and it’s wrong now.

Christian missionaries did the same, as colonialism spread. Didn’t matter what the population believed. Didn’t matter what they ate, or how they dressed. It was the missionary’s job to indoctrinate these “backwards” people into Christianity and the words of Jesus. It was their job to teach them the “right” way to speak, dress, act, and pray. It was wrong then, and it’s wrong now.

It’s not anyone’s job to teach someone their religious beliefs. If someone is interested in learning a certain religion, well, I’m guessing they’ll find their way to the teachings of that religion. But for those not interested? Or already following their family’s, or ancestor’s, religious beliefs? Who are we to arbitrarily pick one religion and lord it over school children (pun intended)? What, in the Constitution, or any other document for that matter, or any ethical and moral teachings, give us that right?

I don’t know where America is headed. I do know we are facing dark and difficult times, to paraphrase the wizard Dumbledore of Harry Potter fame. And some people may need their faith and their religion to help them navigate the new world order coming into play. Emphasis on “their” faith and “their” religion. They need not follow mine, or yours, or anyone else’s. They need not even follow their own if they choose not to. Because it is their choice. Not mine. Not yours. Theirs. Always.

It is interesting to contemplate the fact that one side of these divided states of America professes the need for less government and less intrusion into our lives – the “Don’t Tread on Me” crowd – all the while inflicting their beliefs on the other side, you know, for their own good. They will decide your religion. They will decide women’s healthcare choices. They will decide whether people of the same sex can marry. They will decide whether a person can transition. They will decide who to exclude and who to include. And they will decide whether or not a person has an equal right to the laws and protections that they enjoy. And this, too, is fundamentally wrong.

We are coming up on, perhaps, the most important presidential election of our lifetimes. And as we see rights, fundamental human rights, being whittled away, and the potential for a very different form of government than the one we currently enjoy, well, we have a serious choice to make. Do you want a country that tells you what religion to follow? Or is that okay with you as long as it’s Christianity? Do you want a country that dictates whether or not you can make your own healthcare decisions? Or is that okay if it only applies to women in need of an abortion? Do you want a country that would take away your right to contraceptives? Or is that okay as long as it’s being done in the name of your Christian God? Do you want a country that tells you who it’s okay to love? Or is that okay because marriage should only be available to a man and a woman, according to scripture?

We have political decisions to make, and the results of those decisions will determine the framework that dictates how we live going forward. We also have moral values and ethical standards of a personal nature we each need to live by. If you believe it’s okay to tread on someone else, well, then, perhaps your decision is clear. But if you believe in human rights – which by default mean all humans – and that we’re here to lift each other up, not step on someone else to move up ourselves – the decision is equally clear.

I’m for inclusiveness and equality. Equity and human rights. And I will give my vote to the people – and the party – who best exemplify those values with compassion and empathy for others. I just don’t hear – or see – those values coming from the right.

~jwb~