Honor and Depolarization

 

Though God’s 5^th Commandment does not, at first glance, seem relevant in the 21^st Century American political landscape, one word stands out when thinking broadly of human-to-human relationships. Honor. “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you,” Moses repeated (first in Exodus 20:12; and then again in Deuteronomy 5:16) for the wandering mass of Israelites as the sojourned in Egypt. It’s the first word of a positive directive, and maybe that’s God’s point here, as opposed to the following five commandments that all begin with in the negative ‘you shall not’. (More on the 6^th through 10^th Commandments will be in upcoming posts.) At least some of the people got it, apparently, including one foreigner named Ruth, a Moabitess who begged to stay with her mother-in-law Naomi…ultimately this story of love and respect for her mother-in-law was a key episode that, generations later, culminated in the birth of Jesus the Messiah. (See masterpiece artwork Ruth Swearing Her Allegiance [Giving Honor] to Naomi by 17^th Century artist Jan Victors.) It’s like God might have been saying – He does in fact directly say so – that if humans want to prosper, they can begin by doing this one thing right -- treating people with respect.

 

Rubel Shelly (in Written in Stone – Ethics for the Heart) points out that there is one public policy issue that could directly affect how, or whether, the 5^th Commandment is fulfilled in America. Shelly indicates that honoring parents and other older folks today in politics means we must improve the way that Social Security is funded, or by year 2040 (according to some social scientists) something like 40% of the federal budget might be eaten up by funding this program, causing a lot of potential hostility toward the elderly, rather than honor, as younger working citizens are taxed more and more to pay for it. Could our culture spiral downward if some people are thus treated like they are a burden, or worse yet, refuse? This government program is just one of many policy areas that are, to put it mildly, contentious. The words ‘divisive’ or ‘hyper-polarized’ might more adequately describe the environment between Capitol Hill and the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C. And, that culture then moves out onto the campaign trails, and then into state capitals undoubtedly. With lots of issues to be addressed, and with so little apparent good will among those elected to manage these matters, what will ultimately happen? Is it too much of a grim forecast to suggest a train wreck is in the future? How can we get our house in order? God has already told people centuries ago how to order their homes, so how do we do that on a national scale?

 

Shelly further suggests that an ‘ethic of minimal civility’ establishes some core values that all humans should share, and these include a ‘principle of mutual respect’. Applying the ‘Golden Rule’ -- spelled out by Jesus (Matt. 7:12; Luke 6:31; Luke 10:25-28) and referred to by Paul (Gal. 5:14; Rom. 13:8-9) –  means doing unto others as you would have them do unto you. Basic respect and honor mean practically applying some common, everyday courtesies, perhaps like, but not limited to the following: (These might sound a little like playground rules for children, but really, if these folks cannot act better, perhaps they ought to be spanked and treated with the same immaturity with which they behave all too often. Wouldn’t it be great if political candidates modeled the items below all of the time, and how about if they didn’t and could somehow be penalized and thrown out of the race for repeated violations [as in basketball, six fouls and you’re out]?)

 

·         No comments that reflect prejudice nor demagoguery based on race/sex/religion

·         Pronounce each other’s names correctly, and no name calling

·         No demonization of each other, sticking to facts and issues

·         Candidates refrain from interrupting each other in public debates, i.e. no mud-wrestling episodes

·         No physical intimidation/suggestion of violence or revenge-mongering to stir up crowds (note one pretty notable episode with a link to a video below).

·         Respecting the choice/vote of all people who are citizens, while not trying to undermine this activity that We the People can use to take part in our government – so no gerrymandering nor other shenanigans at the polls to disadvantage some people or groups and so disenfranchise them

·         Everyone adheres to the same legal standards, i.e. no one is above the law

 

See a good example of someone honoring his political opponent here: John McCain in 2008, as he confronted supporters who tried to say something false about Barack Obama during a campaign appearance…Bing Videos)

 

See information on the picture here: File:Victors Ruth swearing her allegiance to Naomi.jpg - Wikimedia Commons… This work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 100 years or fewer. {{PD-1996}} – public domain in its source country on January 1, 1996 and in the United States.