The Golden Rule

As an ordained United Methodist Church minister, when I speak at home or around the country, I am exceedingly particular about the language I use to express my support for, or opposition to, political or policy positions. I am humble enough to recognize clearly that the voice of God that I hear is sometimes really my voice in disguise, and therefore I am on guard to prevent my ideology from becoming my theology; to do so is dangerously divisive and further encourages political division.

Many who read this message may not share my theology, or my politics, but, to be sure, there is a common tenet that guides our personal interactions—the Golden Rule. In fact the world's Abrahamic's monotheistic religions—Christianity, Islam and Judaism—teach the Golden Rule, and when practiced, propels us toward the greater good. Socrates beat me to the punch when he said, "Do not do to others what angers you if done to you by others."

And because our government has seemingly ceased to function at a level where the critical issues facing us as a nation are addressed, my hope is that further polarization will not only be avoided, but transposed. That can only happen if we begin to teach that scorn, division, and want of forbearance will not nourish a single hungry child or rebuild a decrepit highway. If we show that cooperation is superior to coercion, we can play a most important role in assuring a bright future for our progeny. Though faith and freedom may mean something different to each of us, they are not defined by adherence to a rigid dogma.

Faith, it seems to me, is embodied by how we treat our fellow Americans, the active compassion we offer those who, through no fault of their own, find themselves caught in the vice of life. Our faith, I believe, must guide us not by fractious language, but by plainspokenness rooted in respect - not by attributing malarkey to motives, but by awarding opponents the benefit of the doubt.