Dignity of Democracy

The democratic process of our nation is beautiful in many ways. One of which is the opportunity to witness the governing of our nation with dignity. In those times all political partisanship is set aside, and members of both parties stand united in cause and purpose to govern our nation in a time-honored tradition of respect and humility in service to our country. One such time is that pictured above when a House prayer vigil was held on the steps of the U.S. Capitol to commemorate the attacks on this site one year ago. What appears to be a moment of solidarity when all our representatives could agree to gather in an expression of faith was not as it appears in this picture.

The picture above shows the House assembling that same night. Unfortunately, it shows the evening was attended only by Democratic representatives on the left, Republican seats on the right vacant. The only Republican party representation this night was Liz Cheney with her father, former Vice President Dick Cheney, highlighted in the circle. Apparently, the current House make up is so divided that partisanship could not be set aside even for a solemn event like this one. There is no dignity in that type of democracy.

A divided government body will govern in a divided fashion. Where there is divided governing there will be a divided approach to law making. That is, general consensus will be rarely experienced, and all governing will be conducted along strict party lines as has been the case for approximately the last 12 years. This is not an efficient means of governing and results in most of the difficult issues of our nation not being addressed; difficult issues require compromise which does not happen when governing is conducted along strictly partisan lines. This predicament cannot be blamed on our elected officials for they simply represent the people that have elected them. Our government is divided because the people of our nation are politically polarized and have backed into their respective corners ready to fight.

But why are the people of our nation so divided? I believe it’s because of fear. The majority of us have bought into the fear that we are going to lose something. We are going to lose our jobs or our guns or our religion or some other liberty. The majority of us have become fearful that if the political party not of our choice is in control, we are going to lose the America that we know and love. This fear has grown in recent years to such an extent that 1 in 3 of us now believe it is justified to take violence against the U.S. government.

We are living in unprecedented times for which I believe there is only one solution. Faith overcomes fear. Faith is fear’s antidote. Faith and fear cannot coexist, they are opposites. Faith unifies, fear divides.  Faith offers peace and understanding.  Faith is intended to build up, not tear down.  Faith is not critical; it edifies. People of faith pray and willingly join others in prayer. They understand that praying is an act of humility before the God of their understanding and before each other. It is a sign of surrender to God and each other. Where there is humility, there is a lack of pride. Where there is humility there is harmony.

Above all else, faith is not political!

We need the people of faith, our faith communities, to rise up in their faith and demand a democracy with dignity, not through violent demonstration but through demonstration of their faith. “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14) I believe that the context of this referenced verse applies to the people of faith who are disposed to or marked by morally bad actions which is a definition of “wicked”. I also believe that people of faith who supported or participated in the events of January 6th a year ago are associating with evil and are risking the distinction between those with and those without faith. These acts along with our acts of omission are our sin. That is, our sins of omission are when we remove consideration of our faith from our political behaviors. I believe this referenced verse also implies that if we humble ourselves before God in prayer, we will see God move in our midst. We have nothing to lose, and God only knows the result may be to bring back dignity in our democracy once again!