We all have our prejudices. To think that we don’t is to be willfully blind, prone to believe that the way we perceive the world actually is the world. To deny our prejudices leads to an unwillingness to listen to others. It leads to an unwillingness to open up to the possibility that we might … Continue reading I Pledge Allegiance: Part 8–And Now…The Apocalypse
violence
I Pledge Allegiance: Part 7–They Wore Diapers On Their Heads
In the early 1970s, in an effort to quell the unrest in Argentina, General and President Rafael Videla took matters into his own hands. First, he labeled his enemies in this way, “A terrorist isn’t just someone with a gun or a bomb. (A subversive is) anyone who opposes the Argentine way of life.” And … Continue reading I Pledge Allegiance: Part 7–They Wore Diapers On Their Heads
I Pledge Allegiance: Part 5–Jesus and Genocide
Whoever claimed that the Hebrew Scriptures were without internal conflicts never truly read the Hebrew Scriptures. For thousands of years, the Hebrew people knew quite well that their Scriptures were full of competing narratives. It wasn’t just that Ruth seemed to be challenging the narrative of Joshua. It was that Jonah and Isaiah did, too. … Continue reading I Pledge Allegiance: Part 5–Jesus and Genocide
I Pledge Allegiance: Part 3–The Divine Rule
In the really old stories, pledging allegiance was shaped by your understanding of beginnings. Many people know of the Genesis creation story, the one that Jews and Christians look to to shape their understanding of who the Divine is, who we are, and what we should be giving our lives to. But before the Hebrew … Continue reading I Pledge Allegiance: Part 3–The Divine Rule
I Pledge Allegiance: Part 2—Just Like Everybody Else
There are a lot of religious people right now that seem genuinely disturbed that other religious people are becoming just like everybody else. And in lots of different ways: in their sexual ethic, their political priorities, their vision of what it means to protect life. And while these are important concerns in their sacred texts, … Continue reading I Pledge Allegiance: Part 2—Just Like Everybody Else