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Articles from the Religious Research Journal Have You Heard the News Lately? By Tom Hemphill Have you heard the news lately? It sometimes seems as though the news gets more disheartening with each passing day. I know that this is not a new sentiment. No doubt, Adam and Eve found things rather bleak as they were leaving the Garden of Eden, and humankind has seen lots of hardship since then. But it seems to be getting steadily more disheartening. I know well that Goodness is breaking through in our world even as the old paradigm is breaking down. I am still convinced that, “no doubt, the universe is unfolding as it should.” Nevertheless the news from America in 2006 – local, national and global – is troubling. Do you remember in 1989 when the Berlin Wall came down - the “collapse of the Soviet Union”? Americans love to quote Pres. Ronald Reagan’s famous speech in Berlin: “Mr. Gorbachov, tear down this wall.” We prefer to see that whole episode as our victory – the inevitable conclusion of the rightness and goodness of godly Americanism vs. godless Communism. But it was not the superiority of capitalism or Americanism or even American religiosity that caused the Soviet Union to implode. The socioeconomic system used by Russia and its allies was ultimately not sustainable. It was not able to sustain a stable economy to provide for the needs of its people. The Soviet Union’s leaders spent vast sums on military capability and could not afford to meet the basic needs of their populace. During the regime of Mikhail Gorbachov, this all came to an inevitable conclusion: the Soviet Union, as it had been known, could not be sustained. It was not American might – neither military nor moral – that brought down the Russian colossus. Rather it was internal weakness. They were not defeated; they failed themselves. We – America, the West, the Free World – were not victors. While we celebrated the end of the Soviet Union and with it the end of the Cold War, we did not bring this about. All of us humans – including Americans – are fallible beings. It behooves us to have a little humility about the rightness, goodness and greatness of our choices, our nation, our religious beliefs. If the great nation of the Soviet Union finally imploded – collapsed under its own weight, not defeated by an outside conqueror - does it not stand to reason that we should examine our own society and seek to rectify such weaknesses as we too must certainly carry? Do we really think that America has no feet of clay? Have you heard the news lately? Many Americans project a belligerent “Proud to be an American” chauvinism. An American who challenges or questions the status quo may be seen as a traitor for even suggesting that there might be areas where America could be improved. Were we more honest with ourselves, more candid in our assessment of our national accomplishments, we would be forced to reach an obvious conclusion: we have feet of clay. This does not mean that everything about America is wrong. It does mean that: (a) we have problems – major problems – that we are not seeing and/or are not facing; (b) the consequence of these unaddressed problems is slowly but surely eroding the very foundation of the country and society we love; and (c) as we continue in our arrogance and greed and myopia to do nothing, America will surely implode in upon herself, just as Russia did. America will not be defeated by outsiders, not even by terrorists. America will eventually collapse under the weight of her refusal to face herself honestly, admit her deficiencies, and take the necessary, difficult steps to move toward sustainable national health. I take no pleasure in making this observation. Yes, I am critical of my nation and its leaders (of both political parties and all industries). But that is because I care about her. Between friends there is the openness that allows each to “speak the truth with love” to the other. If my friends don’t tell me the truth, who will? And if we Americans see our country drifting farther and farther from the truth and do not speak, who else will speak for us? Increasingly, on every topic - the environment, the war in Iraq, affordable housing, education, health care – America seems divided into two groups. One group of Americans seems to accept the status quo, believing the information they receive from “the authorities.” The other group examines the facts for themselves – and rarely agrees with the official position of whomever is in authority. The Soviet Union was built on the energies of the old human paradigm, where selfishness, greed, hubris and belligerence are rewarded. It was not defeated; it failed itself because those values are not fed by Spirit and therefore must finally fail. I believe that America is on the same path. While we Americans rightly claim our national values – honor, decency, altruism – and many of us seek to express those values in our daily lives, our national leaders barely give lip service to such “American values.” Again and again the decisions made by our leaders and carried out in our name are contrary to our time-honored American values. Have you heard the news lately? America today is like the old Soviet Union in that our nation is increasingly being built on the energies of the old human paradigm, where selfishness, greed, hubris and belligerence are rewarded. America will not be defeated militarily – not by invaders and not by terrorists. But it will surely fail itself, its citizens and the world it impacts. It will fail because these values are not fed by Spirit and therefore must finally fail. It often seems to me that many Americans really believe that we are somehow God’s “favorites.” In addition to being spiritual and theological nonsense, such a belief (whether or not we articulate it) gives rise to a host of problems – among them, an unwillingness to face our own shortcomings, a smug conviction of being personally superior to those who differ from us and with us, and an assumption that God will not require us – or our children - to endure the consequences of our collective actions. To assume that we are superior to those who are different from us defies all we know of Spirit and all that Christianity teaches us. God does not play favorites. Just as individuals only grow by working through their “stuff,” so also we as a nation must be willing not only to face our shortcomings but also to do the hard work of seeking to rectify problems and grow into greater maturity. Have you heard the news lately? A loving God will certainly require us to live through the consequences of our actions; how else would we learn? We ourselves often do this with our children; as they make mistakes, sometimes no “punishment” is necessary other than allowing them to suffer the consequences of their actions. As Jesus said, “If you, being earthly fathers know how to give your children good gifts, how much more must your heavenly father know how to give you good gifts?” God is not going to reward us for building a society in which his values and his purpose are ignored or flaunted. God will hold us accountable for our choices; to do less would be unloving and ungodly. So, have I given up on America and turned my back on her because she isn’t good enough? Hardly. Would you turn your back on one of your children who was traveling a bumpy road on the way to self-knowledge and personal maturity? Of course not. In numerous Life Readings, Dr. John affirmed that the nation of America was very deliberately evolved in the late 1700s by those High Spiritual Beings in charge of Planet Earth, to create in the world a new way of governance and a new basis for world peace. I believe that America continues to be spiritually purposed and guided, even when we Americans forget who we are and fail to hold our elected officials accountable in light of the values we share. America has a place in the new paradigm, the world that is unfolding around us and within us. There is too much good in America for it not to be used as humanity steps into a higher plane of existence, a greater spiritual reality. America is certainly not the only important spiritual presence in the world today, but she is one of them. But our path to maturity is not an easy one. I grieve that we are now in a time of such spiritual darkness. I am reminded of a teenager rebelling against his parents, refusing to follow their values, insisting on finding his own way. Many such young people have stumbled and found their way back to themselves. But it is typically a painful and difficult journey. I see today an America whose political, economic and social leaders are awash in pride, arrogance, selfishness, greed, myopia and mediocrity. Is that too harsh? Do you feel that the ruling elite in America are truly committed to a government “of the people, by the people and for the people”? Have you heard the news lately? When the day comes for America to face its own non-sustainability – the day when we implode, like the Soviet Union before us, it will not be Communism or socialism or even terrorism that caused America to fall. As was true of the Soviet Union, our society will collapse because the socioeconomic system used by America is ultimately not sustainable. It is not able to sustain a stable economy to provide for the needs of its people. What then is our role as spiritual Americans? We need to make ourselves aware of what is happening, discern truth in the midst of falsehood, and speak our truth as the Spirit moves us to do so. We must stay spiritually focused, clear and compassionate in the world of politics and economics. The temptation to give in to outrage, righteous indignation, scorn and rejection is very great; but our answers lie not in the realm of fear but in the realm of Love. We must cling to the truth that, even as the world around us becomes increasingly polarized and painful, the Spirit of Love moves among us creating goodness and renewal. And let us pray for America. Pray for those who lead her, elected and otherwise - leaders of government, leaders of the economy. Pray for all who make her policies and set her agenda – both political parties, both houses of Congress, officials of both genders, of various races and numerous heritages. Pray that they will listen and respond wisely as God speaks to them. Pray for God’s blessing on America, and more than that, pray for God’s forgiveness of America. May God be merciful to us. Have you heard the news lately?
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