There is a lot of discussion about the petitions lodged by frustrated citizens apparently seeking to secede from the union over what they perceive as irreconcilable differences with their federal government. Parties on both sides are flinging their opinions at each other. Some have even called their friends and neighbors ignorant, immature, and idiotic over this. Still others dismiss those citizens out of hand like the sore loser that threatens to just walk away from the game and take his ball home with him. Both sides, in my opinion, are not bringing constructive conversation to the table, but merely trying to smear the other with more and more offensive name-calling. I believe it is this very fact that underlies the reasons we’re seeing this movement at all, though futile as it may be – the lack of respect for the constitutionally protected rights and opinions of every man and woman.
I would encourage all parties involved to take a deep breath, step back, and survey the landscape as it is this day. I’m certain that the state of this country is not as different today as it has been at other critical points in history. There have been other social and political issues that have created deep divides in the nation. Obviously, the issue of slavery would come to most minds, and many think that it was that issue that led to states seeking to secede from the nation before. It was not. Only when those states felt they were being imposed upon by a majority that had no respect for their chosen lifestyle (whether you agree with it or not) did they look to go their own way. (Look it up – the civil war was not originally about slavery, but about a group of states in disagreement with the federal government regarding a perceived over-extension of authority, an infringement upon their rights as a sovereign state). Since then, there have been occasional movements by individual segments of the country seeking to separate and create their own nation, but these have been resolved and we've managed to keep the nation whole (yes, there was the whole Texas thing, I know).
Therefore, I think it’s worth examining what is happening today that would cause so many people to act in this particular manner. There have been divisive issues before – what is different this time? Here is my understanding – it is two parts: there are many moral/ethical issues that have become politicized, and great number of the citizens in certain states perceive the federal government as overstepping its authority in telling the states what to do (HHS mandate, anyone?). When it comes to people’s core beliefs, and their God mandated & constitutionally protected right to govern themselves accordingly, we should not expect anyone to compromise their conscience for the mere sake of political bonds, or because they might not get a handout from Washington next year.
As a follower of Jesus Christ, I profess and make every effort to adhere to a certain set of objective and, I believe, inalienable moral standards, and human rights. There are certain beliefs that cannot be compromised, those convictions are effectively lines drawn in the sand, and if I am asked violate them (or made witness to others being forced to) I would have to make a stand to defend them. Those are the lines being drawn today and there is a great number of people that are willing to be backed up to that cliff, but it should not be surprising when those people become desperate enough to start fighting back, regardless of the chosen methods.
If it isn't obvious to which I am speaking, it is the issues of the sacred nature of life (abortion) and the institution of marriage (gay rights). These are the issues that became extremely politicized in the recent election. Lines were drawn, and whether or not we liked it, a majority of voters spoke their minds with their ballots, taking the country, my state, and my community one step closer to the edge of the cliff. My question now becomes, when a party of voters run on an undercurrent of tolerance and protecting the rights of the minority, is it unreasonable to hold them to their own professed standard when they become the majority?
To those that “won” on November 6: you are, by all rights, the majority. Will you now take on the mantle that your perceived oppressors wore, and wreak havoc on their ranks in revenge? Or will you stand behind your own ideals and be the bastions of liberty that you claim to be? Will you choose to wield your power with the same beneficence that you demanded from your opponents? Or will you merely create a new oppressed minority, taking liberty and rights from one group to give them to another? Perhaps there is a way to actually give the torch of liberty to each American citizen without having to set fire to those from whom you recovered it?
To those that feel your fellow citizens are crazy for speaking their mind, and being willing to sacrifice some comforts, and even some blood, to stand behind their convictions: I challenge you to remember that there is nothing new under the sun, and this battlefield has been drawn up before in this country. There were Loyalists to the British Crown that felt the risks involved with breaking from England were too great. They chose their side, some even fought against their neighbors in the Revolution, and they too sacrificed for their own beliefs. Remember that history has recorded when the few stood their ground, and were extinguished by the mighty. It has also recorded when those few triumphed and new ground was won for freedom and liberty. Take pause and choose carefully, be slow to judge your neighbor/friend/brother for being brave enough to stand for what they believe in.
Finally, both sides: history is an excellent teacher. When everything is said and done, no one wants to divide a union. There are other ways off the battlefield that are not "Forward!". Stand down, cease fire, and "let's talk" are better options.
Can we actually be the “united” states again? Or are we now seeing the formation of just a new “united kingdom"?
