Confrontation at Church

Preparing for early service yesterday at church, our worship team prepared communion, prepped the candles, stuffed the bulletins, practiced music, and got set for the service. As we sat waiting for the start time, we mentioned the coming election and rued the failure of the county election office to fulfill an early mail-in ballot due to their mistake on the voter’s signature. An otherwise smoothly operating office, I made a wisecrack about republican office holders not caring to do the right thing and suppressing the vote.

Well! That started things off.

A married couple we know pretty well, started bad-talking democrats. I countered with immoral republicans who vote against gays, immigrants, abortion and women’s issues. We didn’t even get to health issues. I restated my recent claim that I couldn’t imagine anyone voting for a republican when their party is so anti everything. 

They countered that Illinois House Speaker Madigan is a crook and has way too much power. I countered I don’t have any power to counteract that fact. Plus I don’t necessarily agree that he is the core of the problem in Illinois. The core problem is the two parties don’t speak to one another or work on compromises that would actually accomplish something for the good of the people of Illinois.

And that goes double for the nation at large. Congressional gridlock. Nothing gets done but name calling. And fake ideology battles.

If they agree with me, why don’t they do something to counteract the negativity of the republican party? If you don’t agree with what is or isn’t getting done, why are you supporting republicans?

I’m not a democrat or a republican. I tend to vote democrat because I hope to give that party some hope in a strongly republican county and state. I started doing that in 1985 when all hope for the republican party nationally was turned over to the Christian right-wing cabal. And that trend has only strengthened.

Blockade. Only barrier governance is happening. When will we actually begin to govern the nation and state with intelligence and compassion? Are those days gone forever?

I’ve attempted to start a discussion group at church so people on both sides of key issues can learn to talk about these matters without losing their cool. The couple cited at the beginning of this post is the very same couple I invited to join me so both sides of issues could be discussed. They declined the invitation saying talking about current events and political matters did not belong in church.

I countered with the point these discussions would take place within the church building as a meeting place only. And it would be the right space if disagreeable people learned to come together in peace.

No go. I felt certain that if I couldn’t persuade these people to talk about their positions calmly, then there was no hope that the discussion program itself would be worthwhile. I gave up on the idea. Given the conflict of the morning, I suspect that decision was correct.

On the other hand, if we don’t try to change the climate of incivility in our society and communities, then we are hopelessly lost. 

Are we?

And if we can't do it at church, where else?

October 22, 2018