Minister’s Messages

MINISTER’S MESSAGE FOR JANUARY

Matters of Faith: A time for economic, social and religious reflection

According to the Bible, Jesus of Nazareth said more about the use of money than he said about heaven and hell, angels and demons, or most topics. He talked about moral behavior, and he encouraged his listeners to love God and to love each other in the here and now. He was a countercultural figure who challenged the usual ways of doing business. On one occasion, Jesus said, “I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” (Matthew 19: 23-24.)

The American economy coughs and gasps as it tries to make a recovery.

What would happen if Christians brought Jesus into a discussion about economics?

Even better, imagine an interfaith discussion about economic and environmental justice. Ask Jews and Muslims, Buddhists, Native American traditionalists and others to speak about employment and unemployment, the high costs of health care and education, the need for energy and adequate housing, and related concerns. The words of Mohandas Gandhi should be included in the conversation.

Seldom, very seldom, do contemporary economists turn to organized religion. Although, on a few occasions, a few thinkers have suggested that, maybe, a change of values would be helpful. Perhaps humanity can move from dog-eat-dog economics towards more cooperative arrangements. If individuals were more generous with each other, and less concerned about seizing the treasures of the world, that might do some good. Still, the suggestion that Jesus, and the Buddha, and Mohammed, and other religious teachers may be able to help solve economic and environmental problems — well, that’s a very radical view for both the political right and the political left.

Ayn Rand and Karl Marx continue to attract disciples. They were both militant atheists, and they were both materialists who laughed at social peace makers and idealists, and they are the two specters that continue to haunt American politics and the American economy. Indeed, the ghosts of Rand and Marx may take the whole world to serfdom and the corporate state. In China, Communist Party officials and the captains of global finance rush to embrace each other. Stagnating wages, an aging population dependent on retirement plans and a troubled environment threaten the future of middle-class and republican societies, but Rand and Marx seldom worried about the middle-class, the environment or republicans.

A few years ago, Martin Luther King Jr., a Baptist minister, moved away from the extremes of capitalism and Marxism when he tried to follow Jesus. By 1965, he was a Nobel Peace Prize winner who was known and respected throughout much of the world. King had the opportunity to leave public life, and, if he had made that choice, he might still be alive today. Instead, he did two things that made him highly controversial.

During his final years, King spoke, first, against American imperialism and American involvement in military adventures. His opposition to the growth of the military economy made him very unpopular with some of the leaders in Congress and in the White House. Next, King did something else that was unexpected. He began to organize a “poor people’s campaign,” to try to convince Congress to do more for the needy. King wasn’t a separatist or a racial nationalist who only spoke for one group. He was a Christian minister who wanted to bring communities together to work for economic justice. That was radical stuff in 1968, and it’s still radical stuff in America.

This weekend, we honor Martin Luther King Jr. and his ministry. It’s a time for religious reflection. In the United States, we expect that religious communities will be voluntary associations, and we hope that the different religious groups will work together so that all people will benefit. We’ve seen this happen after natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina and the extreme weather in the Midwest. Americans have rejected theocratic forms of government, and we talk about the wall of separation between church and state powers. However, we still hold congregations to a high standard. Most Americans, even agnostics and atheists, expect people of faith to encourage moral behavior and to lead by example.

Go back, once again, to rediscover Martin Luther King Jr. He was the prophet and the liberator who was with us for a few years. King wasn’t a political leader and, heaven knows, he wasn’t a saint. He was only human, and he had his personal failings. We can talk about his failures and his disappointments, but, at the end of the day, let it be noted that he is still the great religious leader in American history.

King tried to follow the way of Jesus. Because of his Christian faith, and because he was willing to take risks, something wonderful happened. Americans in different faith traditions came together, and they developed a better understanding of organized religion and its potential. King didn’t ask Americans to join the same church or to endorse the same creed. He spoke about the sins of racism, imperialism and economic injustice, and he asked all people to move beyond corrupt behavior and into a better way of living. He spoke about accountability, stewardship and the need for a social conscience.

We still need Martin Luther King Jr. — his honor, his vision, his message and his courage.

The Rev. Murphy is the minister of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Falmouth. He works for economic and environmental justice on Cape Cod.

MINISTER’S MESSAGE FOR OCTOBER

On September 28, vandals attacked the sign for the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Falmouth. Marvin Grosslein discovered the damage and he reported the incident to the police department in Falmouth. Since then, our congregation’s Governing Board has collected information and the incident was discussed at the Governing Board meeting on Thursday, October 13th. Bill Donkin, our fellowship president, led the discussion.

The Governing Board members, and other leaders in our congregation, with myself, are in agreement that the September 28th incident was probably a hate crime. The portion of the sign that was attacked was the portion with a rainbow emblem. The attack came a few days before our annual Solidarity Sunday service (October 2) that honors gay rights. Our publicity for the Solidarity Sunday service mentioned the use of rainbow images to affirm gay rights. Every year, we wrap a large rainbow around our meetinghouse.

We know that, within recent months, rainbow flags and rainbow displays have been attacked in several places in Massachusetts. The Unitarian Universalist church in Chatham has had a series of problems and other places of worship have also suffered vandalism because of their gay rights ministry. Several years ago, when minor damage was done to our rainbow emblem, the Falmouth police reported the incident as a hate crime. So our Falmouth fellowship has good reason to be concerned about our recent experience.

What happens next? I talked with our congregation on Sunday about the problem of hate crimes. Our Social Action Committee has long been involved with gay rights issues and I talked with our Social Action Committee on Sunday. Lisa Dunne will work with our Sunday school. This week, I’ll be meeting with the No Place for Hate organization to discuss the recent hate crime and appropriate responses. Bill Donkin has told the Governing Board that he will meet with Falmouth’s police department to express our concerns.

The Universalists and the Unitarians have a long, long history of saying ‘no’ to bullies and to the forces that try to limit free speech and other civil rights. So we stand in solidarity with lesbians, with gay men, with bisexual and transgender people, with their families, and with others who have long been abused. We’ll continue to display rainbow flags to affirm our status as a Welcoming Congregation. The Solidarity Sunday celebrations will continue and we’ll continue to support same-gender couples and their families. The ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ rule that once governed military life has recently been repealed. I spoke about this change during the Sunday service on September 18th. During the months ahead, our congregation will be working with military chaplains, to provide support as the armed forces adjust to a new era.

We’ll speak for religious freedom and for our right to provide ministry and to conduct worship services in our own way. It may not be the popular thing to do, and some risks are involved, but we know that it’s the right thing to do. We respect the rights of others and we ask that our own rights be respected.

I appreciate our congregation’s courage and its generosity and its leadership. Every generation faces some difficult moments. Bigotry and oppression appear in different forms and, sometimes, it’s difficult to name the problems that exist in our neighborhoods. It can be difficult to say ‘no’ to the local bullies and to business as usual. Yet, in our religious tradition, it’s important to try to set things right in the world.

This is one of the moments when we’re asked to take a stand. Thank you for being with the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Falmouth and thank you, also, for understanding who we are and what we do.