Finding Our Voice; Social Justice Series part 1

The crafting of a Social Justice voice within and for New Thought / Centers for Spiritual Living is not as easy or as black and white as it may seem.  While our theological doctrine is liberal - our spiritual principles appeal to "conservatives" just as much as they do to "liberals" - politically speaking.  It is the contrast between our rugged individualism and our inherent connection to all life.

Therefore I'm going to have at least 2 entries on this subject (perhaps more if the interest is there).

Part 1 - Will You Sign This?

Recently I was asked by a colleague if I was willing to have a petition signing group at my church.  The petition was for a Marriage Equality Ballot measure.  The individual who asked was seeking guidance as their church had been asked to do this.

The response that followed provided insight into the emerging conversation about the Social Justice voice of New Thought....

Here is my reply:

We've not been asked to do this on Sunday or any future Sunday that I am aware of.

But if  I were, I'd find a way to do it.  (perhaps an open forum and conversation on the issue - after church - that people could freely attend (or not) and the petitions could be available?) 

 I think you could go either way - but it's extremely important to understand your motivation.

 I think it's a valuable opportunity to teach on the Principle of Love.  As you know I believe strongly that New Thought ought to have a place at the table of Social Justice - articulating our own unique voice ... in fact I believe that doing so would greatly change (for the better) the overall tenor of Social Justice work (ie our voice is missing and it shows!)

There are many angles you could take on this to teach....

Dr. Cornel West says it best:  "Justice is what love looks like in public"  - to me, Marriage Equality is about taking a stand for the Principle of Love and the equality of the law being applied to all.  

As for engaging in the political process - a few thoughts...

1. the law is clear that 501c3's cannot endorse candidates - that's the big no-no!  But you can register people to vote and sign petitions on ballot measures if you choose.

 - The Community of Welcoming Congregations hosted a petition signing event for this ballot measure earlier this year for clergy - I was among the first to sign.

- The religious right understands the law and takes advantage of it (not that I favor what they do - but man are they clear and organized!) - the religious left is mostly afraid of the either the law or afraid of offending some of their members - (the religious right does not have this problem), those who tread forward can end up looking like "liberal zealots" (of which we have within our centers - but I would say don't want to characterize all of New Thought or CSL as such) 

2. I don't see this as a "political issue" but as a spiritual principle one.    We teach that "demonstration is the only authority" - so where is the demonstration that Love is all there is and equally available to all?  And if it is not currently demonstrated in our society - how will that change?  If not by our own inner conviction and active demonstration?

- of course the easy answer here lies in Individual choice.  Everyone has to have their own demonstration and thus act accordingly.  True enough.    WIthin this angle you could encourage folks to act on their own inner convictions.  We are after all a fiercely independent teaching.  I think this approach is 99% right, and is applicable to most issues.  There is the slippery slope of allowing "one type" of social issue - opening the flood gates to every social cause needing platform time and sign-ups in the back of church... soon you are the social activism church (ie Unitarians, which we are not [with all due respect to my Unitarian friends and colleagues] ).   The approach of Individual action helps avoid that slope.  

However, there are exceptions (the absolutist out there are gonna go nuts about now...).  Exceptions where "the church" ought to have a voice in the social state.  Civil Rights is one of them.  Marriage equality is not only a spiritual principle issue - it is THE Civil Rights issue of our time.  First and foremost, I don't believe that civil rights should every be put to a public vote, but if that is method we must employ to gain acceptance of this as a basic civil right - then so be it.  

"The Church" cannot afford to remain silent in the face of basic civil rights violations/discrimination.  Especially a movement that speaks of Oneness and universal Love and creating a world that works for everyone.  

The truth of this issue is this - both democrats and republicans, independents, libertarians and tea party people should be voting FOR civil rights of ALL people.  The religious right has been very successful in framing this issue as being liberals vs conservatives, sinners vs religiously moral people, acceptance of 'gay lifestyle' vs 'traditional family values'   - But the truth is one does not need to be "in favor" of "gay lifestyle" (whatever that is) in order to vote in favor of basic civil rights.  A mature society recognizes that you don't have to "like" or even "accept" the choices or behaviors of your neighbor in order to acknowledge that they have the right to make those choices.  

But that wisdom has gotten lost in the fervor of "religious morality" and right vs wrong and liberals vs conservatives. - which is exactly the way the religious right wants it to be thought of.

The only way to change that is for the liberal religious voices of our society to speak up and reclaim the conversation as one of basic human rights, dignity and worth and speak to the transcendent spiritual ideals that supersede political affiliation - i.e. Equality and Justice for All.

I shared the following at the luncheon that CSL sponsored at The Fellowship of Affirming Ministries conference in Las Vegas last week - "We (CSL) don't want to partner with you to "save or fix" the world.  Rather we want to partner with you to REVEAL a world that already exist in the Mind of God and recognize that we must stand with you to work and build it together." 

"It is quite a burden lifted when we realize that we do not have to move the world-it is going to move anyway. This realization does not lessen our duty or our social obligation. It clarifies it. It enables us to do joyously, and free from morbidity, that which we should do in the social state."

Emphasis added

pp. 270, The Science of Mind, by Ernest Holmes

Thus I choose to freely and joyously teach Love and stand for it in the public square.

Rev. David Alexander

Occupy Movement: Phase 2: Now What?

The Mayor of Portland OR - just announced that he'll be having the Occupy Protestors removed from the city park soon (click here for the press release).

Similar action is occurring around the country and it seems that the Occupy Movement has gained all that it can from the "sit in" strategy. So, what is next? Where does the movement go from here? Before I answer that - let me explore some thoughts on where we are at from a New Thought perspective.

I believe that the Occupy Movement arose from a consciousness that was "fed up" - tired and weary of the inequity of our world. Similar uprisings in the Middle East - the so called Arab Spring - arose from a similar place in consciousness, a desire to be heard, seen and validated as a being of significance in the world. This is a universal desire - something that we all want. We all have the need to be heard, seen and feel as if we matter to the world - that our presence makes a difference and that we live in a world where we are empowered and can direct our life with purpose. Whenever one wakes up to the awareness that they have been oppressed or suppressed the natural desire is "take control" to make one's presence known and felt. Once this occurs, the door opens to the next step - to take restorative action. But before restorative action can take place there must be a grounding in a greater awareness of who we really are. Without this grounding restorative action turns to reactionary and retaliation action. This is the difference between effective social change movements and ineffective ones. Let me give you a few examples:

1 The Tea Party - This group actually tapped into the same collective frustration and feelings of oppression and suppression that the Occupy Movement did. In doing so they were able to quickly turn this frustration into action in the form of election of "Tea Party" platform candidates. All of this is part of "Phase 1" of social change: Frustration, Awakening, Get Noticed (ie "Take Control").
 
However, the Tea Party failed to get grounded in a greater awareness and inclusive vision of who and what we are as a human family. In fact, much of the early Tea Party support was actually funded and organized by those with a divisive agenda. And it was this more divisive agenda and vision of "us vs them" that the movement was grounded in. As a result, potential restorative action turned to reactionary action - in the form of "obstructive politics" and most recently by ballot measures and policy platforms that only served to deepen the gap between "us and them." The result on election night 2011 was major defeat and rejection of Tea Party candidates and ballot measures. A house divided against itself cannot stand. The Tea Party believed that they could take the general frustration and disenchantment of the people and turn it into support for divisive politics and policies. They were wrong. And the reason is simple: It is a universal principle that all dissonance seeks to resolve itself in terms of harmony. In other words while the frustration or "dissonance" of the people can be leveraged - it ultimately seeks to resolve itself in terms of greater harmony - not more "us and them."

2. Civil Rights Movement - This movement also begins with a growing frustration, dissonance, inequity and inequality in our culture. The tension builds until there is a spark of awakening which leads to boycotts, marches and site-ins (Get noticed, take control). But this movement becomes grounded in a deep spiritual understanding that we are all in this together - we must make a world that works for everyone. The movement was about Civil rights (grounded in the principle of inclusivity of everyone) not "African American rights"
 
Out of this grounding came the action steps to restore "justice and equality for all." The actions of the movement were restorative in nature. Restoring us to a nation that reflects is highest moral and spiritual values of including everyone in a "single garment of destiny"

The template is made clear - and can be seen throughout history.  In the Bible we read the story of Moses who awakens to the injustices of his world - his reaction? 40 years in the land of Midian as a shepherd - metaphysically meaning that he went within to watch over the flock of his own thoughts and emotions until he receives the insight (burning bush) that where he is standing is Holy Ground and that God's people are destine to be freed to their rightful place. It is from this grounded vision that he then takes action to lead his people (restorative action) to the Promised Land.
 
In the story of Siddartha (Buddha) - he awakens to the inequity, inequality and injustices in his world - outside the walls of his protected palace. His reaction? He sits in...to occupy himself in meditation until the awakening of enlightenment - from which the teachings of Buddhism come. These teachings become the template for restorative action (the Eightfold Path and Four Noble Truths)

The Occupy Movement must now decide which type of movement it is going to be. Phase 1, frustrations over the inequalities and inequity of our systems, has come to an end. The collective attention of a nation has been obtained. The next phase is about action. Will it be restorative action that seeks to unite us in a collective consciousness of the 100% that needs to work together to build a world that works for everyone - or will it be reactionary and retaliation action that continues to divide our world into "us (99%) and them (1%)" categories that must fight each other for supremacy and control?

The answer lies entirely in what type of vision the movement collectively grounds itself in. How the Occupy Movement handles itself in this transition will be the most telling aspect of its destiny. This was captured beautifully by Portland Mayor, Sam Adams in today's press conference:

 "It is my sincere hope that the movement, with its focus on widespread economic inequity, will flourish in its next phase - a phase where we can focus all our energies on economic and social justice, not port-a-potties and tents."

to that end I offer this prayer (an adaptation of the Global Heart Vision of United Centers for Spiritual Living - submitted by my friend Rev. Edward Viljoen):

• We envision The Occupy Movement as a bridge across the illness and illusion of separation thereby dynamically empowering the vision of Global Heart.
• We envision The Occupy Movement as united and actuated by this compelling vision of a healthy world (a world experience of Global Heart) and is ardently committed to bringing this vision forth through transformative teachings and democratic action.
• We see The Occupy Movement as a global community of inspired individuals caring for and about each other and the entire planetary family, thereby bringing the gift of active compassion and kindness to the world. Our Occupy Movements and communities become “points of inspiration and influence” effectively advancing the vision of the Global Heart to benefit all expressions of life.

The Global Village is Calling...

The Global Village is calling.... YOU!  Are you answering the call?  Whether its the earthquake in Japan, the uprisings in Egypt, Lybia or the unions in Wisconsin, there is one thing that is clear...There is a whole lot of shaking going on!  Not just earth shaking, consciousness shaking - we are being called to WAKE UP!  Can you hear it, feel it, sense it in your bones and in your soul?  Wake up calls serve to help us remember who we really are.  We are not isolated beings fighting for our own destiny and salvation, we are one global family - tied together in what Dr. Martin Luther King called "a single garment of destiny."  We are in this thing called life, together.  The world is asking us to wake up and remember and to begin building a world that knows and practices this.


Now I don't care much for politics and don't want to get "too involved" in the details of what is happening in Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa and other places - but what I do know is that we are all bound together.  I do know that if we don't start looking after each other and creating a common good - then we are doomed.  There is no "us" and "them" - there is only the One Spirit that is seeking to make itself known through all of life and creation.  Might it be time, well past time, that we awaken to this Truth?  In New Thought we say "Demonstration is the only authority"  well, the demonstration of the world right now, is that what we've been doing is not working and it's time for some New Thoughts....

I believe in a Global Vision for good.  It's part of my spiritual practice and my core spiritual tradition.  

I believe in the vision of a world that works for everyone, where there is generous and ongoing sharing of resources and heart and where borders are irrelevant and forgiveness is the norm.


I believe in a global community of inspired individuals caring for and about each other and the entire planetary family, thereby bringing the gift of active compassion and kindness to the world. 


Join me in consciousness, join me in action, join me in prayer.

New Thought - This is our moment!

In 1959 Ernest Holmes made his last address to the Religious Science movement at Asilomar - now famously known as the "Sermon by the Sea" - The words of that address have rippled deep in to the heart of many in the movement, as a source of inspiration, aspiration and vision. Among the often quoted lines of this address is this line;

"It would be great indeed if a group of people would come to this earth who could stand for something and against nothing...."

Many like me have spent many a long meditation on just that line alone - what does that mean, and how do you go about doing such a thing? Our collective consciousness has grown a lot since 1959. We've seen the launch of the Association for Global New Thought - and its many great projects and initiatives like the annual Season for Nonviolence, a national 64-day educational, media, and grassroots campaign dedicated to demonstrating that nonviolence is a powerful way to heal, transform, and empower our lives and our communities. Inspired by the 50th and 30th memorial anniversaries of Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., this international event honors their vision for an empowered, nonviolent world.

And so here we are, in the early days of this year's season - and we have an uprising in Egypt dominating the news coverage. Now, having some strife, war and chaos during the season is certainly not new - guns have not ceased to fire during this 64 day period. But what is unique about this global headline - is that it began in PEACE. The people of Egypt marched and gathered in PEACE and Nonviolence to affect change in their country. In turn - they were attacked, by the very President that tried to tell the world that he was beloved and the "protesters" were rebel trouble makers. In fact, they had made no trouble, started no violence. The President sent his own police forces, in plane clothing, into the streets to attack and instigate violence, first on the citizens, then on the media for telling the story. Remarkably - on Friday, a day of prayer, the people of Egypt returned to PEACEFUL walks and sit-ins. You can turn to many sources for reporting - I've found that Rachel Maddow on MSNBC is doing some of the best you can find.

And so, my message is simple - this is our time New Thought! Time to apply the meaning of Standing for Something - and against No-Thing. Time to Stand for Peace - and Stand with the People of Egypt. Nonviolence is the only way forward in this conflict. We can support that happening by invoking the spirit of Gandhi, King, Chavez and others - AND by encouraging the people of Egypt to continue to stand for peace and nonviolence.

Within United Centers for Spiritual Living - we are guided by a "Global Heart Vision" . One of our esteemed ministers, adapted the vision for this critical time in Egypt - We are now inviting you - to read, meditate on and share this vision and prayer - post it on facebook, email it to you contacts - and watch for youtube versions from our spiritual centers very soon. This is what Standing for Something looks like - there is nothing to stand against - we include President Mubarak in our prayers - there are many ways for the people and the government of Egypt to move forward - ours is not to take sides on how that may or may not look - but simply that the call for Peace and transformation from the people will be heard.

Join us as together we vision and affirm:

We see Egypt free of homelessness, violence, war, hunger, separation and disenfranchisement.

We see Egypt, a country in which there is generous and continuous sharing of heart and resources.

We envision Egypt as a place in which forgiveness, whether for errors, injustices, or debts, is the norm.

We embrace a vision in which Egypt has renewed its emphasis on beauty, nature, and love through the resurgence of creativity, art, and aesthetics.

We see Egypt as a place in which fellowship with all life prospers and connects through the guidance of spiritual wisdom and experience.

We envision Egypt as being an example of a place in which we live and grow as One Global Family, a place where there is respect and honor for the interconnectedness of all life.

We envision Egypt as being as a bridge across the illness and illusion of separation thereby dynamically empowering spiritual life.

We envision Egypt as being actuated by this compelling vision of her spiritual wellbeing.

We see Egypt as a global community of inspired individuals caring for and about each other and the entire planetary family, thereby bringing the gift of active compassion and kindness to the world.

We see the leaders of Egypt as “points of inspiration and influence” effectively advancing the vision of a world that works for everyone.

and so it is.