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Jan. 23, 2005
On Moral Values
Over 200 years ago, a religious revolution took place in this country. This revolution offered a message that was revolutionary compared to the dominant culture of the elite, including the founding fathers of our country.
The revolution I am speaking of is the emergence of Universalism, and the doctrine of universal salvation. The culture of our nation was one that favored wealth, education and success. The Puritan settlers who came to this country and largely influenced the New England culture believed in a strict doctrine of predestination—that even before birth, a person's soul had already been destined either for heaven or hell. One's behavior in life did not influence the outcome, however it was believed that one's good character or personal success was an outward sign of that one was destined for heaven—what was called being one of the “elect.” The Puritans were strict believers who wanted their churches to be pure. Therefore, the only people allowed to be members of the church, or to take part in the Lord's supper and communion, were those believed to be the “elect.” This of course left out the poor, the uneducated or non-European Americans. They still had to pay the parish tax, if they could, of course, and attend services regularly, but they could not sit in front, or become members, or partake in communion.
Even the Unitarians, the liberals who reacted against the doctrine of predestination, who believed that every person had within them the ability to improve their character and lift up their soul, still saw the signs of salvation reflected in outward success and even temperament.
These religious values favored individualism, individual liberty, personal gain, and success. Even the most visionary words in the Declaration of Independence, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal” only included male landowners—the landed gentry. These moral values, shaped the framework and development of our nation, perfectly in sync with capitalism and rugged individualism.
The Universalists disrupted all of this, putting forth revolutionary values that challenged the status quo. The Universalists were predominantly rural, uneducated or poorly educated people. They were the outsiders to the establish church. Many of the men and women who preached this message taught themselves to read with the Bible, and there they found an all loving God, who intended for every person to be reunited with God, in heaven, after death. Many of them did not believe in hell at all! In most congregations, swept up in religious revivals, preachers were talking about hellfire and damnation. But the Universalists, they were talking about salvation, and not just for some, not just for the privileged and well-to-do, but for everyone—that God loved everyone, and wanted good for all of us. This message spread like wildfire throughout the country—and it revolutionized Christianity in this country. Universalists churches began sprouting up everywhere. After a while, the movement began to die down, not because the message lost its power, but because the other Protestant churches began preaching the same message. Suddenly, the Baptists, the Methodists, the Unitarians, even the Puritan Congregationalists began backing away from discussions of hell, in favor of salvation and the worthiness of the human soul. Universalism was more influential on the soul of America because of its impact on all the mainline Protestant churches.
The Universalist brought their values, informed by their religious beliefs, to the public arena, speaking out against slavery and helping to begin the abolitionist movement. Their message of Universal salvation, and its influence on American religion led our country on the path to strive for ever greater inclusiveness—stretching that language of our founding documents, “We find these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal” to include all people.
The force of Moral Values in this country has always been strong. It has been the impetus for many movements for positive change. The language of our Declaration of Independence is really a combination of political theory and religious views. So, while the language of Moral Values may not sit well with you, it is a tradition deeply connected with the historical roots of our nation and our Unitarian Universalist faith. Because of this, we cannot leave the current conversation on religious and moral values to religious conservatives alone. As religious liberals, our values are as important in shaping how we live, what we value, how we vote, and what we want for the ourselves and for our country, as anyone's religion. Therefore, we must be a part of this conversation, and find a way to do so that captures the imagination of the country.
What are our moral values? I can share with you what my moral values are. They are rooted in this faith that we share in common. I value life. The first principle of our tradition describes it well. I affirm the inherent worth and dignity of all people. This is the essence of Universalism. It is similar to saying we are all children of God, or we are all children of one great love, or we are all equally worthy.
Now, many people may share this value. Very few in fact would say they do not value life—but we may interpret it differently. Because I value life, I am committed to building a world where all people have the opportunity to achieve their greatest potential—to have success and happiness that reflects the internal worth and dignity within all of us. I believe that war ought to be avoided at all costs because it takes life, and forces others to kill, and it destroys the natural resources and environment that supports life. In the Christian tradition, it echoes the words from Matthew, reported as spoken by Jesus, “whatever you do for the least of these brothers of mine, you do to me” (Mt 25:45).
I value life knowing my own existence depends on it. Our seventh principle is, “We affirm and promote respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.” We acknowledge that we are not isolated beings, that our whole existence is dependent, on the earth, on our parents, on relationships. The knowledge of living interdependently requires respect. This seventh principle is used primarily to include our commitment to being good stewards of the environment, of the earth and her resources. Yet, it is as well, applicable to human relationships—it is the “inescapable network of mutuality” that Dr. Martin Luther King defined. We are as dependent on other people for our survival as on the earth itself.
Valuing each person as equally worthy and dignified, and respecting our relationship to all of existence—from these two principles, follow all the rest. Our commitment to justice, equity and compassion in human relations, our commitment to freedom and democracy for all people, our goal of a world community with peace, liberty and justice for all is a natural progression from the primary value we place on all human life, and our acknowledgement that our world is deeply interconnected.
I realize that the values of life, liberty, freedom and democracy are touted on the public arena a good deal these days. But holding these values in common, may not mean that we all see eye to eye on policies and practices. For instance, while I understand that valuing life can lead to the principles of freedom and democracy, I also see poverty as the biggest threat to life and liberty. The freedom that we value so highly in this country is also a factor of wealth and opportunity. I do not believe that people who live isolated in poverty, with a system that allows for unequal and inadequate schools for poor children can be truly free, as least not as free as those who have wealth. An absolute commitment to freedom and democracy is a commitment to ending poverty and improving education for all—these are the qualities that lead to movements for freedom in our country and throughout the world.
Economic equity is the greatest challenge to creating a world where our values are reflected. Out of the revolutionary beliefs of the Universalists emerge the values necessary to shape our world with the principles of community, equality and justice. Yet, still we wrestle with the Puritan belief that success is an outward signs of inward salvation rather than a result of the unequal distribution of resources, discrimination and oppression. We must confront the inequity and injustice in the world with an ever greater passion for values that speak to building the common good, creating opportunity for all the world's people, and a recognition that the interdependence of our global world means that freedom and justice cannot come for some while leaving out others.
I invite you to take time this week to think about your understanding of life, and what you value above all. How do those values influence your choices—both personal and political? Try to define your choices based on your underlying values. Can we adopt a language of moral values and feel comfortable describing our views as deeply rooted in shared American values? For this is the language that will capture the imagination of our nation, and make it possible to build a more just world.
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