Photo by Frank McKenna
Over the past few months, we asked a few of TCL’s participants to answer the following questions:
How does faith influence your thoughts and fears during election season?
What are your commitments as part of your faith tradition to how you will engage in the aftermath?
Please hear from these three diverse perspectives as a window into the souls of Americans.
1. How is faith influencing your thoughts and fears this election season? I pray often for our national, state, and local leaders. I pray for wisdom for conservatives and for wise counsel.
2. What are your commitments as part of your faith tradition and how do they inform how you will engage in the aftermath of the election? My commitment to Christ and His word tells me to treat everyone with respect and humility. No matter who wins, I trust God that He (God) is still sovereign despite circumstances.
-Eileen, Christian
July 2024
1. How is faith influencing your thoughts and fears this election season? Growing up Jewish I was always aware that I was “different”. While I only once experienced overt antisemitism, I did realize some work and social opportunities were not available to me. Similarly, while Catholic students were excused early from grade school (I believe it was on Wednesdays) to attend religious lessons, I and other non-Catholic students had to stay and continue our regular classwork. At the same time, I felt fortunate because while I was a different religion and had to (or chose to) listen to disparaging jokes or stereotypical comments at “my” expense, at least I didn’t look different. The same could not be said of the few African American or Hispanic classmates I had. This early education in how our differences were used to categorize “us” and “them” was not lost on me. Over time it seemed that while the bigotry and hatred had been greatly reduced and a better understanding of each other was taking place, over the past several years it appears I was naive. While I thought that the hate groups which were, and always will be, present were only small fringe groups it now appears they are given the opportunity to come forward with the recognition and encouragement of certain political leaders. We are and always were a nation of immigrants. Historically, we have distrusted and mistreated the most recent immigrants. I thought we had gotten past that, apparently not. It worries me that much of this campaign season has been spent blaming “them” for everything that is perceived as wrong. I fear that the hate mongering will not end after the election, even if its proponents lose soundly. I fear it has taken root and grown to a level where we may have jumped back decades in our understanding and acceptance of the differences in us and our cultural backgrounds that actually make us a better community because of those differences.
2. What are your commitments as part of your faith tradition and how do they inform how you will engage in the aftermath of the election? My faith tradition is an interesting one. The Israelites and then the Jews were the Chosen Ones, and were given laws, practices and customs to differentiate themselves from the “others”. Yet, because of their difference they were blamed for all that was going wrong or perceived as evil by the others. I hope that after the election I will continue to remember that we are more alike than we are different. Ultimately most of us want the same things. I know this is an overused expression, but forgetting it is a recipe for disaster, and all too often war.
-Gene, Jewish
September 2024
1. How is faith influencing your thoughts and fears this election season? I ate lunch today in Cuero, Texas, sitting in a local diner amid table after table of jubilant voters. They were relieved that the nightmare of the last four years is over and that happy days are here again. The name of the diner was Bahnhof Cafe, which was simple enough for me to remember when the woman at the DMV recommended it. I took the opportunity to tell my trip companion about Deitrich Bonhoffer. This theologian, who thought deeply about the role of Christianity in public life, returned to his native Germany from the United States in mid-1939, sacrificing his comfort, safety and, ultimately, his life, in an effort to forestall the atrocities he was witnessing.
Going into election night, I felt strangely calm and open. I wasn’t hopeful; I wasn’t afraid and worried. I anticipated the result that unfolded, so I sat and witnessed. This morning, I wasn’t gutted or sad; I wasn’t worried or scared. This is apparently who Americans are now. Here all of us are.
2. What are your commitments as part of your faith tradition and how do they inform how you will engage in the aftermath of the election? I’m no Deitrich Bonhoffer. I won’t walk into the fire. I’m not brave enough for that. I know, though, that God is with me and for me. Cindy Rigby may have given me the words to describe it, but I know it to be true in my heart of hearts anyway. What I will do is protect myself and my dear ones. I will walk towards safety, with effort and expense and risk alongside. I will do each next faithful thing. That will look like completing my passport application and end-of-life paperwork just in case, and ultimately packing up my stuff and driving to Illinois. A place that won’t be hostile to who I am.
And when I get there, I’ll do in that new place what I’ve done every day in each place up until now: I will be Christ in the eyes of all who see me, Christ in the ears who hear my voice, Christ in the hearts of all who know me. Because I know that Christ surrounds me and surrounds those I love and surrounds all those who are about to get very, very hurt, both stateside and overseas. I will pray that others will step into Dr. Bonhoffer’s shoes, and I will hold the hands of those who can’t.
God bless us all.
-Ollie, Christian
November 6, 2024