Pointing out GOP/Ayn Rand Hypocrisy Without Demonizing Atheists

I have been very glad lately to see the progressives finally calling out the hypocrisy of members of the GOP holding Ayn Rand up as a foundational Republican thinker and claiming that it is the party of faith. This is a hypocrisy that should be pointed out. I am concerned however that progressive people of faith while pointing out this hypocrisy are unintentionally in the process demonizing atheists.

I think the youtube video Ayn Rand & the GOP vs. Jesus is an example of this. I have seen it widely distributed and have watched it a number of times. Each time it left me feeling uncomfortable. The video while trying to point on the hypocrisy has a tone that seems to fall into an us vs. them binary that borders on calling atheism evil. This is deeply concerning to me.

The truth is that while I have different views on faith than the atheists I have met, I have found some of my best allies and friends in the fight for social justice in the ranks of self-proclaimed atheists. The truth is that some of the most compassionate, caring and moral people I know are atheists. Atheism simply is not evil, it is an expression of belief. People of faith can find much common ground with those who adhere to know religion. I have gained much over the years from open, honest and respectful dialogue with my atheist sisters and brothers.

We must be careful and respectful. If we as progressives begin to demonize atheists we are no better than those who use the scripture as a weapon rather than to give life. We can disagree on issues of faith and still work together and live as neighbors. We must not stop pointing out hypocrisy like that we see in case of Ayn Rand and the GOP, but in doing so we must be careful not to create collateral damage.

When we go down the road of the us vs. them binary we are always in danger of hurting those who in no way deserve it. We must use our faith as a tool to unite and resist the temptation to use it to divide. I believe our faith calls us to nothing less.

Why Tolerance Has Failed.

Whether it is the arguments over marriage equality, the rampant Islamaphobia or the anti-emigration sentiment in our country it is becoming very clear that at its very heart tolerance has failed. When we think about it for a moment it should not be a surprise, tolerance has been doomed from the beginning because tolerance simply does not go far enough.

Essential to the divisiveness of the topics mentioned above is the labeling of someone else as the other. Tolerance allows this to continue to happen; we tolerate the people who are different then us. They are the other but that is ok. Tolerance fails right there, we must instead of seeing people as the other, see them as essentially human and valuable. It is this much more radical approach that is called for by the Christian faith.

We are called to see the image of God all around us, particularly in people we come into contact with each day. What this means is recognizing that all have the divine spark, divine value. This goes far beyond simply being ok with differences; this means celebrating differences, seeing those differences as an essential part of what it means to be human. It means breaking out of the binary world we have all been taught to believe in.

This becomes all the more challenging when we consider those we disagree with on the deepest level. We are however called to treat them with the same respect and recognize the same divine spark within them. This is what Jesus was talking about when he called us to “Love our Enemies.” It is easy to hate when we can label people as other. It is much harder to hate when we see that divine resides in those who disagree with us as well.

The practical reality is that if we can move beyond tolerance and move to a place where we see people as worthwhile and valuable it will open the door to true conversation. We will not always agree and we may in the end continue to make each other mad, but by not labeling each other we can at least come to the table. In coming to that table maybe find more common ground than we expect on which to stand and make the world a better place.

Proud to be an Ally this Pride Month

I have to say that I’m very excited that it is Pride Month. I am particularly excited to be living in the Bay Area this year and getting to go to the San Francisco Pride celebrations at the end of the month is something I have wanted to do for a long time. I’m also excited because I know the Grand Marshall of the San Francisco Pride Parade.

I am ally and I am deeply proud to be an ally. Over the years I have been asked many times why I am so deeply drawn to the fight for inclusion and equal rights for the LGBTQ community. I have a hard time answering that question because I cannot pinpoint a “became” an ally. It simply feels like part of who I am and has been that way as long as I can remember.

While I cannot answer how I became an ally I can, however, tell you the reasons it means so much for me to be an ally every day. Over the years my life has been deeply affected by my LGBTQ friends and I have learned more than I can possible say from them. They have taught me about courage as they have been themselves even in the face of the world asking them not to be. They have shown me what it means to love and love deeply and honestly. They have taught me about faith, staying in love with God even when the church brokenly says we don’t want you. They have shown me acceptance and they honor and affirm who I am. I am grateful for the lessons the LGBTQ community has taught me even at the same time mourning the brokenness of the rest of the world that gave the opportunity for these lessons to be taught.

So this pride month I proudly declare that I am an ally and would not have it any other way.