The Case for Radical Change

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The earth and human society are perched on the precipice of disaster.  Our economic, political, and religious institutions are malfunctioning at the very time that we are in need of coordinated collective action to address global challenges.  I believe that we need a radical change in the questions we ask, the way we view and organize our institutions, and how we relate to ourselves and one another.  Over the next few weeks, I plan to write a series of entries that explore ideas about both our problems and potential solutions that we can use to address them.  Topics that I will discuss include goodness vs. purity, sustainability vs. greed, and pragmatism vs. ideology.  I hope you will join the conversation.

Liberty and Justice for All

Below is an open letter that I wrote to New York State Senator Greg Ball upon learning that he decided to vote no on gay marriage.   He was considered a swing vote, so this is a setback.

Dear Senator Ball --

I'm not one of your constituents, but I'm writing you anyway because your actions affect have a profound effect on my well-being and happiness as a resident of New York State.

I am a hard working New Yorker.  I pay taxes (which pay your salary) and I contribute to my church and several charities.  I am also a gay man in a 15 year committed relationship with a man I love and want to marry.  I have advanced degrees in science and theology, so I am intimately familiar with the most current scientific research on homosexuality, as well as with the passages being cited to justify continued discrimination against LGBT people.  I can state without equivocation that the evidence continues to mount against a narrow-minded and bigoted understanding of the LGBT experience.  To be blunt, you are on the wrong side of history.

The United States of America is a country based on the ideals of justice and liberty.  For me, this means that I should not be allowed to interfere with the private lives of my fellow citizens, including those who happen to be fundamentalists or extremely conservative in their views.  They should be allowed to worship as they see fit, and marry the person they love. But the notions of liberty and justice demand that I be offered the same freedom.  There is no rational argument that can deny that fairness requires that I be treated with the same dignity and respect as my fellow citizens.

I am deeply disappointed in you for voting no.  I hope you can reflect on the mistake you are making, and I hope you feel a sense of shame in denying so many New Yorkers the basic joy that comes from living a life married to the person that they love.

In closing, you should realize that I and many of my friends will do everything we can to defeat you in your next bid for re-election.  I may not be a constituent, but I will make substantial contributions to your opponent, and will organize others to do the same.

Sincerely yours,

Clay Williams, PhD

Authentic Sprituality

I grew up in a small town where Christian fundamentalism was one of the predominant religious modes.  In this approach to religion, there is a strong tendency to divide the world into "us" and "them."  If you aren't in the "us" category, you are viewed with suspicion, subjected to pressure to change to join the "us" camp, and if you are unwilling or unable to do so, you are rejected.  I've experienced the pain that this worldview causes, both personally and in relationship with people I've known and loved.  

I believe that fundamentalism and other forms of exclusivism must be named as one of the great spiritual lies of our time.  A basic test for the authenticity of any spirituality is how it views those of differing belief. Authentic teachings will treat people with dignity and respect, and will not view them as deficient based on their difference.  I suspect that fundamentalists will howl in disagreement at this suggestion, pointing to narrow passages of scripture that appear to reinforce the exclusive approach, but there is a deeper and broader thread in almost every religious tradition that supports my position.  An example from Christianity is Jesus' interaction with and teachings using Samaritans, the ostracized others of his day.  

Authentic spiritual teachings challenge us, calling us to transcend our limited and harmful views of the world.  Exclusivism fails to do this.  It enables us to feel comfortable with ourselves while judging or condemning others.  A spirituality that is inclusive is challenging, calling us to take the time to get to know and understand others, rather than trying to force them into an "us" shaped mold.  

Damning Data

The data are rolling in, and the results are conclusive: abstinence-focused sex education doesn't work. A recent study shows that teens who pledge abstinence are just as likely as non-pledgers to have sex, and less likely to use contraceptive methods when they do so. The US has the highest teen pregnancy rate in the industrialized world, and roughly 1 in 3 sexually active girls get pregnant in their teenage years. We simply have not been giving young people the set of tools they need to take care of themselves and ensure that they don't face unwanted pregnancy.

The policies that led to this situation were formulated during the Bush years and were guided by ideology rather than reason. Take a look at the states with the highest pregnancy rates, along with who they supported in the 2000 and 2004 elections.

1	Nevada	Bush	Bush
2	Arizona	Bush	Bush
3	Mississippi	Bush	Bush
4	New Mexico	Gore	Bush
5	Texas	Bush	Bush
6	Florida	Bush	Bush
7	California	Gore	Kerry
8	Georgia	Bush	Bush
9	North Carolina	Bush	Bush
10	Arkansas	Bush	Bush

The correlation between conservatism and teen pregnancy is due to the fact that conservatives are enamored of poor policies rooted in religious dogma rather than sound social science.

The really maddening part of this is the denial conservatives have regarding the source of the problem. We've spent $1.5B over the last 8 years on abstinence education programs, during which time teenage pregnancy rates started to rise, and their response to the data is to argue for more abstinence-focused education. Like many conservative policies, they've hooked a pithy catch-phrase to the push, claiming that abstinence is the only form of birth control that is 100% effective because you can't get pregnant when you abstain. What they don't say is that it is the least effective approach when used improperly.

My favorite definition of insanity is doing the same things over and over again and expecting different results. Oh, those crazy conservatives!

Mormons and Gay Marriage

"The only freedom deserving the name, is that of pursuing our own good in our own way, so long as we do not attempt to deprive others of theirs, or impede their efforts to obtain it. Each is the proper guardian of his own health, whether bodily, or mental and spiritual. Mankind are greater gainers by suffering each other to live as seems good to themselves, than by compelling each to live as seems good to the rest." -- John Stuart Mill

These words were published in Mill's classic text On Liberty in 1869. That was almost 140 years ago, yet we are still struggling to realize this simple vision. As reported in the New York Times, the Mormon church helped raise millions of dollars to take the basic right of marriage away from lesbian and gay people in California. They did this in the name of pursuing what they thought was "moral," but in reality they (and others like them) have deprived many people of their own freedom and happiness. This cannot stand. To learn how you can help in the battle for marriage equality, visit http://jointheimpact.wetpaint.com/. We need everyone, gay or straight, to join the struggle for liberty.