“I do not have any sympathy for the bigotry and ignorance that establishes arbitrary, partial and boyish distinctions between the beliefs of one person and another, or between the forms of these beliefs.” —HDT, (The Journal: 1837-1861)
We seem to be witnessing a resurgence of religious intoleration in the United States that should disturb any committed Thoreauvian. Whether it is the evangelical world asserting that the Catholic Pope is a false prophet or potentially the anti-Christ, a Republican Presidential candidate expressing his belief that a Muslim should not be eligible to serve as an American President, or the rising tide of anti-Semitism, American society is regressing, back to the dark days of nativism and openly exclusionary discrimination.
Let us look at the data. There were 5,928 hate crime incidents reported to the FBI in 2013. “Crimes motivated by religion” accounted for 1,166 of the reported offenses; 56.7% identified as anti-Jewish cases. This is indeed very troubling. As our Jewish brothers and sisters celebrated two of their High Holy Days, Anti-Semitic comments rolled off of people’s tongues as if they were ordering a latte at the coffee shop. I could not believe some of the comments that I was made aware of. I am a World History teacher for the past 25 years, and I have taught the core beliefs of every major faith with an emphasis on similiarities, not differences. Such destructive and divisive diatribes by those who feel it is their 1st Amendment right to defame others are unacceptable. Thoreauvians should commit themselves to addressing these damaging behaviors whenever they bear witness to them. As Martin Luther King Jr. told the world, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” Thoreauvians, we must be the light and the love.
Dr. Ben Carson, the 64-year old retired pediatric neurosurgeon and Republican Presidential candidate, has expressed his opposition to a Muslim ever becoming President of the United States. Carson stated his views that a future POTUS should be “sworn in on a stack of Bibles, not a Koran.” He went on to add that “Muslims feel that their religion is very much a part of your public life and what you do as a public official, and that’s inconsistent with our principles and our Constitution.” It should be noted that Carson openly acknowledges that he is an evangelical Christian and regular church goer. These inflammatory statements go directly against Article VI, Paragraph 3 of the United States Constitution, which clearly states that “no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.” Carson fashions himself to be a constitutionalist, but one must wonder if he has ever read the document. I cannot help but think of Gandhi as I reflect on Carson’s comments. Gandhi famously said, “I like your Christ…I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”
A June 2013 Gallup poll shows that “38 percent of American voters would not vote for a well-qualified Muslim presidential nominee from their own party — a view shared by 54 percent of Republicans surveyed, 39 percent of independents and 27 percent of Democrats.”
As Thoreauvians we must be committed to combatting intolerance in all of its forms; we cannot give any ground to those who attempt to rationalize bigotry in context. Pope Francis issued the following statement in his call for a more tolerant world, “The Lord created us in His image and likeness, and we are the image of the Lord, and He does good and all of us have this commandment at heart: do good and do not do evil. All of us. ‘But, Father, this is not Catholic! He cannot do good.’ Yes, he can… The Lord has redeemed all of us, all of us, with the Blood of Christ: all of us, not just Catholics. Everyone! ‘Father, the atheists?’ Even the atheists. Everyone! … We must meet one another doing good. ‘But I don’t believe, Father, I am an atheist!’ But do good: we will meet one another there.”
We must meet one another doing good. End of story.
Peace be with all of you, my fellow Thoreauvians.
BHS Young Philosophers Club 