In this polarized society, I am convinced that one of the great moral responsibilities of religious communities is to speak the truth. To be a "fact checker" as well. It is not necessary to take political sides so much as to describe the reality that is there. No one can read the Bible without hearing that God tells his people to care for the widows, the orphans, the poor, and the strangers. There is no place for the church to tell politicians how to solve the problem but the word has to be spoken that there is a growing dangerous gap between rich and poor, and it is the obligation of society to care for the poor. Fact check: The gap is growing.
The religious congregations need to hear regularly that there are millions of strangers in our midst and that they need to be recognized, greeted, and treated with dignity. There has to be some solution to the coming and going of strangers. The illegal immigrant situation needs to be spoken about and a solution needs to be found. Fact Check: we cannot send them all home and we cannot wall them all out.
In my understanding of faith it is appropriate to talk about the hubris of nations and to raise the danger flag that the United States of America seems to be greatly disliked in many parts of the world because of our arrogance and imperialism. Pride goes before a fall, so it is written, and that is not just an individual reality. Fact check: our world wide military is not keeping us safe.
When was the last time you heard a sermon that was concerned about our consuming passion with consuming? When was the last time you were told not to store up treasurers on earth? When did a television preacher tell you that you needed to buy fewer things and live smaller? It is our religious responsibility to be stewards of creation, and that goes to more than just using new light bulbs. We have to pressure government to deal with the environment issues. Fact check: those who claim there is no problem are ideologues.
It does not put us into league with any particular party. I do not think the faith community in its worship has to have solutions, but religious communities need to be part of the pressure to move those in power to solve and not ignore the major problems of the day.
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