Peace Pilgrim said that she looks for the divine spark in every person and then focuses on that.
The first value/principle of Unitarian Universalism is The Belief in the Inherent Worth and Dignity Of Every Person.
When we disagree, when we find ourselves in conflict, we are very quick to denigrate, to judge, to disdain, to demonize the other. This is a primal instinct which probably has some survival value for our species. So it seems very counter-intuitive when Jesus says that we must love our enemies, we must do good to those who hate and/or hurt us.
How can we love Hitler, Osama Bin Laden, terrorists, murderers, rapists, people of other religions, races, political parties, sexual orientations?
It takes a very big person, enlightened you might say, to rise above our visceral hateful response to be afraid and hate and attack. And yet this is what the great spiritual masters, and the higher teachings of most religions teach us.
No greater love has any person than to lay down his/her life for a friend, but what about an enemy?
It seems an impossible value, an impossible principle to recognize the inherent worth and dignity of every person. Good people do bad things, and it is for our own peace of mind that we strive to find a way to forgive them. Our individual decision to forgive may seem like a small thing that makes little difference, but in terms of the karma released into the world, it is huge.
It is possible to forgive people and still hold them accountable. Forgiveness does not dismiss accountability, and holding people accountable does not automatically lead to forgiveness. In an ideal world accountability and forgiveness would occur together, but in our imperfect world, they often are experienced as two different things or not at all.
If our national, community, family, and personal policies were based on an operational process of implementing the belief in the inherent worth and dignity of every person, and this led to acts of forgiveness, we would be living in quite a different world. However, it is our fear of being hurt again that contributes to our defensive posture of hate, discrimination, subjugation, and oppression.
It is because UUs actually believe in this principle and value of the inherent worth and dignity of every human being, I strongly believe in our faith. Bringing this value into practice in my life is a daily challenge, and when successful, fills my life with grace. I recommend it to you.
If I Had A Rochet Launcher by Bruce Cockburn
Thursday, March 27, 2008
UUs believe in the inherent worth and dignity of every person, even our enemies
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2 comments:
omzqfwg:So it seems very counter-intuitive when Jesus says that we must love our enemies, we must do good to those who hate and/or hurt us.
Indeed it is very counter-intuitive, especially when the Bible makes it abundantly clear that Jesus and or God do not love their enemies. . . If Jesus had actually practiced what he preached about loving his enemies he would hardly have said and done some of the things that he is supposed to have said or done in the Bible.
:It is because UUs actually believe in this principle and value of the inherent worth and dignity of every human being, I strongly believe in our faith.
What was it that Jerry Rubin said about what people actually believe? Here is a slight reworking of his words -
Here`s a slight reworking of Jerry Rubin`s bon mot -
“Don’t tell me what U*Us believe. Show me what U*Us do 365 days a year and I’ll tell U*Us what U*Us believe.”
I look forward to the day when the Board and congregation of the Unitarian Church of Montreal and the UUA finally get around to living up to that first principle of U*Uism, to say nothing of a the second, third and other pertinent principles of U*Uism, in their rather inhuman human relations with me and other people who U*Us have victimized and have defined as enemies.
Hey Dave, I was reading this post and it reminded me of a recent movie that directly touches on the point of forgiveness. And, in the view of some people, perhaps even forgiveness in the face of the unforgiveable.
The movie was "Forgiving Dr. Mengele." Dr. Mengele was a Nazi physician at Auschwitz who experimented on twin children. The movie chronicles Eva Kor, a survivor, on her emotional journey to attempt to forgive and even call others to consider the same.
Thanks for the blog - as you know, I am a fan...
Rodney
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