Time of reckoning and soul searching as U.S. once again leaves a shattered nation where it waged war.

I knew back in 1965 at age 19 that the U.S. war in Vietnam was a huge mistake. I knew in 2001 at age 55 that the war in Afghanistan and Iraq was a big mistake. These assessments were based on my liberal Roman Catholic understanding of "just war" theory. It didn't take a genius using this cognitive map to understand that both wars were immoral.

And now looking at these assessments from a Unitarian Universalist lens, my understanding is even deepened with the second principle: justice, equity, and compassion in human relations, and the sixth principle: the goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all. Of course, the second and sixth principles are based on the first which is the inherent worth and dignity of every person.

What is missing in UU theology is the ideas of repentance and forgiveness which are necessary as we move to a healing of our broken world.

Will the U.S. congress people ever repent for their mistaken judgement to take the nation to war? Will they ever apologize to their own soldiers killed and the people in foreign lands killed for their foolishness? Will the American people who supported their congress people and national executives for waging war apologize to those who have been harmed?

The recognition that there must be a better way to manage our international conflicts hopefully is arising as we as UUs lead the nation and world in our fourth step which is the free and responsible search for truth and meaning.

What is needed in the United States is a time of reckoning and soul searching. UUs can lead the way in this spiritual work of examination of conscience and the taking of a fearless moral inventory. Would that we will and report the results of our examination and inventory.

June, 2021 has been proclaimed immigration month by President Biden

 

Unitarian Universalists covenant together to affirm and proclaim the inherent worth and digntiy of every person and the goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all.

Religion in the public square - Donald Trump's presidency.

Dear Dave:

Did you read Rebecca Solnit's essay on Literary Hub on April 29, 2021 about Donald Trump's presidency? If so what did you think of the essay?

Curious,

Cora

Dear Cora: 

Rebecca Solnit is one of those essayists that I want to like but I always find her work a little disappointing. She kind of makes a good point but then she skitters off into the bushes and winds up disappointing.

She started off strong with "The most valuable real estate Donald J. Trump ever acquired in his shady, shoddy career as a developer was the terrain inside our heads. And like so much else he got hold of, he wrecked it." I can resonate with that as can the cable companies who saw their ratings go way up and their advertising dollars soar. Solnit didn't make that point though although it has been brought to the public's attention many times - the idea that Trump is an entertainer not a good business man or a good politician, and we, the American people elected such an incompetent unqualified person to be our chief executive. 

Solnit writes "When the Biden inauguration happened, I was surprised to find that I was not uplifted or relieved, but freed to feel how hideous the whole thing had been, how damaged I felt—and I heard from many others who had the same experience. " Most mature people knew it was going to be a shit show when he announced coming down the opulent elevator and participated in the primaries. Who in their right mind thought this guy was qualified? The most surprising thing is that the Republican Party let him take them over. Who would have thunk that? I was surprised about it and hardly a peep from the pundits. From the grabbing pussy to the bullying nicknames to the bankruptcies and the scam foundation and bogus Trump University who didn't know the guy was a huge asshole? "Hideous" is hardly the word for it.

"There may be one salutary consequence of those four ugly years: the blithe confidence that “it can’t happen here” is gone, and people are more aware that rights and truth and justice need defending and are more willing to do the work " Becky, Becky, Becky, what makes you think that? Wishing for it, hoping for it, wanting it is one thing, Evidence that it is happening is something else. I don't see any evidence that the Republican establishment is growing up. They still defend Trumpism and not only double down, triple down, quadruple down, quintuple down. Lindsay, Mitch, Matt, Devin, Mark haven't changed a bit and they have given birth to more insanity like Marjorie Tayler Green.

Solnit ends her essay with this plum "Dread is a sense of wanting time to stand still, lest worse things come; and loathing is a desire to get away from the monstrosity already present. Those were the bookends to the Trump era and in between them was this turmoil in the White House, and the government more broadly, but also in the nation and in our own heads." And...............Becky...................... what?

I was once again disappointed. Solnit seems to be a whiner, a sophisticated "Karen" and she has her following, but beyond whining and pointing out problems I guess I am disappointed at her lack of solutions. Remember the old saying, "Don't come complaining unless you have suggestions for a solution."?

Solnit does do us a service by describing a phenomenon of embarrassment and shame of this period in American History but beyond that I am once again disappointed.

What will it take for Americans to recover from the disaster of the Trump presidency and get back on the evolutionary track of creating a better world for all people on the planet?

As Unitarian Universalists we covenant together to affirm and promote the goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all. This principle is further advanced than the majority of people in the United States. If people affirmed and promoted this principle they could have never voted for Donald Trump and the Republican Party that supports him. It is up to UUs to be the yeast in the dough to help our country rise again to lead the evolutionary development of a world where peace, liberty, and justice exists for all inhabitants of the planet/

Religion in the public square - Are UUs the yeast in the dough?

 

Is American Society stuck at an ethnocentric stage of evolutionary development?

In today’s world, every child is born at very early “archaic” or “magic” and egocentric stages, which dominate ages 1 to 3; transitions to magic-mythic for around ages 4 to 7; ethnocentric mythic proper, with several substages, emerges for roughly ages 6 to 11; then the next major stage, the “rational,” as we will see, emerges in today’s world generally with adolescence; and there are yet higher stages to come, as we’ll also see. However, the central point here is that adults can remain “stuck” or “fixated” at any of those earlier stages or substages. Indeed, research by Robert Kegan, of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, shows that 3 out of 5—or 60 percent—of Americans remain at ethnocentric or lower stages. If you think this ethnocentric stage—with its tendencies toward racism, sexism/patriarchy, misogyny, mega-tribal dominance, oppression, and fundamentalist religion—sounds a bit like hardcore far-Right Republicans, and that it starts to push into recognized Trump territory, you’d be right.

Wilber, Ken. Trump and a Post-Truth World (p. 18). Shambhala. Kindle Edition. 

Another observation might be that Unitarian Universalists tend to be at higher levels of development and so are out of sync with the majority of society in the United States. Most UUs would be at least at the worldcentric stage moving to Integral. 

The principles of Unitarian Universalism which we covenant together to affirm and promote are beyond the ethnocentric stage of consciousness.

What does this observation mean for our church? For the world?

Currently, Americans are stuck at the ethnocentric stage of development as Wilber points out and UUs are the yeast fermenting in the dough and will cause it to rise maybe only to be punched down again, but not to worry for the dough will rise again.

Religion in the public square - UU A Way Of Life supports UU The Vote

 Unitarian Universalism; A Way Of Life support UU The Vote.

UU The Vote exemplifies the UU fifth principle which is to affirm and promote the right of conscience and the use of the democratic process.

With the attempts of Republican legislatures across the county to suppress the vote, it is more important now than ever for Unitarian Universalists to live their faith and promote the right of every American to vote.

For more click here.

Religion in the public square - GOP works to restrict voting

In statehouses across the country, hundreds of bills have been introduced to change how elections are run, who can vote and how they vote. Many of the bills sponsored by Republicans aim to undo changes election officials made in 2020 to make voting easier during the pandemic.

Those changes led to a record number of people voting last year. Yet the GOP bills would make voting harder. Their sponsors say it’s worth it because the proposed legislation would make elections more secure against fraud, writes political scientist Douglas Hess. Only one problem: There’s no evidence that making it easier to vote leads to more fraud.

For more click here.

To attempt to restrict voting is in direct violation of the fifth principle of Unitarian Universalism which is covenant together to affirm and promote the right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large.

Religion in the public square - Chris Hedges, Introspection has been crushed out

 Socrates taught that the unexamined life is not worth living. Chris Hedges teaches in the film, American Psychosis, that America, ever becoming a totalitarian society, has crushed the activity of introspection out of the public by its constant stimulation of entertaining sensationalism.

Unitarian Universalists covenant together to affirm and promote the free and responsible search of truth and meaning something which American society increasingly treats with contempt and disdain especially with a media that emphasizes "click bait" with sensationalized headlines to grab attention for advertisers and manipulate the will of the electorate.

UU A Way Of Life encourages everyone, especially UUs, to use their screens very judiciously and to take the time to reflect, examine, and discuss with a trusted partner your meaning and truth as you examine your life. This may be one of the most political things you can do to enhance the common welfare.

Religion in the public square - Corruption

 But the neat gimmick has been that by stopping any possible grand and costly new federal projects and programs (successors to beloved Social Security, the GI Bill, interstate highways, the space program, Medicare), the evil geniuses since 1980 have also kept citizens skeptical that Washington can improve their lives because what has it done for them lately?

Andersen, Kurt. Evil Geniuses (p. 348). Random House Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

Since the days of Ronald Reagan Americans show contempt and disdain for government programs unless they benefit from them.

People love their Social Security, and Medicare, and interstate highway system, and putting a human being on the moon. They also like their regulated utilities such as electricity, water, and sewage treatment plants. They also for the most part like their police, fire departments, libraries, and schools.

What federal programs do Americans hate? Bogus wars, desegregation, taxes, and of course, entitlement programs for anyone other than themselves.

I am one of those few Americans who is happy to pay my taxes as long as the money is going for a good cause. The corruption exposed in the Trump administration is enough for any American to hate their government.  However, most Americans don’t really care about corruption. My congressman, Chris Collins, was sentenced to Federal prison for insider trading and my fellow Republican citizens here in Western New York re-elected him anyway and he was was just pardoned and sprang from prison this past week, and my fellow Republican Citizens in Western New York voted to re-elect the corrupt criminal President  in the White House who has presided and engineered much of this corruption.

The problem is not, therefore, the corrupt behavior of government officials but the voters who elect them so they can appoint people with their corrupt value system.

Why is it that Americans don’t seem to mind illegal and corrupt behavior and yet hold the government in contempt and disdain as a matter of ideological belief and yet support the worst elements of it?

Albert Einstein said that a problem can't be solved at the same level on which it was created. Taken seriously, this might mean that political problems of corruption cannot be solved in the realm of politics. This may be why Marianne Williamson believes that America's problems are spiritual and not political. Mother Theresa said the same thing.

The litmus test for policy decisions should be "is it the loving thing to do?"

Do you think government programs can be loving?

I do. I've worked in them. They were loving not because of the program in and of itself but because of the people who engaged in the key processes to deliver the services and help achieve the program goals.

We have people on this list who worked in government services of one kind or another and I would guess they performed their roles in a most loving way.

Thank you to you who have done this and continue to do this. You know who you are.

Unitarian Universalists covenant together to affirm and promote justice, equity, and compassion in human relations.

Religion in the public square - Expanding the morphogenic field of love beyond our churches.

“Christianity stands or falls with its revolutionary protest against violence, arbitrariness and pride of power and with its pleas for the weak.”

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Unitarian Universalists covenant together to affirm and promote justice, equity, and compassion in human relations. In the time of the Trumpists and Repulbican right wing do you think anyone notices? How has the field of love extended beyond the walls of our tiny congregations?

Religion in the public square - The Law and Economics movement in the United States

What’s more, in the 1970s and ’80s a whole new field of law emerged out of the theories and ideas that Bork and his fellow Chicago School libertarians had been crafting. Its name is simple and deceptively generic: Law and Economics. Getting lawyers and especially judges more fluent in economic analysis is a good thing, of course. But the animating idea behind Law and Economics was political—that a main point of the law, not only of antitrust, is to maximize economic efficiency, that the law’s bottom line is the economic bottom line. So if you happen to think it’s a good idea for judicial decisions to also consider fairness or moral justice, or other values or versions of social happiness that can’t be reduced to simple metrics of efficiency, Law and Economics says you’re a fool. Like its brilliantly anodyne name, the equations and other math in Law and Economics texts give it an impartial, scientific sheen. The founders of Law and Economics understood that we do indeed live in a political economy, that determining who’s entitled to what is the result of all kinds of power struggles and societal choices—so they wanted their hard-core free-market politics explicitly encoded into America’s underlying legal DNA.

Andersen, Kurt. Evil Geniuses (p. 134). Random House Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. Bolding has been added.

If Satan were to plan to take over the United States of America, Satan could choose no more effective way than to incorporate the worship of Mammon into law. Satan found his acolytes to do just this.

This valuing of economic efficiency above all other values has created the infection rates and death tolls of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021. The Republican leaders from the President, to Governors, to local county and state officials have chosen by designing and enforcing their public health policies between the economy and the health of their communities. They, at the President’s insistence, have chosen the economy and the consequences have become horrific and will only get worse.

If an observer were to ask, “From what does just a deadly mindset and value system arise,” the answer can be found in Chapter 11 of Kurt Andersen’s book, Evil Geniuses, in which he describes the rise of the “Law and Economics” movement in the United States. Those in power decided that money is the highest and most sacred value in the land and the whole legal system which governs and oversees the US economic system must be designed to enforce this supreme value.

What do you think about this valuing of money over other values in guiding our political policies to create a just, equitable, compassionate, and happy society?

Religion in the public square - When Evangelical Christianity sold its soul to the devil for access to political power.

From Sojourners 11/03/20. A Faustian Bargain and a Corruption of the Soul, Rev. Jim Wallis interviews Rev. Rob Schenck.

 Politics in Washington, D.C., is often antithetical to the teachings of Jesus. Rev. Jim Wallis and Rev. Rob Schenck, the president of the Dietrich Bonhoffer Institute, discuss the spiritual cost of placing access to power above the gospel.

Schenck recalled, "I was present sitting at a table when it happened in Cleveland, during the Republican National Convention. I was at the table and a colleague, a very well-known evangelical leader who had run for president himself, turned to me and said, 'Look, we'll plug our noses. We'll cast our vote for Donald Trump. And then we'll go and puke if we have to.' And that was the deal. It was a corruption of the soul. It would give us access and ability to manipulate the levers of power, but it would exact a huge price from us."  

Gandhi said one time he would convert to Christianity if he ever found a church that actually followed the teachings of Jesus.

Another wit said, "Christianity is not a bad idea if anyone actually applied it."

The closest thing to Christianity I have ever found in my free and responsible search is Unitarian Universalism. UU is a dull religion, very intellectualized, lacking in resonating spirit, but morally right on target. Jesus would be a good UU covenanting to affirm and promote its seven principles which His teachings and life manifested.

It is hard to understand what the Evangelicals ever saw in such a corrupt leader as Donald Trump. After perpetrating violence for a photo op in front of church holding a bible backwards and upside down, you might think Evangelicals would question their judgment if indeed they really believe what they state they stand for.

UUs on the other hand have stood firm on their principles of affirming and promoting the inherent worth and dignity of every person and justice, equity, and compassion in human relations.

Dear Dave - Cult of personality and authoritarianism or democracy?

Dear Dave:

I think the key to solving our problems is working together. I'm starting to think having two parties is the problem as we've polarized in opposing teams. It would be interesting if candidates ran without party affiliation. They should campaign to the entire population.

Sincerely,

Bert

Dear Bert:

In an ideal world I agree with you. But Anne Applebaum warns in her book The Twilight of Democracy that one party systems are the fundamental basis for totalitarianism. As Francis David, the Unitarian Founder said in the 16th century, "We need not think alike to love alike."

People can share common goals but have different strategies to achieve them.. The problem we are seeing in our contemporary age are not policy differences, different ways of achieving the shared goal, but different goals. There are fundamental differences in what kind of a country we want to build and live in together? Will it be a country based on the rule of law, or a country based on loyalty and the cult of personality? I think the two major political parties have chosen their paths and they are quite clear in that the Republicans have chosen the authoritarian route of loyalty and personality and the Democrats have chosen, at least superficially, on the rule of law.

The election in 2020 is not between two Presidential candidates but between  a personality cult and democracy.

Unitarian Universalists covenant together to affirm and promote the right of conscience and the use of the democrate process within our congregations and in society at large. Four hundred years ago Unitarians rejected the cult of personality and monarchy and embraced the budding flower of democracy. In 2020 we will have a clearer choice than in previous Presidential elections whether to be true to our fundamental principles or not.

Sincerely, 

Dave

Religion In The Public Square - Trump 2020 campaign based not on policy but on fear mongering.

Unitarian Universalists covenant together to affirm and promote the free and responsible search for truth and meaning. Having watched parts of the 2020 Republican National Committee's convention this past week, one in which they adopted no platform, it is apparent that the Republican campaign strategy for 2020 is gin up fear in the American electorate and then present their candidates as heroes who appear, deus ex machina, to save the American public from the monsters being falsely depicted and described.

This fear mongering is in direct contradiction to the UU principles of justice, equity, and compassion in our human relations, and the search for truth and meaning

How does a person of faith manage the fear mongering being unleashed in our society?

The first step is to recognize, acknowledge, and name the problem to ourselves in our conversations with others.

The second step is to identify the objects of the fear being engendered and  assess their risk and potential harm.

The third step is to generate ideas of ways to manage the valid threats identified.

The fourth step is to join with others in collaborate efforts to mitigate potential harms and improve the collective well being.

Unitarian Universalists know how to do this and voting for Donald Trump and his allies to lead us is a bad choice that will only further expand on the harms already being done.

UU A Way Of Life endorses Biden/Harris for 2020

UU A Way Of Life endorses Biden/Harris for President and Vice President. Their policies are more aligned with Unitarian Universalist principles.

Let's return the United States to the rule of law.

Unitarian Universalists covenant together to affirm and promote the right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large.

 

Religion in the public square - UU A Way Of Life endorses Sara Gideon for Senator from Maine running against Susan Collins.

UU A Way Of Life endorses Sara Gideon for Senator from Maine who is running against Susan Collins.

Maine Senator Collins has voted with the Trumpists on almost every important issue in direct conflict with UU principles and values.

Religion in the public square - UU A Way Of Life endorses Amy McGrath for the Senate in Kentucky

The Senate of the United States is the least representative, most undemocratic institution in the United States. Every state has two senators regardless of the population of the state. Wyoming with the lowest population of the 50 U.S. states with less than 600,000 people has two senators while California with the largest population of the 50 U.S. States  with almost 40 million people has only two senators as well.

The Senate has the power to obstruct legislation from the House of Representatives and exert other powers such as failing to convict President Trump on his charges of impeachment.

The beliefs, values, voting records of each of the 100 Senators affects all Americans. Although, all Americans are affected by the decisions in the Senate, only a small minority of American people get to decide who these decision makers will be by being able to vote on their representation. However, we can influence who our fellow Americans vote for in their states to be their senators. Therefore, all Americans should pay attention to who our fellow Americans in their states are voting for. We can influence their decisions about who they are voting to be their Senatorial decision makers in their state and for all Americans.

Here, at UU A Way Of Life, we are paying attention to who is running for Senate this fall. Some of the Senatorial candidates beliefs, values, policies, and values are more in alignment with UU principles that others. While you may not be able to vote in an individual state for a senatorial candidate, you can participate in the senatorial campaigns to influence the voters on choosing wise, ethical, and compassionate senators.

There will be a series of articles throughout the fall, endorsing a preferred Senatorial candidate. Readers are encouraged to support the preferred candidates campaign in any way they can. Unitarian Universalists covenant together to affirm and promote the right of conscience and the use of democratic processes within our congregations and in society at large, and to affirm and promote a world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all.

Thank you for your attention and support in improving the quality of decision makers in our United States Senate.

UU A Way Of Life endorses Amy McGrath for Senator from Kentucky instead of Mitch McConnell.

There is probably no official in the United States government who has done more harm to our democracy that Mitch McConnell, the Republican Senator from Kentucky who is the Senate Majority Leader who has made Trumpism not only possible but flourish in the United States.

Amy McGrath is a retired Lt. Colonel from the United States Marine Corps whose values are more in line with our UU principles. Please support her campaign.

Religion in the public square - Roy Zimmerman, "Vote him away"

With the racism, misogyny, xenophobia, homophobia, corruption, and amorality there probably has been no president and presidential administration more at odds with UU principles than Donald J. Trump and the Trumpists.

We UUs covenant together to affirm and promote the right of conscience and the use of democratic process without our congregations and society at large. If there was ever a time for UUs to act on their conscience, be true to their principles, and advocate for justice, equity, and compassion in our human relations, it is now. Do what you can, where you are, right now to advocate for the implementation of policies and practices more in line with our UU principles.

 

Religion in the public square - UU A Way Of Life endorses Jaime Harrison for senate from South Carolina

The Senate of the United States is the least representative, most undemocratic institution in the United States. Every state has two senators regardless of the population of the state. Wyoming with the lowest population of the 50 U.S. states with less than 600,000 people has two senators while California with the largest population of the 50 U.S. States  with almost 40 million people has only two senators as well.

The Senate has the power to obstruct legislation from the House of Representatives and exert other powers such as failing to convict President Trump on his charges of impeachment.

The beliefs, values, voting records of each of the 100 Senators affects all Americans. Although, all Americans are affected by the decisions in the Senate, only a small minority of American people get to decide who these decision makers will be by being able to vote on their representation. However, we can influence who our fellow Americans vote for in their states to be their senators. Therefore, all Americans should pay attention to who our fellow Americans in their states are voting for. We can influence their decisions about who they are voting to be their Senatorial decision makers in their state and for all Americans.

Here, at UU A Way Of Life, we are paying attention to who is running for Senate this fall. Some of the Senatorial candidates beliefs, values, policies, and values are more in alignment with UU principles that others. While you may not be able to vote in an individual state for a senatorial candidate, you can participate in the senatorial campaigns to influence the voters on choosing wise, ethical, and compassionate senators.

There will be a series of articles throughout the fall, endorsing a preferred Senatorial candidate. Readers are encouraged to support the preferred candidates campaign in any way they can. Unitarian Universalists covenant together to affirm and promote the right of conscience and the use of democratic processes within our congregations and in society at large, and to affirm and promote a world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all.

Thank you for your attention and support in improving the quality of decision makers in our United States Senate.

UU A Way Of Life endorses Jaime Harrison instead of Lindsay Graham in South Carolina.

Lindsay Graham has failed the American people in so many ways it is overwhelming to catalog his departure from UU principles. Suffice it to point out that Lindsay has become a major apologist for Trumpism and supported President Trump's polices of racism, xenophobic, homophobia, misogyny, and corruption.

Jaime Harrison offers the hope of integrity, equality, justice, and compassion. Jaime Harrison's values, beliefs, and past behavior is much more in alignment with UU principles. Please support his campaign as we have here at UU A Way Of Life.

The video below was done on 02/29/20 so it is a bit dated but it gives you a sense of Jaime Harrison's values and beliefs.

Religion in the public sqare - When President Trump tantrums where are the adults? Where are the UUs?

According to Andy Borowitz President of the United States, Donald J. Trump, has lashed out on Twitter yesterday accusing spell check of treating him unfairly.

President Trump often likes to play the victim to garner sympathy from his supporters and to incite a sense of outrage and retaliation against his perceived enemies to thwart his wishes and desires.

Psychologists have a word for this - "childish."

Psychologist, Dr. Jonah Sproul, stated, "Lay people call this the 'terrible twos' which is the stage of childhood when children have temper tantrums if they don't get their way. Adults who act this way are examples of what child development specialists call 'arrested development.'."

Dr. Sproul further stated, "This kind of behavior is seen in adults who are narcissistic and have a grandiose sense of entitlement. The behavior will continue and even escalate unless there are mature authority figures for the adult child who can limit it. Otherwise the behavior will continue and get worse."

"What can the average citizen do," asked Betty O'Hern?

Dr. Sproul said, "What do you do with a tantruming child? If you are an effective parent you know exactly what to do. Talking doesn't help. The main tactics are time out, re-direction, and a statement that no requests can be considered until the individual calms down. The main thing is that the tantruming child is reassured that there are adults in charge who will keep things safe."

Betty O'Hern replied, "That sounds very good. Where are the adults?"

Unitarian Universalists are, hopefully, adults who could step up and help Americans stay safe. Where are they? Where is their voice? Where are their actions? When America needs, desperately, credible leadership to improve the spiritual health of the nation are UUs making a contribution?

Religion in the public square - By their fruit you will know them

By their fruit you will know them

From the president came willful blindness, scapegoating, boasts, and lies. From his mouthpieces, conspiracy theories and miracle cures. A few senators and corporate executives acted quickly—not to prevent the coming disaster, but to profit from it. When a government doctor tried to warn the public of the danger, the White House took the mic and politicized the message.

George Packer, “Underlying Conditions,” Atlantic, June, 2020

Not since the prosecution of immoral wars based on bogus claims of "weapons of mass destruction" and war crimes such as  torture and indefinite incarceration without due process in Guantanamo, the United States has  seen such immoral behavor in its Federal government.

Even more immoral has been the political and public support which has enabled the U.S government rendering all the American people guilty off aiding and abetting unethical, immoral, and illegal behavior.

The United States is no longer a self governing nation based on the rule of law. U.S. values and principles have been sabotaged and corrupted insidiously by people motivated by money, power, special interest, and status. The social contract has become so unjust, illicit, and corrupted that most Americans and other peoples around the world no longer recognize the people the American people claim to be and have been in the past.

In some instances religious groups have supported and promoted such leadership in return for support for parochial values and preferences rather than the common good.

And so, spiritual people are left with lawless and immoral communities in which they are living like the yeast in the dough, the salt of the earth, the light on the hill.

Now more than ever before, spiritual people need to articulate their values and work for systems that support lawfulness, justice, equity, and peace among all people.

President Trump has declared churches "essential businesses" so that their members can congregate, infect each other, spread the virus, and kill each other and their loved ones. Perhaps this is social darwinism at its best. Jesus said, "By their fruit, you will know them." The Trump supporters and enablers will die off and their charming and manipulative leader will be voted out of office because of the immoral acts which have caused such suffering and death. Indeed, by their fruit you will know them.