Independence Day, Independence Culture
Preached 7/4/2021 at SouthWest UU in N. Royalton OH
By Rev. Meg Mathieson
Happy Independence day! Many of us are looking forward to some fireworks or some grilled food.
Independence Day means more to some people than it does to others. As UUs in the current political atmosphere, we recognize that there is tension between church and state, and between independence and dependence.
From a young age, we are taught in school the story of America, we are taught that it is a story of proud independence. The history we are taught is that we come from people who were underdogs and who fought for their freedom. We are surrounded by self-congratulations in school, in public life, and even in church.
Here is a poem by Walt Whitman titled “America.
Centre of equal daughters, equal sons,
All, all alike endear’d, grown, ungrown, young or old,
Strong, ample, fair, enduring, capable, rich,
Perennial with the Earth, with Freedom, Law and Love,
A grand, sane, towering, seated Mother,
Chair’d in the adamant of Time.
Not a lot of cynicism or irony there. Just, “Wow America, you sure are great!”
What is the 4th of July? It isn’t the day that we won the war against the British. It wasn’t the day that the forefathers set up the new nation. It was the signing of the Declaration of Independence. This is the high holy day of our country: the day that we said, “let’s fight!
Some people say we are a Christian nation. Perhaps we are a Christian nation, but the United States was founded by men who would be horrified to know that today we call it as much. Here’s my 60-second history lesson - a tour through United States history by way of white men’s quotes.
“The government of the United States is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion.”—John Adams
“Christianity neither is, nor ever was a part of the common law.”~Founding Father Thomas Jefferson,
“The civil government functions with complete success by the total separation of the Church from the State.” ~Founding Father James Madison
“No religious doctrine shall be established by law.” ~Founding Father Elbridge Gerry
“Persecution is not an original feature in any religion; but it is always the strongly marked feature of all religions established by law. Take away the law-establishment, and every religion re-assumes its original benignity.” ~Thomas Paine
“The legislature of the United States shall pass no law on the subject of religion.” ~Founding Father Charles Pinckney
“I believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute” - JFK
“We establish no religion in this country… Church and state are, and must remain, separate,” Ronald Reagan.
"If we ever forget that we are One Nation Under God, then we will be a nation gone under." also Ronald Reagan - we are beginning a decline here.
“I am driven with a mission from God. God would tell me, 'George go and fight these terrorists in Afghanistan'. And I did. - George W Bush
“How dismal it is to see present day Americans yearning for the very orthodoxy that their country was founded to escape.” -Christopher Hitchens, 2007
The celebration of Independence day is a celebration of historic pain. Whether it is viewed as the little guy triumphing over his Goliath bully, or a romantic experiment in new forms of governance, the end result was rich white men becoming richer, and brown and black people suffering.
So how do we, as Unitarian Universalists, celebrate the 4th of July in good conscience? Actually, I asked google. And google pointed me to an article by modern theologian Bruce Epperly. Epperly prescribes spiritual practices for the sophisticated, liberal churchgoer regarding the 4th of July:
I have a little yard sign outside my house that I bought from the UUA website, uua.org that says “We love our neighbors” and then lists the different types of neighbors that we might have and support: immigrant, LGBTQ, POC, People with disabilities…. And although it ends with saying “people of all kinds and of all faiths,” I wonder how that sign looks to my neighbors two doors down who have a “thin blue line” “blue lives matter” flag. Or the folks across the street who have a large red flag that reads “Jesus is King.” Do they know that they are included in this love?
Sometimes I think about adding more to that sign, going out there with a sharpie and adding things like “Republicans” and “Trump supporters” and “gun owners.” We must find a way to extend compassion to all, whether we agree with them or not. And July 4th is a great day to practice that kind of lovingkindness.
There is a great story from UU Rev. Lindasusan Ulrich where she talks about the wisdom of Canada geese in working together to achieve something greater. She says,
“Driving along a commercial corridor near my house, I noticed that one of the used car dealerships had changed the message on its sign. Instead of touting a holiday sale or good financing rates, the block letters read:
HONK
IF YOU
LOVE
I was thoroughly delighted! I remembered how encouraging it felt whenever drivers beeped their support as they passed a demonstration or protest march I was part of. It felt like this message addressed those actions’ deeper motivation: love for our fellow beings, which sits at the core of all social justice work. I imagined cars whizzing past this roadside pulpit of sorts, people smiling as they tooted their horn on behalf of humanity.
Cue the abrupt record scratch.
As I drew closer to the sign, I noticed that under the word LOVE was an American flag, previously indistinguishable. Apparently, boisterous love was reserved only for the United States. Suddenly, the acknowledgment of our wide and profound connectedness had been reduced to affection for one narrow sliver of the human population. I felt diminished.
I’m better off taking my cue from Canada geese than used car dealers. Geese fly much further as a group than they ever could alone. When a goose has been injured, two or three others stay with it on the ground until it recuperates. And as the skein migrates, they honk to remind their fellow birds that they’re nearby, ready to help, encouraging each other through the long hours of flight.
“If we have as much sense as geese,” as Dr. Robert McNeish wrote, then our hearts must be moved by more than parochial interests. If we hope to foster a more compassionate world, we must practice caring for one another with joy and over long distances. If justice is to be realized, then our voices must speak loudly—even boisterously—of love.
She ends with this prayer which I would like to extend to all of us here today as we offer gratitude, affirm diversity and interconnection and commit to not only country loyalty, but world loyalty:
That Which Causes Our Souls to Take Flight, encourage us in these difficult days. Remind us that those beyond our circles, our borders, our walls are embraced by the same immeasurable love by which we are held. Help us demonstrate kindness in all that we do. And grant that we may, indeed, have as much sense as geese.
Preached 7/4/2021 at SouthWest UU in N. Royalton OH
By Rev. Meg Mathieson
Happy Independence day! Many of us are looking forward to some fireworks or some grilled food.
Independence Day means more to some people than it does to others. As UUs in the current political atmosphere, we recognize that there is tension between church and state, and between independence and dependence.
From a young age, we are taught in school the story of America, we are taught that it is a story of proud independence. The history we are taught is that we come from people who were underdogs and who fought for their freedom. We are surrounded by self-congratulations in school, in public life, and even in church.
Here is a poem by Walt Whitman titled “America.
Centre of equal daughters, equal sons,
All, all alike endear’d, grown, ungrown, young or old,
Strong, ample, fair, enduring, capable, rich,
Perennial with the Earth, with Freedom, Law and Love,
A grand, sane, towering, seated Mother,
Chair’d in the adamant of Time.
Not a lot of cynicism or irony there. Just, “Wow America, you sure are great!”
What is the 4th of July? It isn’t the day that we won the war against the British. It wasn’t the day that the forefathers set up the new nation. It was the signing of the Declaration of Independence. This is the high holy day of our country: the day that we said, “let’s fight!
Some people say we are a Christian nation. Perhaps we are a Christian nation, but the United States was founded by men who would be horrified to know that today we call it as much. Here’s my 60-second history lesson - a tour through United States history by way of white men’s quotes.
“The government of the United States is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion.”—John Adams
“Christianity neither is, nor ever was a part of the common law.”~Founding Father Thomas Jefferson,
“The civil government functions with complete success by the total separation of the Church from the State.” ~Founding Father James Madison
“No religious doctrine shall be established by law.” ~Founding Father Elbridge Gerry
“Persecution is not an original feature in any religion; but it is always the strongly marked feature of all religions established by law. Take away the law-establishment, and every religion re-assumes its original benignity.” ~Thomas Paine
“The legislature of the United States shall pass no law on the subject of religion.” ~Founding Father Charles Pinckney
“I believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute” - JFK
“We establish no religion in this country… Church and state are, and must remain, separate,” Ronald Reagan.
"If we ever forget that we are One Nation Under God, then we will be a nation gone under." also Ronald Reagan - we are beginning a decline here.
“I am driven with a mission from God. God would tell me, 'George go and fight these terrorists in Afghanistan'. And I did. - George W Bush
“How dismal it is to see present day Americans yearning for the very orthodoxy that their country was founded to escape.” -Christopher Hitchens, 2007
The celebration of Independence day is a celebration of historic pain. Whether it is viewed as the little guy triumphing over his Goliath bully, or a romantic experiment in new forms of governance, the end result was rich white men becoming richer, and brown and black people suffering.
So how do we, as Unitarian Universalists, celebrate the 4th of July in good conscience? Actually, I asked google. And google pointed me to an article by modern theologian Bruce Epperly. Epperly prescribes spiritual practices for the sophisticated, liberal churchgoer regarding the 4th of July:
- Pray for your representatives and leaders. Epperly wrote this article a few years ago, and he was referring to leaders like Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. We can certainly put forth a few prayers and positive thoughts for our dear Uncle Joe. PRAYER
- Epperly says, “give thanks for the commitments, offerings, and sacrifices of our predecessors” The pacifists, the abolitionists, the changemakers, those who have thought and those who have fought. GRATITUDE
- “let us affirm the diversity of our nation as a blessing and gift.” Eppley states here that “In a time of circling the wagons around "me and mine," we need to remember that we are a nation of immigrants. Communal synergy emerges in the integration of diversity with loyalty to a common cause.” we are one human people. AFFIRM DIVERSITY
- He goes on, “let us affirm global interdependence. We are all interconnected.” this dovetails so nicely with our 7th principle, the one about the interconnected web of existence. AFFIRM INTERCONNECTION
- He says, “let us recall that other people love their lands as much as we love the USA.” These days, not all of us are loving the USA. But if you were taught in school, as many of us were, or grew up with the assumption that the United States is the best place to live and everyone who doesn’t live here wishes they could live here - that is simply untrue. Let’s let go of that notion, because it is an old, colonialist way of thinking, and we can celebrate our selves, our land, without putting others down. This more global understanding leads to what Epperly calls “world loyalty.” He says, “we need to make a commitment to world loyalty as well as national loyalty. “ COMMIT TO WORLD LOYALTY. He says as well as, not instead of.
I have a little yard sign outside my house that I bought from the UUA website, uua.org that says “We love our neighbors” and then lists the different types of neighbors that we might have and support: immigrant, LGBTQ, POC, People with disabilities…. And although it ends with saying “people of all kinds and of all faiths,” I wonder how that sign looks to my neighbors two doors down who have a “thin blue line” “blue lives matter” flag. Or the folks across the street who have a large red flag that reads “Jesus is King.” Do they know that they are included in this love?
Sometimes I think about adding more to that sign, going out there with a sharpie and adding things like “Republicans” and “Trump supporters” and “gun owners.” We must find a way to extend compassion to all, whether we agree with them or not. And July 4th is a great day to practice that kind of lovingkindness.
There is a great story from UU Rev. Lindasusan Ulrich where she talks about the wisdom of Canada geese in working together to achieve something greater. She says,
“Driving along a commercial corridor near my house, I noticed that one of the used car dealerships had changed the message on its sign. Instead of touting a holiday sale or good financing rates, the block letters read:
HONK
IF YOU
LOVE
I was thoroughly delighted! I remembered how encouraging it felt whenever drivers beeped their support as they passed a demonstration or protest march I was part of. It felt like this message addressed those actions’ deeper motivation: love for our fellow beings, which sits at the core of all social justice work. I imagined cars whizzing past this roadside pulpit of sorts, people smiling as they tooted their horn on behalf of humanity.
Cue the abrupt record scratch.
As I drew closer to the sign, I noticed that under the word LOVE was an American flag, previously indistinguishable. Apparently, boisterous love was reserved only for the United States. Suddenly, the acknowledgment of our wide and profound connectedness had been reduced to affection for one narrow sliver of the human population. I felt diminished.
I’m better off taking my cue from Canada geese than used car dealers. Geese fly much further as a group than they ever could alone. When a goose has been injured, two or three others stay with it on the ground until it recuperates. And as the skein migrates, they honk to remind their fellow birds that they’re nearby, ready to help, encouraging each other through the long hours of flight.
“If we have as much sense as geese,” as Dr. Robert McNeish wrote, then our hearts must be moved by more than parochial interests. If we hope to foster a more compassionate world, we must practice caring for one another with joy and over long distances. If justice is to be realized, then our voices must speak loudly—even boisterously—of love.
She ends with this prayer which I would like to extend to all of us here today as we offer gratitude, affirm diversity and interconnection and commit to not only country loyalty, but world loyalty:
That Which Causes Our Souls to Take Flight, encourage us in these difficult days. Remind us that those beyond our circles, our borders, our walls are embraced by the same immeasurable love by which we are held. Help us demonstrate kindness in all that we do. And grant that we may, indeed, have as much sense as geese.