by Rev. Jim Briney
Mass movements do not just happen or happen overnight. In the realm of Religion it took 400 years for Christianity to become established in the name of Christ. The literal translation of the word Christ is Messiah. The mass movement that became a new religion in the name of Christ began as a reaction to the secular rule of the Caesars. Throughout their rule, the Caesars were known by the titles: King of Kings, Prince of Peace, Lord of Lords, Son of Man, and Son of God. The Caesars had appropriated those terms for themselves. When Jesus came along the subjects of Caesar were introduced to a new way of thinking about who is worthy of such names.
Conversations the Jewish leader Nicodemus had with Jesus in the dark of night and confrontations the Jewish law-givers had with Jesus in the light of day called attention to what Jesus was saying. Individuals who heard of Jesus became curious about what he had to say. In time those who listened to Jesus began to realize that he sounded a lot more like a Prince of Peace and the Son of Man than the Caesars who taxed and oppressed them.
Our founders preferred that the people confer status upon our leaders, and they were willing to die for what they believed.
According to Dr. Martin Fishbine, the most significant change in our behavior since women entered the work force throughout WW2, is safety belt use. The regulations that mandated safety belts in vehicles, and the laws that enforce their use, did not just happen. From July of 1984 through October of 1988, a well-financed and professionally coordinated effort led to safety belt use laws being established in the United States. That mass movement involved coalitions in every state in the nation.
The state of governance in our nation is in line with the history researched and delineated by Eric Hoffer. For those who are curious about how this happened, look in the mirror. At no time in history have citizens been given the constitutional power we have to determine their own destiny. The MAGA mass movement did not just happen.
A Native American Proverb accounts for how we have become so divided as a nation. It is the story of the two wolves within us, one that represents kindness, love, and bravery, and the other that represents fear, greed, and anger. The wolf that grows within us is the one we feed.
The wolves within us are being fed by marginalized traditional news sources and enhanced social media platforms that respond to base instincts. Some sources of information provide content that appeals to our better natures. Other sources driven by algorithms rely on tendencies that rile us up and separate us from one another. This while we have withdrawn the healthiest foods from the diet that feeds the loving wolf within us. Removed from the menu are fundamental lessons in civics, history, and the values that informed our founders.
I have been asked time and again where excellent candidates with integrity have gone. They have been defeated by the few because the many do not engage in public discourse, exercise their right to vote, or bear witness to the truth. Richard Lugar was elected to serve as a member of his local school board, he became the mayor of his city, and served his state and our nation with honor as a six-term United States Senator. He was respected by his colleagues, world leaders, diplomats, and the press corp. Senator Lugar, a Rhodes Scholar, was defeated by a Tea Party candidate in his last primary election.
The Town of Oro Valley election that took place on July 21st was decided by 23% of the electorate. Of those who did vote, few knew much of anything about the history of our town, or the policies, practices, and issues that determine how we are governed. 77% of registered voters did not bother to fill our and return their postage paid mail in ballots.
The last time we gathered, I spoke of numbers that are a measure of what it takes to shape our nation for the next generation. In a given election for a candidate, issue, or constitutional amendment, up to 40% of the electorate will be true believers. Instinctually or for cause, another 40% will oppose their views. That leaves 20% that is up for grabs. The very same arguments that firm up one side will convert 4% of the other side to their point of view. That leaves just 7 out of every 20 remaining voters who will determine the outcome. Your participation matters. Elections have consequences for all of us.
Although recent national elections have resulted in record numbers, some 80 million individuals eligible to vote did not vote in the presidential election of 2024. Excuses include ‘we don’t know whom to believe’ ‘my vote won’t make a difference’ and ‘all politicians are the same.’ How do we know whom to believe? How do we understand what is at stake? How do we make a difference?
Here’s how. We become intentional. We apply reason, information, and facts, throughout a lifetime of discernment, then act accordingly.
Jesus had integrity. As a Jewish man, Jesus lived his Faith as his way of life. He was willing to die for what he believed. Jesus was not trying to start a religion in his own name. He was trying to transform matters of faith from ritual to relationships. That’s how the Kingdom of God will be on Earth as it is in Heaven. Going through the motions is not the way to get there. We get there as a civilization by being forthright and present for one another.
Are we going to choose to be fed the soul-satisfying intellectual ingredients of reason, information, and facts, kindness, love, and bravery, or be satisfied with a diet of baseless hope, falsehoods, bigotry, racism, antisemitism, complacency, fear, greed, and anger?