Speaking Truth to Power

Posted in: News By House Divided on May 20, 2019

On January 22nd, the anniversary of Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion, the New York state legislature passed the Reproductive Health Act, which legalizes abortion until birth. Amid the self-congratulatory cheering of the legislators, New York Governor, Andrew Cuomo (Dem.) hailed the passage as “a historic victory for New Yorkers and our progressive values”.

The “progressive values” Cuomo embraces are grounded on a new set of religious ideals. Cuomo recently said, “I believe when you get to the Pearly Gates…our Lord will ask, ‘Have you been a good Progressive’”? An ideological litmus test to get into heaven…Who Knew?

To his credit, Cuomo called for elected leaders, who set the tone of debates, to refrain from “over- heated rhetoric”. Sadly, his progressive religious views have blinded him to the fact his own rhetoric is a significant polarizing influence, dividing not only New Yorkers but all Americans. For example, Cuomo calls people who hold right-to-life views “extreme conservatives… (who) have no place in the state of New York…”. For someone who professes to be all about diversity and inclusion, Cuomo’s words smack of the narrow-minded intolerance with which those on the right are frequently charged.

Why should Floridians care about New York’s “progressive values”? Because what starts in New York does not stay in New York. Values migrate. Even now, other states are attempting to pass New York style abortion laws that will legalize abortion until birth.

Once upon a time, Senator Barack Obama told us “…there is not a liberal America and conservative America – there is the United States of America”. That was then. Today, America is no longer culturally cohesive. According to journalist Michael Barone, there are two America’s: “One America tends to be traditionally religious, the other tends to be secular or only mildly religious…” This difference in religious views, said Barone, has produced a “values-divide”. There are “two Americas…two nations of different faiths. One is observant, tradition-minded and moralistic. The other is unobservant, liberation-minded and relativistic.”

The “values divide” effects Americans differently. As we have seen, there is a moral community of Americans that cheer and rejoice when laws are passed that permit abortion until the moment of birth. There is another moral community of Americans that weep and mourn when such laws are passed.

But other effects of the “values divide” are more ominous. Pew Research polling data shows more than half of Democrats (55%) say the Republican Party makes them “afraid”, while 49% of Republicans say the same about the Democratic Party. Democrats (41%) and Republicans (45%) now see the others policies as so misguided “they threaten the nations well-being”. If you are afraid of your neighbor and view him as a threat to the well-being of your country, it’s not a big leap to think that one day, you might see him as an enemy. Hatred and violence, inspired by political differences, is on the rise.

Is there any role for the church in debates involving social issues? Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. thought there was. King said, “The church is not the master or the servant of the state, but rather the conscience of the state…It must be the guide and critic of the state, and never its tool. If the church does not recapture its prophetic zeal, it will become an irrelevant social club without moral or spiritual authority”. According to Dr. King, the role of the church is to speak truth to power. On the issue of abortion, this means challenging the states position that, as Hillary Clinton said, “An unborn person does not have constitutional rights”.

In Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decided abortion is a right without determining if it is wrong. Gallup polling results now show 87% of Americans are opposed to abortions during the third trimester of pregnancy. That is to say, the vast majority of American’s believe legalized abortion until the moment of birth is morally wrong. If it is wrong, said Abraham Lincoln, “no one has a right to do wrong”.

Mother Teresa, the late Catholic Nun, was outspoken in her opposition of abortion. She said, “Abortion is the greatest destroyer of love and peace”. Who will decide if she was right?