By Dawn Morais Webster
Special to the Herald
We often, routinely and publicly in church, acknowledge having sinned in thought, word and deed, “by what we have done, and by what we have failed to do.” We admit to not having loved God as we should, and to not having “loved our neighbors as ourselves.” And we seek absolution.
But do we indeed mean what we say? Or do we take refuge in the distancing of responsibility that the generalized “confession” enables?
Do we own the grave sins committed on our behalf by elected officials who are supposed to represent us and help deliver on the community’s priorities?
If we are pro-life when it comes to defending a fetus, shouldn’t we be defending children from state-sponsored cruelty that promises to scar them for life
Jesus told us to feed the hungry. Instead we have ended some food assistance programs and taken healthcare away from vulnerable millions.
We bear some responsibility for these cruelties because they are done in our name by people we elected.
Do these policies reflect our priorities and our faith? If they do not, it’s time for us to ask how we reverse these injustices and the blatant public corruption that is on display every day.
More than ever we must translate our faith into concrete actions for peace, justice and care of all of creation.
In his new book, U.S. Sen. Rev. Raphael Warnock of Georgia offers hope through a return to the ancient wisdom of the prophet Isaiah.
“The Crooked Places Made Straight: Reflections on the Moral Meaning of America” shows how Isaiah is newly relevant in our troubled world. If we listen to Isaiah’s words in church, we must follow through when we leave church by acting on what Warnock calls Isaiah’s “moral topography. A justice centered geography. God’s great vision for the land.”
We are called to do our part to make the crooked places straight. Our actions have resulted in a wounded planet that our children and grandchildren will need to repair.
The least we can do is to contribute while we can to that repair by speaking up, by standing in solidarity with the most vulnerable, by voting for the kind of leaders who are interested in serving the community, not in pandering to the wealthy and the powerful.
The top 1% of Americans own more than 30% of total wealth in the U.S. while the bottom half of the country owns less than 3%. This is inequality and injustice on a scale that bears zero resemblance to what Jesus taught us. The toxic brew that is “Christian nationalism” falsely invokes Jesus to justify policies of cruelty.
This may all seem too much for any of us to address individually. But the option is not to despair but to do what we can, where we are, to build a better world. Indifference does not meet this moment.
Local action matters
Are we in Hawaii paying attention? Only 33% of registered voters participated in the recent primary election. That means that nearly 7 out of 10 registered voters did not care enough about the crisis we are in to allow for the entry of those new candidates who are determined to work for the greater good, not for the greatest campaign donors.
Not voting tells some in power that they can keep hurting voters with impunity.
Let’s resolve to show up for the general election in November in numbers large enough to make clear that there is no room for corruption and “big money” control of our politics.
Jesus overturned the tables of the merchants who were defiling the temple. Let’s follow his example and turn the tables on complacent politicians who take voters for granted. Let’s heed the words of the prophet by our actions as much as our words.
Let’s vote for those who will serve with integrity and end the epidemic of lying in politics, and enlist others to do the same. Let’s make voting a faith practice.
Dawn Morais is a member of the Hawaii chapter of Pax Christi USA. She believes churches of all denominations can do much more to galvanize voters in Hawaii.