G-d and Caesar: Religious Themes in American Politics - Part I

1. G-d and Caesar: Religious Themes in American Politics

This is a discussion of religion and politics offered initially as a sermon at the Nature Coast Unitarian-Universalist Fellowship in Citrus County and then as a three part series at the Adult Education hour at St. Richard’s Episcopal Church, Winter Park. This is Part I.

The sermon and series was presented via a power point presentation, the slides of which appear below interspersed with the script used to narrate it.

I. Introduction:  Nationalism, Deadly Force, Religion

          On January 6, 2020, a mob estimated by the FBI to be about 5000 people descended on the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. The gathering occurred as electoral votes from the Presidential election from the preceding November were being counted inside the capitol, an election in which Democrat Joe Biden had won. Congress’ certification of the electoral count was a mere formality. But supporters of Donald Trump descended upon the Capital seeking to keep him in power by preventing 

The attack was unsuccessful in preventing the certification of the election results. But, according to the bipartisan House select committee that investigated the incident, within 36 hours, five people died, and many were injured, including 174 police officers. Four officers who responded to the attack would die by suicide within seven months. Damage caused by attackers exceeded $2.7 million.

2. A Gallows Amidst “Jesus Saves” Signs

For millions of Americans watching these events, many in varying stages of shock, this attempted insurrection was marked by three major patterns of expression. The first was the use of nationalistic symbols. The people who swarmed through broken windows and broke into Congressional offices widely displayed versions of the American flag and signs proclaiming their patriotism.

            The second mode of expression was that of death. The chants from the mob as it began to swarm into the Capitol building spoke of hanging Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Vice-President Mike Pence for their refusal to throw out the votes of the American people and declaring the electoral loser, Donald Trump, President. That theme was exemplified by the gallows erected by rioters complete with hanging noose, surrounded by “Jesus Saves” signs, in front of the Capitol building in which members of Congress were hiding, not knowing how far the wrath of the mob would extend.

3. A Chance to Annihilate Your Enemies

            The third mode of expression involved religion. Bradley Onishi, a religious scholar and former conservative evangelical, spoke of the Jericho March the night before Jan. 6 billed as a prayer rally for those who love the nation. But

            “[In] the Jericho story… the Israelites march around the city of Jericho, and God             miraculously brings down the walls after seven circles around the city. What's not usually told is that once that happens, the Israelites go into the city — and they slaughter every man, woman, child and animal. Well, if you have a Jericho      March, you're telling me that you're having a prayer rally, hoping that you have a chance to go in and annihilate your enemies.”

            That deadly theme was echoed by participants who entered the capitol. Jacob Chansley,’s horned fur hat, bare chest and face paint made him one of the more recognizable figures in the insurrection. Chansley entered the US Senate chamber, sat at the desk of the Senate president and said: "Thank you for allowing the United States to be reborn. We love you and we thank you. In Christ's holy name, we pray." He then proceeded to take selfies at the dais and refused to vacate the seat before leaving a note on the dais that read "It's Only A Matter of Time. Justice Is Coming!"  

            The January 6 insurrection thus produced a bizarre combination of nationalism, deadly force and religion, the elements that mark Christian Nationalism.

4. Founders: The Question Left Pending

           Our Founders were clear from the outset that no particular form of religion could ever be imposed  on the citizens of our country. But the question they left pending from the beginning of our  Constitutional republic was how religious values could inform the construction, execution and interpretation of the law that their new republic could sustain. That question continues today.  .

            As an academic who studies religion, law and society, I know that religious themes have always informed American politics. And I should note that today’s discussion will barely scratch the surface of those possibilities.

            In these three week sessions I will focus on three themes that came were observable in the past three national elections. The first is the dueling notions of kingdoms that arise from the life of Jesus, the second is the opposing constructs of messiahs and anti-christs, and the third is the conflicted role of Calvinist thought in American government and the threat its extremist vision poses to democracy.

5. Two Kingdoms, Two Visions

    This first portion of my talk draws on the work of biblical scholar John Dominic Crossan, author of over 30 books on the historical Jesus and a founding member of the Jesus Seminar. In his book The Last Week, co-authored with New Testament scholar Marcus Borg, Crossan argues that two processions entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday in 30 CE from opposite ends of the city. One was led by Pontius Pilate, the other by Jesus. Pilate entered Jerusalem from the west at the head of a column of soldiers and cavalry, his procession symbolically proclaiming the power of the empire, a show of wealth, power, and glory. More importantly, his procession was meant to remind the Jewish pilgrims present for the Passover feast that Rome was in charge.

6. Death – The Ultimate Power

             Rome made that clear to their conquered provinces through its use of public executions. The ultimate power of the Roman Empire was the power of death. Crucifixions were always public, the victims stripped of their clothing adding shame to the excruciating pain. Rome frequently used human bodies as the medium to send messages to their subservient masses – We are in control. Do not challenge us. Consider the sign attached to the cross above Jesus’ head which read “This is Jesus of Nazareth (who says he is) King of the Jews.” In other words, “There is no king in the Roman Empire but Caesar and this is what happens to you when you forget that.”

7. Jesus’s Strategic Public Ministry

           In Jesus's procession he rode a donkey down the Mount of Olives from the east as his followers cheered him on. According to Crossan, this was a very deliberate strategy. While the Romans were ready to snatch any perceived threats to the empire from the streets and imprison, torture and kill them, they were less likely to do so when these figures were surrounded by supporters who could turn on the Roman army if their leader was threatened. Jesus did his public ministry in the daylight and returned to nearby Bethany at night out of the watchful eyes of the empire.

            Like Pilate’s procession, Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem proclaimed a kingdom as well, a Kingdom of God. His choice of mounts was deliberate – it fulfilled a prophecy from Zechariah. The two processions represent the central conflict of Holy Week, which led to Jesus's crucifixion.

8. Dueling Kingdoms

          So what are these dueling kingdoms? What values and worldviews inform them?

            The "Kingdom of Caesar" symbolized earthly power, hierarchy, dominance, and self-interest, where might makes right and the powerful are prioritized over the weak. In contrast, Jesus’ "Kingdom of God" represented a realm of love, humility, forgiveness, and service to others, prioritizing the needs of the marginalized. The Kingdom of Caesar valued power and control. The Kingdom of God valued spiritual and moral goodness.

9. Familiar Themes

        Crossan has historically combined biblical scholarship with archaeological evidence. He notes that the coins of this era spoke of the Caesar in terms Christians will find very familiar. The Roman imperial cult insisted that its Caesars were to be seen as gods. Not only was Caesar Augustus born of a virgin thus making him the Son of God, he was proclaimed the Savior of the World, God incarnate; fully divine and fully human.  Again, those ideas should sound familiar to Christian ears.

10. Princes of Peace

           Caesar was also said to be the personification of peace on earth, the prince of peace. But the Roman coins spell out what this vision of peace meant: “First victory, then peace.” Hence, the Roman vision of peace arose from its imperial religion, was achieved through war in which it was victorious and only then did peace ensue.

            Religion -> War -> Victory -> Peace.

            Jesus’s kingdom offered a very different understanding of peace. Like the Roman alternative, it began with religion. But Jesus’ vision was expressed in non-violence. From that beginning place, justice arose and only then could peace be attained. This is in keeping with his Hebrew tradition. The Hebrew word Shalom means peace which arises from right relations. Jesus recognized that you can never get peace through victory. At best, you can attain a lull until the next time fighting erupts which will be even more violent than the last time. Jesus was articulating a Jewish vision of a god who is just, wanted a fair distribution of the world that belonged to G-d.

            Religion - > Non-Violence -> Justice -> Peace.

11. Little Wonder Messianic Thought Was Prevalent

        Of course, nothing in the 1^st CE Roman colony of Palestine suggested non-violence or justice. The empire practiced an extractive economy which created benefits for the people of Rome at the expense of the masses of people forced to produce it, many of whom lingered at death’s doorstep from starvation. Little wonder messianic thinking was prevalent in Hebrew thought. Given that they saw their G_d as just, they presumed that the unjust world they experienced required a divine cleanup and that this could not come too soon. Hence their anticipation of the coming of a messiah.

            Some saw Jesus in that role. But his Kingdom of G-d vision taught that the clean up was already happening - a collaborative, participatory process. In short, while the Hebrew people had been waiting for G-d to act, G-d has been waiting for them to do the same thing. Thus two kingdoms come into conflict. In the Kingdom of Caesar, whose power is based on military might, political influence, and social status, with the ruler holding absolute authority. In Jesus’ Kingdom of God, power is exercised through love, compassion, and sacrifice, with the ultimate authority belonging to God.

12. Conflict Erupts at Temple Mount

           That conflict would ripen at the moment that Jesus engaged in a non-violent protest at the Temple Mount during the week of Passover. The Romans were on high alert as the Hebrew tradition said that if the Messiah was to appear it would be around Passover. When Jesus clears the Temple, disrupting business there on 1^st CE Jerusalem’s version of Black Friday, disrupting the collection of imperial taxes which also occurred there, the Romans run out of patience. Within days, he will be crucified.

13. Christian Symbols at the Insurrection

          So what does this have to do with America?

            It would be difficult to make a case that America has ever embraced the values of Jesus’ kingdom of G_d. Indeed, the Jesus movement itself would within three centuries become a new religion called Christianity which largely absorbed the structure and many of the values of the Roman Empire.

            But go back to the symbols that were displayed on January 6 at the insurrection at the US Capitol. The values of Christian nationalism presume a conflation of a religious faith with a given nation-state and a deity who favors that nation-state willing to use deadly force in its service. This is the Roman Empire on steroids. There is no small irony in the fact that while Christian nationalism legitimates itself in the name and tradition of Jesus, its values are those of the empire who crucified him. Whatever else the MAGA movement is about, it’s not about Jesus’ kingdom of G-d.

14. QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

 

1. What difference does it make that the MAGA movement embodies the values of the Kingdom of Caesar?

2. Is it problematic that MAGA adherents claim the mantle of Christianity? How so? And for whom?

3. If America has never really embodied the values of Jesus’ Kingdom of G-d, have there been times we were closer to that than today?

4. What, if any, response should those who follow Jesus be?

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 Harry Scott Coverston

 Orlando, Florida

  frharry@cfl.rr.com

 hcoverston.orlando@gmail.com

   If the unexamined life is not worth living, surely an unexamined belief system, be it religious or political, is not worth holding. Most things worth considering do not come in sound bites.

 

   Those who believe religion and politics aren't connected don't understand either. – Mahatma Gandhi

 For what does G-d require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your G-d?  - Micah 6:8, Hebrew Scriptures

 

 Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world's grief. Do justly, now. Love mercy, now. Walk humbly now. You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it. - Rabbi Rami Shapiro, Wisdom of the Jewish Sages (1993)

 

      © Harry Coverston, 2025

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Meditations Beneath a Blood Moon

I had set my clock for 1:45 AM, taking up residence on the couch so as not to awaken my Husband when the alarm went off. As excited as I was, my sleep had been fitful. These celestial events don’t come around often. But I knew if I didn’t get a little slumber in before the big event, I’d be sorry the next day. 

The most difficult part of the evening would be extricating myself from the couch when my iPad alarm went off. My Lo-Cats, Shiloh and Willow, were sleeping on my feet. That’s a major accomplishment for all three of us. I have been working hard with these two former ferals for a couple of years to help them domesticate me. They didn’t cede any ground and I was only able to rise from the couch under feline protest.

I decided I’d try to keep watch from the deck just outside our sliding glass door in the back. I took a candle with me to signal to my psyche that I was there to meditate, reflect and pray. I would take up residence in a nook behind one of my plant shelves where I hoped that the motion sensor would not pick up my presence after awhile and leave me in darkness to ponder the heavens. It worked but only for awhile.

My candle with its three wicks flickered. Under the blackening skies, the darkness of the world seems far away in this backyard sanctum, the statue from Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil at the edge of the deck where I sit. As I begin to relax, I am feeling  safe in this place we have worked so hard to make home.   

As the edge of the moon starts to disappear into darkness, I begin to pray:

O G-d, source, ground and destination of all being. Be with us in this time of cataclysmic change. As the brightness of Sister Moon is covered by an interposing of the Good Earth in front of Brother Sun, we, too, feel the light subsiding from our world.

We know this enshrouding darkness is not forever. But it is frightening. We don’t know what to expect, who will be harmed, what will die without hope of resurrection. We also know that darkness is not to be abhorred, that it is necessary for a wholeness in creation. We know that without darkness light makes no sense. And yet, like ancient peoples, we see this eclipse as a time of chaos and danger. And we tremble.

Be our light in the darkness, Holy One. Help us to remember that darkness is not darkness to you, the light and the dark are alike.

As I pray a falling star blazes out across the western horizon.

I continue….

 

Sister Moon, you have nearly disappeared. Your brightness now an orange brown dullness. The eclipse is nearing completion. Soon your light will once again peek from behind the interposing Mother Earth. Can we hold our breath that long? Can we wait in darkness and silence trusting in your return ? Can we trust that our lives together will regain a sanity that tonight seems so far removed from us?

 

Hoping for a better view, go out to my front yard just inside the green wall of the Jungle sheltered from the brightness of street lights. As I crane my neck to see the now fully eclipsed moon, the smell of orange blossoms surrounds me, perfuming the cool night air. I stand barefoot in my Jungle in this place where I offer my prayers each morning, my stone Buddha looking on in silence, where I turn clockwise, reiki charged hands moving clockwise to point in every direction. Prayers for the sick and suffering emanate daily from this plod of Earth’s surface I have been lent for my lifetime to love.

 

Somehow it feels safe this night even as Sister Moon is now completely obscured, smothered by the interposition of this beautiful blue and green planet, our island home. Other than the occasional car on the nearby expressway, it is still. The birds that will soon sing the sun up are still sleeping. They neither toil nor spin. And they do not fear a darkened moon. They trust their Creator. Can we do likewise?

I come back into the house to see if the local television news is providing a better view of the eclipse than my little cell phone can capture. The first channel to appear is the local PBS station. Bill Moyers and Joseph Campbell are talking about the power of myth. Have we human animals who became fully human through our ability to see life through the lens of myth lost our desire to claim our souls? Will we lose our humanity in the process if not our planet? And will there be a PBS to remind us of what we have lost?

Moyer and Campbell are talking about the hero who must die to be reborn. Is this where we are this night? Must the world as we know it collapse and die before it can be reborn, not as a reanimation of the old world which no longer works, but as something new, something that hopefully will retain the best of the old? Campbell reminds us, without death there can be no rebirth.

This seems so risky, so dangerous. What if the chaos does not subside but only spreads to encompass everything? What if the darkness of the eclipse does not end? Surely I am not the first human being to wonder if the world was ending even as rebirth seems so far away.

 The eclipse is now total.

And then, on the far rim of the darkened moon, a tiny hint of white appears. The light is returning to the world, a process that will take another hour and a half to be completed. It will be a long night of waiting and watching. But the light is coming. What will be illuminated on the other side of eclipse - lunar, societal, spiritual?

The sliver of white is now growing. I feel my heart lift. Maybe things will be OK. It will be a long wait. But I sense that the current suffering may just be the beginning. Even so, there is hope for what lies on the other side of this sea of anxiety this night.

With the rebirthing process underway, my anxieties now spoken, my prayers said, my awe and respect to the natural world paid, it is time to return to bed. There will be battles to fight tomorrow. But for this night, we have come through the cataclysm.

As I head to bed, I find myself saying familiar words from the Evening Prayer service from our Book of Common Prayer:

Keep watch, dear Lord, with those who work, or watch, or weep this night, and give your angels charge over those who sleep. Tend the sick, Lord Christ; give rest to the weary, bless the dying, soothe the suffering, pity the afflicted, shield the joyous; and all for your love's sake. Amen.

 

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 Harry Scott Coverston

 Orlando, Florida

  frharry@cfl.rr.com

 hcoverston.orlando@gmail.com

   If the unexamined life is not worth living, surely an unexamined belief system, be it religious or political, is not worth holding. Most things worth considering do not come in sound bites.

   Those who believe religion and politics aren't connected don't understand either. – Mahatma Gandhi

 For what does G-d require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your G-d?  - Micah 6:8, Hebrew Scriptures

 Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world's grief. Do justly, now. Love mercy, now. Walk humbly now. You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it. - Rabbi Rami Shapiro, Wisdom of the Jewish Sages (1993)

      © Harry Coverston, 2025

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How Near is the Word?

"The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart"

 Today’s lessons are particularly fitting for the first of six Sundays in our Lenten observance. We are called during these 40 days of Lent to reflect on our lives, both individually and collectively. Our invitation from our Ash Wednesday service to the observance of a holy Lent includes these words: I invite you, therefore, in the name of the Church, to the observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God's holy Word. 

We Franciscans pledge to read scripture regularly as a part of our observance of our Third Order rule. If there is ever a particularly good time to do this, it is during Lent. Today’s word’s from St. Paul’s letter to the Romans tell us why: "The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart." But the reading and reflection on scripture is just the beginning of call to follow Jesus. St. Paul says that those who proclaim with their lips and believe in their heart in the resurrection will be saved.

 But not just the believer.

 What Distinctions Do We Make and Why? 

At the end of this brief segment of the epistle, St. Paul tells us why this is important: “For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all…..” We are being reminded here that all human beings are children of G_d. All bear the divine image that demands our respect.

 

Any distinctions we might want to make - like race and ethnicity, religious or political creed, sexuality, places of origin – are ultimately exercises of a tyrannical ego that feels a need to separate people into categories and thereafter assert the superiority of our own tribe vis-à-vis others. Sadly, this often occurs in the name of Christ. But whatever else it might be, this common behavior is not the Way of Jesus.

So how near is the word to us? Is it on our lips, in our hearts and does it show forth in our lives? Where do we feel compelled to draw distinctions among the children of G_d, distinctions which always serve our need to feel superior? How conscious are we of these tendencies? Lent is a good time to reflect on this.

Nations Built by Immigrants 

The Hebrew Scripture lesson for today features an Abraham, who is the father of the Hebrew people, reciting the tribal history:

"A wandering Aramean was my ancestor; he went down into Egypt and lived there as an alien, few in number, and there he became a great nation, mighty and populous. When the Egyptians treated us harshly and afflicted us, by imposing hard labor on us, we cried to the Lord, the God of our ancestors; the Lord heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. The Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm…” 

 

Abraham prompts us to consider our own ancestral lineage. We live in a nation built by immigrants. With the exception of the Native Americans, we are all descendants of immigrants. Some came for opportunities. Many came to escape oppression.

In times past our nation remembered that history with a spirit of gratitude. It is reflected by the plaque at the foot of the Statue of Liberty in New York City’s harbor, dedicated in 1903, containing the lyrical words of poet Emma Lazarus: "

 

Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

 

That seems so long ago in these days of roundups and deportations reminiscent of authoritarian regimes of the mid-20^th CE. But the Deuteronimist, writing in the chaotic period when both the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah fell to invaders, ends his recitation of this tribal history with some interesting words. Upon arriving in this new land flowing with milk and honey, the Hebrew people brought the first fruits of the land as an offering to G_d. And they are told

 

“You shall set [this offering] down before the Lord your God and bow down before the Lord your God. Then you, together with the Levites and the aliens who reside among you, shall celebrate with all the bounty that the Lord your God has given to you and to your house.”

  

Note how G_d instructs the Hebrew people to treat those “aliens who reside among” them. G-d’s people are to share the bounty of the land with all who dwell therein, recognizing that whatever offering they would bring is ultimately a gift from the G_d who is the source of all blessings.

 

So how near is the word to us? Is it on our lips, in our hearts and does it show forth in our lives? Where do we feel compelled to draw distinctions among the children of G_d, distinctions which always serve our need to feel superior? How conscious are we of these tendencies? Lent is a good time to reflect on this.

 

In the Desert, Direction Comes 

Luke’s Gospel provides us with the account of Jesus’ temptations in the desert. Jesus has just had a life-changing encounter at the Jordan River. He now knows who he is and what he has been called to do. Not surprisingly, this is all more than he can handle at that moment and so he escapes the crowds surrounding John the Baptiser and goes into the desert to reflect on this new life.

 This is a pattern we will see in Jesus frequently – the active engagement of the poor and the suffering followed by time alone in reflection with G-d. If that pattern sounds familiar to you it should – it reflects the two prongs of our Franciscan spirituality – the action of a Francis engaging the world and the contemplation of Clare who holds the orders together quietly and methodically amidst a life of prayer.

 

It is in the desert that Jesus encounters the Satan, a Hebrew word for the tempter, the tester, the accuser and – my favorite as a recovering public defender – the prosecutor. And the temptations here should sound very familiar to us.

The Satan challenges a hungry Jesus to turn stones into bread, a focus on wealth and privilege that would seem a no-brainer in a consumerist culture such as our own. But Jesus says no, “One does not live by bread alone.” There is more to life than simply material abundance. Contrary to common wisdom, the one who dies with the most toys does not win.

The Satan then offers Jesus a bargain. Jesus is shown the kingdoms of the world and told he could be in charge of all of them if he is willing to worship the Satan.  In a culture where power without restraints is worshipped and its employment without concern for who is harmed by it is the stuff of everyday news, accepting this bargain would seem obvious.

 

But the kingdom of G_d that Jesus will lay out in his life and ministry, teaching his followers to pray that it come on earth as in heaven, is not about exercising power over others. It’s not about the worship of temporal power. It’s not about seeing those holders of power in messianic terms. Jesus’ response to the Satan is clear: Serve only the G-d who is the source and creator of all living beings. As such that places restraints on any use of power, particularly that which harms vulnerable peoples and the good Creation.

 How Tempting to Believe Our Tribe is Special

The last trick up the Satan’s sleeve is to dare Jesus to test G-d’s willingness to protect him from harm. Go ahead and jump off this roof, the Satan tells him, G-d will send angels to keep you from harm. You’re special, Jesus. But Jesus tells the Satan, enough of these games, be gone.

 

How tempting is it to believe that our tribe is so special that the Holy One is on our side, protecting us from our own errors, even intervening on our behalf? The belief that one is among the elect, the chosen, is inordinately tempting, isn’t it? Consider the notion of the New Covenant – we got it right, they got it wrong – notions that will ultimately play out in a Holocaust. Consider the notion of G-d bless the USA. While a humble prayer for divine guidance would be appropriate for any nation-state, there is a hint of exclusivity here - if not a sense of entitlement - in its ordinary utterance. What would make the USA so special to G_d?

 

So how near is the word to us? Is it on our lips, in our hearts and does it show forth in our lives? Where do we feel compelled to draw distinctions among the children of G_d, distinctions which always serve our need to feel superior? How conscious are we of these tendencies? Lent is a good time to reflect on this.

Much to Consider in the Next Six Weeks...

These lessons today offer us much to consider over the next six weeks. I believe what G_d wants from us is not an extended session of pummeling ourselves over our human imperfections, an often unrecognized exercise in narcissism, laboring  under the misapprehension that we must do this for G_d to forgive us.

 

But none of us have to do this. There has never been a single part of any of us that our Creator did not love. What we are called to do this Lent is to reflect upon our lives individually and collectively and then to act in the light of that contemplation.

 So how near is the word to us? Is it on our lips, in our hearts and does it show forth in our lives? Lent is a good time to reflect on this.

Holy One, whose blessed Son was led by the Spirit to be tempted by Satan: Come quickly to help us who are assaulted by many temptations; and, as you know the weaknesses of each of us, let each one find you mighty to save; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Collect, I Lent, Year C)

[A sermon preached Sunday, March 09, 2025 for the Lenten Retreat, Third Order Society of St. Francis, at Holy Names Monastery, St. Leo, Florida]

            

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 Harry Scott Coverston

 Orlando, Florida

  frharry@cfl.rr.com

 hcoverston.orlando@gmail.com

   If the unexamined life is not worth living, surely an unexamined belief system, be it religious or political, is not worth holding. Most things worth considering do not come in sound bites.

   Those who believe religion and politics aren't connected don't understand either. – Mahatma Gandhi

 For what does G-d require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your G-d?  - Micah 6:8, Hebrew Scriptures

 Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world's grief. Do justly, now. Love mercy, now. Walk humbly now. You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it. - Rabbi Rami Shapiro, Wisdom of the Jewish Sages (1993)

      © Harry Coverston, 2025

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