August 28, 2011:

Ponderings of a Pilgrim PASTOR

“Keep a Civil Tongue”

Do you remember Thumper the rabbit in Walt Disney’s "Bambi?" At some point he shared with us his mother’s advice: "If you can’t say something nice about somebody, don’t say anything at all." That’s great advice but most of us have trouble practicing it. I know I do.

These days it seems particularly difficult for those aspiring to political office and their fervent supporters. While there can — and should be — sharp verbal conflicts over differences of political opinion, I do not believe it is helpful to sink to caustic name-calling. We hear people called unAmerican and unpatriotic. At least one public official was accused of treason. Treason?! It takes one back to the bad old days of Joseph McCarthy.

I doubt whether those who do this hateful namecalling really believe what they are saying. It is simply a cheap attention-getting device. The problem — as I see it — is that such ad hominem attacks pollute our political discourse. Americans need and deserve thoughtful — yes, and passionate — discussion of the critical issues facing us today. Political invective will stifle such discussion and turn opponents into enemies.

By a large margin Americans say we want our political leaders to compromise on solutions to meet our national problems. If we really want that we must tell our leaders to stop this childish behavior. If this doesn’t stop, as Betty Davis observed in one of her films: "Fasten your seat belts. It’s going to be a bumpy ride!"

And, by the way, let’s keep a civil tongue in our own conversations. Stopping and thinking before we speak harshly about someone is a good place to begin as we seek to mend the frayed fabric of our national life.

Someone in the early church remembered Paul saying: ". . . speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way . . ." (Ephesians 4:15 Selected)

Who can argue with that?

Love,
Pastor Dave