Sad Child
Photo credit: apdk on VisualHunt / CC BY-NC-SA
It should not be necessary to say, but it is:
Decency of action for those in leadership of a church, a community, or a government, is a fundamental necessity for self-governing organizations and political organizations. Indecent leaders breed indecency across the board. This fact applies to all, from world-famous mega-church pastors surrounded by adoring enablers who feel free to prey on their female parishioners to local and national officials who see the public treasuries as fruit ripe for their pickings.
It should not be necessary to say, but it is:
People in trusted leadership roles where vulnerable young people are involved, in particular in medicine and ministry, should never, ever take sexual advantage of those in their care. From team doctors to ordained clergy—it is always, in every circumstance, wrong to touch a minor with sexual intentions in mind. Always.
It should not be necessary to say, but it is:
Any organization based on secrecy and tight hierarchies, with admittance only to celibate males, and with females in hidden, subservient roles, is going to be permeated by a combination of sexual perversion and sexual frustration. Such a system has, by definition, no external sources of accountability and many reasons for lack of transparency. In addition, the internal authorities endow its members with the power to turn wine into blood and bread into flesh. The endowment further shrouds its insiders with a sense of mysterious gifts unavailable to others, whose well-being becomes less important than preserving the status of the insiders. The entire closed system will inevitably become rife with scandal, perversion, and just plain wickedness overcoming the decent (see above) people likely inhabiting the lower levels of the hierarchy. Here is an article that provides a simply horrific and previously hidden insight into Roman Catholic orphanages in the United States. Please note, this is a very difficult article to read because of the subject matter.
It should not be necessary to say, but it is:
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin. Photo Credit: By Пресс-служба Президента Российской Федерации , CC BY 3.0
In a world increasingly subject to security breaches, essential paper trails, banking regulations, ubiquitous video cameras, and relentless reporters seeking the next big break, most dark secrets are eventually going to be exposed. A person wishing to keep things hidden may make a systematic effort to silence or destroy those ferreting out information, either by disparaging words or by the kinds of despicable actions that silence them forever. In such case, those efforts will also eventually be exposed UNLESS said person takes on the role of absolute dictator and institutes a regime of pure terror which will inevitably lead to the total downfall of any society headed by such a person.
It should not be necessary to say, but it is:
Investments in maternal health and consistent nurturing care of infants and pre-schoolers pay enormous dividends later. Any society that does not give adequate support, including financial, social, and emotional help, to pregnant women and parents of infants and preschoolers carries a death wish. Sick and impoverished mothers end up with sick and impoverished children. It hurts us all.
It should not be necessary to say, but it is:
Education matters. The future of any society eventually lands in the hands of today’s school-children. Teacher training schools should be recruiting and picking from the best of the best. The public needs to be rewarding those who spend their lives pouring themselves into their students with excellent pay and benefits and superb support. No-brainer here.
It should not be necessary to say, but it is:
When people are fleeing another nation, particularly their homeland, and making hazardous, treacherous journeys to another country, such ones deserve care and a way to prove themselves worthy of being here. Because of their demonstrated courage and raw guts, societies ought to regard assimilating such strong people is an absolute good. It is upon the power of immigrants that our country grew to be a place of greatness and fantastic innovation. And, of course, there is always Jesus . . . whose family fled to Egypt to escape certain death at the hand of Herod. Just remember that. Yeah, Jesus was a refugee. A minor child with his parents.
It should not be necessary to say, but it is:
All people are flawed; all make mistakes, and most of us make pretty big ones at times. Offering forgiveness greases the wheels of society IF the mistake-maker recognizes the messes made and commits to living more justly and faithfully. But without that repentance, the willingness to admit wrong done, unspoken resentments abound and eventually bring ruin. If you are reading this, you are a flawed human being. Deal with it.
It should not be necessary to say, but it is:
Morality, truth and kindness matter. Without those three values, no society of any kind can survive. Morally sound, truthful and kind people engender trust. Trust between people reduces tensions and makes it easier to hear one another and to give one another space to differ when necessary. And differ we will—because that’s what makes us human and creative and formed in the image of God. Celebrate our differences and quit insisting everyone think alike.
Christy Thomas 2015
The Rev. Christy Thomas
The Rev. Dr. Christy Thomas of Frisco, Texas, is a retired clergy member of the North Texas Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church. This post is republished with permission from her blog, The Thoughtful Pastor, on Patheos.com