Petition to Gov. Sarah Palin: Stop Bearing False Witness
Dear Gov. Palin,
As fellow Christians we ask you to stop bearing false witness against your brother Barack Obama. You recently made the insidious claim that Sen. Obama "...was palling around with terrorists." All unbiased observers have noted that the claim is patently false. We the undersigned ask you to stop these false attacks and rather to raise the level of discourse to discuss the issues that matter most to Americans: the economy, the environment, education, health care, the war.
As Christians, we must remember that Jesus told us to love our neighbors and more importantly our adversaries as ourselves. Your recent stump speeches enters territory that are not only adversely affecting our civil discourse as a nation, but diverge from basic Biblical teaching.
The Ten Commandments state the case clearly: “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor."
Proverbs 6:16-19 states, "There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers."
Proverbs 19:9 states, "A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who breathes out lies will perish."
Jesus affirms in Mathew 19:18 reiterating his commitment to the Ten Commandments, "You shall not bear false witness."
And since Obama is one of us as Christians and as Americans, Obama does think like us. We believe that each of the candidates, Barack Obama and John McCain, have the best interests of the country in their hearts and minds. We may agree or disagree with the positions of either candidate, but we should not question their patriotism or their character.
We call upon you to issue a retraction and an apology and to refrain from further instances of bearing false witness against your brother, Barack Obama.
Signed the Palin petition
These last two weeks I've been sidelined and haven't been able to do much more than watch a lot of political TV and do some reading, much of it also political. What a strain on the soul! This latest stuff from Palin, and McCain, has gone and got me real, real angry. Then there's the smarminess of the whole "Country First" slogan, both as an attack on Obama's motives and as a jingoistic rallying cry -- it's irritated from the time of its first use.
And now I'm so enraged by the McCain campaign's return to 1950's style McCarthyism that I'm almost ready to vote for Obama just to run his totals higher in NY. I've also read a GOPUSA writer's piece on the "Communist Mentor" that Obama had in Hawaii when he was young. I'm infuriated -- it brings back so much bad madness. But I suspect I'll calm down and, in the end, vote Green as planned. I've never before had the opportunity to vote for an 'auld [and good] acquaintance' for VP.
In the meantime, I'll forward the petition to lists and friends.
What follows are the comments I added to the petition. I think we should be making a faith-based critique of the Country First/Greatest Force for Good/American Exceptionalism ideas as being a rather blasphemous form of nationalist idolatry. So I offer this as a first-draft example that someone else may want to develop and run with:
-- Most of us are "guilty by association" with someone whom others think is unsavory. All our stones are cast from one kind of glass house or another. What you are doing tempts others into sinning by retaliating in kind against your glass house, until many are caught in the web of the sin you've spun. And thus we are all diminished as Americans, and our nation is harmed.
Also: your proclamation of America as the greatest force for good in the world doesn't set well with those who believe the greatest force for good in the world is Jesus and his Way of love and peace. Instead of putting "Country First", shouldn't you be putting God first? Your assertion of "American Exceptionalism", along with "Country First", comes close to blasphemy: it seems to confuse America in a sacrilegious way with the New Jerusalem. Please remember that the standard phrase is "God and Country", not "Country and God". The sequence matters. The first word far outranks the second word.
Something I forgot to put in, which I think would go over pretty well to a general audience is: There's a difference between a simple "my country right or wrong" and "my country right or wrong -- when it's right, keep it right and when it's wrong, set it right." Those who would gloss over our country's wrongs in the name of patriotism and American Exceptionalism do us, and the church, a great disservice. With our exceptional power, we can be exceptionally right and exceptionally wrong. Our prophetic calling is to name those wrongs that we discern and to engage in the public process of testing our discernments, and the political process of trying to do something to 'set it right.'
Bill
How's the response been so far?
Great work on that, Stephen.
How has the response been so far?
(one of my atheist friends even logged in to sign the petition, then jokingly remarked on his own "bearing false witness" in so doing.
Bill,
I agree that the issues you raised are valid and worthy of address.
I would suggest that the difference between patriotism and nationalism is this: The patriot says "my country right or wrong -- when it's right, keep it right and when it's wrong, set it right." whereas the nationlist states "my country right or wrong".
350 and counting
Rev. Roger,
Good question...we've had 350 responses and counting...not bad for a day and a half.
take care,
steve
A wimpy comment
As per my usual, I came up with a pretty wimpy comment. But if, by some wild fluke, she reads these, maybe my southern style wimpy answer might strike a nerve.
I said this:
"Gov. Palin: I know you're probably doing as expected by the campaign consultants, but in listening to you, when you get really fired up you sound a lot like Christians I have known in my own small town world. So I do believe when you think on this, you'll see the value of retracting your accusations and making that apology. And please, I relate to you so much as the product of a small town, I'm praying you'll find the courage to be true to yourself and your own values. Telling lies and spreading nastiness will surely gain only a bad outcome. You deserve better than that. Be true to yourself and your God and all will be well."
great comment Janet...
Thank you so much Janet. Your comment demonstrates a Christian ethic of bortherly/sisterly love that seeks to correct the error while embracing the soul.