A Pastoral Response to Society's Polarization

Abstract

Expresses a personal sadness over America society's current tendencies to polarize moral positions along extreme lines. Offers a pastoral response to such polarization tendencies by drawing upon prophetic traditions of both Judaism and Christianity. Offers some practical guidelines for pastoral caregivers, recognizing the inevitable ambiguities that accompany the search for God and for personal meaning within the complex realities and dynamics of a rapidly changing world. Randall Terry [spokesman for the pro-life organization Operation Rescue]: “The bottom line is that killing children is not what America is all about. We are not here to destroy our offspring.” Fay Wattleton [president of Planned Parenthood]: “Well, we are also not here to have the government use women's bodies as the instrument of the state, to force women into involuntary servitude—” Randall Terry (laughing): “Oh come on Faye.” Faye Wattleton: “I think that as Americans celebrate the Fourth of July, our independence, and when we reflect on our personal liberties, this is a very, very somber time, in which the courts have said that the most private aspects of our lives are now … not protected by the Bill of Rights and the Constitution. And I believe that that is a time for Americans to reflect on the need to return to the fundamentals, and the fundamentals of personal privacy are really the cornerstones upon which our democracy is built.” Randall Terry: “I think that to assume or even suggest that the founding fathers of this country risked their lives and many of them died so that we can kill our offspring is pathetic.”