Stand up to defend democracy
No, this is not about the pandemic, mind you. This letter is about an American election with many weighty matters on the line. These days signs pop up on your neighbors’ front lawns faster than Halloween decorations. Airwaves spew unwanted political propaganda at you with relentless predictability. I am sure the last thing you want is someone else’s opinion piece. But here it is…
I am a native German who came to this country 24 years ago. I have served as pastor of my flock in North Wales for 13 years now. I love my people dearly, regardless of their political persuasions and regardless of whether they read this letter and agree or disagree. For most of us pastors and faith leaders, politics is a sore subject that tends to divide our communities as much as any other group. So most of us try hard to stay out of it. But sometimes that may not be a faithful thing to do. The prophets of the Bible were never that easily shut up. I feel this particular election has monumental implications and I am compelled by my conscience to offer a perspective.
I grew up in a church in central (Western) Germany. The first President of my home synod was Martin Niemöller. The name is still familiar to many Americans. Niemöller was one of the heroes of the German resistance against the Nazis. A decorated U-Boot commander in WWI and a patriot to boot he was
serving as pastor of a congregation in Berlin when the Weimar Republic, the first German democracy, fell apart and gave way to a dictatorship. Many Americans bravely fought this dictator and shed blood for the defense of a free world. I am deeply grateful for that, and I salute them quietly when I see the pictures of those veterans on the streets of our community.
Pastor Niemöller saw the excesses of antisemitism, the abuses of power, the manipulation of justice, the criminal acts committed by people in power. He saw it first hand, he saw it early and he spoke up, spending years in prison and concentration camps as a result. Many of his contemporaries looked the other way. It was the safer choice. The history lessons that I learned growing up in Germany in the 1970’s always emphasized the importance of critical thinking, civic courage and resisting abuses of power early on before they reach a point when it’s impossible to challenge them. Of course, I don’t wish to compare the dark history lessons of my native country to the United States, the oldest existing democracy in the world, which has often been dubbed in biblical language as “shining city upon a hill.” But still, there are worrisome signs in the current state of American Democracy, in my opinion.
In the last four years of President Trump’s administration we have witnessed countless assaults on the legitimacy of the free press (fake news) and endured a litany of lies, exaggerations and misleading statements from the highest office of the country. We have heard the president lie about small things and we have heard him lie about big things. We have become conditioned to the deterioration of official statements into propaganda. Is that the new normal we are willing to accept? We have seen our president dismiss long standing democratic allies and embrace dictators. We have seen him take advantage of existing fears, deepening the divisions among our people and exploiting them for political gain. We have seen him trying to manipulate science, the judiciary and belittle our country’s Intelligence Community in front of adversaries, all in self-interest. Again, I want to ask you my dear American friends, is that the new normal we are willing to accept? I will tell you, it’s a very dangerous new normal. It is playing with fire. We have seen enough fires this year, but when our leader undermines the foundations on which our country’s democracy was built, we should all pay attention. We should ask ourselves, “Is that what we want?”
Jesus said, “Whoever has ears may listen!”