After I wrote part 1 yesterday, I had two vivid memories of lessons learned about dissent in my early days. The first was my father, who claimed to be an atheist and was certainly often paranoid, who spoke up when my church wanted to have a Christmas Eve service in a 200-year-old building with no sprinkler system, doors that opened inward, and a wood burning stove in the basement. The two congregations that shared this third building (it was only used in the summer) put lit candles on the tree. After the first year (which scared all of us beyond description), my dad called the fire marshal who shut the event down the next year. People were really angry, but he was right. The second memory is of my sophomore year in high school. The school budget had been voted down, canceling many programs, including sports. The seniors organized a two-day walkout during second period, which is when attendance was taken. This mattered because state funding was based on attendance. A re-vote was called, and the budget passed. The power of dissent.
The dark side of dissent is that it can also be divisive and destructive, even when it is for a good cause. Colin Kaepernick famously knelt during the National Anthem to protest police brutality against African Americans, and most of white America lost its mind. While I defend his right to free speech, I was bothered that it was done in that way. Students protesting Israel on college campuses were, in some cases, kicked out of their respective schools. And what started out, for many, as a protest against what they believed to be a stolen election (the big lie), became a way for some of those protestors to commit treason by attacking our Capitol Building. We have the right to protest peacefully – we have the right to assemble – we do not have the right to commit violence.
In the aftermath of the election, there are voices telling us to stop complaining; some of those same voices protested for four years against that results of the last election, which I find interesting. And yes – if you don’t believe that the incoming president was elected properly, you should stop whining. Unlike so many deniers from 2020, I accept the results of elections, even if the person I voted for did not win. This does not mean, however, that we should not remain vigilant. We should demand qualified government appointments. We should demand that people’s rights not be taken away. We should demand that the Constitution continue to be protected and defended. Dissent keeps democracy in place, and to stop speaking up is to give up on each person’s humanity. Our dissent is about morality and equal rights, and we need to continue to speak up and out against anyone who would define some as not worthy of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. This is the power of dissent.
Prayer – Holy God, give us the courage to speak the truth and work towards peace and justice. Amen.
Today’s image is from Tiananmen Square in Beijing. June 5, 1989.