03-01-24

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
March 1, 2024
On this day in 1692, a group of people were brought before the local magistrates in Salem Village, Massachusetts, for what would be the start of the Salem Witch Trials. Now much of what has been shared about the trials is exaggerated or misunderstood, and of course, many movies have used the trials as a starting point for some fanciful horror stories. Depending on who you read, close to 200 people were arrested; many of them experienced forms of torture; and maybe as many as twenty people were hung. These accusations of witchcraft were started among the Puritans, a Christian reform movement that did not believe other reform movements had gone far enough. But so much of what led to the accusations of witchcraft was religiously inspired fear, but equally troubling was how good religious people fabricated certain things and felt justified because they believed they were pursuing a greater good. Of course, lying in pursuit of truth has never yielded truth.

I bring this up today as I am deeply concerned about falsehoods about immigration in this country. Now let me be clear, and I have been saying this for more than 20 years: we need serious AND comprehensive immigration reform. Despite what some might say, one or two changes will make little to no difference. But recently, I have heard politicians and even a minister say that undocumented individuals in this country are much more violent than the average person and are committing crimes at a very high rate. There is one small problem with those statements—they do not match the facts, but who wants to let a few facts get in the way of a good fear-producing lie? When people mislead on things like this, others get hurt. Equally important, by confusing the issue with fear, it is nearly impossible to look at the problem rationally and actually take steps toward solving it.

On Sunday, we are talking about fear, and though I will not be talking about Witch Trials or Immigration, when fear grips us, especially unnecessary fear, it is nearly impossible to deal with what is in front of us in any sort of thoughtful way. When people around us are stoking our fear, often because they want to distract us, good decisions will become more and more difficult to find. When you find yourself needing to make a decision and someone is introducing more anxiety to the decision-making process, it is probably good to ask the question, “How might this person benefit from my feelings of fear?” The one who is causing my fear may, in fact, be the one who should be feared. There are numerous places in scripture where we read, “Do not fear,” but I sort of wonder if a better translation might have been, “Don’t get sucked into other people’s fear-inducing deceptions as they almost always want to take advantage of you.”

By your gracious presence, Mighty God, I seek to find the strength to ask good questions and rise above the unnecessary and fabricated fear that is always attempting to pull me away from you and from the work of loving my neighbor. Amen.