religious coercion is an oxymoron

Religious coercion is certainly not a desirable goal. My revered teacher and mentor, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, frequently noted that “religious coercion is an oxymoron.”

This is because when a ritual act is coerced by an external political force, it ceases to have any religious or spiritual significance. Quite the opposite, in fact: it only enhances anti-religious antagonisms, pushing the unwilling participant much further away from true Divine service and commitment….

In the final analysis, it is not through enforced laws, but rather by inspiring love, that we must attempt to express the glories of Shabbat. And love means accepting with love even those who decide to reject the laws of Shabbat.

                                         Shlomo Riskin, The Jerusalem Post  9/30/19

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Religious coercion is an oxymoron

Because behaviors that are coerced, ceased to have religious or spiritual significance

Fundamentalist, authoritarian faiths

Almost always make this mistake

They make the mistake of thinking that they can

force

coerce

guilt

shame

people into faith

or at least a semblance of faith

In America there are many who believe that by legislating certain things

and plastering “In God we Trust” on school walls

and making a show of their religious piety

on the public stage

they can make America “godly”

they are wrong

When people who are not “in” the system already

(evangelical Christianity)

See the Christian right screaming about abortion,

They don’t see people who are “pro-life”

They see people who are blind to the pain and struggle of women who are in horrible, often tragic situations

When they see Christian extremists pushing laws that minimize, marginalize

and even demonize people who are LGBTQI

they don’t see people “standing up for Christian values”,

they see people forgetting that when God says “I love all”, God means all.

When they see people who say that Christians must “obey” they law

support laws, or interpretations of laws that put children in cages,

they don’t see Godly obedience, they see hypocrisy

God is love (the scriptures are pretty clear on that)

and the way to a God of love is not through coercion, but through love

Not through power, but through service

Not through wealth, but through generosity

God is love

and the only way to a God of love is through a choice

to love the One who loves us back

And a love relationship cannot be

an abusive, coercive relationship

A religion of love

Cannot be led by people who use an abusive, coercive style of leadership

If Evangelical Christian America wants to ‘save’ America

It needs to stop passing coercive laws

And start loving

It can’t pass laws to force people into its version of religious obedience

While at the same time caging children

Cutting supports for the vulnerable

Ignoring the healthcare crisis

Incarcerating minorities

Failing to pay a living way to workers

It can’t threaten to execute women who have abortions

It can’t give “religious” people free rein to refuse services to people who don’t “line up” with their ideology

If Evangelical American want to impact America and touch people’s lives

It has to stop being coercive, and start loving

The church (and the officials it supports)

needs to fund homeless shelters and universal health care

It needs to welcome immigrants into our midst

It needs to accept people who are LGBTQI as full members of the family of God

It needs to feed the hungry

It needs to fight for justice for all

And demand that we work toward economic inequity

It is not through coercive laws

Though the abuse of power

That we glorify God

It is through love

Agape, unconditional love

For all means all