The United States may be
its most divided since the Civil War.
Abortion
Millions
of persons, including me, consider abortion murder and adamantly oppose
abortion under most circumstances. When a Supreme Court vacancy occurred late
in President Barack Obama’s administration, Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell
led a successful move to delay the replacement until after the election when
President Donald Trump could nominate a conservative justice more likely to be
pro-life.
Now
with the prospect of a conservative Supreme Court for the foreseeable future, some
Democratic Presidential candidates advocate expanding the Supreme Court[1]
to more than nine justices, as a way to put liberals in control.
Gay Marriage
Marriage
between homosexuals is another polarizing issue. With its legalization, many
conservative Christians are outraged. And, many liberals seek even more rights
for homosexuals.
Health Care
An
increasing number of persons advocate a single-payer health care system that
offers coverage for everyone. On the other hand, many criticize government-run
health care.
Escalating Conflict
The
conflict between conservatives and liberals on abortion, gay marriage, health
care, and other issues seems to be escalating. Instead of seeking to find the
best solution or common ground, the arguments seem to be getting worse. Each
side seems determined to have its own way.
When
Barack Obama was President some persons in certain states such as Texas
considered seeking for their states to withdraw from the country to form a new
country. Now that Donald Trump is President, some persons in other states such
as California are advocating a secession from the nation.
Where Will It End?
What
will be the final result of this divisiveness? In Mathew 12:25 the Bible states
“. . . Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every
city or house divided against itself shall not stand:” (King James Version),
which is a passage Abraham Lincoln apparently used as his source when he stated
in a June
16, 1858 speech[2]
at the Illinois Republican State Convention where he had been nominated to run
for the United States Senate “. . . .A house divided against itself, cannot
stand. I believe this government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half
free. . . . ”
Lincoln
was elected President of the United States in 1860, the Civil War followed, and
Lincoln is often considered our nation’s greatest President for his role in preserving
the country and eliminating slavery. But, I like to think our nation would have
eventually eliminated slavery peacefully and avoided much of the divisiveness
that endures to this day if an even better leader had been elected.
Here
in 2019 we are not on the verge of a civil war or a secession of states. The
division is not as bad as it was in the mid1800s. But, the talk of many in
certain states about secession may lead to actual secession by one or more
states if things continue to get worse in coming years.
Perhaps
we can find leaders who will achieve a compromise that placates both sides to
some extent. Better yet, as I see it, would be to succeed in educating the
public about which side is correct on each issue, attaining unity. For example,
on the abortion issue, I’d love for everyone to accept the sanctity of life. We
could end most abortions, greatly reduce premarital and extramarital sex, improve
prenatal care, and greatly increase adoptions of unwanted children by persons
qualified to be good parents.
But,
to succeed in resolving issues like abortion, gay marriage, and health care, we
need to be willing to listen to one another respectfully and to seek the best
solution for each issue.
In
Kentucky where I live, the state motto is “united we stand, divided we fall.” I
think those are wise words. I think these words mean we need to stand for all
persons, including the unborn, and that persons desiring no children need to
exercise their God-given self-control to practice sexual abstinence or to use
contraceptives (maybe multiple methods) properly. But, for our society to be
united, somehow this message need to be communicated more effectively than it
has been so far.
Ideally,
if we all listen intelligently with an open mind, we will eventually reach
agreement on the right path to take on each issue, as we learn from one
another. Let’s seek to do it.
ENDNOTES:
[1] “Are you open to
expanding the size of the Supreme Court”; New York Times; website accessed June
30, 2019. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/us/politics/supreme-court-democratic-candidates.html
(Numerous
other websites also discuss this.)
[2] “Full text of ‘A
house divided against itself cannot stand’ ”; Lincoln Room of the University of
Illinois Library, via Archive.org; website accessed June 30, 2019. https://archive.org/stream/ahousedividedaga00linc/ahousedividedaga00linc_djvu.txt
(Numerous
other websites also quote from this speech.)
NOTE:
This piece being
submitted to Google Blogger on July 2, 2019 is based upon one the author submitted to a friend's website, Craft News Report, on June 30, 2019.
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