There’s Not Always a Way, but We Still Need a Will

We keep hearing that an indictment of a former president is "unprecedented." I suppose it is. It also strikes me as something that is less common than it should be. Accountability should be the norm rather than the exception. It should apply to our leaders too. Nobody should be above the law in a "nation of laws." Dick Cheney should have been prosecuted for war crimes.

Thinking about criminal indictments also makes me wonder about impeachment. This was once rare and now seems to be so common that most sitting presidents will face efforts to impeach them. This will happen with and without cause. Of course, investigations of sitting presidents and their associates are even more common. These were once rare too. And again, these happen with and without good reasons.

Why Haven't I Written More About Secular Spirituality?

Spirituality is a topic I haven't written much about. This might seem odd because I do have some interest in secular spirituality. I've thought of writing about it many times but always seem to pull back. Of all the posts I've started and abandoned before finishing, most relate to this topic.

There are a few reasons for my reluctance, but I'm not sure any of them are good reasons. I'm also not sure I'm willing to let any of them hold me back much longer. In this post, I'll take a look at three of these reasons and see if I can set them aside.

The Stakes Are High in the Contest Between Secularism and Theocracy

In the United States, we hear a lot about the ongoing conflict between Democrats and Republicans. Around election time, we hear about red states and blue states. We hear about the urban-rural divide. We hear about how differences in education account for differences in attitudes.

As relevant as these divides are, it often seems like secularism vs. theocracy is a more fundamental conflict. After all, today's Democratic Party is anything but secular. Instead of standing up for our secular democracy, many Democratic leaders have adopted a path of pandering to the religious majority. For the non-religious among us, regardless of our political leanings, it is about secularism vs. theocracy.

I Don't Want to Drive Hate and Bigotry Underground

If someone hated you, wouldn't you want to know about it? To clarify, I am not asking whether you'd like to listen to them express their hatred of you. I'll assume you would not enjoy that any more than I would. Instead, I'm asking you to imagine a scenario where someone hates you. In that case, would you rather know about it or not?

I'd want to know. For my own safety, I'd consider this relevant information to have. Remaining unaware of their hate seems dangerous. I wouldn't know that I needed to avoid them or be on guard around them. I'd be less prepared.