by Caleb Fort
Daily Lobo
Democrats need to recognize the spiritual needs of American citizens, said Michael Lerner, a rabbi from San Francisco.
He said liberals in the United States tend to look down on religion.
"We're not asking the liberals and progressives to become believers in God or followers of some religious tradition," he said. "We're asking the same thing that gays and lesbians asked, which is to stop the jokes. Stop the put-downs. Stop the contempt."
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Lerner gave a lecture Sunday called "The Left Hand of God: Taking Back Our Country From the Religious Right," the title of his latest book.
Lerner outlined what he called a spiritual crisis in the United States. The competitive nature of capitalist economies makes people view others in terms of how they can be used, he said. That creates problems in friendships and romantic relationships, he said.
"There is a bottom line in the world of work," he said. "That bottom line is money and power. People are learning to see other people through that framework."
For example, he said many people view relationships in terms of meeting their own needs, and often move from one partner to another because of that. That creates suspicion between people, he said.
"You can never be sure that your partner, as a rational maximizer of self-interest, isn't going to find someone else that will meet their needs better," he said. "They might try to cut a better deal."
Lerner defined spirituality as placing a high importance on love, kindness and generosity.
The religious right, led by politicians such as Newt Gingrich, recognized the spiritual crisis in America but dealt with it the wrong way, Lerner said.
"The political right in this country gained tremendous credibility because they named the crisis," he said. "The terrible fact for all of us is that they then go on to blame other people for these problems. This is always the case when you have an ultra-nationalist or religious right."
The religious right blamed feminists, homosexuals and immigrants for destroying U.S. unity - much the way Nazis blamed Jews for Germany's problems, he said.
Ashley Aleman, a UNM student who attended the event, said she was glad she went to the lecture.
"I definitely enjoyed the speech," she said. "I think there's a definite cry for spirituality in America."
Lerner said he wants people to stop worrying about what is achievable, and try to achieve the best things they can imagine.
"I am asking us to go for our highest vision and talk about it in the public realm," he said.
Aleman appreciated that ideal, she said.
"I really like that he brought up the idea of not being realistic and just going for our highest vision," she said. "I think that's something that's really lacking."
The solution to America's crisis is a religious and liberal group that places importance on the connectedness of all people, Lerner said.
"Let the next candidates not be ones who say, 'God bless America,' but ones who say, 'God bless America and every other country on this planet,'" he said.
About 250 people attended the event, held at the UNM Continuing Education Center.
The event was sponsored by 24 organizations, including the Albuquerque Mennonite Church, the Immanuel Presbyterian Church and the First Unitarian Church of Albuquerque. The main sponsor was the Network of Spiritual Progressives, of which Lerner is one of three co-chairs.
