BLIND OBEDIENCE
1/18/09 Summit UU Fellowship Rev. Kathleen A. Green
There was a young woman who moved out into her own house. While living at home, she never cooked. Upon the move, she returned home to learn how to cook a few dishes. One of her favorite recipes was Pot Roast. So she asks her mother to show her how to cook one.
The daughter stops her mom. “Mom, I understand why we cut the vegetables the same size and I know the reason we salt and pepper the meat all over, but why did you cut a little bit off each end of the roast before you placed it in the pan?”
“Because that’s what you do,” said the mom.
“But why?” questioned the girl. “Does it help it cook better?”
“Well, I do it this way, because that’s the way my Mom taught me”, said the mother. “But I’m not really sure why. Next time we go to visit we’ll ask her.”
Several months later the family gathers at Grandma’s house for dinner. As grandma prepares the meal, the mother and daughter are in the kitchen with her. The daughter asks her grandmother, “Grandma, you’re such a good cook, and I know you passed all your methods on to Mom, but I can’t figure out why we cut the ends off of the pot roast before we cook it.” The grandmother turned to her granddaughter and said, “What are you talking about? I don’t cut the ends off before I cook it.” At this point, the mother jumps into the conversation and says, “Yes you do! The time you showed me how to make pot roast, you started to put it in the pan, and then you put the roast back on the cutting board and cut about an inch off each end of the roast. I’ve been doing it that way ever since,” she declared!
The grandmother stared at her daughter in amazement. “I cut the ends off the pot roast so it would fit in my only pan!”
In the Quran, Allah says, The worst of all creatures, including all that walk, creep or crawl on the earth, are those who are not sensible, reasonable, and rational (who do not use their intelligence) [8:22].
The Quran uses a wide variety of literary forms to convey its message. Generally, the experts agree that there are four types of basic literary forms used in Quran: Parable, oath, debate, and narrative. The parable is commonly translated as simile or metaphors. A parable is a narrative of imagined events used to illustrate or convey a moral or spiritual lesson.
Parable[i]: The Chattel Slave
And God puts forward the example; a chattel slave, he has no power of any sort, and a man on whom We have bestowed a good provision from us, and He spends thereof secretly and openly. Can they be equal? All the praises and thanks be to God. Nay! Most of them know not (16:75)
Okay, not exactly an endearing story or beautiful poetry to reflect upon! Not a story at all, compared to our parable last week from the Buddhist tradition. But it is considered a parable nonetheless.
I went to an interesting website that studies the Quran’s teachings to see what was said about this parable. There were 2 particular points made: 1.The chattel slave: “The Quran uses the similitude of a Chattel Slave for a person who does not have his own opinion and blindly follows someone else, just like a slave obeys a master. Due to this blind obedience, the slave like person would not use the intellects – the faculties of knowing and reasoning - given by God to every human being. Typically, if such a person is asked about any subject the reply would be: “I believe because such and such person – his master - has said this or written in his book”. No reasoning, evidence, or arguments would shake his belief in his master. Such a subservient attitude leads to a life of subjugation.”
The term chattel slave rather than slave makes it clear that African people trafficked during the transatlantic slave trade were treated as property, with no possessions and no rights as a means to differentiate the transatlantic slave trade from other forms of slavery and serfdom, both historical and contemporaneous.
Chattel slavery is the most heinous of slaveries and is closest to the slavery that prevailed in early American history. It does exist today. Chattel slaves are considered their masters’ property — exchanged for things like trucks or money and expected to perform labor and sexual favors. Once of age, their children are expected to do the same. In the North African country of Mauritania, though slavery was legally abolished there in 1980, today 90,000 slaves continue to serve the Muslim Berber ruling class. Similarly, in the African country of Sudan, villages in the South are raided — killing all the men and taking the women and children to be auctioned off and sold into slavery.
Likening anyone to a chattel slave is a grave denunciation.
2. A man on whom We have bestowed a good provision:
symbolizes a person who has a free mind. He uses his intellectual faculties to decide what is wrong and what is right. He follows principles. This attitude leads to a good life; a life of spiritual and material abundance, which is shared by that person with others openly or secretly.
When I began preparing this sermon I thought, “Why did I choose this parable? It’s so simple. I’ll be preaching to the choir!”. But, just like last week, with the Buddhist parable of The Young Monk and the Ants, there is an opportunity to go deeper.
Those of you familiar with UU history are likely to recognize similarities with the Islamic parable and Unitarian Universalism’s use of reason and high esteem for intellect. As well, the irony of Islamic extremists, and other fanatics, and fundamentalists is likely not lost on you either. But it is inspiring to find this connection between the parable in the Quran and our own rich history. In reading a brief history of the Unitarian movement and heritage, I found a statement of the four doctrines that bound them. These are the beliefs that “summoned the consciences and minds of a great people, which fired them with enthusiasm and set the stage for rational religion.” The important one for this morning is the third: the appeal to reason in matters of belief. “The Unitarians knew their Bible and they sought inspiration from it. They studied it thoroughly, in the light of historical and textual criticism. They opened the study of world religions. They championed the growing knowledge from science and humanities. But all religious teaching and instruction must appeal to our highest faculty, the intellect.”
This doesn’t just apply to religion, but to the secular world as well. AT&T fired President John Walter after nine months, saying he lacked intellectual leadership. He received a $26 million severance package. You have to wonder, perhaps it's not Walter who's lacking intelligence.
There is a connection with this parable and its lesson, and our elected leaders, both of our country and of our denomination. In just 2 days, we will honor and celebrate the inauguration of our 44th president. Our first African-American president, Barack Obama. It doesn’t matter much, really, which party our president is attached to. Obama has said this himself. It matters that he has a free mind. He uses his intellectual faculties to decide what is wrong and what is right, rather than enslave his mind to a particular political party. I want a president that inspires me to reach across the aisle and the table and the street, to listen to what others have to say. To listen in order that I may then use my intellect to make an informed and reasoned judgment.
In June of this year, UUs from all over the country, and beyond, will gather in Salt Lake City, Utah, and one of our tasks will be to elect a new president of the Unitarian Universalist Association. It doesn’t matter much, really, how large a church they’ve pastored or how many years they served in professional ministry. It matters that they have a free mind. That they use their intellectual faculties to decide what is wrong and what is right, rather than enslave their mind to any particular group within the denomination. I want a president that inspires our congregations to reach across the aisle and the table and the street, to listen to what others have to say. To listen in order that we may then use our collective intellect as a religious community to make informed and reasoned judgments. Of course, both Obama and whoever will be elected to serve as Pres. Of the UUA, will have advisors and guides. All great leaders do. And we too have advisors and guides in each other as we listen to each other speak our truths in love.
The parable of the chattel slave draws a clear distinction between those who act according to their own intellect and conscience and those who act according to how they are told to act by someone else. I’m reminded of our recent work on Proposition 8. While I do believe that working on the No On 8 campaign was a clear case of standing on the side of love, a human rights issue, and a commitment to social justice, I know that not everyone (even in this religious community) agreed. But there is a difference between those who acted according to their own intellect and conscience and those who acted according to how they were told to act.
When one of our members who worked our phone bank told me about a conversation he had with a husband & wife who were sincerely and unequivocally afraid to vote any way other than what their minister had told them to vote – they actually said that they were told they would go to hell if they voted “No” on prop 8 – my heart sank. Regardless of how I might wish they would change their minds and change their vote, regardless of how “ridiculous” it might sound to some that these people really believed what their minister had told them about the punishment of hell, it is painful to see or hear or feel someone enslaved in such a way as this. Blind obedience is a dangerous and tragic way to live. I question whether or not it is really living at all. There is a difference between merely existing and fully living.
The moral of this parable, according to the Quran study website is that a person, who uses his intellects to judge, is on the right path and is rewarded accordingly. And the one, who blindly follows others, without understanding the principles, is like a slave. It appears rather straightforward and not overtly challenging to those of us who consider ourselves “freethinkers.”
This is the difficult path – blind obedience can be a trap for all of us.
By this, I mean to say that even religious “liberals”/progressives need to use their intellect – step back from extremists and step back to listen to others and come to find the truth for themselves. Whether you’re listening to the voice of Rush Limbaugh or Keith Olberman, Rev. Gene Robinson or Rev. Rick Warren, step back. Step back and be willing to listen to all of the voices in order to then put reason into action, use the faculties of intellect in decision-making and judgment. Our country’s president elect has pledged to do so, and it is a noble if arduous pursuit.
Tomorrow is MLK day and what a poignant time to consider the life a leader such as MLK, the progress of the civil rights movement, the dream that some of our brothers and sisters have seen come true and the dreams that are still waiting to be fulfilled. We learn from parables in the world’s great religions that we are connected UU to Muslim to Buddhist, to Jew. MLK said “We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” There is no place for slavery, in any form, in our world. Let us use our intellects, our reason, to choose love over hatred, to walk the path of compassion, and to work together for peace and justice.
Rev. William E. Gardner said: We all have two religions: the religion we talk about and the religion we live. It is our task to make the difference between the two as small as possible.
So be it.
Call to worship: Calvin Dame
Come. Let us be joined in seeking the aspirations of the heart.
Come. Let us be joined in seeking the aspirations of the heart.
Come. Let us be joined in giving voice to those melodies which can heal the wounded soul.
Come. Let us be joined in speaking the words which set us free.
Come and let us worship together.
Benediction: Jonalu Johnstone
We shall overcome.
When we can truly celebrate the diversity of contributions and talents offered by all people, we shall overcome hatred and prejudice and oppression.
When we can truly extend our hands to one another in loving acceptance, we shall overcome the past that haunts us now.
Living in peace and freedom, we shall overcome the wrongs that have happened and the debts left unpaid.
Let us join together in that commitment to overcome.
Salaam, shalom, and blessed be.
