There’s an old episode of the West Wing in which the issue of a flag-burning comes up. A pollster shows Bartlett’s people the numbers, which show that support of a constitutional amendment banning flag-burning would be a big win politically for him. Ideologically they are opposed to it–and as the president says, “People spend a great deal of time and energy on this issue, which leads me to ask, is there an epidemic of flag-burning I don’t know about?”
Another pollster, Joey Lucas, played by Marlee Matlin, saves the day. She says that the previous pollster wasn’t asking the right questions. Yes, people support a ban on flag-burning, but they weren’t asked how important that issue was to them. Very few would felt strongly enough about that one issue to actually change their vote because of it.
I was thinking about that today as I watched the vote on the PUP report. As Grace said tonight, in the PCUSA, majority rules. But I wonder how many of those 57% who voted “yea” felt *very strongly* about that action, as opposed to those who were supportive of recommendation five, but had some reservations. Same goes for the “no” votes. How many felt like this was going to mean The Demise of the PCUSA, and how many voted “no” because of just a little bit of unease about what it might mean?
Such an assessment is necessarily a subjective call, of course. And we would have to “trust each other” (drink) to be honest about the intensity of our convictions. But when the vote is so close on something, I think it would be enlightening to have that information somehow. I myself think I would have been one of the weak yea votes, for polity reasons as opposed to theological/justice issues. If the 43% who’d voted no all sincerely felt like this was a sign of the apocalypse, well, that might have influenced me.
9 Responses to “one more GA thought before I fall over”
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» I have been remiss in posting SBJ’s latest stats: 23 pounds and 27 inches at six months. Yes, I’ve got the big mama biceps.
» Aaaaaand little she-who-is lost another tooth this week!
» SBJ is four months old, 19 pounds 5 ounces, and 26 inches tall. GIGANTOR!
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You’re right that it’s hard to know what motivations for voting were. I remain skeptical of the amendment to rec#5 because NO ONE is sure of its effect, although my guess is it helped get the votes needed to pass PUP.
It will take some time to see how this works out in practice–but why oh why must we obfuscate everything?
Two signs of a possible apocalypse were in my inbox this morning: A Presbyterians For Renewal update which asserts that ordination standards have in fact been changed, and the third draft of a proposed presbytery policy for handling churches that want to withdraw from the stated clerk of our presbytery for our review. Not exactly good signs, either one. But time will tell what they really portend.
P.S. Today is the divestment debate. I think we should add the words:
clarity, justice-love, and corporate greed
to the drinking game.
Don’t forget “our Jewish brothers and sisters”!
And for that matter, “Palestinian Christians”.
Alas, I will have to sit this one out today. I’ll be counting on you to fill me in!
“our Jewish brothers and sisters”
Oy barf.
I can’t remember the name of the 2002 moderator, himself a Palestinian Christian. I wonder what he thinks about the divestment issue?
Edited to add: Is anyone else bothered by the Trinity paper? The acceptance of the report on Trinity language was an article in big-city newspaper yesterday. I don’t have a problem with Trinity language, inclusive or otherwise, but it seemed to me a little frivolous to be debating “Rainbow, Rock, Sunshine” (Rock, Paper, Scissors, anyone?) when there are other important polity and social justice issues to address. To me, it made the PCUSA seem a little new-agey. Am I getting crusty in my old age?
And how about “Mother, child, Womb” or “Noah, Ark, Dove”??It seems like a GIANT waste of time and resources plus it has people riled up. ~sigh~
As if the whole Trinity thing weren’t confusing enough to begin with…
FYI. I’m just back from Wednesday evening worship. Our associate pastor had us sing two traditional Trinity songs and then gave a little homily on why it is important not to change the language of the Trinity. Wow, was he ever worked up over this one!
I’m very torn on the Trinity paper. I am a minister today in part because of Cindy Rigby’s feminist theology class, which was an incredibly affirming, liberating and faith-deepening experience. As a fledgling poet I love that we can look to the depth and breadth of scripture for images and metaphors for God, with the awareness that all language about God is analogical (*even* Father, Son and Holy Spirit). However, some of the images of the Trinity proferred smack of modalism. Images of God as Mother, Ark, Dove, and many of the others are fine, just let them stand alone without trying to stitch them together with two other images to make a trinitarian formula.