Letter to the Editor: Use Language to Facilitate Peace and Hope in Today's World

Over the past few weeks, we have witnessed a call for more civil discourse in the public arena. From the call of President Barack Obama in Tucson to the gesture of congressional delegations sitting together at the State of the Union Address, there has been a noticeable toning-down of verbal attacks upon political opponents.

We, as members of the Three Village Interfaith Clergy Association, want to affirm this trend and remind all of us that passion about conviction, in faith or in politics, does not give license to personal attacks, violent language, vilifying the “other,” or singling out any one group for blame or ridicule.

In all of our discourse, we affirm that we should be comfortable in our own convictions and free to articulate them in the public forum. However, when we enter such discourse, we should also be openly prepared to be influenced by the way the experiences of others have shaped their own values and opinions. We believe that genuine dialogue connects people in creative mutuality. The hallmarks of such a relationship, even a fleeting one, are deep listening, empathetic response to feelings and needs, openness to new points of view, and honest, respectful sharing and response. Being quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger, and doing all we can to avoid defensive posturing is wise counsel.

The obligation to show respect for others is deeply rooted in our theological conviction that all persons have been created by God and are of sacred worth. How we speak should reflect the honor and respect we owe each other as fellow human beings. In the absence of a relationship of mutual respect, the influence of the Holy – God called by many names – is incapacitated. How do we listen for the voice of God when the voices of our opposing views become so strident and insulting?

We seek a common approach and understanding for the good of our communities, with the hope that all persons will be ever mindful of the language that we use and the spirit of our communication. Personal demonizing, violent language, arrogance, and boasting can create a poisonous and dangerous public atmosphere. No one who holds views that differ from our own—no matter how radical those differences may be—no one should be painted as a mortal enemy.

The just, free, and sustainable world for which we all yearn is made of relationships through which sacred Love flows unimpeded. The name we give that Love, the language in which we say our prayers, and the scripture we carry in our hearts and hands is irrelevant. What matters is how we use it to nourish compassion, to grow hope and to sow peace in every relationship in a diverse and challenging world.

Signed,
Margaret H. Allen, Consulting Minister, Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Stony Brook
Rev. Ms. Elizabeth Braddon, Stony Brook Community Church
Rabbi Stephen A. Karol, Temple Isaiah
Ismail Zahed, Islamic Association of Long Island
John Kloepfer, Setauket Presbyterian Church
Rabbi Howard Hoffman, North Shore Jewish Center
Kirton J. Lashley, Setauket UMC
The Rev. Ann M. Tillman, Caroline Church of Brookhaven
Rev. Gregory L. Leonard, Bethel AME Church
Father Robert Smith, St. James RC Church