Fireworks, footlongs, baseball and the beach are the usual order of the day on the U.S. Independence Day holiday. Our philharmonic here in S.C. will accompany lakeside festivities with the usual 1812 Overture, complete with cannon fire. And many will contemplate the years they served in uniform, or supported someone who did. Being in the Bible Belt, no doubt some will pray for our country and sing patriotic hymns. The predominant emotions, though, will be enjoyment of a long weekend and cookouts with friends.

Cherry Hill Seminary serves students and includes faculty from a number of countries, but we acknowledge our American residency, roots and culture by reflecting on what spiritual messages we might glean from July 4th. The U.S. certainly has much to be proud of. There is also more than enough shame to go around. Americans (and many Pagans, I might add) have often been brash, self-absorbed, and obsessed with the idea of independence—whether national or personal—as rivaling the common good for supremacy.

Being so recently transplanted from other shores, most of our ancestors might have cautioned us that liberty is a rare flower which only thrives in the right conditions, with a time of bloom that can be shorter than we anticipated. Our indigenous – First Nations friends can certainly attest to that truth. I happen to love flowers and go to some trouble to keep my yard blooming most times of the year. I know all too well that neglect or just hoping for a good outcome are not enough to ensure a colorful display in my garden.

Gardening wears me out and leaves me aching; so does the work of being a citizen in my country. It is not enough for me to only read the news I want to see, hope the local zoning and water commissions will issue permits that are good for the land as well as the community, or substitute clicktivism on social media for actually trying to understand issues and make an impact myself. At the time that I write, it is looking as if negligence may have caused the deaths of at least 150 people at a collapsed condo in Florida. The final crash of concrete happened quickly, but the signs were there several years ago. Likewise, our neglect of healthy community can begin to crack the foundations of democracy.

This weekend may we enjoy some long overdue fun, including the hotdogs. But let’s also pause to contemplate the work—the burden, if you will—of enjoying a way of life that few in history have known. Ask your gods, consult your preferred divination, and discuss with your intimates, how to make our world a kinder, stronger, safer place. Commit to the ongoing burden of liberty, and look forward to more beautiful seasons of its flowering.

Holli S. Emore, M.Div
Executive Director

This week I watched a fantastic documentary film called Shared Legacies: The African-American Jewish Civil Rights Alliance. The inspiration of Shared Legacies was in jarring contrast to the Washington riot we’ve been seeing replayed over and over on television. It’s hard to place the lives lost in the DC melee beside civil rights martyrs. Still, we must remember that some lost their lives in a way that refocused our attention on the things that really matter in America and beyond. A juxtaposition of January 6 with a previous Black Lives Matter march and rally allows those who are willing to see the distinction between injustice and a healthy democracy. Exposure of many of the January 6 protestors has revealed ugly truths about our society. I expect to see more gaslighting and conspiracy theories spewed, but now they will be backlit by the brighter lights who are stepping forward to bring our democracy back into a semblance of balance.

Late afternoon on the 6th I met with interfaith and Jewish leaders here in my city to determine what our immediate public response would be. We knew that whatever we might say about what had already happened, we needed to put out messaging that might prevent bloodshed in the near future. I called Andras Corban-Arthen of Earthspirit for advice. Andras has been deeply involved in global interfaith for many years. He agreed with me that interfaith groups must avoid politics. But, he exclaimed, everything is political, and politics is how people in our society communicate with each other. He pointed out that there are many religions whose members have a long history of bloodshed and conflict, but who have learned to come together over shared human concerns like hunger, racism, equal rights and environmental work.

In the end, our statewide media release noted that marches are a cherished American practice, but urged people to refrain from counterprotest for the time being because the white nationalists across the country were eager and prepared for physical conflict. One person contacted us with a polite reproach that protest is an important part of her spirituality. My reply was that she should continue to do all that she can, but to explore fresh ways to speak out which would not jeopardize her or others’ lives, to watch for a day soon when rather than pouring gas on flames, one’s voice will be heard, effecting change.

Nonetheless, our spiritual lives do seek a way to connect with others during dangerous times. While I counsel caution about going abroad during pandemic (when I visited a state MAGA rally on the morning of January 6 I believe I saw only one person wearing a mask), I am personally committed to continuing to speak my truth in support of justice and against racism.

White nationalist activities grow bolder not just in the United States but in many countries. This has drawn extra attention to the Paganism & Its Discontents conference of 2019 and the release of a publication of those papers in fall of 2020 by a U.K. publisher. Whatever our theology, spirituality or practice, surely we can all agree that it is high time for humans to treat each other as they wish to be treated, that it is time for whites to stop fearing people of color, time to affirm the merits of a multicultural society. Within this seminary’s virtual walls we encourage discussion in the classroom and beyond about how to make a difference. We encourage that discussion to arise out of passion, not anger, the latter being a fire that is too easily quenched or too quick to surge out into a wildfire. Anger can burn, and some things need burning, but right now we need new beginnings, the fruit of intense passion for life. A dispassionate composure may help us to look back on our history with honesty, finally making us able as a country to admit how we have harmed so many.

Once we have looked back with remorse, then unity and peace naturally lead us into the future. Is this Pollyanna speaking? Or could it be that deep in my heart I really do believe that we shall overcome someday? In the days to come, be gentle with each other. Assume good faith and intent, and affirm integrity when you see it.

Holli S. Emore, M.Div
Executive Director

Tomorrow many Christians will celebrate a feast of fire which they call Pentecost. Some of you may remember the story, and it feels as if fire is raining down on all our heads today, around our country, just as it did on the early apostles of the Pentecost story.

I asked my friend, a Lutheran minister, what he plans to say to his congregation tomorrow. He had just driven several hours to get home in time to attend a rally here in Columbia which turned ugly after he left, thinking it was over. He pointed out that we can let fire consume and destroy, or we can let it rise up inside us to emerge as righteous action.

Anger which destroys is not what is needed right now. Anger which demands justice certainly is. That fiery anger can be the fuel that keeps us working for something better long after the last protester has gone home. Here in South Carolina, one of the only states in the country without a hate crimes law, there is one crawling slowly towards a vote – get fired up about getting that passed.

Don’t just collect cans of food at a once-a-year Pagan festival – find out what is needed in your own community to address poverty, unequal education, domestic violence, and all the plagues that would destroy. Don’t just look away from the white separatists and anarchists who would turn us against each other. Live your truth right in front of them. Speak up, step up, and do the work. Most importantly, don’t just lament your white privilege (or lack of it) – live your life in a way that will tip the scales of Maat back to balance, for all of us.

Finally, I want to quote Michelle Obama, a very wise woman, who tweeted yesterday: “It’s up to all of us—Black, white, everyone—no matter how well-meaning we think we might be, to do the honest, uncomfortable work of rooting it out. It starts with self-examination and listening to those whose lives are different from our own.

“It ends with justice, compassion, and empathy that manifests in our lives and on our streets. I pray we all have the strength for that journey, just as I pray for the souls and the families of those who were taken from us.”

My prayer as well, may it be so.

Holli S. Emore, M.Div
Executive Director