Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

UU Collective

Home
New Visions
Outsourced Morality

Outsourced Morality

Last updated on: October 20, 2016 at 6:36 am by David Breeden

Outsourced Morality 2016-10-20T06:36:14-06:00 David Breeden

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

True confession: I understand Trump voters. I come from that place. We’re the same people who voted for Andrew Jackson—duel-fighter, bigamist, slaveholder, and native-killer. As a matter of fact, when I was a kid, we would go to his plantation in Nashville, Tennessee on Sunday afternoons. The Hermitage. The story of Jackson told us that—no matter how poor you were born—if you intimidate enough people and steal enough stuff, you too can be president! The duel-fighter, bigamist, slaveholder, and native-killer. became those words engraved on the walls of the Hermitage: “old soldier, patriot, and Christian.”

Poor Southern whites. Some of my forebears arrived on these shores when the poor houses of England were cleaned out and the refuse people got dumped here—“root, hog or die!” There’s a lot of people like me. We came here poor and unskilled and that’s how we remain. And yes, we cling to our traditions, which happen to center around guns and violence and hating everybody else, especially those immigrant groups that have come later and done better. And when you’ve been here for 250 years, that’s a fairly long list of people to hate!

I’m not sure exactly sure when it was that I decided not to be president, but somewhere back in my many years I decided not to pursue what William Faulkner often described as “perfidy.” Deciding not to live in that manner precluded, as I saw it, Jackson’s driving forces: militarism, patriotism, and Christianity.

That’s why I’m not voting for Trump. This old hillbilly isn’t living up to Andrew Jackson’s code.

But my Humanism isn’t about what I don’t believe. Or do believe, for that matter. Humanism to me is about actions and commitments. Central concerns. Humanism is about taking ownership of choices and consequences.

Sociologist and secular theorist Phil Zukerman calls using scriptures or gods as the basis for one’s personal actions “moral outsourcing.” That rings true to me. Andrew Jackson outsourced his morality and committed the expedient.

“The gods made me do it” is a very old excuse. Sure, the gods update their moral stances from time to time, but somehow they are always behind the curve in terms of the ethical thought of human beings. Odd, that. Many people in Jackson’s day knew that Andrew Jackson was wrong in his actions.

Given the state of the union in these days before yet another election, it might be time to give the gods a rest and think for ourselves. Take responsibility for our collective actions.

Here we are, living in post-industrial Capitalism. In a nation that has historically exploited both human and natural resources for the gain of a few people. Most of the land is stolen from people who were very nearly exterminated and do not today have full protection under the law. The early economy of the nation was based largely on slavery—from the profits of selling human beings, to the products they manufactured—cotton, sugar, and rum. That labor was stolen from people whose descendants remain marginalized.

Good “ol’ Old Hickory” Jackson remains a secular saint—“old soldier, patriot, and Christian.” His violence lives on in the myth of redemptive violence the US embraces. His economics are our economics, His symbol, the jackass, is still the symbol of the Democratic Party. The US still outsources its morality.

But I’m here to say—you don’t have to live down to your past.

Previous Post

October 18, 2016

Public Service Reminder

Next Post

October 25, 2016 how we spend our lives...

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category #9/11 Abortion Class community conflict Digital Life Diversity Divorce Environmental issues Evangelism Faith Development Foregiveness Garden glbt Gratitude Grief Healing health care Holidays Hospitality Interfaith LGBT Issues Military Service Mortality Orlando Parenting Peace Politics Power Prayer Racism Relationships Religion Scripture Senior citizens Sermons simplicity Social Justice Spirituality Sports Sustainability Uncategorized Unitarian Universalist Values Women's Issues World Community Worship

Select a Month August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What city was known as the City of David?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Jericho Jerusalem Nazareth Bethlehem