2 November 2005

The week ends with more sin-talk from "Do No Harm" by Stephen G. Ray, Jr.

It is important to note the implicit-and less than obvious-discourse of sin. That is to say, the conceptual form and currency of the welfare reform discussion are directly related to a Christian discourse of sin and morality. So, while words like responsibility and values are used, sin is nevertheless implied in a subterranean manner.

The image that surrounds what Ray has been calling the "welfare queen" is one of sin. Of course, as he writes, people will use words like "responsibility" or "irresponsibility" in discussions about welfare reform, but what never gets to the surface is the implied sin. This is especially the case when we are dealing with government welfare concerns. We never use sin-talk in legislation or from the floor of the halls of congress or state houses, but if you peel back our clean-up language, there we will find the finger-pointing words of sin-talk that can turn people into objects and then even into objects that can be discarded - some may even say must be discarded. Therefore, there can be wonderful talk about what we "value" in the lives of our citizens (like good hard work, respect for self) but we really do not value all the citizens. We give ourselves reason, thanks to what can be the subtle nature of sin-talk, to come up with ways to disregard the worth of the poor for the sake of coming up with a programs that are made more to suit the views and perceptions of the general public.

Connection: Poverty is a huge reality among us. It is not a situation caused by someone else's sin. It it because of "our" sin. Until we all look in the mirror and see the face of the poor, we will continue to add nothing to the conversation and work that is needed to bring forth a new vision that will take into consideration the welfare of the entire community.

In this day, Lord, bring us your peace - your peace - your wholeness, for we long to see more than we let ourselves see and we long to be a part of your Reign that continues to come but so often seems so far away. Amen.