His words, too, run counter to the fundamental precept of the prophets, whose message, according to my father, theologian Abraham Joshua Heschel, is clear: “in a free society, some are guilty, but all are responsible.”
Yes, the gunman who pulled the trigger is the one put on trial, but almost instantly we all began a profound and very moving period of collective soul-searching. How might we have contributed to an atmosphere in which such a heinous act could take place? What can we do to change the ugliness of our language? Do our words and tone indicate a bitterness of heart and an anger in our spirits that is damaging to ourselves and our entire society?
“Our society.” The phrase reveals the gulf between a civilized society and the world advocated by Palin. Civilized people strive for ways to co-exist and seek moral principles that achieve peace and prosperity for all, not just for ourselves. Palin’s insistence on freedom seems to suggest freedom for oneself, without assuming any responsibility for others, a perspective that would create a wild realm in which each person looks out for herself, not for the collective. Yet again, that is not the message of the bible. When God points out immoral behavior, it is of the collective people, not individuals. The prophet Amos condemns the crimes and injustices committed by an entire society, be it Israel or Edom, and the prophet Jonah calls on all citizens of Nineveh to repent, not just those who have acted in sin.
The dream of the prophets is not for conquest, power, or wealth. The dream of the prophets is of peace. A civilized society does not live by the sword, but by principles of justice, and those principles require a clear and careful articulation. Words do create worlds.
(Source: religiondispatches.org)
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