After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route. Matthew 2:9-12
The golden casket sits in repose at the rear of the cathedral. The iron bars guard the content within. A young man asks me via Google Translate who is buried here. My explanation leaves him perplexed. The story obviously gets lost in translation.
In the 12th century, the Bishop of Cologne (Köln in German) acquired the remains of the Three Wise Men. Construction began in 1248 on building the grandest cathedral that would house the holy remains. When it was completed in 1880, the Cathedral of Cologne was the tallest building in the world until the Washington Monument was built four years later. Today, Cologne’s cathedral is the tallest twin-spired church in the world and Germany’s most visited landmark.
January 6th marks the Christian tradition of Epiphany, when the Three Wise Men followed a star to the Christ Child. Unfortunately, January 6th in the US marks another epiphany: the realization that an insurrection at the US Capitol nearly ended democracy as we know it.
On the surface, these two events appear to have nothing in common other than the date. One commemorates the worship of the Christ Child by three foreign sages and the other event marks a failed coup. But perhaps these two events have more in common than meets the eye.
The Wise Men search the heavens and find a star so significant that they leave home, traveling a great distance, to follow the celestial light to a foreign country. When it stops over the place where Jesus is, they worship Him and shower Him with expensive gifts. After finding the Christ Child, the Wise Men choose to disobey Herod’s request for them to return to him and divulge Jesus’ location. They defy empire as they seek a different route back to their home.
Perhaps there are parallels between the Wise Men’s quest and the insurrectionists at the Capitol. Those who descended on the US Capitol building on January 6, 2021, followed their own star, a President who refused the peaceable transfer of power after he lost re-election. Many traveled long distances to attend his rally to show their devotion to him. When the insurrectionists followed Trump’s instructions to invade the Capitol, they may have thought they were defying empire; yet, they played into the hands of one who would use empire for his own power as an authoritarian leader of an attempted coup.
Both the Wise Men and the insurrectionists bowed to worship one who would be king. Both, in their own way, defied empire. However, the Wise Men refused to allow the state to eradicate religion. The insurrectionists, on the other hand, blurred the line between church and state as they brandished crosses and other Christian symbols to lend legitimacy to their cause.
The conflation of church and state is foundational to Christian nationalism. As discussed in previous posts, Christian nationalism is a political movement that co-opts Christianity for legitimacy. The end game is destruction of democracy and the installation of an authoritarian dictatorship. A virtual shadow network led by the Council for National Policy is a consortium of Far-Right members of the Republican Party, evangelical Christian leaders, and ultra conservative donors. Their concerted efforts are alarming. Democracy in the US is hanging in the balance.
The US has been described as the Great Experiment in democracy. Other counties have modeled their governments on the institutions and principles in American democratic government. Surprisingly, the US is not the most democratic country in the world. According to V-Dem Institute* at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, the US is not even in the top 10% of democratic countries. In fact, it is ranked 23rd, down from 17th in 2017. V-Dem Institute lists several actions that are prevalent in countries where democracy, as in the US, is slipping into authoritarianism: the censorship of media, the repression of civil society organizations (like advocacy groups, nonprofits, civil rights organizations), the spread of disinformation, and the increase in polarization in society. One of the best ways to combat this slide toward authoritarianism is to fight disinformation by supporting responsible media and by calling out lies and misinformation.
Another way to support democracy is to work to heal the cracks of society’s foundation. Addressing racial injustice and economic inequality is at the crux of the problem. Social policies aimed at benefits for all, rather than stigmatizing the poorest and marginalized, will go a long way to heal our nation. Universal health care, a robust minimum wage, preschool for all children, paid parental leave, subsidized day care, and universal basic income are all concepts that other wealthy, democratic nations employ that reduce economic inequalities and therefore reduce resentment and polarization. Policies like these are more than just social justice issues; they help create a healthy democracy.
One major difference between the US and other modern democracies is how other countries have become more democratic as they strive to keep their institutions relevant for the times. George Washington believed that he and the Founding Fathers could not create a constitution that would foresee and address all future issues. He expected the Constitution to change as society changed. Unfortunately, today’s reality has not aligned with his expectations.
What keeps democracy in the US from changing with the times? Why are governmental institutions inflexible? To change the Constitution, two-thirds of Congress and 38 states must ratify any amendments. This almost impossible bar to clear keeps the Constitution static and archaic. In comparison, Norway has a lower threshold for approval of constitutional amendments and therefore can be nimbler in changing with the times. Between 1814 and 2014, Norway’s constitution was amended 316 times, placing the country as the 3rd most democratic nation by most measures. By contrast, the US Constitution has only been amended 27 times since 1791, with only 15 ratified during the same 200 years as Norway’s 316 amendments.
Certain rules in the US allow politics to be governed, not by the majority, but by a minority. The Electoral College allows a president to be elected without the support of the popular vote (examples: George W. Bush in 2000 and Donald J. Trump in 2016). Because of the Senate’s structure of having two senators per state regardless of population, the Senate can be ruled by a majority of states that together represent a minority of the population. Not only does that mean that laws can be passed by representatives of the minority, it also allows US Supreme Court Justice appointees to be confirmed by the Senate with less than the majority representation of the people.
This rule by a minority creates polarization in Congress where extremists wield undue power. As we have witnessed recently within the House of Representatives, government becomes dysfunctional when extremists thwart the majority.
Changing the structure of the US Senate to allow representation based on population would go far to ensure majority rule. Likewise, increasing the number of members in the US House of Representatives to align more with population growth would better represent voters. The last time any seats were added was in 1912. On average, each representative today represents 700,000 people; a century ago, there was one member for every 200,000 people.
By having life-time appointments for US Supreme Court Justices, the Court is ruled by those who have been on the bench so long that they are out of touch with today’s society. No other democracy has life-time appointments to their highest court. By imposing staggered term limits, each President would appoint the same number of Justices and each Justice would serve a limited time. Not only would term limits decrease the Court’s polarization by political party affiliation, the Court would better function as the checks and balances on the Executive and Legislative branches that it was designed to be.
Democracy is fragile. The soft, unspoken guard rails of mutual tolerance and institutional restraint have been ridden roughshod and are no longer capable of protecting democratic institutions. Deep divisions and polarization in our society threaten American democracy. How do we keep democracy from running off the rails? How can we keep it from dying an untimely death?
These longer-term solutions of abolishing the Electoral College, increasing representation in Congress, and imposing term-limits on US Supreme Court Justices may at first glance seem impossible to accomplish in today’s divisive environment. While these solutions are currently improbable, they must be pursued. Ultimately, they will become possible. Like other political changes that were initially deemed impossible, such as the abolition of slavery and women’s suffrage, we must begin by promoting the possibility of changing the Constitution, Congress, and the US Supreme Court. Only then can actual change happen.
When we reimagine our democracy as a nimble, living institution, change will happen. Promoting these concepts of change and voting for candidates who also hold these ideals will go a long way toward creating the change needed to strengthen democracy so that Christian nationalism and other destructive forces cannot destroy it.
For what good will it do to build the “grandest” country in the world only to house the dead relics of democracy within?
*V-Dem Institute is an independent organization that measures hundreds of attributes of democracy in countries around the globe. Click here for their 2023 report:
https://v-dem.net/documents/29/V-dem_democracyreport2023_lowres.pdf
For more information on democracy, how governments slide towards authoritarianism, and possible solutions, I highly recommend Harvard professors Steven Levitsky and Daniel Zimblatt’s books, How Democracies Die and Tyranny of the Minority: Why American Democracy Reached the Breaking Point.
Text and photograph copyright © 2024 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter, Cologne, Germany.
Not a subscriber to the monthly blog posts? Click here to subscribe. Subscribers receive an email each month that includes the post with the lead photo as well as bonus photos not posted on the website. Email addresses are never sold or shared.
A NOTE ON SOCIAL JUSTICE:
Jesus says the greatest commandments are to love God and to love people (Matthew 22:37-40). The Christian faith boils down to these two precepts.
Social justice puts that love into action by helping individuals who are oppressed, mistreated, or suffering, and by pursuing ways to dismantle systems of oppression. How we treat others, particularly those less powerful in society than ourselves, matters (Matthew 25:31-46).
Racial justice is one aspect of social justice. Check out my web page on “Justice Matters” to find resources and to connect with organizations engaging in the cause of racial justice. Click here to learn more.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
The golden casket sits in repose at the rear of the cathedral. The iron bars guard the content within. A young man asks me via Google Translate who is buried here. My explanation leaves him perplexed. The story obviously gets lost in translation.
In the 12th century, the Bishop of Cologne (Köln in German) acquired the remains of the Three Wise Men. Construction began in 1248 on building the grandest cathedral that would house the holy remains. When it was completed in 1880, the Cathedral of Cologne was the tallest building in the world until the Washington Monument was built four years later. Today, Cologne’s cathedral is the tallest twin-spired church in the world and Germany’s most visited landmark.
January 6th marks the Christian tradition of Epiphany, when the Three Wise Men followed a star to the Christ Child. Unfortunately, January 6th in the US marks another epiphany: the realization that an insurrection at the US Capitol nearly ended democracy as we know it.
On the surface, these two events appear to have nothing in common other than the date. One commemorates the worship of the Christ Child by three foreign sages and the other event marks a failed coup. But perhaps these two events have more in common than meets the eye.
The Wise Men search the heavens and find a star so significant that they leave home, traveling a great distance, to follow the celestial light to a foreign country. When it stops over the place where Jesus is, they worship Him and shower Him with expensive gifts. After finding the Christ Child, the Wise Men choose to disobey Herod’s request for them to return to him and divulge Jesus’ location. They defy empire as they seek a different route back to their home.
Perhaps there are parallels between the Wise Men’s quest and the insurrectionists at the Capitol. Those who descended on the US Capitol building on January 6, 2021, followed their own star, a President who refused the peaceable transfer of power after he lost re-election. Many traveled long distances to attend his rally to show their devotion to him. When the insurrectionists followed Trump’s instructions to invade the Capitol, they may have thought they were defying empire; yet, they played into the hands of one who would use empire for his own power as an authoritarian leader of an attempted coup.
Both the Wise Men and the insurrectionists bowed to worship one who would be king. Both, in their own way, defied empire. However, the Wise Men refused to allow the state to eradicate religion. The insurrectionists, on the other hand, blurred the line between church and state as they brandished crosses and other Christian symbols to lend legitimacy to their cause.
The conflation of church and state is foundational to Christian nationalism. As discussed in previous posts, Christian nationalism is a political movement that co-opts Christianity for legitimacy. The end game is destruction of democracy and the installation of an authoritarian dictatorship. A virtual shadow network led by the Council for National Policy is a consortium of Far-Right members of the Republican Party, evangelical Christian leaders, and ultra conservative donors. Their concerted efforts are alarming. Democracy in the US is hanging in the balance.
The US has been described as the Great Experiment in democracy. Other counties have modeled their governments on the institutions and principles in American democratic government. Surprisingly, the US is not the most democratic country in the world. According to V-Dem Institute* at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, the US is not even in the top 10% of democratic countries. In fact, it is ranked 23rd, down from 17th in 2017. V-Dem Institute lists several actions that are prevalent in countries where democracy, as in the US, is slipping into authoritarianism: the censorship of media, the repression of civil society organizations (like advocacy groups, nonprofits, civil rights organizations), the spread of disinformation, and the increase in polarization in society. One of the best ways to combat this slide toward authoritarianism is to fight disinformation by supporting responsible media and by calling out lies and misinformation.
Another way to support democracy is to work to heal the cracks of society’s foundation. Addressing racial injustice and economic inequality is at the crux of the problem. Social policies aimed at benefits for all, rather than stigmatizing the poorest and marginalized, will go a long way to heal our nation. Universal health care, a robust minimum wage, preschool for all children, paid parental leave, subsidized day care, and universal basic income are all concepts that other wealthy, democratic nations employ that reduce economic inequalities and therefore reduce resentment and polarization. Policies like these are more than just social justice issues; they help create a healthy democracy.
One major difference between the US and other modern democracies is how other countries have become more democratic as they strive to keep their institutions relevant for the times. George Washington believed that he and the Founding Fathers could not create a constitution that would foresee and address all future issues. He expected the Constitution to change as society changed. Unfortunately, today’s reality has not aligned with his expectations.
What keeps democracy in the US from changing with the times? Why are governmental institutions inflexible? To change the Constitution, two-thirds of Congress and 38 states must ratify any amendments. This almost impossible bar to clear keeps the Constitution static and archaic. In comparison, Norway has a lower threshold for approval of constitutional amendments and therefore can be nimbler in changing with the times. Between 1814 and 2014, Norway’s constitution was amended 316 times, placing the country as the 3rd most democratic nation by most measures. By contrast, the US Constitution has only been amended 27 times since 1791, with only 15 ratified during the same 200 years as Norway’s 316 amendments.
Certain rules in the US allow politics to be governed, not by the majority, but by a minority. The Electoral College allows a president to be elected without the support of the popular vote (examples: George W. Bush in 2000 and Donald J. Trump in 2016). Because of the Senate’s structure of having two senators per state regardless of population, the Senate can be ruled by a majority of states that together represent a minority of the population. Not only does that mean that laws can be passed by representatives of the minority, it also allows US Supreme Court Justice appointees to be confirmed by the Senate with less than the majority representation of the people.
This rule by a minority creates polarization in Congress where extremists wield undue power. As we have witnessed recently within the House of Representatives, government becomes dysfunctional when extremists thwart the majority.
Changing the structure of the US Senate to allow representation based on population would go far to ensure majority rule. Likewise, increasing the number of members in the US House of Representatives to align more with population growth would better represent voters. The last time any seats were added was in 1912. On average, each representative today represents 700,000 people; a century ago, there was one member for every 200,000 people.
By having life-time appointments for US Supreme Court Justices, the Court is ruled by those who have been on the bench so long that they are out of touch with today’s society. No other democracy has life-time appointments to their highest court. By imposing staggered term limits, each President would appoint the same number of Justices and each Justice would serve a limited time. Not only would term limits decrease the Court’s polarization by political party affiliation, the Court would better function as the checks and balances on the Executive and Legislative branches that it was designed to be.
Democracy is fragile. The soft, unspoken guard rails of mutual tolerance and institutional restraint have been ridden roughshod and are no longer capable of protecting democratic institutions. Deep divisions and polarization in our society threaten American democracy. How do we keep democracy from running off the rails? How can we keep it from dying an untimely death?
These longer-term solutions of abolishing the Electoral College, increasing representation in Congress, and imposing term-limits on US Supreme Court Justices may at first glance seem impossible to accomplish in today’s divisive environment. While these solutions are currently improbable, they must be pursued. Ultimately, they will become possible. Like other political changes that were initially deemed impossible, such as the abolition of slavery and women’s suffrage, we must begin by promoting the possibility of changing the Constitution, Congress, and the US Supreme Court. Only then can actual change happen.
When we reimagine our democracy as a nimble, living institution, change will happen. Promoting these concepts of change and voting for candidates who also hold these ideals will go a long way toward creating the change needed to strengthen democracy so that Christian nationalism and other destructive forces cannot destroy it.
For what good will it do to build the “grandest” country in the world only to house the dead relics of democracy within?
*V-Dem Institute is an independent organization that measures hundreds of attributes of democracy in countries around the globe. Click here for their 2023 report:
https://v-dem.net/documents/29/V-dem_democracyreport2023_lowres.pdf
For more information on democracy, how governments slide towards authoritarianism, and possible solutions, I highly recommend Harvard professors Steven Levitsky and Daniel Zimblatt’s books, How Democracies Die and Tyranny of the Minority: Why American Democracy Reached the Breaking Point.
Text and photograph copyright © 2024 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter, Cologne, Germany.
Not a subscriber to the monthly blog posts? Click here to subscribe. Subscribers receive an email each month that includes the post with the lead photo as well as bonus photos not posted on the website. Email addresses are never sold or shared.
A NOTE ON SOCIAL JUSTICE:
Jesus says the greatest commandments are to love God and to love people (Matthew 22:37-40). The Christian faith boils down to these two precepts.
Social justice puts that love into action by helping individuals who are oppressed, mistreated, or suffering, and by pursuing ways to dismantle systems of oppression. How we treat others, particularly those less powerful in society than ourselves, matters (Matthew 25:31-46).
Racial justice is one aspect of social justice. Check out my web page on “Justice Matters” to find resources and to connect with organizations engaging in the cause of racial justice. Click here to learn more.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
RSS Feed