Social Principles Weeks 5 & 6

Well, I should start by saying that the size of this class has diminished in numbers over the past few weeks.  Some people just have had busy schedules, but I'm also hearing rumors that the class is too intense and some people "just can't handle the drama."  At least I warned them!  I can't help but wonder if there is something I could have been doing better in order to make the class go more smoothly or make sure that everyone is feeling comfortable, but the bottom line is that these are tough and sensitive issues, and I guess some people just can't handle it, and so they have stopped coming.  What can you do really?

Anyway, last week (The Economic Community) we talked about Consumption, Gambling, Foreign Workers, and Poverty.  I split the groups up into groups of 3-4 people and gave them sets of questions to discuss together.  The main reason I did this is because I think people needed a break from the big group setting, and some people feel more comfortable speaking and voicing their opinions in smaller settings. We then gathered together and went over the questions together.  There were some good thoughts and discussions.  Nothing really stood out to me worth mentioning here, but it seemed to work well.  I will say that while most people agreed with the UMC's stance on gambling (that it is not a good thing), people were surprised at the harsh and extremely negative words about gambling.  People thought there were bigger issues to concern themselves with other than gambling.  I'm still struggling with the class dynamics and personalities.  Some people are just naturally more outspoken and passionate than others, and I feel that some people in the class are getting intimidated by others.  I've spoken to one person individually and told this person to make sure that everyone has a chance to speak.  And I'll give this person credit-they were a lot more toned down tonight.

Tonight we discussed the Political Community, which covered the separation of church and state, the death penalty, criminal justice, and military service.  We had a good discussion about church and state, and everyone in the class agreed with the SP that the church and state should be separate, and that the statement on this was well-written.  Then we heard from a class member who works as a psychologist in the Federal Prison system here in TH about the facts, figures, circumstances, and the process of death penalty cases.  It was really interesting, informative, and gave people a great perspective on the issue.  We talked briefly about the question of good and evil, and I asked each person to consider their belief about God's grace, which is really a key concept in understanding the UMC stance on the death penalty.  The class seemed torn on the issue of the death penalty.  Surprisingly, there was not a lot of passionate response from either side.  Here is the SP statement on the death penalty:

We believe the death penalty denies the power of Christ to redeem, restore and transform all human beings. The United Methodist Church is deeply concerned about crime throughout the world and the value of any life taken by a murder or homicide.

We believe all human life is sacred and created by God and therefore, we must see all human life as significant and valuable. When governments implement the death penalty (capital punishment), then the life of the convicted person is devalued and all possibility of change in that person’s life ends.

We believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ and that the possibility of reconciliation with Christ comes through repentance. This gift of reconciliation is offered to all individuals without exception and gives all life new dignity and sacredness. For this reason, we oppose the death penalty (capital punishment) and urge its elimination from all criminal codes.

In the end, we as a class struggled with the amount of evil in the world, especially after hearing first hand stories from our federal prison classmate, and how we balance that with the idea that as people of faith, we are called to believe that Christ has the power to redeem, restore, and transform all human beings.  Can all human beings really be transformed?  Especially ones that show no remorse for horrendous acts?

We then closed our time talking about military service, and heard briefly from those who have served in the military and the impact it has had on their lives.

It was a calm class with a lot of silence and thought going on.  It was a serious night tonight.  I could tell that we were all struggling internally, especially with what we heard about death penalty cases.  Is there an answer to any of it?

One more week of class left!  It's been quite a journey.