A Time to Hold Together: A Statement by Dean Mary Elizabeth Moore
Dear Beloved Community,
We are living in times that have unleashed hatred and discrimination as acceptable behavior, and we must be agents of compassion, justice, and peace in this critical moment. This is a time to hold together. I am not posing an issue of political parties or a particular group of politicians; I am raising an issue of cultural values that are alien to Christianity and to every major world religion. We live in a human community that needs the best of our religious traditions and the best of our human sensibilities. For those of us who are Americans, we also need the best of our country’s values.
I am writing first of all to those of you who are immigrants or refugees or children of immigrants and refugees. Your lives are precious, and the School of Theology will do all we can to protect your futures and guarantee you the full range of educational opportunities that you deserve. I want you also to know that we will devote full effort to help prospective students from countries outside the United States to complete the processes that clear the way for their coming to the School of Theology and being supported by a welcoming community. Learning is at its very best when we learn from one another, and that requires an intentional community that is equitable and diverse in every way – lands of origin, race/ethnicity, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, abilities, theological and ethical perspectives, social class, and socio-political perspectives. We are not a perfect community, but we will not cease our efforts and hope to be beloved.
I am also writing to encourage all of our community to engage in self- and communal- examination to see where our own failures in compassion, justice, and peace have contributed to a culture of hatred, however indirectly and obscurely. I hope we can work together in this process, not to batter one another with accusations, but with persistent efforts to cultivate honesty in a context that honors the dignity of each and every person and group.
Finally, some issues transcend political and social perspectives and call us into collective action. The targeting of immigrants from selected countries and the particular targeting of Muslims is not compatible with Christian teaching or the best of any religious teaching. Jesus reached out continually to those who were oppressed, abandoned, or battered. We can do no less. The present issues regarding immigration, and the fears and abuses that have been unleashed, are a concern that transcends political perspectives and raises basic human ethical issues. Prejudice is a pre-formed, generalized negative evaluation of an individual or group of people that is untested by facts but used to form judgments and often to deny rights. We need to question our own prejudices and defy cultural prejudices, while we also give our full selves to building a community without prejudice – a community that respects the preciousness of every person and group and cultivates a culture of dignity and love. This is not a sweet dream; it is a necessity if the human family and the earth family are to survive and thrive.
With deep concern and deeper hope,
Mary Elizabeth Moore
Dean and Professor of Theology and Education
Boston University School of Theology