Writer’s Rant
February 12, 2025
…Divided We Fall. This phrase was first coined on July 7, 1768 by founding father John Dickinson in his pre-Revolutionary war song titled: “The Liberty Song”. In the song, he wrote “Then join hand in hand, brave Americans all! By uniting, we stand; by dividing, we fall.”
Patrick Henry used the phrase in his last public speech, given in March 1799, in which he denounced the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions, which argued against the power of the federal government, in favor of states’ rights. Clasping his hands and swaying unsteadily, Henry declaimed, “Let us trust God, and our better judgment to set us right hereafter. United we stand, divided we fall. Let us not split into factions which must destroy that union upon which our existence hangs.” At the end of his oration, Henry fell into the arms of bystanders and was carried, almost lifeless, into a nearby tavern. Two months afterward, he died.
During his unsuccessful campaign against Stephen Douglas in 1858, Abe Lincoln gave a speech centered on the “House Divided” analogy to illustrate the need for a universal decision on slavery across all the states.
Since 1942, the phrase is the state motto of Kentucky and on the Missouri flag, the phrase is written around the center circle. There are many more instances of its use, both nationally and internationally.
Sadly, we continue to ignore the words and wisdom of our forefathers. The politics of today continue to divide us, just as it has since our independence almost 250 years ago. And it trickles down to every aspect of our lives. Even the most sacrosanct institution, the church, in which we seek sanctuary, encourages division. It’s not an obvious declaration, but hidden behind thinly disguised language telling us we should believe a certain way. As subtle as it may be, I find it tantamount to the fire and brimstone preached by some denominations, walking away feeling like if I don’t believe as they do, I am in the wrong place.
Last week, the message was all about many parts, but only one body. That’s all about being united and not divided. But that same message was subverted with subtle references to the government taking away funds from refugee resettlement programs. The message disregarded investigations into any misuse of funds that when found and corrected, could lead to bigger and better programs about refugee resettlement programs.
Recent preaching on immigration and how Jesus tells us to accept and love, even the foreigners, was taken completely out of context from scripture. St. Thomas Aquinas, perhaps the GOAT on scripture, wrote in his “ORDO AMORIS” that there is an order or hierarchy of charity and love. This is the order: family, neighbor, community, fellow citizens in your own country, the rest of the world. He references John 15: 12-13 (‘greater love …etc.”) and 1 Timothy 5:8 (“if any man does not care for his own…”)
My point is, regardless of what we believe or what side of the issues we are on, there is no hope for unity when even the church takes positions on political infighting and wields its’ single-minded authority on its’ captive audience.
You can agree or disagree with all I have said. That’s OK. But being united is all about accepting the actions and opinions of others without trying to impeach them.
And that folks, is my rant for today.
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