Politics and Religion
Conversations at family gatherings have that familiar dynamic - that which divides can seem more interesting than what unites. In other words, instead of talking about the weather or the OSU Buckeyes, we're drawn, like the sailors of Lorelei, towards debate that sometimes turns rancorous.
Ham of Bone has it bad; he tells stories of arguments with his inlaws that begin with "Bush is an idiot!", a mantra that his mother-in-law answers to every point he makes. She comes infinitely close to saying that Bone is an idiot (trying to say it as politiely as possible of course). He doesn't bring up politics and attempts valiantly to avoid ad hominens but they know he is conservative and it seems to be an invisible thorn rankling them.
But, as Fulton Sheen says, win an argument, lose a soul. And as tasty as debate is at the family gatherings, his saying puts things in perspective since not everyone at the gatherings is Christian.
Debate for the Christian in this scenerio seems a fool's game. Why take a chance of pissing someone off and endanger the possibility of being an instrument for God? For example, in a recent debate on the "gay days" at Disney World I said, "at least we can agree that Disney should give a heads-up on gay day so that parents who don't want their children exposed to that can elect not to go", to which came the reply that heterosexuals should give gays a heads-up when they come to the park.
But in the end who cares about Gay Day at Disney compared to the souls of family members? If they consider me an idiot on matters political, they probably will on things spiritual. How about those Buckeyes!
I know that gay days are different from tax policies, but I think we need more Dorothy Days in the world. I think they could speak the language of my in-laws. Part of what made Dorothy Day so special was that she was a political liberal but not a religious liberal. She didn't carry her liberalism into the church and instead was orthodox and loyal to the Magisterium. (Of course, I shouldn't carry my conservatism into church either. Conservatism in its pristine form is the absence of ideology so it should be easier.)
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