At least five people have been arrested on vandalism charges related to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. The pool has been in the news in recent weeks due to a $16 million renovation timed to be completed prior to the July 4 America250 celebration.

It has been plagued with algae and peeling paint following the renovation, however. According to President Trump, the damage was the result of deliberate sabotage.

The Washington Post reports that a small group of activists calling themselves “Team Algae” has taken up position in front of the Lincoln Memorial, cheering on the algae as a symbol of resistance to the Trump administration.

If you’re thinking “only in America,” you’re mostly right. And your sentiment is mostly a good thing.

Druids and the First Amendment

Amid the headlines from Iran, Lionel Messi’s exploits at the World Cup, and turmoil in British politics, you could be forgiven for missing the Druid celebration at Stonehenge over the weekend. I was interested in part because I visited the prehistoric megalithic structure some years ago and have followed news related to the site. And because what happened there on Sunday is a reflection of our larger cultural ethos.

Thousands of Druids dressed in colorful costumes and antlers gathered there to mark the summer solstice Sunday morning. They trace their origins to pre-Christian Celtic societies. Druids conduct their rituals in spaces they consider sacred, such as oak groves and stone circles. They also venerate the divine essence of nature and engage in environmental stewardship.

There are many places in the world where such an event would not be allowed. Imagine costume-dressed Druids celebrating the solstice in Saudi Arabia. Try to picture them in Iran or North Korea. Only in countries where freedom of religion is fully embraced could such a group have such freedom.

The same is true of the “Team Algae” demonstrators at the Reflecting Pool. It’s hard to envision them protesting against their leaders in front of Communist headquarters in China or Cuba. The freedom of speech enshrined in our First Amendment includes the freedom to protest against the government charged with ensuring such freedom.

But such freedoms of religion and speech come at a significant cost.

There are 372 religions in the US

A 672-page history of religion in America has just been published, focusing on what one reviewer calls a “dizzying number of religious groups” in our nation. This seems an appropriate description: the latest Religion Census identified 372 distinct religions in the US.

President Dwight Eisenhower would not have been surprised, stating, “We are essentially a religious people. We are not merely religious; we are inclined, more today than ever, to see the value of religion as a practical force in our affairs.”

Eisenhower was adamant: “Our form of government has no sense unless it is founded in a deeply felt religious belief, and I don’t care what it is” (my italics).

As Hamlet said, “Ay, there’s the rub.”

A speeding ticket and mercy

In a pluralistic society where all religions and speech acts that do not harm others are accorded freedom and protection, it’s easy to believe that all religions and speech acts are equivalent in value. Our “post-truth” culture considers all truth claims to be personal and subjective, including those made at Stonehenge and the Reflecting Pool.

But this cultural ethos is dangerous to our flourishing and our future.

With regard to speech acts, to claim there are no absolute truths is to make an absolute truth claim. Taken to its logical conclusion, such a mindset disallows the rule of law and results in anarchy and chaos.

With regard to religions, I can illustrate the difference between Christianity and every other option rather simply. The other day I was driving in our neighborhood when I saw a police car poised on the side of the road, its occupant obviously looking to ticket those who were speeding. I glanced at my speedometer and saw that I was driving 37 mph in a 30 mph area. I immediately slowed down (as though that would make any difference at this point) as I drove by the policeman.

When he did not ticket me, I was grateful for grace. Then I remembered that grace is getting what we do not deserve, such as our salvation in Christ (Ephesians 2:8). In my case, I received mercy, which is not getting what we do deserve (cf. Psalm 103:3–4).

Such a gift is found ultimately in Christ.

The key to flourishing

Because God is “holy, holy, holy” (Isaiah 6:3; Revelation 4:8), he must judge and punish my sin (Romans 1:18). No amount of present religious activity can pay the debt owed for my past transgressions. This would be like getting pulled over for speeding and telling the policeman about the Daily Article I wrote that morning.

The officer could be both righteous and merciful only if someone who was not speeding paid for my ticket. No religion in history, apart from Christianity, has ever offered such mercy, in large part because no religion apart from Christianity is founded on a sinless Savior.

Knowing this Savior and making him known is the key to flourishing in our souls and our society.

Why do you need his mercy today?

Quote for the day:

“God’s mercy is so great that you may sooner drain the sea of its water, or deprive the sun of its light, or make space too narrow, than diminish the great mercy of God.” —Charles Spurgeon

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Denison Forum