Happy fourth of July, everybody. As you know, our country and its government are in the middle of a pretty rough storm, right now. Partisan ugliness is peaking. Our government is making war and wartime abuses a first resort. Things are looking grim. Nevertheless, we do still have a Constitution, and we do still have a representative Democracy, and many patriotic Americans do still care about the ideals to which our founding fathers aspired. So, I say let's celebrate those ideals, even if we cannot whole-heartedly celebrate our current government's dedication to them.

By coincidence, I was re-reading the UU Association's Seven Principles this morning. Together, they seem to me to echo the ideals to which many great Americans have aspired, including many of the founders of our nation. Individually, some of these principles are more reflective of what I consider the American ideal than others. But, I think America would be a better place if more of us carried these principles in our heart and let them be a guiding force in our day-to-day actions, as well as our politics:

1.) The inherent worth and dignity of every person;

That's not just "all men". It includes everyone. It's not to say that people don't have faults - even dangerous and wicked ones. But the acknowledgement that everyone has value (worth) and dignity allows us to behave in a civilized way, and grant basic human rights to even our most stalwart enemies. When we treat our enemies as human beings, we may be surprised to find that they truly are human - and when their fear, anger, and confusion are alleviated, they may cease being enemies.

2.) Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;

Justice and equity are the bedrocks of our Constitution. It seems that every where one looks in the constitution, one sees evidence that this ideal was held in high esteem by its crafters. From speedy and fair trials, to restrictions on search and seizure, to equal protection under the law, to the independent judiciary, the founders worked hard to stack the deck in favor of justice and equity. Compassion, on the other hand, comes not from our Constitutional system, but from our hearts. Compassion means understanding others, flaws and all. It allows us to see hope for rehabilitation for anyone who is willing to be rehabilitated. It tells us not to punish for the pleasure of seeing our enemies suffer, but only to fulfill the demands of justice. Without it, we are a nation of pharisees.

3. Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations;

Accepting other people means giving them credit for the ability to think and choose for themselves. Sometimes that is extremely difficult to do, especially when their thoughts and choices are at odds with ours. But without acceptance, there can be no dialogue, and without dialogue, we have no hope of changing thoughts and choices of others, or letting them help us change ours, if that's what is needed. The American heritage includes people like Susan B. Anthony and Martin Luther King, Jr., who were not satisfied with a nation where people were unacceptable for equal participation because of their race, religion or sex. They have helped change that nation for the better. We should, too.

4. A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;

Freedom of conscience was among the chief reasons that our ancestors fled Europe to the U.S. It's unfortunately true that in the colonies, they set about quickly working to limit the freedom of conscience of their neighbors, but because of people like James Madison and Thomas Jefferson, the separation of church and state helped ensure that they would have a difficult time utilizing the power of government to infringe on the freedom consicence that is every American's right.

If one is not free to decide one's own values for onesself, then those values can merely be an extension of the past: a substitution of someone else's values for our own moral responsibility.

Of course, UUs advocate for a responsible search for truth and meaning - we ask ourselves to take the responsibility of our values very seriously. We ask ourselves to both acknowledge our feelings and sharpen our reason. Although it isn't spelled out in any legal documents, from the very beginning many Americans have recognized the responsibility that comes with freedom of conscience, perhaps none more so than Ralph Waldo Emerson.

5. The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large;

Perhaps this item is redundant. The Democratic process follows naturally from a commitment to the inherent worth and dignity of every individual. But democracy is important enough that it's worth the extra emphasis, both in the UU church, and in society at large.

6. The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all;

The UU church may be a little bit ahead of the American heritage in this one, but I think many Americans will agree that the goal is worth striving for. Certainly Dr. ML King thought so.

7. Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.

Again, the UU church is a little bit ahead of the American heritage on this one. In fact, the interdependent web of all existence is more than just an abstraction - it represents the reality of the world we live in. We are all connected by our society, and by our environment. Our agricultural practices affect the environment, which, in turn, affects our health. We must come to terms with this soon, or we will find our very existence threatened. Let's be sure that our generations leave behind a contribution to the American heritage worthy of the best parts of it's past. While our government contributes to the negative side of our heritage (which I've purposely avoided), we should be contributing to the positive side. What better way than to begin to recognize our mutual dependence - with one another, and with the rest of the natural world?

Again, Happy 4th!