Read more at sojo.net ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ View this email in your browser [[link removed]] [[link removed]] Democracy Is on the Ballot [[link removed]] Adam Russell TaylorRacism is on the ballot next week. Democracy is on the ballot next week. These
things are inextricably linked because racism has disfigured American democracy
from the founding of our nation. The road to a more perfect union has been long
and uneven. And this road requires that we continually become a more perfect
democracy and more just nation. While our democracy will never be perfect, we
must continually defend the rights, institutions, and laws that help safeguard
our freedoms and advance the common good. Increasingly, this election represents
a test of whether we embrace and will work to realize a truly inclusive,
multiracial democracy with liberty and justice for all.

A recent survey of independent experts for the Protect Democracy project indicated “substantial erosion” of American
democracy, scoring the current threat to democracy at a 52 out of 100 (with 100
being “complete democratic breakdown”). In a recent Washington Post column, Richard Just put it plainly: "Whatever happens on Nov. 3 and in the days afterward, the biggest
lesson of the past four years is that our collective commitment to democratic
values needs, to put it mildly, some shoring up.” The Washington Post 's editorial board has been regularly raising the alarm about the erosion of norms over the past few years, including "... commitment
to democratic values, constitutional checks and balances, faith in reason and
science, concern for Earth’s health, respect for public service, belief in
civility and honest debate, being a beacon to refugees in need, aspirations to
equality and diversity and basic decency."

It should also be of concern to all of us that extreme polarization and some of
our nation's longstanding institutions have combined to make it harder than ever
for the will of the people to be enacted. For example, gerrymandered districts
in many states reward polarization and harm democracy. Ever since the Citizens
United Supreme Court decision, corporate money has poured into political
campaigns at an unprecedented pace. This past weekend, our country surpassed a
new record of 80,000 new coronavirus infections in one day, which points to
severe failures of leadership at every level. And this week’s confirmation of
Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett through a purely partisan vote in the
midst of such a consequential election undermines the credibility of our
judicial branch. Particularly during election seasons, the church grapples with what the Bible
has to say about the role of governments.

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The Faith on the Ballot weekly sermon series wraps up this Saturday at 6 p.m.
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Let's taco 'bout democracy.

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[[link removed]] From the MagazineThe Cross and the Lynching Tree (by Michael Stalcup)
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A poem.

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