Both Moses in the first reading and Paul in the second believe humans are “depraved,” meaning corrupt, twisted. Both men applied their belief to people who disobeyed them; judging them sinners who, according to them, deserved to be punished. Both men’s belief in humanity’s depravity and necessary punishment is deeply influential and controls institutional christianity. It does so in opposition to Jesus’ Way. Jesus tells parables this Sunday about people being lost, in other words, people judged sinners, depraved. But Jesus welcomes them, engages with with, and joyfully receives people Moses and Paul judge and punish. It is not humanity that is depraved; rather it is that very belief about humanity that is depraved.
The depraved belief that humanity is depraved and deserves punishment stems from the religion of Militarism. Militarism is the basis of the U.S. justice system. It is a military justice system of inequality which supremacists construct to justify their inflicting suffering on subordinates. In our own time this belief describes, among other things, the depraved U.S. prison system. It shows little inclination to affirm humanity’s goodness and little ability to be engaging or joyfully receptive about conversion (thus high recidivism rates). Among the many problems with Militarism’s unjust justice system is its treatment of immigrants. The U.S. prison system is building increased numbers of for-plunder immigrant detention centers. After President Clinton’s NAFTA destroyed Mexican and Central American economies and enabled capitalist drug dealers and corporate sweatshops to control the countries, millions of people fled north for work and safety. The people fleeing north are routinely judged. They are judged as political reprobates and as religious sinners for lacking documentation. They are routinely punished, specifically by a depraved system; a corrupt and twisted immigrant detention system. The corruption involves U.S. politicians: 1) they mandate detention centers; 2) they mandate a quota system for the centers; 3) they own or have stock in the centers and thus personally gain financially. The depravity is evident in the corporate prisons including in their unsafe and torturous operations the incarceration of people seeking asylum. Across the system, human beings who are neither illegal nor sinners are judged to be so for the purpose of making money. Diminished in this depraved system is a genuine concern for human beings and the common good. Slight hope for a different relationship model stems from last month’s report by the Department of Justice Inspector General proving that for-plunder prisons are indeed unsafe and torturous and in need of change.
Hope, perhaps more to reform than to transform, stems from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and its National Prison Project as well as The Sentencing Project both of which consist of persons skilled in law, policy, and research. Greater hope for a transforming relationship model is flowing from Grassroots Leadership. They are an Austin, Texas, based group that believes “no one should profit from imprisoning people,” certainly not a private prison industry that “preys on pain.” They have drawn special attention to for-plunder prisons being licensed as child care facilities which ensures longer and more lucrative incarceration rates and also confirms the truly depraved nature of the system. Grassroots Leadership is building up leaders and communities to accomplish their transforming mission.
Prayer: Beautiful Spirit, help us to be leaders actively transforming depravity.
Question: How would I describe my attitude toward people who are incarcerated?
September 11, 2016 Gospel Luke 15:1-32 Twenty-Fourth Sunday In Ordinary Time