Finding Strength in Shared Belief: A Reflection on Law, Spirituality, and National Foundation

Finding Strength in Shared Belief: A Reflection on Law, Spirituality, and National Foundation

I’ve been reflecting recently on the source of violence and division, especially as it manifests in gender violence, and I believe the core issue goes back to a lack of genuine listening—a failing of the Shema.

The Shema is a powerful, foundational prayer that I see structured in an ordered way. It begins with the focus on the divine: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This sequence mirrors what Jesus taught in the Lord's Prayer:

 * "Hear, O Israel" – The Father

 * "The Lord our God" – The Son

 * "God is one" – The Holy Spirit

Following this divine focus, the prayer then moves outward to how we should live, emphasizing the heart, soul, mind, and strength, and extending to the actions John spoke of: sharing everything in a like mind, taking only what you need, avoiding false accusations, and being content with what you have.

Jesus phrased this concept in the familiar lines of the Lord's Prayer: "Give us this day our daily bread," "forgive us as we forgive others," "lead us not into temptation," and "deliver us from hard work".

This is the full scope of the first commandment. The second commandment, to "love one another as I’ve loved you" or "love thy neighbor as thyself," is the second pillar.

The Shema, when fully embraced, embodies the entire journey from the seven days of creation to the eighth day, which is the day of love and circumcision—the fulfillment of the seven. This is the focus we, as a nation, should return to: saying the Shema. Not repeating it as a trance-inducing mantra, but knowing it and living by it, alongside the prayers of Jesus and John.

The Limitations of Secular Law

Just as Moses established the Torah, George Washington, our nation’s founder, laid the groundwork for this country. Our foundation is rooted in these spiritual teachings. However, a key issue arises when we rely solely on man-made law to solve spiritual problems.

I see the Ten Commandments as holy, righteous, and good, but I believe it is impossible for us to truly obey the law. The law itself is given as holy, but striving for perfect obedience is as impossible as trying to be completely clean in a world that is inherently flawed.

This realization is crucial: the law often acts as a means of acknowledging that we are handicapped. We don’t know everything, and we need guidance written down to make us self-aware of our limitations, so we can seek help. It’s like children crying out to their parents for total care.

The problem with creating national laws, like those in the U.S., is the fundamental expectation that everyone will be able to follow them. This cannot happen.

Our human laws are not always founded on true equality; from the start, they can be prejudiced, bigoted, and biased against the homeless and the poor, regardless of their background. While the foundation of this country claims equality, our actions often betray that ideal.

Spiritual Solutions for Spiritual Problems

I see the struggle of the US as a long journey toward betterment. But some issues are foundational and spiritual, and they can only be solved spiritually, not by making more laws.

How we treat the poor and the persecuted, for instance, are spiritual matters. There is no law that can be written to mandate the correct way to treat people from beginning to end.

The spiritual law of the Shema, focused totally toward God, is superior because it is founded entirely on God and love. When a nation is not founded on the one God, other "gods" can impose their will and run the country with a kind of dark sorcery, leading to corruption.

When the spiritual walls come down, the city walls go down too. You can feel the spiritual brokenness in our cities, and physically, the destruction is evident as well.

The Power of Rebuilding

Despite the brokenness, there are good "microbes"—good people—who go into these cities, seeking to rebuild and reestablish the spirit toward the physical and vice versa.

This struggle mirrors the biblical description of a battle toward a prize that hasn't been achieved yet—a continuous journey with a good final destination. Our own Constitution reflects this hope, setting up an order for "us and our posterity".

Our founders created a system of government that allowed people to practice their specific belief in God, acknowledging a spiritual heritage from different parts of the earth, tracing back to places like Jerusalem. Ultimately, the Kingdom of God is wherever you are sent. You are not bound by where you have been before.

Just like addicts seeking freedom must move away from their past and toward something loving and greater, we, too, must constantly move toward operating in the spirit and in truth. This is the path to recovery for the nation and the world.