Preaching comes alive with good illustrations.  So, this morning as I am about to explore the subject of “Faithful Democracy”, I would like us to look closely at a symbol of our nation.  Many of you have carried one with you into the sanctuary this morning and if not, it is an object that is very familiar to you.  What am I talking about?  The one-dollar bill!  I invite you to reach into your wallet and pull out a one-dollar bill to examine closely.  If you do not have one, perhaps you could sit near another person who does or if you’re blessed to have several one-dollar bills, perhaps you could loan them to someone else.  We are in church after all, so you should be certain to get it back!

For those of you who do not have one right now, you can simply look more closely later at an object that many of us take for granted.  In fact, I had never taken the time to really examine the dollar until it was mentioned in a book by Unitarian Universalist minister, Forrest Church who writes, “The very currency that facilitates our commerce reminds us that we do not trust in the power of our wealth or might but in a power greater and more abiding.” [i]

First let’s look at the front of the bill, to the right of Washington’s portrait is the green seal of the Department of the Treasury.  If you look closely you will see the key to the Treasury along with a carpenter’s square for rectitude and the scales for balance.

Now, turn the bill over.  On the back is the Great Seal of the United States that reads Annuit coeptis meaning “God has favored our undertaking” and Novus ordo seclorum, “A new order of the ages has commenced”.  The sun rising on the eastern side of the pyramid shows the dawning of our nation, a new experiment in government.  The seal was inspired by Masonic symbolism and the religious values of the Enlightenment.  You may have noticed that the pyramid is uncapped.  The idea behind that is that the foundation was built by human arts however, the structure is “completed transcendentally by a luminous, all-seeing eye, an ancient symbol for divinity.”

The obverse of the seal is on the right side.  Our national bird, the eagle clutches arrows in one claw and an olive branch in the other demonstrating our national strength but as you see, the eagle’s head is turned toward the olive branch, a symbol of peace.  Above the eagle are thirteen stars representing the original thirteen states. 

One of the most telling parts of the dollar bill is the banner that flies from the eagle’s beak reading E pluribus unum, “Out of many, one”.  This proclaims the vision of our Founding Fathers of a nation whose vision is not only diversity but pluralism in which members of diverse ethnic, racial, religious and social groups are equal in rights and united in practice.  There has been a lot of talk lately by Christian fundamentalists about returning to the original intention of our Founding Fathers.  Although our country has a religious foundation, America was never a Christian nation. 

On the one-dollar bill is a portrait of George Washington, the first American President.  Washington, the man who is legendary for not telling a lie, actually did not belong to a church.  He was raised Anglican but chose never to receive communion.  As an adult, he was known to occasionally attend services of many different denominations including Quaker, Roman Catholic, and Protestant.

Washington wrote a series of letters to a variety of religious leaders and congregations in which he was steadfast in his support of the freedom of religion.  The letter that comes closest to home was addressed to a warden of a Hebrew congregation here in Newport.  Washington asserts that as a land of equal liberty, the Jews should no longer be fined or imprisoned for breaking the Christian Sabbath statutes.  This letter is read annually in celebration of the founding of Touro as the first Synagogue in this country.  Washington’s words ring through the ages, “We have abundant reason to rejoice that in this Land the light of truth and reason has triumphed over bigotry and superstition, and that every person may here worship God according to the dictates of his own heart.” [ii]

You are welcome to put your dollar bills away now or return them to the person who so graciously loaned it to you.  The reason that I had you examine money this morning was not to encourage you to worship the “Almighty Dollar” or to suggest that capitalism has bought out our democratic values (that’s a whole other sermon).  Instead, I wish to highlight the fact that we as Americans often take the founding principles of our country for granted.  Even though often we carry legal tender with us filled with symbols of this nation’s founding, we can go about our business taking our fundamental freedoms for granted.

The Great Seal of the United States was designed by Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams soon after the Declaration of Independence was adopted in 1776.  The words that Norm read to us this morning are familiar but include the important reminder that our nation was founded on a religious principle “that all men are created equal”.  Ironically, when Thomas Jefferson penned those lines, he was a slave owner.  Over the years, Americans continue to make real those self-evident truths by expanding the circle of inclusion.  The work of equality and justice is hard won.  As Abraham Lincoln so boldly proclaims, “As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master.  This expresses my idea of democracy.  Whatever differs from this, is no democracy. “ So, through the years, slaves have won freedom, women have secured the vote, civil rights have expanded, and we continue to advocate for those whose unalienable rights are denied.  For true democracy is more than majority rules, like the first principle of Unitarian Universalism it is a belief in the inherent worth and dignity of every person.

Thanks to our Social Justice Committee we are holding a series of forums here at Channing on election-related issues.  On Wednesday, we had the honor of hearing Jerry Elmer speak on “Civil Liberties and the Patriot Act”.  These are important issues for all Americans to consider as the elections approach.  Since the terrorist attacks of September 11^th, policies and practices to do with the civil liberties of American citizens and non-citizen residents have changed significantly.  The USA Patriot Act empowers government agents to conduct secret and unauthorized searches of homes, allows for the indefinite detention and deportation of non-citizens, increases the federal authority to conduct telephone and internet searches, grants greater access to business records and credit reports.  The USA Patriot Act was adopted to protect our country from terrorist attack however these new powers violate the private lives of innocent people and endangers our freedom by circumventing due process.  The primary issue is “How do we balance the needs of homeland security and civil liberties?”  Certainly in other times of national crisis our government went too far in violating the rights of citizens for example in the internment of Japanese-Americans and the McCarthy hearings.  What can we do to protect civil liberties against government violation?

The fifth principle of Unitarian Universalism reads “We covenant to affirm and promote the right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large.”  It is essential for each one of us to develop critical thinking skills, to respect the opinions of others, to continuously seek greater understanding, and to work together to make this world a better place.  It is our responsibility as American citizens to become as informed as possible about these matters and to speak out when the freedoms guaranteed by the Bill of Rights are being violated.  We can do this by sharing resources for study and action and then being advocates either as individuals or through grassroots organizing.  In partnership with one another and other organizations, we can be a powerful voice for freedom and justice.

The democratic ideal is a government “of the people, by the people, for the people”.  To be informed about the ways in which both our local and federal government operates and to be an activist, one who is actively engaged in the process, demonstrates not cynical dissent but true faith in what it means to be a citizen of a free nation.  A “patriot” is one who loves his or her country and enthusiastically supports its authority and interests.  Patriotism does not consist of blind acceptance of federal policies.  Patriotism at its best means being an advocate for the values of freedom, justice and liberty for all, and speaking out when our government falls short of those ideals.

The Unitarian Universalist Association has joined with an interfaith coalition called “Faithful Democracy”.  Whose goals include to increase the vote, to inform the vote, to get out the vote, to watch the vote and to protect the vote.  together we make real the vision of E pluribus unum, “out of many, one”.  I encourage you to join me in the Faithful Voter pledge of 2004:

My vote is my voice, and I have a responsibility

to my community and myself to use it.

As a matter of religious commitment,

I covenant to be an active participant in democracy.

I will have faith and vote!