A commentary writer looks back to assess how far she has come

I have been writing commentary for the Rhode Island Current for over a year now, and it seems like a brief moment, and forever, all at once. 

With some hesitation, I decided to reread my columns from the past year. I was curious to see how they held up; if I had changed any of my opinions, and if new events either amplified, or contradicted, what I had written. I also wanted to remind myself of any resulting commentary or rebuttal, for which I am always grateful.

I have certainly been privileged to write about a plethora of topics. Because it is a bit like re-reading your old love letters. I prepared myself to be embarrassed. Mostly, I found ideas and concerns that remain very timely now. 

My second column, published on March 22, 2023, took issue with a bill to have Ramadan recognized as a Rhode Island state holiday. I suggested that our governments, state and federal, should not be recognizing religious holidays at all. The true practice of religious tolerance, I wrote, should not require the state to answer the question of “Where and how … to draw a line on whose religion is important enough to recognize.” I heard from friends, colleagues, and strangers with differing views, and an equal number who agreed. 

Proposed Ramadan state holiday may stand on shaky ground

A related column (May 22, 2023) pointed out that withholding abortion, or other reproductive health care, on claims of moral grounds, was in fact a violation of the rights of those whose religious beliefs do not include the idea that life begins at conception. The Dobbs decision of the Supreme Court, a month later, explicitly opened the door for states to do this very thing. An ongoing lawsuit in Indiana is examining the issue, and both Jewish and Muslim groups have taken the position that the decision was wrongly based on Christian theology.   

It seems that a year ago, I was reflecting on a concern that our 250-year history of tolerance in religious matters in America might be at risk. That has now gone from a spark to a 4-alarm fire. The misunderstanding about what religious tolerance is — a civic disinterest in how people talk to and obey their deity — is only part of the problem. When people in power, in the Congress and on the Supreme Court, reject the very notion of religious tolerance, and seek to create a nation based on a particular version of Christianity, we have come pretty far from our roots. 

Speaking of roots, this is a moment where I think often of Roger Williams. A devout Christian, he brought the idea of true religious tolerance to Rhode Island, and ultimately our nation. Williams believed that in religious matters “coercion stinks in God’s nostrils.” I know very few things for sure about the nature of the infinite, but I am certain he was correct. 

Perhaps no column engendered more response than the one I wrote after the October 7th attack by Hamas in Israel, and the subsequent Israeli response. I wrote a column (Nov. 13, 2023) encouraging people to avoid inflammatory rhetoric on either side of this conflict. “As time goes on, the rhetoric becomes elevated and solidified, and has the effect of promoting more violence.” 

How about a cease-fire of words?

Many of the responses may have proved my point, but so has the passage of time, especially in the past two weeks. We are awash in violent commentary about Israel and Hamas, and supporters of each continue to devalue the others. Protests simmer on the edge of eruption, and some do explode. While the horrific unfolding of this conflict may encourage the intensity of the dispute, it still does us, and our civic body, no good to have it play out this way. 

Looking back into history is what I have done for most of my career; this rather short-term, personal look-back still seemed familiar. One thing seems clear: things escalate easily in this connected world. Issues that were a breeze a year ago are a hurricane today and may be just as destructive. 

Look further back, though, and we can see clearly that we have weathered periods of dissent and division before. In fact, our country was born in one. This should give us some comfort, but not complacency. It should inspire us, in the American tradition, to think about our issues and make our voices heard.