The United States is a religious country, where more than ninety percent of residents are believers and more than eighty percent identify as Christians. If there is to be a teachable moment stemming from the Tucson tragedy, it will have to happen in our churches, synagogues, temples, and meetinghouses.
While there are many ethical teachings that characterize the religion of Jesus, two of the most important are the Golden Rule -" d o unto others, as you would have them do unto you -" and the admonition to speak the truth. How different American political rhetoric would be if our elected officials truly reflected these ethics: if they spoke the truth and acted as their brother and sister's keeper. How different politics would be if, in the President's words, we made sure " we are talking with each other in a way that heals, not a way that wounds."
Yes, the Giffords' shooting is a teachable moment. For every American who subscribes to the ethical teachings of Jesus.
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