th Rev. King, and it is now on the carpet in President Obama’s Oval Office, where Rev. Parker’s words are attributed to Rev. King.
The road ahead ~
Yes, the moral arc of the universe is a long one. Can we make it bend toward justice? We will have to speak clearly to the incoming Trump Administration. Because, as religious liberals, we are convinced that women’s rights are human rights; gay rights are human rights. Black Americans who are stopped by the police have human rights that must be respected. Immigrants and refugees have human rights that we must respect. Religious freedom, including the freedom of our Muslim neighbors, is a human right that must be protected and respected.
And again, as religious liberals, we believe that human rights are natural rights. That is not to say that they rely on some particular creed or dogma, but that the only way that we can credibly assert human rights is with the assumption that human nature is moral and spiritual. We, as human beings, whether male or female, poor or rich, straight or gay, immigrant or native-born, have reached a stage where our moral and spiritual nature requires freedom and fairness; and in order for each person to exercise such freedom society must guarantee it. Because wherever this assumption is rejected it becomes clear that only might becomes right.
And so we must stand together. Sen. Bernie Sanders said the other day, “To the degree that Mr. Trump is serious about pursuing policies that improve the lives of working families in this country, I and other progressives are prepared to work with him. … [But] to the degree that he pursues racist, sexist, xenophobic and anti-environment policies, we will vigorously oppose him.”
I agree with Sen. Sanders. And I agree with Theodore Parker – the moral arc of the universe is long. Like him, I can’t see the end. But, as it was with Theodore Parker, Martin Luther King, and Desmond Tutu, I have faith that, using our hands and hearts and feet, we can put enough weight on that arc that we will bend it toward justice.