Song of the Day: Peter
To listen (free) follow this link and click on the song title for Track 9:
http://www.davidlamotte.com/music/spin/
Sunday, which most Christians take as Sabbath here in the U.S., is the day that many of us attend church services, and also the day when our politicians visit talk shows to defend their positions and lay out their plans.
There is a common misconception here in the U.S., where I live, which confuses ‘separation of church and state’ with ‘separation of faith from politics.’ The separation of church and state is a foundational doctrine and fundamental to our governmental experiment. The founders of this country, many of whom had been persecuted for their religion, sought to build in protections for minorities and to proscribe promotion or suppression of one faith over another by the government. This is a profoundly good and important idea.
That should not be confused, however, with the idea that our faith should have no impact on our politics. The political system, for all its grave imperfections, is the best means we have managed to come up with to discern and enact the common will. If we make decisions which are divorced from our ethics, we can only make unethical decisions. If our ethics are not impacted by our faith, then we have no meaningful faith to speak of. Our understanding of who God is, who we are, and who we are called to be, should impact everything that we do.
This song was written on March 11, 2002. I only realized days later that that day was the six month anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. At the time we were ramping up the war in Iraq, and many of us were able to divorce our public decisions from the teachings of our faiths. We did so at our peril, and the peril of so many others.
Peter (What I Said)Words & Music by David LaMotte© 2002 Lower Dryad Music3/11/2 Kilauea, HIWhat I’m saying, friend, may surprise youThough I trust you will listen and hearI’m not out to make you angryWe both know beneath our anger lies our fearIt sounds so simple but it’s so complicatedNot gentle, not just a warm feelingMany will die in the name of peaceBut war will not lead us to healingAnd I meant what I said, Peter, put down your swordDid you forget or did you think I was joking?This is not why I’m here, Peter, not to destroyThe world is already so brokenMaybe you think I’m a foolMaybe a fool’s what I amMaybe I will die for nothingAnd nothing will change in the endYes, I’m scared and I’m angryThat we live in this occupied landWhere the Romans can kill us at randomBut the Romans do not rule my handsThere are so many lives on the line hereThis is not some philosopher’s gameBut if you draw your sword PeterYou may not raise that sword in my nameAnd I meant what I said, Peter, put down your swordDid you forget or did you think I was joking?This is not why I’m here, Peter, not to destroyThe world is already so brokenMaybe you think I’m a foolMaybe a fool’s what I amMaybe I will die for nothingIf nothing will change in the endGod bless the children of AbrahamGod bless the Romans who reignGod bless the peacemakers and the warriorsWho each think the other insaneBut I meant what I said, Peter, put down your swordDid you forget or did you think I was joking?
