Weekly Newsletter from Christian Vegetarian Association CVA - August 25, 2024
From Christian Vegetarian Association (CVA)

  1. America’s "Original Sin"
  2. All-Creatures.Org Ministry

1. America’s "Original Sin"

There are many reasons that America seems to be at risk of having autocratic rule replace our democratic republic. What makes this particularly worrisome is that the ability of sophisticated surveillance technologies, enhanced by artificial intelligence, makes it virtually impossible to displace autocratic regimes once they take control. Autocracies, it appears, eventually devolve into regimes such as that of North Korea. In such regimes, a handful of people enjoy great wealth and power while the rest of the people live in abject poverty, and all cultural expression must glorify the state. The latter destroys cultural traditions and prohibits individual creativity.

Obviously, there are many factors that have impacted America’s contemporary political scene, but I suggest that America’s “original sin” of slavery was an important one.* In order to entice the southern states, particularly South Carolina, to join the union, the United States Constitution counted enslaved Black men as 3/5 of a person for purposes of representation when it came to electing the President and the number of seats each state had in the House. If slaves were not counted, slave-owning states would have had far few Electoral College votes and seats in the House. However, the Northern states refused to count each enslaved man as a person, because slaves could not vote.

Since simply counting votes was not possible when some people counted as 3/5 of a person, there was a need for the Electoral College system. Each state has chosen how to choose its electors. Since the early 1800s, most states have instituted a winner-take-all approach, which has persisted in almost every state because this arrangement has augmented the political influence of the dominant party of the state at any given point in time. This in turn has led to a two-party political system, because a third party has very little chance of gaining enough votes to win any Electoral College votes. While third parties can have success in running for Senate or House seats, the political benefits of running as a member of one of the two dominant parties has made success for third-party and independent candidates uncommon.

When there are multiple parties, it is uncommon for a single party to have the absolute majority needed to disregard the concerns of the minority party/parties. With just two parties dictating policy, the “tyranny of the majority” problem becomes acute. This favors strong partisanship, because each person fears that the opposing party will ruthlessly impose policies they don’t want. Today, more and more people from both parties regard each upcoming election as an existential threat to the country. They become increasingly willing to sacrifice important liberal institutions, such as a free press and an independent judiciary, in favor of candidates with autocratic ambitions, if they believe that their candidate can protect them from their “enemy” on the other side of the political aisle. Political candidates who have autocratic ambitions become increasingly viable candidates for public office. Should they gain office, they represent genuine threats to democratic rule.

My point is that origins matter. Institutions grounded on injustice tend to generate injustice, and injustice threatens everyone’s well-being. Next week, I will argue that the faith of Christ is a foundation upon which we can build just communities.

* A thoughtful CVA member suggested that the destruction of Native peoples was the "original sin." I would say that humanity’s "original sin" relates to the scapegoating process – the unjust victimization of innocent individuals to generate and maintain communal cohesion. The assault on Native peoples was a manifestation of Europeans’ “original sin” in the Americas. Slavery was an "original sin" of the United States of America.

Stephen R. Kaufman, MD 

2. From All-Creatures.Org Ministry

All-Creatures.org Newsletter, August 21, 2024

We are excited to introduce All-Creatures.org’s newest staff member Andrea McMillan, our Assistant Director of Research!

This week's newsletter contains some very important articles to keep you in the know  — mutilating Crustaceans' eyes to 'alter' their hormonal activity — the degradation of mother Cows — Marineland fined for Black Bear abuses — ACTAsia/London College of Fashion’s cruelty-free fashion courses — Massachusetts bans exotic Animals in traveling circuses — Mystery Snail: balancing compassion and conservation — Actions for Captain Paul Watson's release — zoonosis and fur farms — can Florida's Panthers be saved? — and more…

Do you have things that you would like to see included in future newsletters? Then send it to us at veda@all-creatures.org. 

In the Love of the Lord,
Frank L Hoffman
All-Creatures.org

and

Kindness,
Tams Nicholson
Executive Directress
All-Creatures.org 

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