SERMON: The Dream of Zion

JULY 4 2009 | THE DREAM OF ZION

That most curious artifact of American religion, THE BOOK OF MORMON, depicts the adventures of Lehi, a Jewish man and his family who are suffering in post-exilic Jerusalem. In a stunning vision of the coming Christ, Lehi is instructed to build a large ship and set sail with his family for a new land, that God would reveal to them. This land would be a land of righteousness, a new Jerusalem, a new promised land of peace and prosperity for Lehi’s descendants.

Lehi and his family arrive on the shore of a new world, which LDS scholars figure is probably somewhere in Central America. But wouldn’t you know it, the new world was not all it was cracked up to be. All the corruption that Lehi was trying to flee caught up with him as his descendents and other Jewish refugees formed warring nations and competed for…well, all of the petty things that humans everywhere compete for.

You would think that this story would serve as a cautionary tale for Joseph Smith himself, the translator of this reputedly ancient text. For not long after completing the translation, Smith picks up his whole fledgling church and relocates them from upstate New York to Kirtland, Ohio. But the Ohio folk aren’t too keen on these odd sectarians and their “gold bible,” and they tar and feather Smith in front of his house.

It may not come as a surprise to you that Joseph Smith has a revelation in which God says he is preparing a new place for them. Independence, Missouri, saith the Lord, is to be the New Jerusalem. But no sooner to the Mormons begin to settle there than their inhospitable neighbors–no doubt annoyed by their perfect hair and their sunny dispositions–threaten them with such violence that they high-tail it back to Kirtland. The New Jerusalem, apparently, will not be held in Missouri.

But not so fast. The Lord had spoken, after all! So, picking a new, remote corner of Missouri, the prophet and his people tried again. This time, their gentile neighbors responded with such vehemence that they murdered 17 of the mormon settlers, including children. Far from repremanding the mob, the governor of Missouri promised that if the Mormons did not leave his state he would have them killed himself.

The Mormons decided to flee once again, this time to Nauvoo, Illinois. So many of them descend upon this little town, in fact, that in almost no time its population rivals that of Chicago. THIS, now, will become the American Zion, the New Jerusalem, where God will establish his reign on earth, amongst his faithful remnant, the Latter Day Saints.

Emboldened by their success in Nauvoo, Joseph Smith announces he will run for president, so as to make all of America a holy land under God, and to hasten the completion of Zion. How do you think THAT went over with the Mormons’ gentile neighbors? Not well. Joseph is thrown in prison along with his brother, Hiram. But even that does not assuage them. The pitchfork-weilding mob overpowers the guards, and murders Joseph and his brother in their cell. Not a single man was prosecuted for this violence.

Fearing for their lives, the Mormon congregation at Nauvoo saddled their horses and loaded their wagons and headed out for a new location for their cherished Zion, although they didn’t know where they were going. Eventually, on the shores of the great Salt Lake, God revealed to them through their new prophet, Brigham Young, that this was, indeed, the spot. They formed the sovereign nation of Deseret, and celebrated the fact that Zion had arrived at last.

Or had it? I have always found the Mormons’ insistence on a physical, political reality for God’s kingdom to be unusual, even eccentric, but in fact it is deeply biblical, and is an expectation that was shared by Jews, Christians, and Muslims for most of their histories. It is only since the advent of America and our democracy that the notion of a physical Kingdom of God on earth has fallen into disfavor. Remember, the Jews certainly expected God to establish his throne in Jerusalem, and for many centuries, they were content that that had indeed already occurred. The problem for them was not establishing the Kingdom of God on earth, but KEEPING it there.

Christians anticipated a mellinial kingdom, where Christ would return and establish his Kingdom, and rule the nations with mercy and justice entertwined. St. Augustine, in fact, argued that when the emperor Constantine converted to Christianity, that the Kingdom of God had, indeed, arrived. The events predicted in the book of Revelation had come to pass, and that Christ reigned through his vicar on earth, the Pope.

Each of the Protestant countries hoped they would be able to succeed in creating the Kingdom that they thought God wanted them to bring about, none too successfully. Even the pilgrims came here hoping to succeed at this elusive destiny. The Mormons are only the last gasp of this triumphalist theology.

Which isn’t to say it hasn’t died completely. The Moral majority revived the dream of turning the US into a theocracy, and several of them are still at it, although most of them have been relegated to the lunatic fringe by now.

So, here’s what I’m thinking: Founding the Kingdom of God on earth? Do you think maybe we’re setting the bar just a bit high? I mean, on a good day, we only have one politician exposed for lewd conduct or adultery. We have major unemployment, crime is rampant, our prison populations are small cities in their own rights, and let’s face it, the clergy are a mess. Pick a religion, any religion. The Kingdom of God? Who are we trying to kid?

Here’s an idea: Let’s set the bar a lot, lot lower. Instead of trying to capture the elusive perfection that the Kingdom of God demands, why don’t we just try to be a Pretty Good society? You know, still having ideals, but ideals that are not so  IMPOSSIBLE that we set ourselves up for failure? Ideals like life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness? Justice for all? The equality of all people? Government of the people, by the people, for the people.

Because, unlike how some on the lunatic fringe would have it, this much lower bar IS the dream of America. It has little to do with God, and everything to do with fallible people doing the best we can to BE the best we can.

And the fact is, even with the bar so much lower, we still have a long way to go. Some people are still more equal than others. Liberty is still a dream to many. Prosperity likewise. Justice can still be bought. Happiness has proved obstinately elusive for many folks. Don’t get me started on health care. It’s a right, not a privilege—that’s all I’m going to say.

St. Paul said, “When I was a child, I thought as a child…but when I became a man, I put away childish things.” The notion that we can found a literal, political Kingdom of God on earth—at this stage in our moral and psychological evolution—is a childish thing. It’s like playing dress-up in God’s wardrobe while he’s at the office. And normally, I’d say, yeah, you look good in big hats and fancy robes, so tear it up, have some fun. But this PARTICULAR game of dress-up is too dangerous. People really get hurt. Remember David Koresh? Jim Jones? Nasty business, this Kingdom of God game.

We’ve got our work cut out for us just creating a Pretty Good Society. We haven’t achieved the Dream of America yet, let alone some allegedly perfect Kingdom. And the Dream of America is a good dream. It’s developmentally appropriate. It may even be achievable. What’s more, unlike the Kingdom of God, where the benevolent patriarchs order everything for the multitudes of perpetual children, the Dream of America requires us not to follow, but to lead, to take responsibility for this dream. It is a group effort that requires all of us to buy in, to shoulder a portion of the load, and sometimes, to carry it for those that can’t. That’s what it means to be an American. The Pretty Good Society is within our reach, but it is going to take all of us to grasp that gold ring.

And okay, it’s not the Kingdom of God, but what is? If you can’t have the whole pie, half a pie still tastes pretty darn good. That’s what I’m celebrating today. A truly tasty half a pie. And everybody SHOULD get a slice. Let’s make this dream work and make sure everyone gets a slice, shall we? Let us pray…

Forgive us, God, for presuming that we can actually create a colony that mirrors your true and eternal Kingdom. It was silly of us, and a lot of good people got hurt. We’re going to knock it off, now. Instead, help us to live up to some goals we actually CAN achieve. Help us to take care of each other; help us to have compassion for those that have fallen on hard times; help us to extend our hearts to people we don’t even know; help us to put aside our own wealth so that everyone can just have enough; help us to create a Pretty Good Society, where everyone has power, everyone has enough food, everyone knows justice, everyone has a place to lay their heads, where everyone can see a doctor, where everyone can go to school and have a job and a meaningful life. It’s not the Kingdom, but it’s still a lot to ask, and we have so far to go. Bless us, bless our leaders, bless our Dream, make us the people we aspire to be in our best moments. For we ask this in the name of him who called us to peace, to justice, to compassion, even Jesus Christ. Amen.

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