Forced Choice Questions: Refuse to bite the bait
Are you Republican or Democrat? I say, “Yes.”
Are you pro choice or pro life? I say, “Yes.”
Are you pro Palestinian or pro Israeli? I say, “Yes.”
In case you are frustrated with these questions and my responses, please bare with me as I try to explain.
I experience these as forced choice questions, questions designed to assign me to a particular category or group, questions aligned with a narrowly defined set of values or ideology, questions meant to make me smaller and separate me from you. I do not like forced choice questions and I refuse to bite the bait.
Think of it this way. Do you want drinkable water and breathable air or freedom from government overreach? What answer could we possibly have but, “Yes, yes?”
Using forced choice questions to distract, divide and entrap people is an age old political strategy, a ploy meant to put power in the pockets of an elite few. We witness this strategy in action in the gospel text according to Matthew as the Jewish religious officials, the Pharisees, along with the Herodians, Jews who profit by collecting taxes on behalf of the Romans, try to entrap Jesus with their question, “Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?” (See text of story below)
It is important to remember the Pharisees and the Herodians are opposing groups (think Republican and Democrats). The Pharisees enforce strict worship of God and adherence to Jewish law. The Herodians support the monarchy of Herod who is the source of their livelihood. These opposing groups are trying to force Jesus to choose a side.
If Jesus protests against paying taxes to Rome, the Herodians will quickly accuse him of treason and rousing the people to rebel against Rome. If Jesus supports paying taxes to Rome he will be counseling the Jews to use idolatrous coins that sport Caesar’s image, clearly breaking Jewish law. To make matters even more complicated, Jesus’ followers who are suffering beneath the burden of excessive taxes, will feel betrayed. What is Jesus to do?
We have all been there, caught between a train and a platform. Are you for profitable business or are you for expanded access to healthcare? Are you for free speech or for civil discourse? Are you for Israelis or Palestinians? Whenever we are faced with these forced choice questions we must be on red alert. This is dangerous ground. It is time to be wise as Jesus and refuse to be distracted, divided and entrapped. Like Jesus we must refuse to bite the bait.
Let us with wisdom look at a contemporary example of a forced choice question intended by each party to entrap and incriminate the opposition. Are you for environmentalism or capitalism? How do we begin to wisely engage this question? Wisdom begins by asking, what are the fundamental values and downsides of each? Please pardon my simplified descriptions of capitalism and environmentalism.
Capitalism affirms peoples rights to private ownership (many of us own our home, a car, other property). Capitalism values our freedom to use our resources for profit (invest our money), and privileges individual rights to own property, including guns, and to have custody over our bodies. Overall, capitalism has led the U.S. to great economic success.
Environmentalism values protection and conservation of natural resources (many of us are mindful of our use of energy and water). Environmentalism privileges the common good (we care about our neighbors, future generations and the planet). Overall, environmentalism protects public lands and provides national parks and seashores available for all to enjoy.
A downside of environmentalism is that action aimed for the common good can impinge on individual rights eg my right to build a three story home on a ridge-top in Santa Fe. A downside of capitalism is private ownership of resources does not incentivize action aimed at the common good, therefore developers tend to privilege profit over concern for the undesirable effects of clearing land and building high density neighborhoods.
So let me ask again, are you for capitalism or environmentalism? If we are honest with our selves what can we say but, “Yes, yes?” What then shall we do?
I believe we must refuse to be distracted, divided and entrapped by forced choice alternatives. Distracted by the high emotion with which each group spins their story and demonizes the other, divided by shrinking ourselves to fit into a singular category or group, entrapped by political ideologues, who, like the Pharisees and Herodians are bent on winning by getting us to pledge loyalty to their side. We must be wise and not be distracted, divided or entrapped.
Jewish, Islamic and Christian people believe that from the beginning all of creation is good, including the earth and all that dwells in and on and around her, so, fundamentally we are environmentalists. These people of faith also affirm that from the beginning human beings are very good with the right to freedom, the fullness of life and dominion over creation, so, fundamentally we are capitalists. Therefore, the question cannot be, “Are you a capitalist or environmentalist?” The question is, “How do we embody our value for both personal agency and the common good?” I believe this is the heart of the matter that bids us to be as wise as Jesus and refuse to bite the entrapping bait set out by power seeking ideologues.
Both the Hebrew and the Christian scriptures insist, there is a alternate reality, a way of living grounded in the infinite generosity of Divine Presence, whether called God, YHWY, Allah, poured to and through each one of us, moving us to gratitude and inclining us to generosity aimed for the common good. This biblical alternate reality refuses to be constrained by forced choice alternatives, and that includes what name we use to describe the indescribable.
The ultimate reality of Divine Presence is boundless generosity eternally poured out in and as all people, all creation, every blessing, every breath.
Our current social, political and religious climate aims to concentrate power and privilege in the hands of an entitled few by insisting there is not enough goodness, grace nor place for all.
We must refuse to be entrapped by this kind of thinking. We must wholeheartedly choose to align our will and our ways in an alternate reality that proclaims the infinite generosity of Divine Presence. Here is the thing. In a culture defined by forced choice alternatives we live as if playing a zero sum game. If I gain, you must lose because there is a fixed amount of whatever the commodity. If I love you, then I will not have enough love left for my daughter. If I give 10% of my resources away for the good of others, I will not have enough for me. Zero sum is not alternate reality thinking and it does not foster alternate reality behavior.
In fact, this is the very kind of thinking that breeds greed, inflames fear, ignites violence and digs the ditch from which dictators and fascists rise.
Right now, in the midst of our painfully polarizing social, political and religious culture we have an incredible opportunity to be wise and refuse to be entrapped by forced choice alternatives.
Are you Republican or Democrat?
Are you pro choice or pro life?
Are you pro Palestinian or pro Israeli?
The real work before us today and the next day and the next day and every day until we make our way in the infinite generosity of God’s alternate reality is saying, yes, yes, there is enough goodness, grace and place for all.
Matthew 22:15–22
The Pharisees went and plotted to entrap Jesus in what he said. So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality. Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?” But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin used for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. Then he said to them, “Whose head is this, and whose title?” They answered, “The emperor’s.” Then he said to them, “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away.
