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The
Hypocritic Oath
Thu, Jan 18, 2001
It’s time to declare a week
of moral outrage.
We witness a self-proclaimed moral leader who has set himself up as a spiritual
leader of the Black community in the United States break his spiritual oath to
remain faithful to his wife. It was an oath a married man made to his wife with
God as his witness. And Jesse Jackson failed. Jesse Jackson failed his God and
he failed his wife. Jesse Jackson failed his constituency and he failed his
country. Jesse Jackson failed himself.
Certainly no person is perfect, and we all have “sinned” in our lives. We
all are worthy of forgiveness for our transgressions, and we all are bound to
learn from our mistakes. Jackson may well do that. But in doing so he has
relinquished his moral authority to be a spiritual leader. It is akin to Moses
being denied entrance into the Promised Land for his sins.
Military leaders are such because they are experts in warfare; they understand
tactics and they understand strategy. Generals rarely make mistakes because they
are professional soldiers. They learned from their leaders. They grew into their
positions of leadership. When they make mistakes, people die.
Political leaders are such because they are experts in public policy. They
understand politics and they understand diplomacy. Politicians rarely make
mistakes because they are professional politicians. They learned from their
predecessors. They grew into their positions of leadership. When they make
mistakes, they lose elections.
Spiritual leaders are such because they are experts in spirituality; they
understand sin and they understand temptation. Spiritual leaders rarely make
mistakes because they are spiritually attuned. They learned from their spiritual
guides. They grew into positions of leadership. When they make mistakes, people
lose faith.
Jesse Jackson committed adultery. Adultery is not a complicated sin. It is not a
confusing sin. It is easy to avoid adultery, particularly for a supposedly
spiritually attuned person. Particularly for a spiritually attuned person who
sets himself up as a moral leader for a large segment of our population. It is a
sin you’d expect Jesse Jackson to have easily, and happily, avoided.
That Jackson would endanger the respect of his constituency, that he would risk
his marital stability, that he would disrespect those he purports to lead, all
for a “romp in the hay” is indicative of an amoral leader, devoid of
spirituality.
Jackson has thrown away his moral authority to lead souls into the spiritual
realm.
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