Bishop Arthur J. Serratelli
In the immediate wake of the August 12, 2017 white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, VA, a wave of image-destroying activism swept the nation. The impulse to erase the shame of slavery led to the cathartic attempt to edit history. The University of Texas in Austin removed from its campus the images of Robert E. Lee and Albert Sidney Johnston, two Confederate generals as well as the Confederate cabinet member John Reagan. Duke University also removed a Robert E. Lee statue from its campus chapel.
From Brooklyn to San Diego and in places like Kansas City and Madison, Wisconsin, activists rose up to tear down statues and markers. Individuals who fought for the Confederacy during the Civil War were judged as enemies of liberty and equality. And, their images were deemed worthy of destruction.
Certainly, slavery is wrong and can never be condoned. But, is there something else at work here? Is this movement of destroying or dismantling images symptomatic of an underlying trend within our present society? Is it now becoming more permissible for someone to besmirch the public image of another person who holds different views from them?
When it comes to evil and sin, we should be courageously strong in our opposition. But, in matters where there can be a legitimate diversity of opinions, are we losing the grace of respecting those with whom we disagree? Strong differences of convictions must never lead to destroying the reputation of another. Nor should jealousy or envy! Nor the desire to trample the good name of someone else to advance one’s own agenda! On the lips of Iago, the antagonist in his play Othello, Shakespeare places the following memorable line about the value of a person’s good name:
In a civil society, there is no place for destroying the name of an individual, a family, a social group or an institution. Information manipulated, truths told out of context, rumors circulated, exaggerations, and innuendos repeated: all these can swiftly destroy the good name of another person. In politics, we sadly witness the use of opposition research. Information is collected so that it can be used to discredit someone. An authentic Christian never engages in such tactics. And, the reason is quite profound.
According to Sacred Scripture, every human person is the image of God (Gen 1:26-27; Gen 5:1-2; Jas 3:9). To be an image of God means more than simply having an intellect and a will. It means more than simply knowing and freely willing. It is ultimately about love. God is love. More specifically, God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit, loving and being loved by each other. Thus, made in the image of God, we have the capacity to love one another.
And, love never means destroying another’s good name, for this diminishes the image of God in another. Commenting on the biblical teaching of the image of God (tselem elohim), Abraham Heschel, one of the most prominent Jewish rabbis of the 20th century, said, “The symbol of God is man, every man . . . every man must be treated with the honor due to a likeness representing the king of kings.” Preserving and safeguarding the good name of one another ultimately gives glory and honor to God!