Faithful Politics
Cathedral parishioners, neighbors, and staff have been participating in Braver Angels events to explore how our Baptismal Covenant informs our civic and political engagement. Braver Angels is America’s largest organization that brings conservatives and progressives together on equal terms to understand our differences, find common ground where it exists, and help the country we all love find a better way. In the fall we will host a Faith-Sponsored Depolarizing Within Workshop, where participants will learn how to hold depolarizing conversations with people who share their beliefs. In the new year we will host an all-day Faith-Sponsored Red/Blue Workshop, where equal numbers of “reds” and “blues” will have structured dialogues within and across political affiliations. This is a rich area for exploring how we “seek and serve Christ in all persons, …strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being.” Contact Canon George Maxwell, gmaxwell@cathedralATL.org, or Jeannie Mahood, jmahood@cathedralATL.org, for more information.
Upcoming Events:
Braver Angels Faith-Sponsored Workshop: Depolarizing Within
Saturday, October 7, 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Gould Room
For people of faith, civil discourse begins in recognizing the image of God in our conversation partner. Since we are all children of God, our approach should involve mutual respect. Respect, not agreement, is an essential key for a healthy discussion. This workshop addresses how we may inadvertently be complicit in, or possibly even encourage, political polarization.
The Depolarizing Within Workshop is designed to foster skills to help you lessen the effects of polarization when you encounter them in your political conversations. Note that by “polarization,” we are not referring to healthy disagreements over issues or philosophy. We are talking about how we regard and talk about large groups of ordinary people on the other side of the political aisle.
This workshop is for anyone interested in examining their own inner polarization and learning strategies to disagree without condemning or ridiculing others.
Goals of the workshop are to teach participants:
- How to be more aware of their own “inner polarizer”
- How to be critical without demonizing, dismissing or stereotyping large swaths of the population
- Strategies for intervening constructively in social conversations with like-minded peers when these conversations veer into contempt and ridicule for people who hold other political views.
Braver Angels is America’s largest organization that brings conservatives and progressives together on equal terms to understand our differences, find common ground where it exists, and help the country we all love find a better way.
For questions or more information, contact The Rev. George Maxwell or Jeannie Mahood (gmaxwell@cathedralATL.org; jmahood@cathedralATL.org, 404-365-1031).
SAVE THE DATE
Braver Angels’ Red/Blue Workshop
February 3, 2024
Red-Blue workshops bring together a small, evenly divided group of conservatives and liberals, or “reds” and “blues,” for a series of exercises designed to help participants clarify disagreements, reduce stereotyped thinking, and discover common values.
Goals
- To better understand the experiences and beliefs of those on the other side of the political divide.
- To see if there are areas of commonality in addition to differences.
- To learn something that might be helpful to others in our community and the nation.
5-8 Republican-leaning citizens (“Reds”) and 5-8 Democratic-leaning citizens (“Blues”) gather together for a full-day of structured conversations. Independents are also welcome to attend. We only ask that for the purposes of the workshop they identify as leaning either Red or Blue, or attend as observers.
Two moderators, trained by Braver Angels, lead the workshop, ensuring that ground rules are followed and that everyone is treated respectfully.
Watch the Cathedral Times for the registration link in the new year.
To learn more about Braver Angels: https://braverangels.org/