Reality Based Faith

The face of little faith
The word faith is generally associated with the religious realm…people of faith; faith-based communities; oh, ye of little faith, etc. If it’s used in more profane precincts, it’s usually sports where fans are always being aroused to keep the faith. In politics faith appears almost entirely on one side of the partisan divide…Republicans, especially the dominant evangelical Republicans, freely frame their beliefs and actions as matters of faith. Democrats? Not so much. That’s why the brief exchange in the video below between MSNBC’s Chris Hayes and Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut is so remarkable. In it Hayes introduces the word faith pretty clearly to contrast his own skepticism about the safety of the Robert Mueller investigation into Trump high crimes and misdemeanors with Blumenthal’s view. When Blumenthal embraces the word faith, it sounds as if Hayes is scoffing at him off camera…and when they’re on camera together it appears that Hayes is eye-rolling him. The dynamic between the two men in this very secular conversation is not unlike the dynamic that goes on in religious debates between believers and nonbelievers. Believers generally welcome faith in word and meaning into the debate, while non-believers disdain it on all levels. In this dialog between Hayes and Blumenthal in both tone and facial expression, Hayes can hardly conceal his incredulousness at Blumenthal’s faith, taking it as a priori proof of Blumenthal’s naiveté.But let’s step back for a moment. Hayes has not asked Blumenthal if he believes in God or angels or heaven or any of the other fantastical notions that make up and pass for so much religious debate. He has asked him if he has faith in the institutions…the courts, congress, law-enforcement…established to protect the nation from an authoritarian take over. These are real, substantial entities…not mythological fancies…with the capacity to both fail or succeed based on human will and intention. We're talking about reality based faith here. Expressing faith in these institutions should not be dismissed as mere naiveté. Having such faith, it seems, is fundamental to being a citizen, otherwise why bother? Why follow the Mueller investigation? Why invest so much in it emotionally and politically? Why march in protest against the growing authoritarianism? Why support politicians and news outlets fighting the corruption each and every day? Why vote in November?   These are all secular questions, but they have a religious resonance because to answer them positively with words and actions requires faith. Faith that all our best thoughts and efforts will lead to…if not exactly heaven…a satisfactory and better end. It is notable that Blumenthal admits that his faith has been shaken during these recent months by the torrent of lies, misdirections, and miscreant behavior of many of those charged with protecting the nation from this great undoing. The test of faith is as old as the story of Job. Truly religious people accept that hardships along the way are tests of their faith. And by truly religious people I don’t necessarily mean the white rightwing evangelicals who fuel liberal fever dreams whenever religion comes up. I mean the generations of black folks who have faced demons beyond Devin Nunes, Mitch McConnell, and even Donald Trump and have survived them through the sheer strength of their faith.  Chris Hayes can scoff at Richard Blumenthal’s faith all he wants, but there’s no way he fiercely steps in front of that camera every day to expose the latest Trump outrage if he didn’t share some of that faith with him...if he didn't believe, despite evidence to the contrary, that his work was going to help this all come out right in the end.