New Thought and Presidential Election Politics

Can New Thought principles help us make tough choices in this contentious presidential election year? Rev. Sara Nichols argues for embracing Bernie Sanders big vision and New Thought adherent and political consultant Rob Foreman makes a case for Hillary Clinton. I write that while both Clinton and Sanders have their virtues our actions as citizens may be more important to social and political transformation than which candidate receives the Democratic party nomination.

-Harv Bishop

 

A Quantum Politics of Possibility

A New Thought Perspective on Bernie Sanders

 

By Sara Nichols

 

What if we embraced a politics that matched our spiritual conviction?  What if we applied everything we know about feeling whole, perfect and complete to the world of effects writ large?

Fact:  I am sick.   Fact:  I am poor.  Fact: I am lonely.  In our personal spiritual work, we know that conditions have no power over us.  Hence, these “facts” under the lens of spiritual mind treatment give way to the truth, which is that I am whole, I am abundant, and I am loved.  In spiritual science (the philosophy that I teach) we call that focusing on “First Cause.”  We are not interested in the conditions of the world, except as they point us to a new condition, a new thought, a new cause.

In quantum physics, we learn that at the level of the substrata, below everything, everything is both a wave (possibility, in motion) or a particle (collapsed wave, fixed, material) at the same time and that consciousness (our thoughts) are what controls whether something appears as fixed or in motion.

It is the Centers for Spiritual Living Global Vision to create a “World That Works for Everyone.”  On that journey, what if we applied the laws of quantum physics (spiritual science) to politics?  What if we were less interested in the material world, the apparent conditions and how it looks, then in how it could be?  What if instead of looking at the problems of this country and this world as fixed constants (collapsed, hard, material particles), we looked at them as in motion, able to change in a heart beat (waves of limitless possibility)?

Well, if we embraced First Cause politics, it might look a lot like the current presidential political season.  In it, the putative frontrunner in the Democratic Party, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, is an expert on the politics of pragmaticism.  She focuses on these facts:  there is not enough money to provide cradle to grave health care coverage for every man, woman and child.  Fact:  There is not enough money to provide a four-year college education to every qualified student.  Fact:  we cannot convert to clean renewable energy overnight, and it takes money to do so.  Fact:  what’s good for Wall Street is good for Main Street.   Fact: even if there was enough money, Republicans would say no to it.  Fact:  these ideas are pie in the sky; they’re not practical.

Meanwhile, her opponent,  Senator Bernie Sanders, rallies tens of thousands, easily raises millions of dollars in small donations, and racks up as many delegates as her on the road to the Democratic nomination by speaking to new possibilities, being uninterested in these facts, focusing on First Cause.

I support Sanders for President because to me he epitomizes a First Cause politics.  He is calling us to get off the meditation mat and come out of our rooms to see what is happening in the world.  He promises that we can, collectively, shift consciousness to demonstrate the true abundance that we are.  He knows the truth of the matter:  there is more than enough food, shelter, clean air, clean water and love for every man, woman and child in the world and it is simply a matter of changing the politics of pragmatism to a politics of possibility.

 Sara Nichols, after nearly 20 years as a lawyer and advocate for universal health care reform, labor and consumer rights in Congress and the California legislature, has been the Spiritual Leader of the Center for Spiritual Living, Davis in California for a little over a year.  As an advocate, Nichols appeared frequently in the media, including the New York Times, the Washington Post, NPR, PBS Newshour, Good Morning America, Larry King Live and the Jerry Springer Show.  As a minister, Rev. Nichols appears frequently on Sunday mornings at her center.

 

“Be Transformed by the Renewing of Your Mind”

A New Thought Perspective on Hillary Clinton

 

By Rob Foreman

Here are two spiritual principles that come to mind when I think about why I support Hillary Clinton for president.

1) But none of these things moves me (Acts 20:24).

 This woman has had so many falsehoods hurled at her over the years and not only is she still standing, but she is continually moving forward. She’s been accused of having some part in the death of her best friend, of ripping off people in a shady real estate deal, and allowing a U.S. Ambassador to be killed on her watch. In politics, it almost never matters if none of these things are true. In fact, political careers have been derailed for far less.

But Hillary Clinton faces all accusations and inquisitions head on. She continually advances towards creating world that works for everyone.

2)  Be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind (Romans 12:2)

 Hillary Clinton has been on the wrong side of some issues. Like many of us, she once opposed gay marriage and even supported the war in Iraq. But as it became apparent that she was wrong, Hillary was open enough to reexamine her own beliefs and change her mind, even while knowing that her opponents would use these things against her later on. I like this trait very much because it shows her humanity. I relate to it. I think the willingness to see the mistake and correct it is a huge plus in a politician. The tree that will not bend can only break. There’s too much “not bending” going on in Washington, DC these days.

Compare her flexibility to Bernie Sanders. I was struck by a recent New York Times editorial.  “For 25 years in Congress, Mr. Sanders has held fast to his progressive message and principles. But he hasn’t gotten many big things done. As an uncompromising political independent, his outsider status has largely prevented him from attracting the support that would be needed among Democrats to turn into law his liberal ideals on health care, on college education and on fighting poverty and climate change.”

Hillary Clinton can compromise with others, move our country forward and get things done.

Rob Foreman has been studying New Thought since the late 1990’s, especially the work of Ernest Holmes and Joseph Murphy. He works for the Los Angeles-based political consulting firm of EDH & Associates.

 

We are the Ones We’ve Been Waiting For

Engaged citizens- not Clinton or Sanders- can create a world that works for everyone

By Harv Bishop

I believe that both Hillary Clinton’s pragmatism described by Rob Foreman, and Bernie Sanders’ big vision described by Sara Nichols, are necessary to create a world that works for everyone. And there is one essential missing ingredient – “we the people.”

Our founders designed a system of divided government where it is extraordinarily difficult to get things done without compromise. It can be messy and sometimes discouraging. In the US system there are countless ways to stop new policies. A law can survive the meat grinder hurdles in two houses of congress only to be challenged in the courts. A Hail Mary is often required to get nearly all the branches of government to agree on change. Witness recent years with President Obama trying to work with a Republican-dominated congress.

But there are times – such as during the Civil Rights Movement- where a large social movement and eloquent leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King called the country to a higher vision. But it also took President Lyndon Johnson with all his human flaws to use his exceptional inside political game skills and good old fashioned political arm twisting to make that vision a reality producing the nation’s first substantive laws supporting racial equality. With the popular support of a social movement from the outside, a skilled inside game political leader can make the dream a reality.

Obama – like Sanders – ran on a consciousness-raising vision of hope and change only to run head-long into a “just say no” congress. Despite this Obama was able to able to push through health care coverage with the help of his adviser, the consummate inside game player Rahm Emmanuel.

Could President Obama have done more on climate change? Yes, say some commentators, if he had a large, popular, social environmental movement outside of government to allow something akin to Johnson’s inside moves on Civil Rights.

Sanders brings together the outside and inside game and hopes for large-scale popular support to make his version of a world that works for everyone a reality. Can he do it given our divided government and politics? Perhaps. Other high-minded presidents from Carter to Obama have faced difficulties. Will “we the people” support Sanders’ revolution?

Clinton possesses strong inside game skills. I think she is sympathetic to the bigger vision and would be effective, especially if supported by a large-scale social movement. But without popular and active public support a pragmatic approach to change can be piecemeal.

We need a president with the ability to compromise and bring together our different interests. Environmental issues, for instance, can be addressed by both market-based programs and sensible regulation. It need not be either/or as our polarized political climate seems to suggest.

It will not matter if Clinton’s pragmatism or Sanders big vision rules the White House unless “we the people” make our voices heard.

We must be willing to stop limiting our activism to buying energy-saving LED light bulbs. We must be willing to organize, work for the change we want to see and hold our leaders feet to the fire.

Harv Bishop has taught political science at the University of Colorado Denver for more than 20 years.