Standing in Principle in the Middle of a Protest

Last Saturday morning, 17 members and friends of New Vision Center gathered on the front lawn of the Arizona Capitol Building to take a stand for the dignity of the human family.  Around 800 beloveds from across the state listened to speakers, raised their voices in chants and let their opinions be known.  Most of the voices were loving and peaceful but, of course, some were not.  Most of the chants were uplifting and universal but, of course, some were not.  The question raised for us, as followers of the principles of Science of Mind, is how can we remain in principle in the middle of a protest?  How can we be for love, goodness and justice for all when there is political separation and anger all around us?

Our NVC group approached it like this: First, we prayed a lot.  We prayed before we left for the rally.  We prayed before the rally began. And we prayed whenever we could feel anger or violence in the air.  We were very much a prayer presence, holding the entire rally (protesters and counter-protesters alike) in the highest light of love and peace.

Second, we were discerning in our participation.  We shouted to the rooftops in chants of love, welcoming and peace.  But we did not join in chants that were hateful, political or violent in nature.  We did not chant, “No justice, no peace,” as we believe that peace is everywhere as a quality of God.  We refrained from chanting anything about President Trump, ICE, or the republican administration, because that’s not what we were there for.  Instead, we stood in silent prayer during those chants which quickly gave way to more loving expressions.

Ernest Holmes called us to be for something and against nothing.  It’s a reality of American life that we live in an unsettled time, but we can stand in spiritual principle no matter what is unfolding around us. In truth, that’s one of Science of Mind’s greatest gifts to us all.