Swing-state priest teaches ancient techniques for surviving today’s political turmoil

LANCASTER, Pa. (AP) — The Rev. David Peck knows first-hand really divided communities wracked by unit tin beryllium gutted by that repeated devastation.

In his erstwhile activity arsenic an Anglican religion typical for world development, Peck saw connected his trips to Africa really belief groups could beryllium portion of nan problem — but besides portion of nan solution.

Now, Peck is simply a pastor successful nan heartland of Pennsylvania — a authorities that is nan epicenter of a bitterly contested statesmanlike run that has stoked heavy anxiety, conflicts among families and friends, moreover fears of election-related violence.

Opposing groups tin find reconciliation by drafting connected communal belief traditions, Peck said. It tin beryllium nan shared belief successful mercy aliases nan nickname of nan quality dignity of all.

He’s realized “just really under-resourced group are successful applying their religion creatively into a conflicted governmental landscape,” said Peck, rector of nan historical St. James Episcopal Church.

“I deliberation we’ve really sewage nan champion tools” successful belief traditions to face these conflicts, he said. “We’ve conscionable not been accessing and utilizing them very effectively.”

So he’s started a play bid of gatherings this autumn astatine St. James, called “Contemplative Citizenship.” It’s aimed astatine helping group return a heavy activity — virtually — and use ancient techniques of dream and meditation that alteration group to respond to conflict much deliberately.

Quick to anger? Election anxieties spur these Christians to do amended

In nan subdued lighting of nan church’s sanctuary successful downtown Lancaster connected a caller Tuesday evening, he led a guided meditation for astir 50 group — Episcopalians, Catholics, Quakers among them — who had brought their visceral anxieties astir nan election.

“The dream of populist successful a profoundly divided state is of citizens that are much contemplative,” Peck told nan gathering. He called for “a much prayerful, thoughtful and engaged citizenship that is amended capable to spot nan sins of our ain parties, successful our ain selves arsenic good arsenic different people, truthful that we tin unrecorded and ballot and statement much humbly.”

This doesn’t mean giving up one’s patient governmental convictions. But nan programme intends to thief group build nan belief muscles to alteration them not to respond quickly successful anger astatine someone’s contrary viewpoint, whether connected societal media aliases successful existent life.

Each week successful nan program, Peck gives a talk and past introduces participants to a classical dream to meditate on. One week it was nan Lord’s Prayer. Future sessions will see nan usage of mantras specified arsenic successful nan Hindu contented and nan Metta Prayer from Buddhist practice.

On this peculiar evening successful mid-October, he focused connected nan Jesus Prayer, cultivated complete hundreds of years by Eastern Orthodox monks.

He opened pinch a talk drafting connected Scripture, poetry, moreover nan lyrics of nan Rolling Stones. He past led participants successful a play of quiet meditation, followed by an unfastened mic sharing of reflections.

Participants said that while it’s difficult to select retired nan hostility of nan ongoing governmental campaign, they weighted nan opportunity to study ways to respond much from a position of belief calm and strength.

“Now much than ever, we request this,” said Timothea Kirchner, a personnel of St. James.

She formerly worked arsenic a region and nationalist schoolhouse administrator, wherever she said “it was my occupation to effort to bring bully group together who had very different opinions and to thief them find communal ground.”

But today, she said, “I find nan conversations to beryllium truthful afloat of vitriol. I conscionable consciousness that a spot for illustration St. James has an responsibility to make nan conversations hap again, to find each other’s humanity.”

What tin beryllium learned from Gandhi, King and nan Rolling Stones

Dennis Downey, a Catholic attending nan service, said nan lessons are useful for group of immoderate belief tradition. “We person capable separation today,” Downey said. “We request things that will bring america together and supply a measurement of dream and healing.”

During nan session, Peck led participants successful a clip of quiet meditation connected nan Jesus Prayer, a believe that involves uttering a repeated building successful hit pinch one’s breath: “Lord Jesus Christ, boy of God, person mercy connected me, a sinner.”

This mantra-like phrase, sober arsenic it is, underscores a valuable governmental lesson, he said — that one’s ain broadside isn’t ever right, nor nan different broadside ever evil. He quoted nan Rolling Stones’ classic, “Sympathy for nan Devil,” which said nan blasted for nan Kennedy brothers’ assassinations extended to “you and me.”

Peck said nan lyric was a sober reminder that “there was not only thing incorrect pinch nan bad group retired there, but thing incorrect wrong maine and nan bully group retired there, too.”

While galore fearfulness nan imaginable for convulsive conflict during and aft nan election, Peck is hopeful. He draws connected his acquisition years agone arsenic a caput for world improvement for nan Archbishop of Canterbury — nan leader of nan world Anglican communion, of which nan Episcopal Church is simply a portion — connected issues of world development. It was successful that domiciled that he saw nan domiciled of faith-based groups successful Africa moving to bring bid amid conflict.

He besides noted that faith-based liberation movements successful history, specified arsenic those led by Mahatma Gandhi and nan Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. had beardown belief roots. In nan Civil Rights Movement, nan churches and Christians had general training successful practices of dream and nonviolence.

“We do person awesome world activity and resources online, but they do request to beryllium taught successful community, and they request to beryllium practiced,” Peck said. “Even if we cognize it successful our heads, erstwhile we’re nether accent and distress, it’s difficult work.”

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Associated Press belief sum receives support done nan AP’s collaboration pinch The Conversation US, pinch backing from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.