Are We Going The Way Of The Roman Republic?

Since reading this fascinating book, I haven't 
been able to shake the feeling that we may be
facing the same demise as that of this once
powerful empire.

I'm not an expert on the history of the Roman empire or on the story of our own, but I do find some striking parallels between the two world powers. 

For example, what is now the United States was also first governed by a monarchy, then as a republic, and then...

Here's the fascinating Roman story:

The Roman Kingdom was  founded in 753 BC and was successful in establishing colonies well beyond its borders. Kings continued to rule the new nation until the monarchy was overthrown in 509 BC. The resulting  Roman Republic was ruled by officials elected by a legislative assembly.

Julius Caesar, one of the more powerful of these elected rulers, was elevated by the Roman Senate to the status of a god after his assassination in 44 BC. His son Octavian proclaimed himself "the son of a god" and was named "Augustus" (majestic) and "Princeps" (first) by the Senate. He was later honored with the title "Pater Patriae" (father of the country).   

Octavian, now known as Caesar Augustus, was emperor at the time of Jesus's birth, and was revered as one of a pantheon of Roman deities. He became known as the first emperor of the expanding Roman empire, effectively ending the republic that had existed for centuries. The Roman Senate wasn't abolished, but became a rubber stamp for his policies. 

Many of the emperors that followed, notably rulers like Caligula, Claudius, Nero and Domitian, had elaborate temples erected for the veneration of the empire, and subjects were to offer token sacrifices as signs of their pledge of allegiance to the emperor ("Caesar is Lord"). Domitian, the virtual dictator in power when the New Testament book of Revelation was written, declared himself "Dominus et Deus" (Lord and god) and persecuted Jews and Christians who refused to comply with his orders. Christians, of course had their own alternative confession, "Jesus is Lord," and opposed any such pledge.

The gradual decline and ultimate fall of the empire occurred over centuries of time. After a thousand-year history, Rome, like every other world empire, eventually came to an end. 

Here is a helpful analysis in a Wikipedia article:

The fall of the Western Roman Empire, also called the fall of the Roman Empire or the fall of Rome, was the loss of central political control in the Western Roman Empire, a process in which the Empire failed to enforce its rule, and its vast territory was divided among several successor polities. The Roman Empire lost the strengths that had allowed it to exercise effective control over its Western provinces; modern historians posit factors including the effectiveness and numbers of the army, the health and numbers of the Roman population, the strength of the economy, the competence of the emperors, the internal struggles for power, the religious changes of the period, and the efficiency of the civil administration. Increasing pressure from invading peoples outside Roman culture also contributed greatly to the collapse. Climatic changes and both endemic and epidemic diseases drove many of these immediate factors. The reasons for the collapse are major subjects of the historiography of the ancient world and they inform much modern discourse on state failure.

History may not repeat itself, but there are often significant parallels we can take lessons from, the first being that no world empire lasts forever.

Some Reflections On Ballot Questions 1, 2 and 3

Should followers of Jesus weigh in on the three ballot
questions that have to do with amending our state
constitution? 

The older I get, the more I realize that since I will never know everything about everything, I can never assume to be absolutely right about everything. So take my reflections as food for thought, not as irrefutable truths:

Ballot Question #1:

Should the Constitution of Virginia be amended to (i) protect the freedom to make personal decisions about prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, birth control, abortion, miscarriage management, and fertility care; (ii) protect doctors, nurses, and patients from being punished for these decisions; and (iii) allow for restrictions on access to abortion during the third trimester of pregnancy except when the patient's health is at risk or the pregnancy cannot survive?

To be clear, I believe human life should be considered precious at any stage of development, and never terminated as a convenient means of birth control. However, there may still be some questions worth considering and praying over, like whether we should criminalize the use of a morning after pill in the case of a twelve-year-old victim of rape or incest, to cite an extreme example.

Some reflections: Throughout history we have made distinctions between prenatal human life and postnatal human personhood. In the frequent cases of natural abortions (many happening even before individuals know they are pregnant), we don't consider miscarriages in quite the same way as we do the loss of an already born baby. That is, we don't normally name miscarried zygotes, embryos or fetuses, issue birth or death certificates, count them in any census, or have a memorial service for the miscarried human life. But we do all of these when we welcome an addition to the family at birth or memorialize the loss of a born baby. This doesn't at all mean we should not take miscarriages seriously, or minimize the deep grief so often associated with the loss of an anticipated new member of a family.

But should all terminations of a pregnancy, at whatever stage, be considered an act of murder, as in the killing of a baby person? And should any of us assume the right to make all such judgments, or should that right, and that responsibility, be reserved for the person (and their family and congregational family) carrying a precious human life in formation? And are there easy answers in cases where exceptional factors are at play, like the life and health of a mother being at risk, or when there is a fetus with some serious or fatal abnormality? And should not men be held primarily responsible for unwanted pregnancies rather than women carrying that responsibility alone?

Here are some further thoughts: 

https://harvyoder.blogspot.com/2022/06/we-need-ongoing-conversations-about.html

Ballot Question #2:

Should the Constitution of Virginia be amended to (i) remove the ban on same-sex marriage; (ii) affirm that two adults may marry regardless of sex, gender, or race; and (iii) require all legally valid marriages to be treated equally under the law?

Few issues have created so much distress or caused so much division as the question of whether, how, or why some people are born with differing sexual or gender orientations or characteristics. In my years of counseling and pastoral experience, I've come to accept the fact that virtually no one actually chooses to be orientated differently from the majority of their peers, and that in fact many would give anything to experience what most consider "normal" heterosexual relationships. 

But there do appear to be natural differences in the human family in this area, just as some people are born left-handed, some right-handed, and some are ambidextrous, for no known or preventable reason. After learning to know and respect many differently-oriented individuals over a lifetime, I no longer see this as having an easy answer. At the very least, I have to ask whether society is better off having gay and lesbian individuals in committed and stable relationships rather than having them experience secretive, unstable and/or promiscuous ones. I do believe celibacy can clearly be a God-honoring choice for any of us, especially since Jesus himself was celibate, but realize that's a hard ask, and may be more difficult for some than others. I also realize that fellow believers who take the Bible seriously don't all come to the same conclusions about this kind of "disputable matter."

And is there any hypocrisy involved in a major political party in Virginia championing an openly gay candidate for statewide office in 2025 and now advocating for voting No to Ballot Question #2? 

Here are some more reflections: 

https://harvyoder.blogspot.com/2014/11/we-need-help-in-discerning-what-are.html

Ballot Question #3:

Should the Constitution of Virginia be amended (i) to provide for the fundamental right to vote in the Commonwealth, (ii) to revise the qualifications of voters so that a person convicted of a felony is not entitled to vote during his period of incarceration but is automatically invested with the right to vote upon release from incarceration, and (iii) to update the existing prohibition on voting by persons found to be mentally incompetent to instead apply to persons who have been found to lack the capacity to understand the act of voting?

While I will never know everything about everything, I affirm this one without reservation. The other two I may pray more about before I settle on a simple yes, no or blank response. 

September DN-R Justice Matters Guest Column

Stephano Colosi has been incarcerated since 2000 and is dedicated to justice reform, especially as it pertains to youthful offenders and aging persons in prison. His column appeared in Friday's paper. Justice Matters columns are provided by members of the Valley Justice Coalition, a local citizen voice for criminal justice reform in our community and in the Commonwealth since 2014.

Youthful Offenders, Serious Crimes, and Redemption

Stephano 'Nick' Colosi

The punishment of youthful offenders who commit serious crimes raises one of the most difficult questions in criminal justice. How should society balance accountability and public safety with the recognition that a young person is not yet a fully developed adult? Modern neuroscience, criminology, and rehabilitation research increasingly demonstrate that youthfulness matters--not to excuse serious crime, but to recognize a person's ability to grow and change.

The Developing Youth Brain

Brain development continues well beyond adolescence. The prefrontal systems responsible for impulse control, judgement, planning, risk assessment, and consideration of long-term consequences continue developing into the mid 20's. A major Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention ("OJJDP") study of 1,354 serious juvenile offenders found that desistance from crime was associated with increasing psychosocial maturity and that brain development plays an important role in the transition away from offending.

This does not mean that every young offender will change. Rather, it means that age at the time of the offense is an important factor in assessing culpability and future dangerousness. The United States Supreme Court in Graham v. Florida (560 U.S. 48, 2010), recognized this principle in cases limiting the harshest punishment for juveniles, including mandatory life without parole.

Why Young People Commit Crime

Youthful criminal behavior rarely has a single cause. Environmental circumstances can include poverty, unstable homes, abuse, neglect, exposure to violence, substance abuse, dysfunctional families, and association with the welfare system. Peer pressure and association with criminal adults can also strongly influence decision-making.

Learned behavior is another important factor. Children who repeatedly observe violence, criminal conduct, or substance abuse may come to believe those behaviors are normal. Adolescents may be particularly susceptible to peer influence because their desire for acceptance and immediate rewards can outweigh consideration of long-term consequences.

"These salient characteristics mean that it is difficult even for expert psychologists to differentiate between the juvenile whose crime reflects unfortunate, yet transient immaturity, and the rare juvenile offender whose crime reflects irreparable corruption. Accordingly, juvenile offenders cannot with reliability be classified among the worst offenders." (HN 6, Graham v. Florida)

- Stephano Colosi 1037581 welcomes mail at Buckingham Correctional Center, P.O. Box 430, Dillwyn, Va 23936

September 23-26 Film Festival Blesses Many

Coffee Hour conversation with Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community's Park Village residents.

The Shenandoah Valley InThrive Film Festival, featuring stories by and about incarceration survivors, got off to an animated start at VMRC's Village Hall Wednesday. This was followed by screenings at EMU, Mary Baldwin University and Bridgewater College, with a concluding event yesterday at the Divine Unity Community Church in Harrisonburg. 

Thanks to the good work of InThrive's founder David Smith and many others, some 750 people benefited from the films, discussion panels (made up of formerly incarceration persons) and art work created by men and women in our local jails.     

Our special thanks to all who supported this Valley Justice Coalition effort, Park Rose Apartments, Cook Attorneys, Hometown Realty Group, Bridgewater College, VMRC and Park View Federal Credit Union.

Soli Deo gloria.

A sample of some of the creative work done by men and women in our local jails, without the benefit of any art supplies being made available to them.

Note: The Valley Justice Coalition meets via Zoom on the 2nd and 4th Monday noon of each month. This Monday, 9/28/26, Sheba Williams of the Richmond-based Nolef Turns group will lead a conversation on the restoration the voting rights of formerly incarcerated persons in Virginia. You may contact me at harvyoder@gmail.com for a link.

Some Somber Thoughts While On Interstate 81

Last week Alma Jean and I braved Interstate 81  traffic to attend the 70-year reunion of her Lancaster Mennonite School high school graduating class. There we reflected on the changes we've all experienced in the many years that have gone by, along with noting all the members of the 1956 class who are no longer with us. All of this was sobering enough, but other issues also occupied my mind while en route.

An Unsustainable Volume of Highway Traffic

     Alma Jean often recalls her many trips to and from Eastern Mennonite College (now EMU) from Juniata County in Pennsylvania after graduating from LMS. All of these were via Highway 11 from Harrisburg to Harrisonburg. 

     The volume of cars and trucks on I-81 today has far exceeded the increase in population in the decades that followed. Improved roads built for higher speeds inevitably generate more traffic, and the increase in the number of trucks bearing all of the exotic (versus native) foods and other consumer goods we demand has also greatly added to the traffic on the highway. I especially noticed the number of Amazon Prime trucks delivering all the stuff we now buy online. 

     With diesel fuel at over $6 a gallon in vehicles that average 6-7 MPG, it's not hard to imagine how all of this is driving up costs, polluting our air and accelerating the pace of climate change. 

An Unimaginable Amount Of Corn Grown For Animal Consumption

     Acre after acre of field corn along rural areas of Interstate 81 are sure signs of America's unsustainable appetite for beef, poultry and dairy products, all requiring tons of grain, especially corn, to produce. How much we could reduce or entirely eliminate world hunger, I wondered, if we were growing twice the grain, bean and other vegetable crops on the world's agricultural land, food that could go more directly from our fields to the plates of families around the world. 

     Alma Jean and I haven't gone 100% vegetarian, and we still enjoy milk with our morning cereal, use eggs in many of our recipes, and indulge in some over-processed and over-packaged food products from our nearby supermarket. But we are finding local produce and food grown in our 10' x 60' garden ever more satisfying, especially as we realize it takes six pounds of grain in a feedlot to produce a pound of beef at the supermarket. 

    This high demand for beef contributes to more and more of the Amazon rain forest, the "lungs  of the planet," being destroyed, which further contributes to climate change and other dire conditions our children and grandchildren will be left to face. Hence the word somber in my title.

    But what do you think?

Making A Wise Investment In World Peace

This may have been of our best investments ever.
(screenshot from Wikipedia article)

How did Germany and Japan, our bitterest WWII enemies, become some of our strongest allies?   

Prior to the devastating war that claimed the lives of over 50 million people and caused unbelievable destruction, our relationship with these two nations had been highly conflicted for decades. One of the factors that contributed to our former enemies becoming friends was the willingness of the U.S. to invest billions in relief and rebuilding efforts after a war that had left both economies in ruins.   

Meanwhile, the U.S. chose not to offer that kind of aid to the Soviet Union, our actual ally in the war, choosing instead to engage in an arms race that has been unimaginably dangerous and costly for all concerned.  

Looking back, which has proved to be the more effective way of maintaining peace and developing valued world partnerships?     

In his book, "Strength to Love,” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., cites Abraham Lincoln’s famous words, “Do I not destroy my enemies by making them my friends?” and adds, “we get rid of our enemies by getting rid of enmity.”    

When will we ever learn that it is better to negotiate win/win agreements and work toward just and mutually beneficial relationships rather than relying on the threat of force or annihilation?    

More recently, many of us have regretted seeing the decimation of the nation’s USAID program, an imperfect but life-saving and friend-making effort, in favor of putting ever more trust in a death-dealing trillion dollar Pentagon budget. In addition we have cut spending on the Peace Corps by $20 million, largely defunded the Department of Peace, and renamed the Department of Defense the Department of War.    

Is this making the world safer?    

Dr. King writes, “Far from being the pious injunction of a Utopian dreamer, the command to love our enemies is an absolute necessity for our survival.” And he might have added Jesus’s equally strong words about laying up lasting treasure by investing in the needs of our world neighbors, actions equally necessary for our safety and survival. Injustice and inequity inevitably result in enmity and war rather than creating durable peace.    

With our nation gutting its investment in the needs of the world’s desperately poor it becomes ever more urgent for individuals, congregations and people of compassion everywhere to double and quadruple their help for the world’s homeless and hungry, not as acts of charity, but as forms of redistribution that are signs of God’s will being done on earth as it is in heaven. Just a few examples of widely trusted aid agencies are Doctors Without Borders, Mercy Ships, UNICEF, World Vision, CARE, Oxfam America, Catholic Relief Services, Islamic Relief Worldwide, and World Jewish Relief, to name but a few.    

In my own faith community Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) partners with relief agencies around the world to help relieve malnutrition, aid refugees and offer hands-up kinds of help in the spirit of Jesus and the prophets. Last fall the annual Virginia Mennonite Relief Sale at the Rockingham Fairgrounds raised nearly a half million dollars for worldwide friend-making through MCC, over ten percent of which was in cash, check and credit card donations at the Sharing Our Surplus (SOS) table at the event.     

Most of us could easily double that kind of investment in peacemaking and life saving efforts, through whatever agencies, without creating any real hardship for ourselves or our families.         

In his soul-searching book, “The Hole In Our Gospel,” former president of World Vision Richard Stearns, writes, ”The poorest 40 percent of the world’s population accounts for just 3 percent of global income. The richest 10 percent accounts for 85 percent of the world’s income.” Stearns quotes St. Augustine as saying, “The bread that you keep belongs to the hungry; the coat you store in your wardrobe, to the naked; the shoes that are rotting in your possession, to the shoeless; the gold you have hidden in the ground, to the needy. As often as you are able to help others but refuse, so often do you do them wrong.”    

Think about it. How can we claim the right to more than enough while millions of our equally precious world neighbors have far less than enough?    

So select a cause. Make a sacrificial donation. If not at an event like the October 2-3 relief sale, invest generously through any trusted, friend-making and peace-promoting agency. Or if you want to support the MCC effort but can’t attend, make a super generous contribution online at https://vareliefsale.com/ and mark the SOS box. Or send a check made out to VMRS to 601 Parkwood Drive, Harrisonburg, Virginia 22802, with SOS on the memo line.         

Every SOS dollar given to MCC through the Virginia Relief Sale will be matched dollar for dollar up to the first $50,000 raised.    

Consider it a wise investment in world peace.  

Are They "Weeds" or Uninvited Wonders?

Check the photos below before leaving a comment on the question:

1) Some morning glory vines decorating the pole limas on our garden trestle. 

2) A volunteer sunflower welcoming us at the south end of our garden plot. 

3) A 12' tall sunflower, also uninvited, standing guard at the north end. 

4) An unidentified wonder standing like a sentinel at the front of our house (I finally removed it due to the fear our neighbors might object).

But think about it. What is a weed but another amazing creation just showing up uninvited and unannounced?