We Are Losing Our Rights

A Meditation by Rev. Cameron Trimble

“Prophetic religion may be defined as the protest against the absolutizing of the relative.” — Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel

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Photo by Tingey Injury Law Firm on Unsplash

Last week, the courts made two major decisions that hurt the rights of people in the United States.

The first decision by the Supreme Court weakened the Voting Rights Act again, making it harder for communities of color to challenge voting maps that take away their political power. ¹The second decision by a lower court stopped access to mailed abortion medication that thousands of women rely on.²

Taken together, these rulings tell a story.

For almost sixty years, strong conservative movements in America have tried to reduce the rights of women and people of color. These rulings show that their efforts are working. As a woman, I now have fewer rights than my mother had. The political power of Black and Brown communities keeps getting weaker, even as some claim that racism is no longer a real problem in America.

But losing voting rights hurts more than just one group.

When voting gets harder, fewer people participate. White rural voters without current ID struggle. Elderly voters who need mail-in ballots struggle. Poor communities with limited transportation struggle. Even democracy suffers.

We need to be clear about why this is happening. People are losing trust in this administration. Many polls show that people are unhappy.³ When governments lose the public’s confidence, they have a choice: they can change direction, or they can try to keep power by making it harder for people to take part.

History reveals this pattern. Authoritarian movements almost never start by saying what they really are. They grow through changes in laws, rules, and by using fear, while slowly weakening democracy. They claim everything is still legal, even as the real meaning of democracy is lost.

That is why this moment requires theological clarity.

Scripture often warns about societies that maintain moral language while abandoning moral responsibility. Amos spoke against leaders who performed public religion while exploiting the poor and manipulating the system for gain. Isaiah condemned those who wrote laws that deprived vulnerable people of justice. The prophets understood that injustice becomes most dangerous when it hides behind legitimacy.

The biblical concern was never only private morality. It was public life.

Who has power.
Who is protected.
Who is excluded.
Whose suffering is considered acceptable collateral damage.

These rulings reveal the kind of society we are becoming: a society where rights depend on conditions. A society where, in theory, everyone can participate in democracy, but in reality, it becomes less equal. A society where courts claim neutrality but actually support those already in power.

That should disturb us. It certainly does me.

And yet, underneath my grief, I also sense resistance rising, the kind of moral resistance that has appeared throughout history whenever people have decided that dignity matters more than fear.

The Civil Rights Movement started in a moment like this. The labor movement did too. So did movements for women’s voting rights, disability rights, LGBTQ dignity, and protecting the environment. Time and again, people realized that staying silent would only make things worse.

Those in power often believe fear will stabilize the system. Sometimes it does for a while. But history also shows that repression leads to pushback. The more rights are taken away, the more people see what they could lose. The more leaders try to limit democracy, the clearer it becomes to everyone.

Authoritarianism works when people start to see it as normal. It relies on people getting too tired to keep speaking up.

But there is another possibility. People can come together. People can say no. People can keep supporting each other, even when systems start to break down. That is part of what I hear rising now in so many people. A deep and growing refusal.

No, we will not normalize racism again.
No, we will not normalize misogyny again.
No, we will not surrender democracy to authoritarian impulses.
No, we will not abandon the future for the sake of wealth and power concentrated in the hands of a few.

That refusal doesn’t assure victory. But it keeps our sense of right and wrong alive, which is needed for democracy to last.

Howard Thurman once warned that the greatest danger is not simply hatred, but the deadening of the human spirit. I think that is part of the struggle now.

We are struggling not just for rights, but for a society that still sees the humanity in everyone. That is sacred work.

We are in this together,

Cameron

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Reflection Questions

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1. Where do you see democratic norms and human rights slowly eroding in ways that people are being asked to accept as “normal”?

2. What emotions rise in you when you witness rights being diminished or communities being targeted?

3. How do you remain engaged without allowing exhaustion or cynicism to take over?

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A Prayer for the Day

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A Prayer For Moral Courage

Spirit of Grace,
we are living through a time that asks much of us.

It asks us to stay awake
when it would be easier to look away.

It asks us to remain hopeful
when disappointment keeps arriving.

It asks us to defend the dignity of others
even when systems grow hostile to that dignity.

Give us courage that is steady and disciplined.
Protect us from despair that turns inward
and from anger that loses its way.

Help us remember that justice is not sustained by courts alone,
but by ordinary people who refuse to abandon one another.

Strengthen all who are vulnerable in this moment.
Strengthen all who continue to organize, speak, vote, protect, and resist.

And remind us that the moral arc of history does not bend on its own.
People bend it together.

Amen.

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Spiritual Practice

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Refusing Normalization

Today, pay attention to the language being used around you. Notice how often injustice is framed as inevitable, procedural, or simply “the way things are.” Notice where you feel yourself becoming numb to realities that would once have shocked you.

Choose one issue that matters deeply to you and spend time learning about it beyond the headlines. Read carefully. Listen to the people most affected. Resist the pressure to move on too quickly.

Then take one concrete action that interrupts passivity. Call a representative. Support a local organization. Talk honestly with someone you trust. Register voters. Donate. Show up.

Authoritarian systems depend on exhaustion and silence.

Democracy depends on people who remain present.

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Upcoming Events That Might Be of Interest…

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My team and I launched a new experiment we are calling “The Commons.” It’s an online space centered around communities of practice: groups of people who share a common concern, set of problems, or passion for a topic, and deepen their knowledge and expertise by interacting on an ongoing basis. Join the community here.

May 27, 2026, 12pm ET - FREE WEBINAR - I will be hosting an online experience titled “Reclaiming the Power of Imagination: A live experiential webinar with Jackie Sussman." Jackie, a psychotherapist, author, and leading expert in Eidetic Image Psychology, has spent over forty years helping leaders and individuals unlock creativity, uncover hidden strengths, and move through limiting patterns. During this session, she will lead a live Eidetic process shaped by mythic imagery, offering a direct experience of the work. REGISTER HERE.

I drafted a Strategic Framework for Congregations as we move into the coming years of increased authoritarianism around the world. If interested, you can download it here.

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Fun Things My Friends Are Up To…

I get to work with such amazing, creative people. This section is my way of celebrating them—no paid promotions, just joy in what they’re creating.

EcoAmerica and Blessed Tomorrow have created a Climate Film Series to ground climate action in faith within communities. Each 20-minute video comes with a FREE discussion toolkit featuring scripture, prayer, reflection questions, and practical actions you can take right away. Watch the series. https://blessedtomorrow.org/faith-climate-film-series/

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My colleagues at The Hartford Institute for Religion Research released new findings Friday showing American congregations have made measurable gains since the pandemic — but the picture is complicated. The report, “Signs of Rebound Amid Uneven Recovery: The Changing Congregational Landscape,” draws on a national survey of 7,453 congregations conducted between September and December 2025.

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The team over at Political Research Associates are hosting a webinar titled, “Challenging the Christian Right: Rifts & Strategies.” It will be on May 14 at 1pm ET. You can register here.

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If you are a leader or member of a congregation looking for consulting support in visioning, planning, hiring or staffing, please consider Convergence.

1. https://religionnews.com/2026/04/30/the-supreme-court-gutted-the-voting-rights-act-black-churches-know-exactly-what-to-do/

2. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/what-to-know-about-a-mifepristone-maker-asking-the-supreme-court-to-restore-access-to-the-pill-by-mail

3. https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-approval-rating-new-low-polls-11906012