Good Choice, Mr. Obama

After the election of Barack Obama, I was deeply disappointed that America had chosen a man with perverse moral values to lead our country. However, I am happy to see that he has picked a man with sound moral beliefs to deliver his inaugural invocation in January. Read the entire article here.

His choice of Rick Warren is slightly comforting, although it does not detract from the fact that he intends to authorize acts which are morally wrong. His choice is, perhaps, a hollow attempt to appease conservative members of society. It seems unlikely that much good will come out of it, and he will still authorize such atrocious acts as abortion.

I almost laughed out loud when I read that Kathryn Kolbert, President of People for the American Way, told CNN that President-elect Obama should have chosen someone with “consistent mainstream American values.” Years ago, “mainstream American values” included the owning of blacks as slaves. I wonder if Ms. Kolbert would have been in favor of these “mainstream values.” She seems rather concerned with accepting whatever values may be in place at whatever time. What we should be concerned with is correcting our values so that those values are just and true. What good is there in protecting that which is flawed?

As much as I am dissatisfied with our choice of president, I believe that we should not disillusioned. We must intercede for our future president that he may be lead to see the truth and help to make America a better and more loving place to live.

Consequences of Freedom of Choice

The endorsement of the Freedom of Choice act by President-elect Barack Obama could certainly have some major devastating effects, as reported by U.S. News and World Report. Read the full article here.

The fact that our future president, a man who we call upon to lead us in a morally correct way, supports atrocities such as abortion is a very sad thing. It is even more disturbing that the Freedom of Choice act would force may hospitals to offer abortions, which would terminate the lives of many innocent American children. Furthermore, the act would also force government health insurance agencies to provide funding for these terminations. We will be facing a difficult time in terms of abortion, especially considering the new leader that our country has elected. We must intercede more than ever for the unborn because they should not be allowed to suffer for this sins of others.

I took immediate note of the following sentence: “This legislation declares that a woman “has the fundamental right to choose to bear a child, to terminate a pregnancy prior to fetal viability, or to terminate a pregnancy after fetal viability when necessary to protect the life or health of the woman.” The word “viability” is defined as ” having attained such form and development as to be normally capable of surviving outside the mother’s womb” by the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary (http://www.webster.com.) I was recently in the company of a monsignor who was debating the subject of abortion with an ill-informed person. The monsignor said “I once baptized a 3 month old baby in the hospital. He was born prematurely. That boy now serves mass with me. So, where do we draw the line?” Where do we draw the line? We should draw the line at contraception, the time when sperm meets egg and creates a life. Unfortunately, there are many people who believe that size and time are everything. We can quibble over days, months, and weeks, but at the core of the issue is the undeniable fact that a life is created at the time of conception. It is unfortunate that, through the use of logically flawed arguments which are centered around trimesters, people will try to detract from the fact that a human life is created at conception.

The second point in the article which stood out was a quote from the co-president of the National Women’s Law Center,Marcia Greenberger, who said “The act would simply ensure that Roe v. Wade protections remain in place.” Well, if this is the case, then why stop at women? Why not let everyone “personally” decide if a life is worth preserving? The idea that is “protected” in Roe v. Wade is the idea that one human being should have the right to decide if another human being should live. This is a truly hideous concept. There is nothing to “protect” here. No one has the right to make that choice.

In closing, I would just like to encourage everyone to pray for our future president and the unborn. Also pray for women who are contemplating an abortion. We must pray that the grace of God leads them to recognize the truth and helps them to make the right decision. Let us also pray for all who have chosen to have an abortion. May our Merciful Father forgive them and help them to heal. We are going to experience a trying time in our battle to protect the sanctity of life. May God help us and everyone involved.

San Francisco Archbishop Speaks of Proposition 8 Aftermath

In his article entitled “Moving forward together,” San Francisco Archbishop George H. Niederauer seeks to replace hatred with logic and disrespect with amicable understanding. His article, while dealing with the aftermath of Proposition 8, also offers a commentary on some issues which we must all keep in mind, especially in current times.

In the article, Archbishop Niederauer asserts that “We need to stop hurling names like “bigot” and “pervert” at each other. And we need to stop it now.” He is absolutely right. However, contrary to what some may believe, my comments on this are not related to how the gay community views Christians. They are targeted at how Christians view the gay community. Now, don’t misunderstand me. The gay community has to stop blissfully following the delusion that Christians are trying to destroy their freedom of expression and infringe upon their civil rights. This is not true. However, as said in the article, “Tolerance, respect, and trust are always two-way streets.” On many occasions, Christians fail to treat their brothers and sisters in the gay community with ample respect. The Catholic Church believes that homosexuals should be treated with respect and care. They are entitled to the same basic human rights as you and me. However, in a fervor of ardent emotions, many Christians give themselves a bad name. Through their vacuous actions, they destroy the cause which they are so determined to advocate. How do they do this? By using emotion instead of logic in their attempt to communicate with the gay community.

So, let us take a quick look at some methods which do not work for those who seek to communicate with the gay community. Here are two that instantly come to mind.

1. Standing outside of funerals for deceased members of the gay community and shouting slogans like “You will burn in hell.”

2. Calling homosexuals “faggots,” “perverts,” or any other disparaging terms.

Perhaps if people tried to engage in productive, intelligence, and mutually respectful dialogue with the gay community, we would see more progress, less confusion, and a reduced amount of hate. The frustrating aspect to this situation is that there are probably many Christian intellectuals who would like to engage in such dialogue with the gay community. However, their efforts are stifled by the aforementioned ignoramuses and their misguided efforts to yell, scream, and hold up signs. In this aspect, we must implore the Christian community and the gay community to be more understanding. We are all God’s children created in his image.

The other idea expressed in the Archbishop’s article which I believe is of great importance is that we can not divorce our faith from the public square. If we honestly believe that our faith is the Truth, than to exclude it from the public square would be to lie to our fellow citizens. Rather, our public square life and our life of faith to God should be harmonious. We should work to promote the Truth in the public square, not to avoid it.

I thank San Francisco Archbishop George H. Niederauer for his article. It contains logical and valuable advice that both sides of the Proposition 8 argument would do well to heed. Let us remember that we must be respectful to our neighbors who are created in the image of God while we pray for the conversion of sinners.