Earlier this month, Lisa Miller of Newsweek wrote an article entitled "Our Mutual Joy," attempting to defend gay marriage using the Bible. In response, my friend John at the blog Soldier for Christ put much time and effort into providing a thorough biblical defense of Church's teaching on homosexuality.
I wanted to share this defense with you all so that you may better understand and defend your beliefs.
"Our Mutual Joy"
By Lisa Miller
*In favor of homosexual marriage.
"The Christian Response to Homosexuality"
By John Brodeur
*Opposed to homosexual marriage.
John's blog: Soldier for Christ
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Monday, December 29, 2008
Brave New Year
As the new year approaches, so do many new challenges from the culture of death. The press has made another attempt to undermine the family, with a Newsweek article trying to use scripture to defend gay marriage. A new president will soon take office in the United States, a president who has promised to sign the Freedom of Choice Act, an act that will do a great deal to spread abortion and undo many advances of the pro-life movement.
However, a new year can also be an opportunity. An opportunity for those who believe in a culture of life to make a difference. People reject Christianity today in part because Christians do not live their faith. They view Christians as a bunch of blind fools trying to follow a set of fixed rules. However, if Christians worked harder at trying to learn their faith, at trying to live the message that they claim to believe, the world would be a much different, better place.
Even if you are not Christian, but still believe in a culture of life, you can take greater effort to live what you believe. Often I hear “pro-choice” people claim that pro-lifers have a problem of inflicting their beliefs on others. I believe that the problem in society is people not having the courage to inflict their beliefs on themselves. If some one really believes something, he should try his best to apply his understanding to his own life. And if he really cares about the people around him, and he believes that they are hurting themselves, he should do his best to help them out of love.
This year, challenge yourself to better understand and live out what you believe in. For if you truly understand what you believe, you will want to live it, and share your understanding with the world.
Have courage, and hold fast to the truth!
However, a new year can also be an opportunity. An opportunity for those who believe in a culture of life to make a difference. People reject Christianity today in part because Christians do not live their faith. They view Christians as a bunch of blind fools trying to follow a set of fixed rules. However, if Christians worked harder at trying to learn their faith, at trying to live the message that they claim to believe, the world would be a much different, better place.
Even if you are not Christian, but still believe in a culture of life, you can take greater effort to live what you believe. Often I hear “pro-choice” people claim that pro-lifers have a problem of inflicting their beliefs on others. I believe that the problem in society is people not having the courage to inflict their beliefs on themselves. If some one really believes something, he should try his best to apply his understanding to his own life. And if he really cares about the people around him, and he believes that they are hurting themselves, he should do his best to help them out of love.
This year, challenge yourself to better understand and live out what you believe in. For if you truly understand what you believe, you will want to live it, and share your understanding with the world.
Have courage, and hold fast to the truth!
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Plea of the Embryo
I speak for he who cannot speak for himself:
Though you cannot see me, I am still here.
Though I am not yet big and strong like you are, I am still alive.
I have my whole life before me, endless possibility…
I want to breath fresh air on a spring day.
I want to soak in a summer sun.
I want to feel the gentle fall of snowflakes, tickling my face,
Or go for a cool fall run.
I want to jump into a pile of fresh fallen leaves,
Go to the beach, feel sand between my toes.
I want to taste sweet ice cream, feel a warm friendly hug,
Smell the sweet lovely scent of a rose.
I want to laugh and play and make lots of friends,
Or maybe just a good few.
I want to be able to make someone smile,
To be able to say “I love you.”
I hear that the world is a big scary place,
And right now you don’t know what to do.
But there’s good to be done and be felt in this world,
And I want to be in it too.
So I ask, please, bear with me, these few months,
While I grow and try to be strong,
And I’ll thank you for the gift that you’ve made of yourself,
To help me make it along.
Though you cannot see me, I am still here.
Though I am not yet big and strong like you are, I am still alive.
I have my whole life before me, endless possibility…
I want to breath fresh air on a spring day.
I want to soak in a summer sun.
I want to feel the gentle fall of snowflakes, tickling my face,
Or go for a cool fall run.
I want to jump into a pile of fresh fallen leaves,
Go to the beach, feel sand between my toes.
I want to taste sweet ice cream, feel a warm friendly hug,
Smell the sweet lovely scent of a rose.
I want to laugh and play and make lots of friends,
Or maybe just a good few.
I want to be able to make someone smile,
To be able to say “I love you.”
I hear that the world is a big scary place,
And right now you don’t know what to do.
But there’s good to be done and be felt in this world,
And I want to be in it too.
So I ask, please, bear with me, these few months,
While I grow and try to be strong,
And I’ll thank you for the gift that you’ve made of yourself,
To help me make it along.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Complacency
Sometimes not knowing is easier than knowing. We like to place the more difficult issues of our time out of sight and out of mind. We believe that there is nothing we can do, and as long as the issue is not affecting us directly, its easier to just not think about it, to just go on living our comfortable lives.
I have heard that during the Holocaust, those living near concentration camps did not always realize what was going on. After the war, the people were marched through the camps and shown what was going on under their noses. Today a new sort of Holocaust is going on right under our noses. I am speaking of abortion.
Many may think that the cause against abortion is simply an overblown cause of self-righteous people inflicting their belief system on the rest of the world. It is much more than this. Others may think “So what, this is an old issue, it’s been around for years.” All the more disturbing then it should be.
People like to sugar-coat the issue of abortion, using terminology that people are less sensitive to. Those in favor of abortion like to describe it as “terminating a pregnancy.” What does it mean to terminate? It means to end. What is a pregnancy? It’s the development of young life within the womb. So to “terminate a pregnancy” is to end the development of young life within the womb. How do you end the development of life? By killing it. So even these larger, less emotionally-charged words are saying the same thing that pro-life advocates cry out. Abortion is killing. Advocates of abortion wish to de-emphasize or flat out deny the humanity of the child developing in the womb. They refer to the child as a fetus. What is a fetus? According to the American Heritage Dictionary, the word fetus refers to unborn young. The unborn young of a human could not possibly be anything else but human, so abortion is clearing killing human life.
We live in a society that fights for the right of a woman to kill her unborn child. The United States may pass the Freedom of Choice Act, which, among other things, will force all hospitals to perform abortions, that is, to kill unborn children. The abortion clinics are, and perhaps soon, the hospitals will be, the concentration camps of today’s holocaust. The cars carrying pregnant women to these clinics are today’s trains to Auschwitz. The pregnant women seeking abortions are perhaps like the soldiers, pressured by their situations and by society to commit or cooperate with unspeakable evils.
But we must speak out about these evils. We must reach out with compassion to those who feel pressured to committing them, even to those who have committed them. We must fight to lift the blindness from society. We must shake the world from its apathy, its complacency. In order to do this, those who know the truth must not grow complacent. Yes, this evil has been around for many years now. The longevity of an evil does not reduce the severity of the evil, rather it increases it. Every day more and more innocent children are being slaughtered by abortion before they can even see the light of day. Those who know the truth must not grow lukewarm. They must stay fired up with zeal for truth and justice. They must fight with love to save lives. How will you feel years from now when you are marched through the ruins of your local abortion clinic, your local concentration camp? Will you wish that you had done more?
I have heard that during the Holocaust, those living near concentration camps did not always realize what was going on. After the war, the people were marched through the camps and shown what was going on under their noses. Today a new sort of Holocaust is going on right under our noses. I am speaking of abortion.
Many may think that the cause against abortion is simply an overblown cause of self-righteous people inflicting their belief system on the rest of the world. It is much more than this. Others may think “So what, this is an old issue, it’s been around for years.” All the more disturbing then it should be.
People like to sugar-coat the issue of abortion, using terminology that people are less sensitive to. Those in favor of abortion like to describe it as “terminating a pregnancy.” What does it mean to terminate? It means to end. What is a pregnancy? It’s the development of young life within the womb. So to “terminate a pregnancy” is to end the development of young life within the womb. How do you end the development of life? By killing it. So even these larger, less emotionally-charged words are saying the same thing that pro-life advocates cry out. Abortion is killing. Advocates of abortion wish to de-emphasize or flat out deny the humanity of the child developing in the womb. They refer to the child as a fetus. What is a fetus? According to the American Heritage Dictionary, the word fetus refers to unborn young. The unborn young of a human could not possibly be anything else but human, so abortion is clearing killing human life.
We live in a society that fights for the right of a woman to kill her unborn child. The United States may pass the Freedom of Choice Act, which, among other things, will force all hospitals to perform abortions, that is, to kill unborn children. The abortion clinics are, and perhaps soon, the hospitals will be, the concentration camps of today’s holocaust. The cars carrying pregnant women to these clinics are today’s trains to Auschwitz. The pregnant women seeking abortions are perhaps like the soldiers, pressured by their situations and by society to commit or cooperate with unspeakable evils.
But we must speak out about these evils. We must reach out with compassion to those who feel pressured to committing them, even to those who have committed them. We must fight to lift the blindness from society. We must shake the world from its apathy, its complacency. In order to do this, those who know the truth must not grow complacent. Yes, this evil has been around for many years now. The longevity of an evil does not reduce the severity of the evil, rather it increases it. Every day more and more innocent children are being slaughtered by abortion before they can even see the light of day. Those who know the truth must not grow lukewarm. They must stay fired up with zeal for truth and justice. They must fight with love to save lives. How will you feel years from now when you are marched through the ruins of your local abortion clinic, your local concentration camp? Will you wish that you had done more?
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Labor of Love
Another necessity in life is work. We work to put food on our tables. We work to earn money. We work to create a good environment to live in. We also request the labor of others, using the services that they provide.
Some people view their work as more than just a way to earn money. Some view their work as their special calling, as their mission. Doctors may feel a calling to care for the sick. Lawyers may feel a calling to defend the poor. This view of work as a vocation can help put meaning back into work. However, this view does not have to be limited to a few choice professions. Most jobs can be done with purpose, and all can be done with love.
When you work, work well. Do your best for the people you work for. Even small jobs deserve to be done well. People may look down upon the janitor, but if the janitor does not do his job well, then the building becomes unsanitary. People might become sick, and the appearance of the building as a whole is degraded. A person on an assembly line is helping to bring a product to someone, someone who wants a good product. A person working in a kitchen is working to prepare a meal for someone who is hungry. If you give of yourself in love in your work, you will do better work, and your work will have more meaning. If you are loving towards those you work with, you will create a friendlier, more supportive, more human work environment.
People are not simply cogs in a machine. They have a certain dignity and should be treated as such. Remember the dignity of those who work for you. When you go to the store, be a little more patient, be a little more loving. Say hello to the employees. Don’t just look past them as cogs, as part of the machinery of the store, but acknowledge their human worth and dignity. This can be difficult, especially when you are busy and stressed. However, the state that you are in does not change the dignity of the other person. We ought to take an effort to remember the dignity of workers, especially when this is difficult.
Some people view their work as more than just a way to earn money. Some view their work as their special calling, as their mission. Doctors may feel a calling to care for the sick. Lawyers may feel a calling to defend the poor. This view of work as a vocation can help put meaning back into work. However, this view does not have to be limited to a few choice professions. Most jobs can be done with purpose, and all can be done with love.
When you work, work well. Do your best for the people you work for. Even small jobs deserve to be done well. People may look down upon the janitor, but if the janitor does not do his job well, then the building becomes unsanitary. People might become sick, and the appearance of the building as a whole is degraded. A person on an assembly line is helping to bring a product to someone, someone who wants a good product. A person working in a kitchen is working to prepare a meal for someone who is hungry. If you give of yourself in love in your work, you will do better work, and your work will have more meaning. If you are loving towards those you work with, you will create a friendlier, more supportive, more human work environment.
People are not simply cogs in a machine. They have a certain dignity and should be treated as such. Remember the dignity of those who work for you. When you go to the store, be a little more patient, be a little more loving. Say hello to the employees. Don’t just look past them as cogs, as part of the machinery of the store, but acknowledge their human worth and dignity. This can be difficult, especially when you are busy and stressed. However, the state that you are in does not change the dignity of the other person. We ought to take an effort to remember the dignity of workers, especially when this is difficult.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
The Solidarity of Suffering
Pain. You can’t live with it. You can’t live without it. Our lives are filled with suffering. The lives of some people have more suffering in them than the lives of others. However, as humans, we all must deal with suffering in some form or another, at one point or another.
When we suffer, complaining comes easily. We let the pain consume our lives, and focus on finding whatever way we can to make the suffering end.
Society seems to view suffering as the greatest evil. Honestly, it can be hard to disagree. That is, until you understand the position of the culture of life.
You see, suffering is a necessary part of life. Suffering, however, can be more than a burden. It can be an opportunity. Suffering is an opportunity for virtue. It allows us to practice patience. It allows us to truly show the strength of our character. Most importantly, it grants us a special opportunity to love and be loved.
When someone around you is suffering, you are more easily called to action in love. You can show someone how much you care by caring in the difficult times when he or she needs caring the most.
When those around us are suffering, we have a special opportunity to show solidarity. We can give of ourselves to them, when we have a clearer idea of how to give of ourselves. When a person is perfectly happy, we may struggle to find ways to give of ourselves, or completely forget about this call. But when another is suffering, we have a special, stronger inner call to action, an inner call to love.
Conversely, when you yourself are suffering, you can fight the pain by focusing on others instead of yourself. You can offer up the suffering for someone you love, for someone, perhaps, who is going through difficult times as well.
When we kill someone to end his or her suffering, we are refusing to love. We are refusing to stand in solidarity. Rather than being there to help a person through to the end of an ordeal, we choose to end that person’s life. We would rather see that person die than see him or her suffer. We can’t be strong and stay with that person through the ordeal, to the ordeal’s natural end.
So, next time you are in an unpleasant situation, next time you feel pain, next time you suffer, remember to bring meaning to your suffering by baptizing it in love. As a wise man once told me, love without suffering is meaningless, and suffering without love is unendurable. And when your suffering becomes so great that you begin to doubt its meaning, remember Christ on the cross.
When we suffer, complaining comes easily. We let the pain consume our lives, and focus on finding whatever way we can to make the suffering end.
Society seems to view suffering as the greatest evil. Honestly, it can be hard to disagree. That is, until you understand the position of the culture of life.
You see, suffering is a necessary part of life. Suffering, however, can be more than a burden. It can be an opportunity. Suffering is an opportunity for virtue. It allows us to practice patience. It allows us to truly show the strength of our character. Most importantly, it grants us a special opportunity to love and be loved.
When someone around you is suffering, you are more easily called to action in love. You can show someone how much you care by caring in the difficult times when he or she needs caring the most.
When those around us are suffering, we have a special opportunity to show solidarity. We can give of ourselves to them, when we have a clearer idea of how to give of ourselves. When a person is perfectly happy, we may struggle to find ways to give of ourselves, or completely forget about this call. But when another is suffering, we have a special, stronger inner call to action, an inner call to love.
Conversely, when you yourself are suffering, you can fight the pain by focusing on others instead of yourself. You can offer up the suffering for someone you love, for someone, perhaps, who is going through difficult times as well.
When we kill someone to end his or her suffering, we are refusing to love. We are refusing to stand in solidarity. Rather than being there to help a person through to the end of an ordeal, we choose to end that person’s life. We would rather see that person die than see him or her suffer. We can’t be strong and stay with that person through the ordeal, to the ordeal’s natural end.
So, next time you are in an unpleasant situation, next time you feel pain, next time you suffer, remember to bring meaning to your suffering by baptizing it in love. As a wise man once told me, love without suffering is meaningless, and suffering without love is unendurable. And when your suffering becomes so great that you begin to doubt its meaning, remember Christ on the cross.
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