tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33424426.post5558430418445303878..comments2023-09-01T07:04:13.381-07:00Comments on Reflections on Faith and Culture: This is just the beginning . . .Gil Bailiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04481878663941134090noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33424426.post-3012652060594804272009-01-25T21:32:00.000-08:002009-01-25T21:32:00.000-08:00Mr. Bailie,This may be beating a tired old horse, ...Mr. Bailie,<BR/>This may be beating a tired old horse, but beat it I must. I am simply frustrated of the pro-life position mired in the bedroom. I still sense that some of the outrage at abortion is that women can have sex and not reap the consequences, or to state it another way, they should not have illicit sex because there are consequences, and abortion has taken some of that away.<BR/><BR/>Having said that, I do believe abortion is contrary to the will of God. A society that accepts easy abortion is a society that has lost its grounding and is mired in a culture of death.<BR/><BR/>But there is more...airborne Mercury contamination into our waters and its fish (at least in the eastern US) means one in six babies have related neurological damage. The "pro-life" Bush administration weakened air quality standards. What about the use of depleted uranium weaponry in the Iraq invasion that has created horribly malformed fetuses? What about "pro-life" John McCain's napalm bombing of Vietnamese villages and the babies and pregnant moms dwelling therein? Rather, during the campaign McCain was celebrated as a war hero! <BR/><BR/>The prophetic role of the church is to "unveil violence" wherever the true victims are perishing. Obama, you are up to the plate now. Please choose God's gift of life!Allen Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15454774966490730432noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33424426.post-64801962164289063752009-01-25T12:49:00.000-08:002009-01-25T12:49:00.000-08:00And yet, on the day after Obama approved federal g...And yet, on the day after Obama approved federal government funding for abortions and embryoninc stem-cells harvesting, this headline appeared in the AP:<BR/><BR/>"Obama breaks from Bush, avoids divisive stands" <BR/><BR/>The opening sentence of the article runs as follows: <BR/><BR/>"Barack Obama opened his presidency by breaking sharply from George W. Bush's unpopular administration, but he mostly avoided divisive partisan and ideological stands."<BR/><BR/>So, forcing all US citizens and taxpayers to become complicit in the funding of abortions and embryo farming and harvesting is not "divisive," "partisan," or "ideological"?<BR/><BR/>This kind of interpretive commentary is what passes for <BR/>"objective news" and is treated as if it were a simple factual statement according to the AP? And the mainstream media still insist they are not in the tank for Obama?<BR/>It's going to be a very long and sad four years (heaven help us if it turns into 8).Dennishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05989540833040422101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33424426.post-83189515426246523142009-01-25T12:22:00.000-08:002009-01-25T12:22:00.000-08:00Greetings, These comments are not so much angl...Greetings,<BR/> These comments are not so much angled at Gil as for whomever wishes to debate this. <BR/><BR/> On the LGBT things mentioned above.<BR/><BR/> Consistency/avoiding hypocrisy<BR/> Are you willing to argue as vehemently against remarriage after divorce? <BR/> That too is a sin, in the same sense as homosexual behaviour would be a sin. Indeed it would seem to be far more prevalent as 50% or so of marriages end in divorce and those couples remarry. <BR/><BR/> Same-sex legal unions<BR/> One driver behind wanting this to be allowed is that hospitals, state laws and insurance do not recognize domestic partners of most any kind as having a legal right to help decide end-of-life issues or in the distribution of assets following a death. <BR/> If these were granted there might not be as much of an intellectual rationale for allowing the civil union. <BR/><BR/> We are discussing civil laws. Civil laws should only prohibit activities which are non-consentual in nature. Statutory Rape assumes that consent cannot be given by someone under a particular age. If two people of the same sex wish to join together for life that is not for the state to interfere. <BR/> Our religions may preach whatever they wish. The Roman church preaches vehemently against divorce and remarriage. Catholic kids hear that divorce and remarriage is illegal in this nation and they are taught it is immoral. Life goes on and there is no issue here. The Church does not let remarried couples in the door and that is that. <BR/> I think the dire predictions made by Gil are too grave. I don't deny that his fears are real but I do think they are overblown.<BR/><BR/> I support fully same-sex unions. On my wife's side of the family we have a set of "aunts" who have been together through cancer, a near fatal car accident and such for nearly 30 years now. None of their heterosexual siblings' marriages have lasted half-that time. It would seem from what I've seen there is love and grace between these fine women. I prefer to leave the room for grace and not cast them out.<BR/><BR/> This is not to suggest that the Roman Catholic Church change its theological teachings. That church won't even let women be priests; I would not expect them to budge. Yet I think the opposition to same sex unions is misplaced. There would seem to be far more important matters needing our concerted help and effort.<BR/><BR/> [light fuse and get away!] :)<BR/><BR/> I await your responses. <BR/> Ad Astra Per Aspera,<BR/> KevinKevinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07035744898664620942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33424426.post-17976560191221207762009-01-25T12:01:00.000-08:002009-01-25T12:01:00.000-08:00Gil, On the stem cell question; these embryos ...Gil,<BR/> On the stem cell question; these embryos are created in the pursuit of fertility for infertile couples. I remember being taught by my Jesuit instructors that the artificial insemination which produced multiple embryos as a matter or course was not a moral means of having children: because these embryos were eventually destroyed.<BR/> Given the number of children both in the US and around the world, who are not able to find homes it would seem a superiour moral answer to adopt and not produce many children who simply will be destroyed. <BR/> Assuming I have that right; Will you for the sake of consistency speak out against artificial insemination of this type? If not then I think the argument misses the point. If the embryos were not created there would be no controversy because we could more easily argue against creating humans to harvest them. <BR/><BR/> Ad Astra Per Aspera,<BR/> KevinKevinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07035744898664620942noreply@blogger.com