Tag: moral issues today

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Journal News Commentary

New study of gender identity causes

Gender identity continues to be in the news. This study opposes the prevailing mantra that genes directly cause a person to become gay. However, it does say that the evidence shows that some genetic traits may increase the likelihood of a person identifying as gay.  The study also affirms that child sexual abuse remains one of the biggest factors in people identifying as gay.

http://www.christianpost.com/news/no-scientific-evidence-that-people-are-born-gay-or-transgender-johns-hopkins-researchers-say-168263/

 

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Journal News Commentary Wisdom

Sexuality may be more fluid than our culture thinks

My reading of brain research has pointed toward the conclusion that human sexual orientation is more fluid than is culturally believed to be true.  This has been heretical to say.  If you are from a conservative religious perspective as I am, it was considered homophobic to say lest it undermine the gay political arguments.  But also, it is usually not the way we experience our own sexuality as the following author also admits.   The linked article is by a gay author who is arguing for the fluidity of sexual orientation, not just from his personal experience, but from scientific evidence and the conclusions of respected groups as well.    He holds that sexual orientation derives from multiple sources.

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20160627-i-am-gay-but-i-wasnt-born-this-way

 

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Journal News Commentary Wisdom

Our Hearts are Broken

 

A wreath for grieving for the slain

A Christian singer is gunned down while signing autographs at the end of the concert by a gunman who did not know her and came there specifically to kill. Before the weekend is past another gunman, also driving miles to arrive at the end of the night, enters an Orlando club catering to gay men and opens fire with an assault rifle, killing dozens of patrons.  The shock and sadness of such needless, senseless, and depraved violence is deeply disturbing. And it should be.

We should pray

Our first response, is compassion and prayers for the families of victims and for victims facing months of recovery from their wounds.

O God, the brokenness of our world has evidenced itself again in these terrible acts. We pray for those who are grieving that you would comfort their hearts. We pray for those who are recovering from wounds that you would give them strength and healing. We pray that the Spirit of God would move in all of us in order that good may come out of evil. In the name of Jesus who also suffered unjust death, AMEN.

We should decrease availability of weapons for the mentally impaired

Our second response, as a nation needs to continue to be to seek ways to reduce the possibilities of such violence. As always, we will not agree as to the details, but we must work together to make progress on some solutions.

In the case of the Orlando shooter, it looks like from early reporting that officials had sufficient info to know that this man should not have had access to weapons.  Yet he did.  He was even working as a security guard–scary thought, but not surprising. Employers tell me they cannot find out anything useful from anybody for references.  Everyone is worried about being sued.   So people who should be flagged in that way are not.  His employer probably had no idea he had been investigated twice.  Stronger flagging of those who have shown they are dangerous individuals is needed.

Again, early reporting shows possible mental health issues for the Orlando shooter.   This also should have put restrictions upon his ability to obtain weapons but it did not.   This is the single most important change that we need to make as a country.  It is not without risks to individual liberty, as mental health risk is very difficult to define.  Yet, the evidence from all the mass shootings is piling up and becoming overwhelming.  Most of them are done by people of known impaired mental health who still had access to weapons.

We should increase our fear of God

Third, I repeat my insistence that one component of the problem is a lack of the fear of God in our land.   The Bible clearly teaches that God will judge murderers of this kind.  They are punching their own ticket to hell by their violence against the innocent (Matt. 5:21, 22; 1 John 3:15; Rev. 21:8; 22:15). God values life.  God loves the people in the human family.   Jesus revealed Satan as the one who loves murder, calling him a “murderer from the beginning” (John 8:44).   The lake of fire is a picture John uses to describe Satan’s ultimate punishment (Rev. 20:10, 14).  And it also describes the reward of those who practice Satan’s behavior.  But if there is no fear of God in the land, then potential shooters do not realize that it is not over when they are felled by the SWAT team.  Their accountability has only begun.  Listen to Jesus.

 “I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more.  But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him” (Luke 12:4-5 NIV 2011). 

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Journal News Commentary

Good news for CT homeless

Homelessness declining due to agencies’ collective hard work

Amid all the bad news of the current political campaign and the CT state budget crisis, here is one piece of good news.  People of sensitive conscience have been very concerned for years about the plight of the homeless, especially those whose mental or emotional health makes keeping work difficult including veterans affected by PTSD.   This article reports that in the state of CT, we are making progress at housing the homeless.   Surveys of homelessness indicate that agencies working together have achieved a 13% decline since 2007 and a 4% decline in the past year.   Many people with these kinds of needs were left on the streets when institutions they formerly called home closed.   Now new options are being found to help.   Christian charity demands that we do no less!   Kudos to all those who are working hard to make this happen.   This is the kind of thing the politicians should be talking about.   I pray this effort faces zero or minimal cuts in the current necessary round of budget cutting.

http://digitaledition.courant.com/tribune/article_popover.aspx?guid=47aa170f-ad32-4c2f-82e1-3648535f4b54

 

 

Categories
Journal News Commentary Wisdom

A philosophy of helping others to consider

This city pastor has a great perspective on the way to approach helping people in city neighborhoods.   Granby area clergy are currently considering an initiative that would fit with his philosophy.   The initiative being considered involves helping resource the choice program through which some city students attend Granby schools.

 

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Journal Wisdom

My Lenten Journey toward De-accumulation

My shop's not this bad yet but...
My shop’s not this bad yet but…

 

A Different Lenten Journey

When the purposes pursued during Lent carry over afterward, that is a salutary sign that a fuse has been lit for something good.   I hope so because, like most Americans, my office and closets and garage have been getting more and more full, and this in spite of the fact that I tried very hard to downsize when we moved a couple years ago.  Allow me to explain more fully.  It is customary among Christians to give up something for Lent as a discipline of self-denial.  In other years I have fasted one day a week or given up a favorite food or added devotional time.    But this year, I felt I needed to do something different.   I decided to tackle the problem of accumulation of things that plagues Americans, me among them.

Accumulation is too easy

Now, I’m  just middle class, and I can’t afford to shop much, but if I buy a book here, a tool there,  a few folders for the office, something for my Christmas display, I’m adding things to my possessions.  Then I receive a few clothes for Christmas, and maybe another shop tool.  Perhaps I see a steal of a deal at the one or two summer garage sales I stop for.  The result– adding on a few more things.  Now I don’t have or need any rented storage units as many Americans have, and I can still park a car in my garage if needed, but I decided that it was still time to turn the tide and make a deliberate start at de-accumulating.

My Lenten goals toward de-accumulating

So for my Lenten journey, I set a goal to get rid of at least forty items from at least 7 different areas of my life.    It took me a couple days past Easter to finish, but I exceeded my goal both in numbers of items and in numbers of areas affected.   However, I did discover that it was one thing to identify items as extra and ready to be disposed of and another to actually make them disappear.  For example, I have two old computers still to take to recycling and I have a stack of books removed from my shelves but not yet taken away.  I guess that’s one reason that de-accumulation has to be a continuing discipline.

Steps

  1. Convince yourself that de-accumulation is desirable and necessary.
  2. Identify things that are excess in obvious areas first to get the ball rolling.
  3. Allow the habit to spread into areas you had not thought about down-sizing.
  4. Keep track of progress for encouragement.
  5. Set aside things to be de-accumulated that cannot be immediately disposed of.
  6. Carry through with plans for these identified items.
  7. Question some underlying purposes that have driven your accumulation.

 

Benefits

There have already been some good side effects of this effort.

  • I like most industrious people had more projects in the works than I could ever do.  I have already deliberately discontinued one of my big some-day projects and am questioning another.
  • I have reduced clutter which is an encouragement to continue.
  • I am creating space to better work on current activities.
  • I can sense a narrowing of focus for my energies.
  • I believe I have also started a mindset that will help me to continue to pare down inessentials and focus my life more effectively.

 

 

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Americana Journal News Commentary

Mudslinging and the Golden Rule

A low in mudslinging

 

A contrast between a message on love and the political fracas

The Sunday message today was about expressing love in action.   In our small church, we sometimes have a Questions and Comments time following the message and one of the younger parishioners asked about the incongruity between the current campaign process and the golden rule.  What a great question.

Mudslinging is not new to American politics by any means. But, as news outlets have observed, this year’s level of slander and dirty tricks by Republicans may be setting new low standards.

http://time.com/4230200/south-carolina-republican-primary-trump-cruz-rubio-carson-bush/

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/rubio-cruz-intensify-political-mudslinging-in-lead-up-to-s-c-primary/

I observe that now Trump has officially dragged Rubio down to his level of verbal sadism.  At this point the rhetoric has reached a plane where one does not know whether the actors are really serious or actually intending to be stand-up comedians.  One thing is certain.  What is being said is in no way loving.  Nor is it in keeping with the Golden Rule.

 

The Golden Rule

Speaking of the Golden Rule, I have seen it misquoted in media sources twice in the past couple weeks, and misquoted in a way that totally perverts the intentions of Jesus.    Both tragic misquotes said something like “Do unto others as they have done to you.”   This completely defeats the high ethical guideline that Jesus was giving.  In fact, the Bible expressly forbids harboring that sentiment.

“Do not say, “I will do to others as they have done to me; I will pay them back for what they have done.”  Proverbs 24:29 NRSV

Here is the proper reading of the Golden Rule as Jesus taught it.

“In everything, do to others what you would have them do to you.” Matt 7:12 NIV 2011

That is a much higher loving challenge.

A churning question

The unspoken question in church and in many minds including mine is why the initiator of the mud, Donald Trump, is leading?    Why is he supported by many Christians when his lifestyle and language have been so far from a Christian norm?   Why are many believers either not discerning or willing to overlook so much?

 

An inadequate process

Many other Christians including myself are completely disgusted and disappointed with this year’s political process.  It shows that media debates made for Trump style TV theater have little or nothing to do with how to determine who would make a good President.   They are not a good way to show a candidate’s credentials.  The person is forced to brag about themselves.  Those who are best at bragging are not the best leaders according to Jim Collins in Good to Great.  The highest and best leaders are humble servants of others.   Among their highest characteristics are passion for their job and for the people who work with them.  They are confident and forward looking without being arrogant.   TV debates are not good at revealing those kind of leaders.    On screen, self-promoters look better.

 

Voters not practiced in discerning character

Another issue that is resulting in the results we are seeing is that many voters are ill-equipped to discern character.  Here are my suggestions as to some of the possible reasons for this phenomenon.

  1. Americans increasingly get their practice in character watching from screens.  They view personal character from the illusion of character given by reality TV, movies, and music video.    In that world, brash and arrogant and attitude works and even comes to be admired because the camera never has to show the emotional and relational wreckage produced by such pride.
  2. Character education has only recently been returning to education. It still has not made it back to most colleges. For years, schools at all levels taught only academic subjects.   Now it is being recognized that skilled people with poor character do not make good employees.  News flash—they don’t make good neighbors, spouses, carpenters, policepersons, or Presidents either.
  3. Much of the public is ignorant of Biblical values such as the Golden rule. The misquoting of it that I mentioned only underlines this fact.  Statistically, unfortunately, church attendance decreases yearly in America and that is only part of the story.  Not only does the number of people who attend church decline but the frequency of attendance by church people declines as well.   The other part is the decrease in Christian education in the church itself.   In some quarters, sermons use little Scripture.  In other parts of Christendom, graying congregations are closing Sunday Schools for lack of students.  The result is a populace with little knowledge of the Golden Rule.
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Americana Journal News Commentary

My Take on the Super Bowl Ads 2016

Super Bowl Commercials are interesting
Super Bowl Commercials are interesting

I haven’t been really following football this year, but I always enjoy watching the Super Bowl ads.  I am especially interested in Super Bowl advertising because it is such a mirror and microcosm of American culture, for better or worse.  So again this year, I am reflecting upon the best and the worst of the Super Bowl advertising as I saw it.  (I didn’t see every one so I can’t guarantee that this opinion covers them all.)

 

The Best

 

  1. Weather Tech – I loved the ad with its talk about buying American while at the same time advertising Weather Tech products. It was visually interesting, and I felt the patriotic theme unselfishly dominated the ad. And at the end, the ad accomplished the company’s objective of helping you remember their company name and associating it both with their product and with the fact that it is American-made.
  2. Avocados in space – Every year there is one commercial that rises high on the list simply because of its creativity and off-the-wall idea. This year, this is the one.  The whole concept of future aliens looking back at current American society, totally misinterpreting some objects as undoubtedly we now do with things of the ancient past, and then getting to refreshment time and sampling avocados which are recommended as delicious was so creative.  Every Star Trek fan was glued to this one.
  3. Pepsi through the Decades – This was a delightful ad, a joy to watch. Nostalgic interest oozes from it. And it accomplishes the goal of associating Pepsi with good times. The lead actor carries it well.   I liked it also as the historical decades of music and dance theme goes with the idea of the 50th anniversary Super bowl.
  4. Marmot- This is a simple ad which at first I did not rate highly. However I changed my mind. The change came about because I was trying to figure out what the ad had been about.  I had not heard of the company. The ad prodded me to Google the company name and find out.  I discovered that the ad fit the company amazingly well and since I responded by looking it up, the ad must have accomplished its goal extraordinarily well also.
  5. Death Wish coffee – Here’s another one where the sheer creativity of the ad forced you to remember the whole thing. The drama of the ad was immense. The fact that it was for coffee at the end was a nearly complete surprise which increased the retention value.

 

The Worst

 

  1. Super Bowl babies – This ad loses on two counts. First of all it was pointless. What was it advertising? I still don’t know. That alone is a fatal flaw in an ad. Second, the ad loses on moral grounds. The whole idea of basing the ad on the assumption of couples having sexual relations after the Super Bowl is at best in extremely bad taste.  At worst, it trivializes the fact that huge sports events such as the Super Bowl are unfortunately taken advantage of by the illicit sex trade, one of the sad facts of our day.  The ad reflects America’s too casual view of human sexuality.
  2. Toyota Prius getaway – I was visually upset after this ad. It disrespects police.  It makes heroes of those who should be vilified.  It participates in the moral confusion that is America today.   Yes, I did see the mollifying ad during the closing ceremonies where the policemen got a Prius and finally caught the robbers and I was glad for that.  But to me it did not undo the damage of the original ad.  It flunked with me.
  3. Snickers Marilyn – This ad fails because the subject matter of the advertisement completely overshadows the object being advertised. After the ad, I did not even know what it was that was being advertised.   If one remembers the ad, but not what is being advertised, the ad has failed.   Any speaker knows that it is very easy for an illustration to distract from the desired point.  If I had known what was being advertised, the ad still would have failed on a second level. It failed to give a positive feeling about the product because I found the ad disgusting and not believable.
  4. Puppy monkey baby – Here’s another ad that grossly failed to do its job.  It was not interesting to watch.   The level of intelligence to which it appealed was somewhere below idiot.  And the supposed crossbreed in diapers was more stupidity than interesting.   In addition, the story line, if it could be called that, completely over shadowed the product being advertised.
  5. Kia Bland closet – I flunked this ad as well simply for not giving a positive impression. The emotional impression of a bland closet was so much of a turnoff that the ad never did recover from it. The idea of a polka dot sock as a contrast just did not cut it either. To top it all off, if I remember right, the vehicle pictured was white. So the colored highlight of the ad was the sock??

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Americana Journal News Commentary Who Am I

Migrating left without moving

Observing politics today is disconcerting

It is interesting and very disconcerting to me to observe what has happened in politics over the last ten years or so and what is happening this year.   I used to call myself a conservative Republican, and even voted on the Conservative line often to reflect that leaning.   But in this political cycle I find myself to the left of nearly all the Republican candidates.   I don’t think I have changed much, but in my perception, they have moved decidedly right, becoming more isolationist, out of touch with the poor and more libertarian.

Where am I

I’m still pro-life and pro-traditional family.  I distrust bigger government and prefer conservative constitutional interpretation, all of which are traditional Republican positions.

But I am also pro-immigrant, pro prison reform, pro traditional progressive income tax, pro-minimum wage increase, and concerned about racial justice.  I also supported increasing those included in health care but along with many feel that the result has been disappointing. Today these kind of positions are more often found among Democrats.

Currently, I believe I am somewhere in the middle of the American political spectrum and the current divide between very leftist Democrats and extreme right Republicans is leaving me and many others in the middle without a good political home.

To compound the matter, the poll-leading Republican candidates (Trump, Cruz, and Carson) are my least favorite candidates of the bunch.  Trump is so scary that I would vote for Hillary or Sanders before him.

What is needed

What is needed this year is a bridge-the-gap, common-sense party.  Neither Democrats nor Republicans seem qualified for that right now.

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Journal News Commentary Wisdom

Alcohol is still the most dangerous drug

I saw this news article and was surprised to learn that deaths from alcohol misuse, not counting traffic and assault related ones, are still greater than for heroin and cocaine, even with the recent alarming increase in deaths from these later drugs.   Here’s the link to the article.

http://www.buffalonews.com/news-wire-services/americans-drinking-themselves-to-death-at-an-ever-spiraling-rate-20151223