#violence #religion #Christianity #Christians #TeachingsOfJesus
Christianity teaches us to love thy neighbor as thyself.
But there are many people who say they are Christians who support, even encourage, violence against others.
Perhaps they believe that violence, for the right cause, is just, even ordained by God.
Certainly, history teaches us about wars fought over religion. We saw Protestants and Catholics fight in Northern Irelands a few decades ago. Many relics of that fighting remain in Northern Ireland today. Even though the fight was not over religion per se, most of those who were loyal to the British crown were Protestant, and most of those who wanted Ireland united as a separate republic were Catholic.
Today, the majority of people in Northern Ireland are Catholic, according to tour guides. Peace prevails there today, but few believe the country will remain peaceful forever. The fear of more “troubles,” as they call them, is prevalent.
In the U.S., some Christians feel they are “under attack,” from those who are not like them.
They believe they have to fight, with whatever weapons necessary, to regain “their” country.
The U.S. has always been a melting pot of religions, nationalities, races etc. So, what the Christians who feel under attack want is power – and they want to subjugate all others to their way of life.
People are entitled to believe what they believe, live however they want, as long as they don’t harm others, or interfere in others’ lives. But, some actually want to interfere in the lives of others, whom they see as not believing what they believe.
There is also the adage “live and let live.”
That means you pay no attention to lifestyles that don’t conform to yours, as long as practitioners of those lifestyles don’t bother you.
An effort to keep children away from those their parents hate can be futile, if the child grows to deviate from his or parents’ beliefs.
You can’t stop others from being themselves using force. It will not be a long-term solution, if you are inclined to feel that way. Today, the internet and social media provide many ways for like-minded people to gather, communicate and socialize.
The children WILL grow to find a way to be who they are, regardless of parental restrictions.
Sometimes, the more a parent interferes in his or her child’s life, the more distant those children become from their parents.
If you are a Christian who feels under attack, ask yourself whether Jesus would behave the way you do. Many things you may oppose were not around in Jesus’ time, or, at least, they were not done openly.
Regardless, Jesus never espoused hatred in any form. His teachings would tell us, or should tell us, to embrace differences among us and live in peace.
Many who want the Ten Commandments posted in every public school classroom would do well to abide by all those commandments.
Peter
Tag Archives: religion
CALL IN THE MAID
#MAID #MedicalAssistanceInDeath #DeathWithDignity #LongIllnesses #prognosis #diagnosis
Call in the MAID.
No, it’s not a sexist comment. MAID stands for medical assistance in death.
We all know death is inevitable. Most of us don’t know when it will come.
But if conditions are such that one’s diagnosis and prognosis offer no promising outcome, and the chances of staying alive a long time with no good quality – and lots of expense – are strong, it may be time to call in the MAID, which is also called Death with Dignity.
Some states, mostly on the West Coast, allow medical assistance in death. Naturally, certain conditions much exist. The patient must have medical clearance to have his or her death hastened.
But, it may be a better alternative than condemning a spouse, or other family members, to be longtime caregivers, with no hope for a good outcome.
It may also be a good alternative to prevent liquidation of one’s nest egg on medical care that has no curative effect.
Certainly, such a decision will not be easy. Even if the person wants the MAID, the family may want the person around for a long time, regardless of condition.
Certain religions prohibit MAID, but MAID indeed may be a merciful alternative. One does not play God when asking for MAID. He or she may just be just hastening the inevitable.
MAID is not the same as suicide. Suicide is when a person with a treatable condition – or no condition at all – just decides that life isn’t worth living. MAID simply avoids the prolonged agony of watching a person die a slow death that can be easily predicted.
Again, making such a decision is not easy for either the patient or loved ones. All medical factors have to be considered. The hope for recovery has to be completely unrealistic. Certainly, miracles can, and have happened. But, when hoping for a miracle is not a practical, or even wise, solution, MAID could be the answer.
Remember, medical care is expensive. It’s an investment, though not in a traditional sense. Is one investing in something that will produce results on the other end? If so, by all means, go for it.
Keeping one comfortable is laudable, even desirable. But months, or years, of comfort may not bring the patient all the way back. A patient should be comfortable, even as he or she is dying, but, eventually, it becomes a question of time. Time is expensive in many of these cases. Could avoiding that expense help the surviving spouse, or other family members, live better? Would the patient want that more than time alive, but not “living?”
A person may have psychological, religious or other reasons not to pursue MAID in the appropriate conditions.
But, everyone should know that MAID can be the right solution for some patients in the right circumstances.
Remember, too, that God created the scientists that make MAID possible, just as he created the scientists that can keep people alive for a long time.
It’s a matter of choice for the patient and family, with the correct and appropriate medical advice.
Sometimes, God may want a person to call in the MAID.
Peter
EDUCATION VS. FAITH
Most think of education as learning something new. That idea was turned on its head in Texas.
The Texas Republican Party has the following plank in its 2012 platform: “We oppose the teaching of Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) [values clarification], critical thinking skills and similar programs that are simply a relabeling of Outcome-Based Education (OBE) [mastery learning], which focus on behavior modification and have the purpose of challenging the student’s fixed beliefs and undermining parental authority.”
The quoted plank comes from The Miami Herald’s Leonard Pitts, in a July 2012 column. Naturally, Pitts is outraged at the thought of this, but let’s take it line by line, shall we?
Higher Order Thinking: Do Texans not want children thinking too much? When students do something wrong, and a parent asks, “What were you thinking,” should the student respond: “I didn’t want to upset you by violating the Higher Order Thinking ban.”
No critical thinking allowed: Despite numerous reports from employers that they are looking for more people who are good critical thinkers, no matter what job they apply for, the students in Texas should NOT be good at this, the plank seems to state.
Outcome-Based Education: Do Texans want their students to have no outcomes from their education, other than, perhaps, the acquisition of a piece of paper that says they graduated? Do they want them to learn NOTHING in school that might encourage them to learn more, perhaps outside of school, the home, or church?
Now, we are getting to the heart of the matter. Some folks out there believe that whatever your mother, father or preacher tells you is the absolute truth. Anything you see or hear that contradicts that is false. We hear people talk about the need for higher education, and at the same time call the institutions of higher education indoctrination centers, whose goal is to poke a million holes in a student’s core beliefs – or, as Texas calls them, “fixed beliefs.”
IRON-CLAD FIXED BELIEFS
There are all kinds of ways to go with this concept. Should all “fixed beliefs” be iron-clad? Do we want our students to respond, “we can’t do it that way, because we were always taught to do it this way,” when their employer shows them a new way to do something that may be more efficient, improve quality or make their lives easier? Or, God forbid, they discover FOR THEMSELVES a new way of doing things? It may be safe to presume that the platform plank is Christian oriented. How would the proponents of this feel if, say, Muslim students could not learn new ways of thinking, so as not to challenge their fixed beliefs and undermine their parents’ authority?
Some private schools are operated by religious establishments. Some allow students who are not practitioners of that religion. In some schools, those students can opt out of religion classes, and still get a good education in practical, secular disciplines.
The public schools, to which the platform plank refers, should contain no religious orthodoxy in any class. They should teach the students of all religions, or no religion, exactly the same way. Decades ago, students had no problem reconciling what they learned in church, at home or at school, regardless of how the material may have seemed contradictory. If they are having that problem today, it may be because of disputes among parents and various institutions.
The definition of faith is to believe something is true without necessarily having proof. The definition of science is to suspect something may be true, then seek to prove it right or wrong. We may never have proof that things in our faith are true. That’s not to diminish faith. Faith can be a powerful, positive motivator and a good foundation for one’s character. But everyone, students or otherwise, must understand the difference between faith and science. Everyone should have some of both in their lives. Beliefs should not be so powerful that they cannot change under any circumstances. Faith should never be so powerful as to inhibit real learning.
Peter
P.S. No matter your faith, or belief system, if you’d like to be educated on a way to become more prosperous, visit www.bign.com/pbilodeau.