NOTRE DAME AND THE UNBORN
Controversy has raged within the Catholic Church since the announcement of the President of Notre Dame that President Obama would be their commencement speaker for graduation this year. No religious body has taken a more pro-life stand than the Catholic Church and many Bishops are irate that a speaker who is the most influential pro-choice person in the world has been selected as their commencement speaker and will in addition receive an honorary degree from the institution. Normally such honorary degrees are granted only to those who share the values embraced by the church.
One of my favorite Law Professors in America is Mary Ann Glendon. She is a Professor of Law at Harvard University. She is the author of several books and essays dealing with law, and has also written extensively on "life issues". When President Bush was looking for candidates for the Supreme Court, her name arose and I would have gladly supported her nomination. While Bush did not choose her for the Supreme Court position, he did choose her to be Ambassador to the Vatican.
I mention Professor Glendon because Notre Dame also invited her to speak at the same event as President Obama, but her presentation would have been an acceptance speech for an award that she was receiving from Notre Dame. When first notified she was not told that Obama would be delivering the Commencement address. She was excited about her award and being invited by Notre Dame. However, when she saw that the President of Notre Dame was using her presence as a defence for inviting President Obama, she had second thoughts. In this month's issue of FIRST THINGS magazine she published an open letter to the President of Notre Dame. In her letter she declined the award and the opportunity to be on the same platform with Obama. As a Catholic she had an issue with his presence and the awarding of an honorary degree to him. She pointed out that a Commencement was no platform for a debate and that it should be about the graduates and their accomplishments.
Notre Dame illustrates what I spoke about in my last blog. Christian institutions of Higher Learning are more and more distancing themselves from the views of their formative faiths. I could see Universities among churches of Christ salivating about the possibility of the President of the United States speaking at a commencement service, no matter what views he might hold on "life issues". The sad thing is that I'm not convinced that leaders in Churches of Christ would protest as much as leaders in the Catholic Church have protested about the selection of Obama. For whatever reason the "life issue" just doesn't seem to resonate as much with us as it does the Pope and Bishops. That is one of the major reasons that Christian ethicists have grown more friendly with the Catholic Church than many protestant groups. While there are significant and important issues which are troubling about the Catholic Church, one must give credit where credit is due.
I wish that Churches of Christ and other Christian fellowships had more people like Mary Ann Glendon who would give up worldly awards from prestigious universities in order to make a moral stand. I'm sure we have people who would do the same as she has done, but maybe don't receive the same amount of attention because we are not nearly as large as the Catholic Church. I reiterate as in my last post, that I believe in higher education and I have great appreciation for colleges and universities that have emerged from churches of Christ. However, the politics, credibility, and public image are so important that its hard to remember theology and moral issues when they threaten these other concerns.
May I say that I continue to pray for President Obama and have the highest respect for the office of President of the United States. However, sometimes in the interest of the service of God and life we need to disagree in meaningful ways even with the President of our United States. Therefore, I applaud Mary Ann Glendon for her stand as a Catholic against the best known Catholic institution in America.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Friday, April 24, 2009
Tony Blair's speech
Check out Tony Blair's speech delivered on April 22nd at Chicago Global Affairs Conference. The speech may be found on REAL CLEAR POLITICS.
Prayer Concerns
I am sure that most who read this blog are regular communicators with God. This morning I have been reflecting on the concerns that should be ours if we are Christians and Americans. So in addition to your personal prayer needs and issues may I suggest that if you have not already done so, include the following in your prayers:
(The following are not listed in any order as to importance)
1. Our government leaders both elected and appointed. While much that is going on today, as will be evident from some of my later concerns in this list, is inconsistent with my values and aspirations for America, I nevertheless need to heed Paul's admonition to pray for our leaders. If I haven't prayed for them, then their mistakes are my mistakes also.
2. Pray for our schools, both primary and graduate levels. Teachers are under so much pressure from political correctness and their unions that it is hard not to be intimidated into going along to get along. Also those in administration are obviously hesitant to cross any political correctness lines for fear of lawsuits from ACLU or families with "out of control" children.
3. Pray for Christian schools and universities. Many in higher education are more concerned about how they are viewed by accrediting agencies and other well known schools of higher learning than they are about biblical teachings and church concerns. A PHD cannot advance if he simply sounds like those in his church or those of the past. He must be cutting edge or he will be looked upon as "out of touch" with the latest and greatest. As our universities depend more and more upon donations from those outside their religious tradition, they must sound less and less like an echo of their church roots. They must invite more and more speakers that are well known in the larger religious community, regardless of what they are known for. Brian McLaren has spoken on some of our campuses recently, and I have no problem with that, provided their is some balance offered that encourages students to consider not just the pros but also the cons of what such speakers have to offer. McLaren is the leading voice of the "emerging church" which is a postmodern view of christianity which sees doctrines as divisive and even suggests that Buddhists, Hindus and others may embrace the Christ without knowing it, and thus enjoy all the blessings of Christ. Maybe those campuses that invite such speakers provide a penetrating critique, but knowing a little bit about how such institutions operate, I wonder.
I am not trying to put down higher education, in fact I believe in it more than most, but we need to know the kind of cultural pressures that are influencing such institutions. During the last couple of years of the Center for Christian Education's existence we were seeking approval from the state of Texas and the accrediting agency of Bible Colleges. During that process I had the opportunity of meeting with the appointed representative of the State Board of Education on numerous occasions. I discovered how much the State and accrediting agencies determine the operation and curriculum of private universities. Believe me, Abilene, Pepperdine, Oklahoma and others have more to fear from these sources than from the criticism of churches and christians. The Christian colleges and universities struggle with two poles: the church with which they identify and the state and regional accrediting agencies. Christian universities cannot and should not be the same as the schools of preaching in our fellowship. Since the Supreme Court of Texas has ruled that the State cannot control private christian colleges some of the schools of preaching have started offering degrees. I am torn between the two concerns, one that Christian truth not be compromised and two that schools of preaching really don't offer a curriculum that is equal to a Bachelors Degree. Yes, schools of preaching may offer more Bible, but a Degree is society's assurance that certain standards exist, and that one can assume a certain level of education exists that includes more than Bible. There are a number of fraudulent degree mills. Citizens need to have some means of determining the credibility of institutions of higher learning and this requires standards and laws. In spite of all that is done, some still peddle their wares and some fall prey to their promises. I think of one that has preyed on those in churches of Christ. Some of our graduates fell prey to such because in their minds they believed they had earned an equivalent to not only a Bachelors but even a Masters. The degree mill provided such for a relatively small financial investment. I too believed that the Center offered a quality education on par with many legitimate degree programs, but there were still additonal courses that would need to be taken to meet Culture's expectations of one with a Masters degree. If students had taken such courses in an accredited Junior College or University then their education was first class, but without those coursed they did not meet Society's expectations and should not received such a degree. Thus we need protection from those who offer degrees without meeting the standards presumed to exist in a degree program.
This rambling stream of consciousness reveals my own ambivalence when it comes to the issue of higher education. It is out of this ambivalence that I realize more than ever the need for prayer. The wisdom of more than Solomon is needed to address this issue. Pray for our schools, the professors, students and administrators.
4. Pray for President Bush and for those who served in his administration. He may have thought that once he was out of power that the criticism would end, but such has not been the case. The latest onslaught concerns "interrogation techniques". May the milk of human kindness be expressed in prayer for him, his family, and others who served with him.
5. Pray for Christians who believe it is their duty (a little used word now days) and responsibility to fight for the lives of the weak and those unable to fight for themselves. As a result we stand opposed to abortion and euthanasia, as well as embryonic stem cell research that involves the destruction of life. According to the Director of Homeland Security, we are a threat to the security of the homeland and need to be monitored closely by local and regional police and safety officials. Some Christians may be intimidated and silenced by realizing how they are viewed by government officials, however, we need to say with Peter and John "we must obey God". Our resistence to laws and policies will be expressed by freedom of speech and prayer. I know of no one who agrees with me in my opposition to abortion and embryonic stem cell destruction who would bomb a clinic or research lab. I am more concerned about Bill Ayers and people who have actually attacked our institutions and our citizens then I am Christians who oppose abortion, but then I'm not the Director of Homeland Security. If she knows more about me and others than we know, mayb e she will reveal her sources.
6. Pray for Pakistan and other countries in the boiling Middle East. Pakistan is not far from collapsing. The Taliban is gaining every day in Pakistan. Should its nuclear power come under the control of the Taliban, well we know the probable scenario that would follow. We need to pray for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and President Obama. Decisions they make concerning our policies in Pakistan may decide our childrens future.
7. Pray about the issue in Iran. May the Secretary of Defense Gates advise the President in a wise manner and may God's sovereignty over Iran prevent their gaining nuclear weapons.
8. Pray that political discourse in America might focus more on issues and their merits rather than polarization through vile name calling and accusations without foundation.
9. Pray, pray, and pray some more about the future of Christianity in our homeland on earth. Christianity is not thriving, but Hinduism, Buddhism and secularism are. Since 1990, surveys show that Christianity has grown by 5%, while Buddhism has grown by 170% and Hinduism by 230%. However, the largest growth has been in those who embrace no religion. The number has grown from 13 million to 38 million. Our God is alive and as active as ever, but something is wrong with Christianity in America. We need God to lead us out of our malaise and paralysis. Christianity will not disappear from the world, but it may decline in influence in America. We need to thank God for its rapid growth in other parts of the world. America may sooner than we realize become a mission point for churches in Africa and South America.
10. Pray for our children and our families. Families are being redefined to include gay marriage and other arrangements such as living together in all kinds of combinations. Fewer and fewer children are growing up in a stable environment that includes a loving and dedicated father and mother who provide them nurturing, security and discipline. As goes the church and family so goes the nation.
Feel free to respond to my blog with additions to my list and interaction with my suggested prayer concerns.
(The following are not listed in any order as to importance)
1. Our government leaders both elected and appointed. While much that is going on today, as will be evident from some of my later concerns in this list, is inconsistent with my values and aspirations for America, I nevertheless need to heed Paul's admonition to pray for our leaders. If I haven't prayed for them, then their mistakes are my mistakes also.
2. Pray for our schools, both primary and graduate levels. Teachers are under so much pressure from political correctness and their unions that it is hard not to be intimidated into going along to get along. Also those in administration are obviously hesitant to cross any political correctness lines for fear of lawsuits from ACLU or families with "out of control" children.
3. Pray for Christian schools and universities. Many in higher education are more concerned about how they are viewed by accrediting agencies and other well known schools of higher learning than they are about biblical teachings and church concerns. A PHD cannot advance if he simply sounds like those in his church or those of the past. He must be cutting edge or he will be looked upon as "out of touch" with the latest and greatest. As our universities depend more and more upon donations from those outside their religious tradition, they must sound less and less like an echo of their church roots. They must invite more and more speakers that are well known in the larger religious community, regardless of what they are known for. Brian McLaren has spoken on some of our campuses recently, and I have no problem with that, provided their is some balance offered that encourages students to consider not just the pros but also the cons of what such speakers have to offer. McLaren is the leading voice of the "emerging church" which is a postmodern view of christianity which sees doctrines as divisive and even suggests that Buddhists, Hindus and others may embrace the Christ without knowing it, and thus enjoy all the blessings of Christ. Maybe those campuses that invite such speakers provide a penetrating critique, but knowing a little bit about how such institutions operate, I wonder.
I am not trying to put down higher education, in fact I believe in it more than most, but we need to know the kind of cultural pressures that are influencing such institutions. During the last couple of years of the Center for Christian Education's existence we were seeking approval from the state of Texas and the accrediting agency of Bible Colleges. During that process I had the opportunity of meeting with the appointed representative of the State Board of Education on numerous occasions. I discovered how much the State and accrediting agencies determine the operation and curriculum of private universities. Believe me, Abilene, Pepperdine, Oklahoma and others have more to fear from these sources than from the criticism of churches and christians. The Christian colleges and universities struggle with two poles: the church with which they identify and the state and regional accrediting agencies. Christian universities cannot and should not be the same as the schools of preaching in our fellowship. Since the Supreme Court of Texas has ruled that the State cannot control private christian colleges some of the schools of preaching have started offering degrees. I am torn between the two concerns, one that Christian truth not be compromised and two that schools of preaching really don't offer a curriculum that is equal to a Bachelors Degree. Yes, schools of preaching may offer more Bible, but a Degree is society's assurance that certain standards exist, and that one can assume a certain level of education exists that includes more than Bible. There are a number of fraudulent degree mills. Citizens need to have some means of determining the credibility of institutions of higher learning and this requires standards and laws. In spite of all that is done, some still peddle their wares and some fall prey to their promises. I think of one that has preyed on those in churches of Christ. Some of our graduates fell prey to such because in their minds they believed they had earned an equivalent to not only a Bachelors but even a Masters. The degree mill provided such for a relatively small financial investment. I too believed that the Center offered a quality education on par with many legitimate degree programs, but there were still additonal courses that would need to be taken to meet Culture's expectations of one with a Masters degree. If students had taken such courses in an accredited Junior College or University then their education was first class, but without those coursed they did not meet Society's expectations and should not received such a degree. Thus we need protection from those who offer degrees without meeting the standards presumed to exist in a degree program.
This rambling stream of consciousness reveals my own ambivalence when it comes to the issue of higher education. It is out of this ambivalence that I realize more than ever the need for prayer. The wisdom of more than Solomon is needed to address this issue. Pray for our schools, the professors, students and administrators.
4. Pray for President Bush and for those who served in his administration. He may have thought that once he was out of power that the criticism would end, but such has not been the case. The latest onslaught concerns "interrogation techniques". May the milk of human kindness be expressed in prayer for him, his family, and others who served with him.
5. Pray for Christians who believe it is their duty (a little used word now days) and responsibility to fight for the lives of the weak and those unable to fight for themselves. As a result we stand opposed to abortion and euthanasia, as well as embryonic stem cell research that involves the destruction of life. According to the Director of Homeland Security, we are a threat to the security of the homeland and need to be monitored closely by local and regional police and safety officials. Some Christians may be intimidated and silenced by realizing how they are viewed by government officials, however, we need to say with Peter and John "we must obey God". Our resistence to laws and policies will be expressed by freedom of speech and prayer. I know of no one who agrees with me in my opposition to abortion and embryonic stem cell destruction who would bomb a clinic or research lab. I am more concerned about Bill Ayers and people who have actually attacked our institutions and our citizens then I am Christians who oppose abortion, but then I'm not the Director of Homeland Security. If she knows more about me and others than we know, mayb e she will reveal her sources.
6. Pray for Pakistan and other countries in the boiling Middle East. Pakistan is not far from collapsing. The Taliban is gaining every day in Pakistan. Should its nuclear power come under the control of the Taliban, well we know the probable scenario that would follow. We need to pray for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and President Obama. Decisions they make concerning our policies in Pakistan may decide our childrens future.
7. Pray about the issue in Iran. May the Secretary of Defense Gates advise the President in a wise manner and may God's sovereignty over Iran prevent their gaining nuclear weapons.
8. Pray that political discourse in America might focus more on issues and their merits rather than polarization through vile name calling and accusations without foundation.
9. Pray, pray, and pray some more about the future of Christianity in our homeland on earth. Christianity is not thriving, but Hinduism, Buddhism and secularism are. Since 1990, surveys show that Christianity has grown by 5%, while Buddhism has grown by 170% and Hinduism by 230%. However, the largest growth has been in those who embrace no religion. The number has grown from 13 million to 38 million. Our God is alive and as active as ever, but something is wrong with Christianity in America. We need God to lead us out of our malaise and paralysis. Christianity will not disappear from the world, but it may decline in influence in America. We need to thank God for its rapid growth in other parts of the world. America may sooner than we realize become a mission point for churches in Africa and South America.
10. Pray for our children and our families. Families are being redefined to include gay marriage and other arrangements such as living together in all kinds of combinations. Fewer and fewer children are growing up in a stable environment that includes a loving and dedicated father and mother who provide them nurturing, security and discipline. As goes the church and family so goes the nation.
Feel free to respond to my blog with additions to my list and interaction with my suggested prayer concerns.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Its been a while since I posted. My wife Gloria's brother died a few days ago, and the dying process extended over about 10 days. We were trying to give attention to weightier matters than blogging. It seems that every experience of life exposes us to new awareness of matters concerning which we thought we were knowledgeable. In Jim's last days I became more aware than I ever had before that a person is aware of his surroundings and what is going on even if he shows little evidence of such by his appearance. Communication and prayer are heard and make a difference.
Also I became aware that hospice is not always helpful when subject to Medicare criteria. I have become somewhat suspicious of how hospice is brought into the picture when one is at a senior care center. Then when they are active I found that according to the hospice representatives their services are for crisis care only. They use the more politically correct terminology of "continuing care" which describes around the clock presence of a nurse in the room of the dying person. However, according to what hospice told us, such care is available only if medication has to be given more frequently than the care facility can provide. Just because a person has only hours to live is not sufficient basis for the presence of a hospice representative. When I asked the hospice representative what the definition of hospice care is, she answered "end of life care". My obvious response was, "isn't Jim dying?". Yes, she said but he's stable and does not appear to be in great pain, so medicare will not provide what they call "a sitter". The hospice provider HOSPICE PLUS in the end did provide continuing care, but they had threatened to discontinue it because "dying" is not a sufficient reason to provide "continuing care" only painful dying is sufficient.
My recommendation is that if you have a loved one who may be entering into a terminal state, you should thoroughly familiarize yourself with the provisions of hospice care. Apparently there will be a difference in the hospice care provided under private insurance and the hospice care provided under Medicare.
Also I became aware that hospice is not always helpful when subject to Medicare criteria. I have become somewhat suspicious of how hospice is brought into the picture when one is at a senior care center. Then when they are active I found that according to the hospice representatives their services are for crisis care only. They use the more politically correct terminology of "continuing care" which describes around the clock presence of a nurse in the room of the dying person. However, according to what hospice told us, such care is available only if medication has to be given more frequently than the care facility can provide. Just because a person has only hours to live is not sufficient basis for the presence of a hospice representative. When I asked the hospice representative what the definition of hospice care is, she answered "end of life care". My obvious response was, "isn't Jim dying?". Yes, she said but he's stable and does not appear to be in great pain, so medicare will not provide what they call "a sitter". The hospice provider HOSPICE PLUS in the end did provide continuing care, but they had threatened to discontinue it because "dying" is not a sufficient reason to provide "continuing care" only painful dying is sufficient.
My recommendation is that if you have a loved one who may be entering into a terminal state, you should thoroughly familiarize yourself with the provisions of hospice care. Apparently there will be a difference in the hospice care provided under private insurance and the hospice care provided under Medicare.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
The world is heating up, is it Global Warming?
Al Gore has made much more by losing the presidency than he ever could have made by winning. He should thank Florida and the Supreme Court. The millions he's brought in by the "convenient theory" of Global Warming would make a President's salary look like pauper's pay.
Is the world heating up? I think so, but not in the way Global Warming proponents suggest. North Korea launched a rocket against the stern warning of the United States and the United Nations. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned of serious consequences and the head of the United Nations expressed his displeasure with the North Koreans for violating United Nations resolutions. What will be the outcome of such provocative actions, more warnings no doubt.
News broke today that Iran has been furnished with material for nuclear development from a Chinese firm with money being channeled through New York banks. How's our teddy bear like relationship with the Chinese working out for us? China will caution us to be restrained in our response to North Korea and Iran. Should any penalties be introduced in the Security Council of the United Nations, China and Russia will be there to veto such penalties.
China, Iran, North Korea and Russia are all seeking a more positive relationship with the U.S. now that the trigger happy Cowboy is no longer in power.
Our new leader has voiced his hope that we will all soon dismantle our nuclear weapons and become busom buddies. My leader is the Prince of Peace, but I believe he suggests that as long as this world stands, there will be wars and rumors of wars. Could it be a bit unrealistic to believe that we will some day before long live in a loving world where people will settle their differences by talking and talking and talking. If such is possible we should feel good about the prospects because we certainly have the right leader to represent us. The world is warming up, but be hopeful for we have a cool leader who is certainly not trigger happy. My prayer is that if he should be gentle as a lamb that he might also be as wise as John Wayne. For those too young to remember John, suffice it to say, he always knew when to draw his gun and fire. Bad guys had plenty to worry about if they messed with big John, but good guys always felt safe when big John was in charge.
Is the world heating up? I think so, but not in the way Global Warming proponents suggest. North Korea launched a rocket against the stern warning of the United States and the United Nations. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned of serious consequences and the head of the United Nations expressed his displeasure with the North Koreans for violating United Nations resolutions. What will be the outcome of such provocative actions, more warnings no doubt.
News broke today that Iran has been furnished with material for nuclear development from a Chinese firm with money being channeled through New York banks. How's our teddy bear like relationship with the Chinese working out for us? China will caution us to be restrained in our response to North Korea and Iran. Should any penalties be introduced in the Security Council of the United Nations, China and Russia will be there to veto such penalties.
China, Iran, North Korea and Russia are all seeking a more positive relationship with the U.S. now that the trigger happy Cowboy is no longer in power.
Our new leader has voiced his hope that we will all soon dismantle our nuclear weapons and become busom buddies. My leader is the Prince of Peace, but I believe he suggests that as long as this world stands, there will be wars and rumors of wars. Could it be a bit unrealistic to believe that we will some day before long live in a loving world where people will settle their differences by talking and talking and talking. If such is possible we should feel good about the prospects because we certainly have the right leader to represent us. The world is warming up, but be hopeful for we have a cool leader who is certainly not trigger happy. My prayer is that if he should be gentle as a lamb that he might also be as wise as John Wayne. For those too young to remember John, suffice it to say, he always knew when to draw his gun and fire. Bad guys had plenty to worry about if they messed with big John, but good guys always felt safe when big John was in charge.
Friday, April 3, 2009
IS ABORTION A TRAGEDY OR NOT?
The U.S. NEWS AND WORLD REPORT on April 1st carried a blog by Bonnie Erbe that was quite revealing as to the thinking of those who promote abortion as a good option for women and for our society as a whole. In her blog she was taking issue with Media reports that viewed as a tragedy the increasing number of abortions caused by the current recession. Bonnie Erbe proposes "a counter view. It is not" a tragedy.
Her blog is a comment on a recent case reported by the Associated Press on March 25th. A woman in California, who could not afford a bus ticket, walked for an hour to the clinic where she requested an abortion. She reported that the pregnancy was planned and desired, but that since she became pregnant, her family's situation had changed. Her boyfriend had lost his job, and they barely had enough money to feed the three children at home, much less another child.
Erbe believes that all of us should agree that "In the long run...an unwed couple's decision not to bring a fourth child into the world when they are having trouble feeding themselves and three children is no tragedy". "It's actually a fact-based, rational decision that in the end benefits the three children they already have and society as well."
"It's no tragedy; it's a good decision. The decision benefits society in two ways. It allows the couple to focus more time, energy and resources on their three children, giving each child a better life and a better chance of growing up to contribute to society. It also lessens the chance the family will have to rely on scarce public resources...to raise their children."
This article is so revealing. Its argument should serve as a warning to those who want to hand over health care to the government. More about this after reviewing her argument.
I want to consider her argument under three headings:
1. She says that the woman made a FACT BASED decision. Did she? Exactly what facts did she consider? Well, she considered her financial state. She considered her three children who have already been born. However, what about the fact that in her womb is another child. She considers how life will be better for the born, but does she consider the expense of a life to make the "better" possible?
2. The author says her decision was RATIONAL. I'm sure the decision made sense to her, but there is more than rationality that goes into a good decision. Hitler was rational, but his rationality resulted in the murder of six million Jews.
3. My major problem is with the MORALITY expressed in the author's argument in defense of this decision as good rather than a tragedy. If you will re-read the quotes from her article, you will see the constant references to "In the long run" , "in the end", and "better". All of these terms indicate that her ethic is utilitarian pragmatism. Her argument is that the end justifies the means. What end does she envision? The family will prosper and life will be better for the children she currently has. What about the "end" of the child in the womb? The author never defines the entity that is aborted. Clearly she would be unwilling to call the life in the womb a child, but she never mentions the child by any term. I obviously believe that the occupant of the womb is a child. I conclude such not just because I'm a Christian, but because I believe that Science cannot find another moment than conception when human life begins.
Her utilitarian pragmatism extends not just to the well being of the family, but also to the well being of society. "In the end" the abortion will benefit "society as well". Society is benefitted by the fact that an abortion is less expensive than support of another child. By such reasoning, one could argue that the death of one of her existing children would be beneficial to society.
When one's life is determined by the cost to society, many of us become vulnerable, and not just the unborn. One of the problems with a Government run Medical program is that the individual will no longer be the only consideration of the health provider, but also society who helps foot the bill by their taxes. Some individuals will cost more than they provide society. The same argument used by Erbe for abortion is being used in Europe and even in America for the validity and value of suicide and government assisted suicide.
When human life no longer has intrinsic value then it is no longer only the unborn who are endangered, but all of us. Our lives will be weighed in the balance and if cost benefits outweigh the value of our life, then only God can help us. Those who think Government supplied health care sounds good should consider the fact that in countries where such care is now available, certain medicines and procedures are not available to certain constituencies of society because they are not cost effective. The cost to society must trump the individual's well being. It appears clear that the author of this article is sympathetic to that type of reasoning, at least as it extends to the unborn.
Morality demands that we are responsible for our debts. However, the government is selective in requiring citizens to keep their contracts are suffer the consequences. The recent recession in the housing market and the business world has revealed how some contracts are binding and some not. Some are bailed out and some have to face the consequences of their decisions. A consistent morality or legality is hard to find.
The mother in Oakland admitted that the pregnancy was planned and by choice. That's a fact that seem to have been ignored when she opted for an abortion. The child in the womb did not make that choice, but she and her boyfriend. Instead of the parents fulfilling their commitment to the unborn, they escape by taking the life of the child in the womb.
I don't think Bonnie Erbe has demonstrated that the increase in abortions are good and not a tragedy. Instead I believe that her argument demonstrates that if her thinking wins the day, an even greater tragedy is just around the corner. By her reasoning, the disabled, the young and the elderly are especially vulnerable. I wouldn't even want to be on food stamps and need health care, the cost to society might be too great.
Think about it. We really are in a battle for the future of life in America and the future of our children.
Her blog is a comment on a recent case reported by the Associated Press on March 25th. A woman in California, who could not afford a bus ticket, walked for an hour to the clinic where she requested an abortion. She reported that the pregnancy was planned and desired, but that since she became pregnant, her family's situation had changed. Her boyfriend had lost his job, and they barely had enough money to feed the three children at home, much less another child.
Erbe believes that all of us should agree that "In the long run...an unwed couple's decision not to bring a fourth child into the world when they are having trouble feeding themselves and three children is no tragedy". "It's actually a fact-based, rational decision that in the end benefits the three children they already have and society as well."
"It's no tragedy; it's a good decision. The decision benefits society in two ways. It allows the couple to focus more time, energy and resources on their three children, giving each child a better life and a better chance of growing up to contribute to society. It also lessens the chance the family will have to rely on scarce public resources...to raise their children."
This article is so revealing. Its argument should serve as a warning to those who want to hand over health care to the government. More about this after reviewing her argument.
I want to consider her argument under three headings:
1. She says that the woman made a FACT BASED decision. Did she? Exactly what facts did she consider? Well, she considered her financial state. She considered her three children who have already been born. However, what about the fact that in her womb is another child. She considers how life will be better for the born, but does she consider the expense of a life to make the "better" possible?
2. The author says her decision was RATIONAL. I'm sure the decision made sense to her, but there is more than rationality that goes into a good decision. Hitler was rational, but his rationality resulted in the murder of six million Jews.
3. My major problem is with the MORALITY expressed in the author's argument in defense of this decision as good rather than a tragedy. If you will re-read the quotes from her article, you will see the constant references to "In the long run" , "in the end", and "better". All of these terms indicate that her ethic is utilitarian pragmatism. Her argument is that the end justifies the means. What end does she envision? The family will prosper and life will be better for the children she currently has. What about the "end" of the child in the womb? The author never defines the entity that is aborted. Clearly she would be unwilling to call the life in the womb a child, but she never mentions the child by any term. I obviously believe that the occupant of the womb is a child. I conclude such not just because I'm a Christian, but because I believe that Science cannot find another moment than conception when human life begins.
Her utilitarian pragmatism extends not just to the well being of the family, but also to the well being of society. "In the end" the abortion will benefit "society as well". Society is benefitted by the fact that an abortion is less expensive than support of another child. By such reasoning, one could argue that the death of one of her existing children would be beneficial to society.
When one's life is determined by the cost to society, many of us become vulnerable, and not just the unborn. One of the problems with a Government run Medical program is that the individual will no longer be the only consideration of the health provider, but also society who helps foot the bill by their taxes. Some individuals will cost more than they provide society. The same argument used by Erbe for abortion is being used in Europe and even in America for the validity and value of suicide and government assisted suicide.
When human life no longer has intrinsic value then it is no longer only the unborn who are endangered, but all of us. Our lives will be weighed in the balance and if cost benefits outweigh the value of our life, then only God can help us. Those who think Government supplied health care sounds good should consider the fact that in countries where such care is now available, certain medicines and procedures are not available to certain constituencies of society because they are not cost effective. The cost to society must trump the individual's well being. It appears clear that the author of this article is sympathetic to that type of reasoning, at least as it extends to the unborn.
Morality demands that we are responsible for our debts. However, the government is selective in requiring citizens to keep their contracts are suffer the consequences. The recent recession in the housing market and the business world has revealed how some contracts are binding and some not. Some are bailed out and some have to face the consequences of their decisions. A consistent morality or legality is hard to find.
The mother in Oakland admitted that the pregnancy was planned and by choice. That's a fact that seem to have been ignored when she opted for an abortion. The child in the womb did not make that choice, but she and her boyfriend. Instead of the parents fulfilling their commitment to the unborn, they escape by taking the life of the child in the womb.
I don't think Bonnie Erbe has demonstrated that the increase in abortions are good and not a tragedy. Instead I believe that her argument demonstrates that if her thinking wins the day, an even greater tragedy is just around the corner. By her reasoning, the disabled, the young and the elderly are especially vulnerable. I wouldn't even want to be on food stamps and need health care, the cost to society might be too great.
Think about it. We really are in a battle for the future of life in America and the future of our children.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
"I like monotony" C.S. Lewis
The title I've given to this blog says a lot about me. I haven't always been so boring, or Have I? Oh well, I guess the older you get the less energy you have for exciting new experiences that challenge the order and tranquility of your life. I love my family, my home, my community and my church. I like chicken, potatoes( or is it potatos , where is Dan Quayle these days?) and diet coke. I like the school my daughter attends. I like the sky over Midlothian and Maypearl. I like spring, summer, fall and winter. I like living in a free society. I have never liked having to move. After years in the same place, driving through the same fast food places, paying overdrafts to the same bank, and driving the same roads, life becomes predictable and little creativity and energy are required to live it. You might say we become embedded in place and space.
I spent 28 years of my life as a teacher and administrator for the Center for Christian Education. We closed our doors in June of 2005. For weeks, months and even years I dreamed about my work at the Center. My identity, my ministry and my life was embedded in an entity that no longer existed. I was blessed beyond measure to be able to relocate in ministry with the Maypearl Church of Christ. In a sense I was going home for I grew up in Maypearl. The names, faces and homes had changed. The house I grew up in 50+ years ago has been gone for decades. The terrain doesn't even look the same. There was once a train track not far from our house, but it has been gone for half a century. Yet, I can't drive by the hill where I grew up without thinking about my roots. I still remember events and relationships with family and friends that helped shape my life. Now 50 years later I still on occasion dream about the house where I lived as a child.
When my mom died I thought my heart died. When my dad died, I dreamed for years that he was still alive and I would wake up to the disappointing reality that such was not the case.
What is life and the life of those we love, "it is a vapor that appears for a little while and then fades away".
We take roots but circumstances uproot us and our loved ones. The very ones who bring us joy will bring us sadness. The only alternative to such existence is to refuse to love or enjoy life, place or space.
We become attached even to things and experience sadness when we lose them. It may be a house, a car, a job, or a pair of shoes. When I moved my office to Maypearl, I realized that I needed to downsize my library, so I sold or gave away several hundred books. The Maypearl church graciously gave my two rooms to house my library, but my books are still double decked and stacked in every nook and cranny of my office. Of course some of that is simply that I'm messy. My point is that giving up any of my books is hard. I have about 8,000 books and they are part of my monotony. I hope there wll be a reading room in my corner of the New Jerusalem. For I still have a lot of books that I haven't read from cover to cover.
Having emphasized how embedded I am and how much I like it, I realize that all that I have is temporary, but anticipatory of something permanent. The need to belong is a part of what it means to be human. However, we are saddened by the lack of permanence that characterizes our lives and those of our family and friends. The same lack of permanence is featured throughout the cosmos. Our world and ourselves are destined to pass away, but both are on a journey toward an embedded eternity.
Listen to Paul:
"I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us; For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God: for the creation was subjected to futility..." that is all of this present life and world is subject to decay and death. Yet " the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God". Cosmic and personal redemption and renewal are waiting in the wings.
In Revelation 21: 1ff. John envisions a "new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and first earth had passed away...And I saw the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'See, the home of God is among humans. He will dwell with them as their God...He will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more...See, I am making all things new."
We will be embodied in a new body and embedded in a new world and will have fulfilled our long ing experienced now. Our longing for permanence in relationships and places. No matter where we travel in the new world we will always be home. No enemy threats from terrorists or no domestic threats from the economy will threaten our well being. We will experience excitement that will exceed anything Nascar can offer and yet not be threatened by a disastrous crash. We won't have to lock our doors at night or spend money for alarm systems. There will no employers calling us into the office to give us a pink slip. We will finally be rooted in permanence.
Until then we will long for permanence more and more as years go by while becoming more and more aware that such will always elude us as long as we seek to be rooted in the old world.
I spent 28 years of my life as a teacher and administrator for the Center for Christian Education. We closed our doors in June of 2005. For weeks, months and even years I dreamed about my work at the Center. My identity, my ministry and my life was embedded in an entity that no longer existed. I was blessed beyond measure to be able to relocate in ministry with the Maypearl Church of Christ. In a sense I was going home for I grew up in Maypearl. The names, faces and homes had changed. The house I grew up in 50+ years ago has been gone for decades. The terrain doesn't even look the same. There was once a train track not far from our house, but it has been gone for half a century. Yet, I can't drive by the hill where I grew up without thinking about my roots. I still remember events and relationships with family and friends that helped shape my life. Now 50 years later I still on occasion dream about the house where I lived as a child.
When my mom died I thought my heart died. When my dad died, I dreamed for years that he was still alive and I would wake up to the disappointing reality that such was not the case.
What is life and the life of those we love, "it is a vapor that appears for a little while and then fades away".
We take roots but circumstances uproot us and our loved ones. The very ones who bring us joy will bring us sadness. The only alternative to such existence is to refuse to love or enjoy life, place or space.
We become attached even to things and experience sadness when we lose them. It may be a house, a car, a job, or a pair of shoes. When I moved my office to Maypearl, I realized that I needed to downsize my library, so I sold or gave away several hundred books. The Maypearl church graciously gave my two rooms to house my library, but my books are still double decked and stacked in every nook and cranny of my office. Of course some of that is simply that I'm messy. My point is that giving up any of my books is hard. I have about 8,000 books and they are part of my monotony. I hope there wll be a reading room in my corner of the New Jerusalem. For I still have a lot of books that I haven't read from cover to cover.
Having emphasized how embedded I am and how much I like it, I realize that all that I have is temporary, but anticipatory of something permanent. The need to belong is a part of what it means to be human. However, we are saddened by the lack of permanence that characterizes our lives and those of our family and friends. The same lack of permanence is featured throughout the cosmos. Our world and ourselves are destined to pass away, but both are on a journey toward an embedded eternity.
Listen to Paul:
"I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us; For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God: for the creation was subjected to futility..." that is all of this present life and world is subject to decay and death. Yet " the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God". Cosmic and personal redemption and renewal are waiting in the wings.
In Revelation 21: 1ff. John envisions a "new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and first earth had passed away...And I saw the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'See, the home of God is among humans. He will dwell with them as their God...He will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more...See, I am making all things new."
We will be embodied in a new body and embedded in a new world and will have fulfilled our long ing experienced now. Our longing for permanence in relationships and places. No matter where we travel in the new world we will always be home. No enemy threats from terrorists or no domestic threats from the economy will threaten our well being. We will experience excitement that will exceed anything Nascar can offer and yet not be threatened by a disastrous crash. We won't have to lock our doors at night or spend money for alarm systems. There will no employers calling us into the office to give us a pink slip. We will finally be rooted in permanence.
Until then we will long for permanence more and more as years go by while becoming more and more aware that such will always elude us as long as we seek to be rooted in the old world.
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