When Religion Doesn't Equal Homophobia

A biblical definition of marriage does not generally equate to homophobia.  This has been bothering me lately with the vitriol directed at Chick-Fil-A for saying they support a Biblical definition of marriage. 

Homophobia: An extreme and irrational aversion to homosexuality and homosexual people.

Let’s look at what Kathy actually said.

"We are very much supportive of the family—the biblical definition of the family unit," he said. "We are a family-owned business, a family-led business, and we are married to our first wives.…We want to do anything we possibly can to strengthen families."

That is so far short anything hateful or extreme.  In fact, it’s so unextreme that almost half of Americans support keeping a traditional definition of marriage---between a man and woman.

Kathy merely said that they want to strengthen families, specifically biblically-defined families.  Why isn’t there uproar about his judgment against divorced families?  From reading his statement, I think there is more room to be offended about divorce than homosexuality.

What would homophobia actually look like in the fast food realm?

Ensuring that only heterosexual people were served.  Denying employment to homosexual employees.  In light of the WHOLE statement, if the Chick-Fil-A was truly discriminating, they would also only serve to couples in chaste relationships.  That would exclude unmarried heterosexual individuals who are having sex as well as divorced individuals who remarry.

The minute a company did any of the above, I would agree wholeheartedly that they were being discriminatory.  However, a statement of religious belief, although unpopular and countercultural, is not homophobic.

Everyone has known for a long time what Dan Cathy's stance on gay marriage is. But who cares? He's not a politician. He make's delicious chicken sandwiches. All of the sudden he states his opinion, when we all already knew what his opinion is, and people are shocked that his opinion is what we all knew it to be.

To end with some comic relief, openly gay “Hide Your Kids, Hide Your Wife” star is not going to stop eating Chick-Fil-A’s delicious waffle fries.

Adding a New Voice to the Abortion Debate

Today and tomorrow the Heritage Foundation is housing the Eagle Forum's Collegiate forum.

Thus far, I've heard from prolific conservatives like Senators Rand Paul and Mike Lee and Congresswomen Michelle Bauchmann and Ann Marie Buerkle.   However, the speaker that hit me upside the head doesn't hold political office.  She's a beautiful and well-spoken young woman merely a year older than me who founded a youth-led pro-life organization.

Now, the whole "War on Women" debacle is generally something that gets under my skin (Another blog, another time).  As a young female, I don't see a decision to be pro-life as anti-woman at all.  It seems that my voice, and that of many other young woman is being drowned out by the perception that the pro-life movement is being orchestrated solely by old, white male priests.

A priest friend keeps encouraging me to learn more about my beliefs on the prolife movement.   He keeps reiterating that people have to understand that there are women on BOTH sides of the issue.

So, imagine if this 23-year old woman was to testify about the danger of killing off a quarter of her own generation.

The dynamics of the debate transform because, as women, the whole "you don't have these body parts" argument disappears.  We know our bodies.  We can see the damage that abortion does to our friends and family on a personal, intimate level.

Lila Rose is the president of a fantastic organization, Live Action.  The focus is investigative journalism, exposing the some of the lies told to women in crisis pregnancies at abortion facilities.

I encourage you to watch some videos, but be careful...some of them are offensive and upsetting.  They get into issues such as gender selection abortions and racial profiling, but the truth is, this stuff is happening.

Blankets...A Metaphor for Faith?

So imagine that faith is a blanket, a luxurious piece of fabric.  Like this!

 As a Catholic, I sometimes come across people who either are taken aback that I believe the Church is pretty much always right theologically or qualify their Catholic faith by certain issues (contraception, abortion, gay marriage, papal infallibility, Immaculate Conception, etc. etc. etc).  

The beauty of that beautiful tapestry, of faith, is accepting each and every thread as part of the big picture.

Don't get me wrong.  There are times that I don't get something.   For example, my understanding of the Church's teachings about human sexuality evolved over time, especially during the last four years and my discovery of Theology of the Body.  However, even though my understanding has deepened, my desire to live that life hasn't really changed.

There is unarguably a difference between acceptance and understanding. 

"Nor do I seek to understand that I may believe, but I believe that I may understand. For this too I believe, that unless I first believe, I shall not understand," said St. Anselm.

Back to the Blanket of Faith.

So what happens if I started separating what the Church teaches from what I believed was right?    Well it'd be like removing one thread from the beautiful blanket. 

In the short run, one thread won't make a big difference.  But, as time goes on, the threads start to add up and the Catholic faith has been unraveled into an unrecognizeable piece of fabric, a threadbare blanket.

This is why acceptance of the Church's teachings are so important.  Who would want to give up their life for a ragged blanket?  The Christian life is truly a beautiful gift, something that should be celebrated as such.

The good news is, even if we fail to recognize the beauty and fall into the dissection of the Catholic faith, Christ died on the Cross for our salvation.  Through the sacrament of Reconciliation, our threadbare blankets aren't just repaired, we get a whole new one!

Misunderstood: Mohammed Morsi, President of Egypt

This is a guest post from my sister about the new Egyptian President Morsi. Amanda is studying international relations, global justice, and religion at Central Michigan University, which has led to a number of classes on Islam.  She plans to eventually earn her PhD in religion to teach at the university level..   If you have questions, please leave a comment and she'll get back to you!  Without further ado, her take on Egyptian democracy.

I've been hearing a lot about the new President of Egypt, Dr. Mohammed Morsi, from friends and family.  Some are asking my opinion, some are misinformed, and some aren't even willing to listen to what I have to say.  I decided to put together this note (it's a little lengthy), feel free to share it if you wish.

First off, I want to say congratulations to Egypt for their first elected president. The road has been bumpy, but God-willing it will continue to become smoother.

About sixteen (16) months ago, Hosni Mubarak was ousted from his position of power over Egypt.  Since then, a new government has been struggling to bud.  The election of a new president is an incredible feat, especially a member of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB).  During Mubarak's regime, the Muslim Brotherhood was highly discrimanted against.  It faced decades of government crackdowns, arrests, and alienation.

If you don't know a lot about MB, or see them as a violent group, I would suggest reading up on the full, and especially the recent, history of the MB.  I'll address a little bit further on, but I can't even begin to relate the history of this group.

On to President (Dr.) Mohammed Morsi.  I send out my greatest congratulations and well wishes to this man. He has a humongous task ahead of him, and the path will not be easy.  Many of the fears I've been approached with have to do with President Morsi's affiliation with the MB and Freedom and Justice Party (FJP). As I previously said, read!

President Morsi has promised to protect all citizens whether they voted for him or not.  He said, “No rights will be taken from anyone who says no to me.”  To back up these claims, he has met with many Christian leaders in order to try and build bridges over the rifts that have developed over generations.  One of the men, Bishop John Kolta, Deputy Patriarch of Catholic Copts, has issued statements attesting to the fact that the MB does not use or promote violence.  Bishop Kolta said,

“President Mohamed Morsi said it is a priority for him to protect the Copts and forestall strife between Copts and Muslims, and to restore security to the homeland; which were messages of reassurance for Copts. They made us happy for the future of Egypt.”

The Freedom and Justice Party, the political party that consists primarily of MB members and the party in which Dr.. Morsi ran under, states on their website:

“We also stress the need that the Egyptian people should be the ones who draft the Egyptian Constitution, in a way that reflects the identity and will of the nation, so as to provide - through this Constitution - freedom and dignity for the nation, affirming the sovereignty of the people and national unity. “

The MB and FJP, including Dr. Morsi, seem to have tolerance in mind.  This would be prompted by the intent to implement Sharia.  This brings up a whole other issue – Most people are misinformed on what Sharia is and actually intends.  The most common fear I have been approached with was provoked by the MB's Credo:

“God is our objective; the Quran is our law, the Prophet is our leader; Jihad is our way; and death for the sake of God is the highest of our aspirations.”

Honestly, if you change the title of the book and one title, the statement becomes what nearly every Christian (that I know) wants for their life.

“God is our objective, the Bible is our law, Jesus is our leader, Jihad is our way, and death for the sake of God is the highest of our aspirations.”

Oh, I left that scary word in there: Jihad.

Jihad is a word that appears 41 times in the Qur'an.  Jihad is a religious duty of all Muslims.  But what does Jihad actually mean?

To struggle. Jihad literally means, “struggle” or “strive”.  Not holy war, it's not a secret code word for “kill the infidels”. Jihad represents a duty towards God, a commitment to hard work, working towards a noble cause, and doing one's best to implement the principles of religion.

Muslim scholar Mahmoud Ayoub states that "The goal of true jihad is to attain a harmony between islam (submission), iman (faith), and ihsan (righteous living)."

So all that the credo is saying is: All should be done in order to give glory to God, that Sharia (outlined in the Qur'an) should be followed, and all members are encouraged to strive to become the best person that they can be.

Oops, there's another scary word: Sharia.

This is again, totally misunderstood! Yes, there are some laws and punishments within Sharia that sound barbaric and archaic. Think about it through... have you read the Bible? 

In 1 Corinthians 11:6, a woman must cover her hair or represent her shame by shaving it off.

Matthew 5:30 “And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.”

Deuteronomy 22:20-22  But if this thing be true, and the tokens of virginity be not found for the damsel.  Then they shall bring out the damsel to the door of her father's house, and the men of her city shall stone her with stones that she die: because she hath wrought folly in Israel, to play the whore in her father's house: so shalt thou put evil away from among you.  If a man be found lying with a woman married to an husband, then they shall both of them die, both the man that lay with the woman, and the woman: so shalt thou put away evil from Israel.

These seem pretty harsh, don't they?  Relax. 

Sharia also incorporates tolerance and equality for non-Muslims. It encompasses all parts of life.  It recognizes freedom of belief, freedom of worship and the right of non-Muslims in referring to their own religion in their private affairs. Sharia equalizes all people in terms of rights and duties.

Human Rights are an incredible part of Sharia, as the human being is considered the most dignified creature on earth. The Qur'an states that Allah Almighty has created all that is in the heavens and earth to serve the well-being of the human beings. And thus, the most important of all human rights is the right to life, the right to human dignity and the public freedoms for all.

In all honesty, the thing you need to be worried about in Egypt right now is SCAF.

SCAF is the Supreme Council of Armed Forces, or the military that has a stranglehold on all political processes in Egypt.  SCAF was considered heroic about sixteen (16) months ago when it successfully  ousted Hosni Mubarak. The transition occurred quickly, to where SCAF is now feared and hated. Just before the recent presidential election, SCAF ruled to dissolve the popularly elected Parliament.

This  military council also passed a decree allowing military police and intelligence to arrest and detain civilians.  SCAF is what currently holds the real power in Egypt. They've maintained power since they forced Mubarak from office 16 months ago.  They've taken control over legislature, drafting the new institution, and have removed certain powers that should have been held by President Morsi. 

What exactly is so scary about that? These men are the same men who were hand-picked by Hosni Mubarak. Thus, we are not surprised to learn the SCAF gave itself the role of legislator, the right to arrest civilians, control over drafting a new constitution, and stripped the next president of significant power.

On a closing note, President Morsi has fulfilled his campaign promise and resigned from both the Muslim Brotherhood and the political Freedom and Justice Party.  While his beliefs will probably still align significantly with the MB and FJP, President Morsi will have no lasting affiliation with either group.

Week's Debrief

Since I did primarily start this blog to keep people apprised of my travels, I figured it'd be cool to give a brief overview of everything that's gone on this week because it's been a BUSY week!

Tuesday, the internship program paid for all the interns to spend the day at Mt. Vernon.  If you don't know, Mt. Vernon is the home of our first president, George Washington.


Given the pending Supreme Court (SCOTUS) decision, it was really nice to get out of the office for a day.  Plus, learning about one of the greatest men in our country's history was awesome. 

His devotion to the USA and ability to walk away from absolute power not once, not twice, but thrice absolutely astounds me.  It seems that the current
 political world is who can jockey for the most power
and not necessarily the best interests of preserving liberty.



After the trip, my department had a special event.  I was in the VAST minority of interns that had to get dressed up and go back to work.  While I don't understand much about economics (YET!), from what I can gather, the guy that spoke was pretty important.  So I took a picture with Dr. John Taylor and the other Data Analysis interns.




Fast forward through Wednesday because nothing exciting really happened except for Polish class.  Thursday's when things started to get really interesting!  SCOTUS released it's decision with a majority report that no one really had prepared for.  The statements, videos, opinions, had to be majorly rewritten because no one expected Obamacare to be upheld as a tax. 

The same day, the House voted Attorney General Holder in contempt of Congress.

So there was a lot of drama on the Hill.  That just made the stakes even higher at the annual Congressional Baseball game!  I went with a bunch of interns and we had a blast!

Unfortunately, the Republicans couldn't handle the Democrat's star pitcher from Tulane University.  We ended up losing 18-3 or something horrific like that. 

My consolation?  A picture with Ron Paul in an AWESOME Astros uniform.

But, that didn't end the weekend!  Friday night, I spent with some friends at one of the intern's houses in Maryland.  There was a huge storm that took down trees and power lines all through the area.  We were safe in a pool house, but driving back to the Metro in the morning was surreal.  It looked like a hurricane had been through the area.  Some people still don't have power almost two days later.

My last exciting event was my first ever Major League Soccer game!  Three years ago before I studied abroad if someone had told me I was going to become a soccer fan, well I would have told them all the reasons I hate soccer.

Luckily, I saw the light and love the sport now.  Well, at least watching it!  So I hit RFK stadium with Tim and Spencer, co-workers from last summer.  First, the game was awesome because we won 3-0.  Secondly, I really missed those two guys!  We had a blast and even got a nice cool down rain towards the end of the second half.

And then today...was just a normal Sunday.  I went to Mass, Bible study, worked on Polish homework.  Oh and SPAIN WON EUROCUP!  Viva!