A Case For Celibacy

The scandal surrounding the Rev. Alberto Cutie has raised questions in the minds of many concerning the Catholic Church's discipline of priestly celibacy. Why does the church continue to defend a practice that seems so unnatural and so unnecessary?

There is a very bad argument for celibacy, which has appeared throughout the tradition and which is, even today, defended by some. It goes something like this: Married life is spiritually suspect; priests, as religious leaders, should be spiritual athletes above reproach; therefore, priests shouldn't be married

This approach to the question is, in my judgment, not just stupid but dangerous, for it rests on presumptions that are repugnant to solid Christian doctrine. The biblical teaching on creation implies the essential integrity of the world and everything in it.

Genesis tells us that God found each thing he had made good and that he found the ensemble of creatures very good. Catholic theology, at its best, has always been resolutely, anti-dualist -- and this means that matter, the body, marriage and sexual activity are never, in themselves, to be despised.

But there is more to the doctrine of creation than an affirmation of the goodness of the world. To say that the finite realm in its entirety is created is to imply that nothing in the universe is God. All aspects of created reality reflect God and bear traces of the divine goodness -- just as every detail of a building gives evidence of the mind of the architect -- but no creature and no collectivity of creatures is divine, just as no part of a structure is the architect.

This distinction between God and the world is the ground for the anti-idolatry principle that is reiterated from the beginning to the end of the Bible: Do not turn something less than God into God.

Isaiah the prophet put it thus: "As high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are my thoughts above your thoughts and my ways above your ways, says the Lord." And it is at the heart of the First Commandment: "I am the Lord your God; you shall have no other gods besides me." The Bible thus holds off all the attempts of human beings to divinize or render ultimate some worldly reality. The doctrine of creation, in a word, involves both a great "yes" and a great "no" to the universe.

Now there is a behavioral concomitant to the anti-idolatry principle, and it is called detachment. Detachment is the refusal to make anything less than God the organizing principle or center of one's life.

Anthony de Mello looked at it from the other side and said "an attachment is anything in this world -- including your own life -- that you are convinced you cannot live without." Even as we reverence everything that God has made, we must let go of everything that God has made, precisely for the sake of God.

This is why, as G.K. Chesterton noted, there is a tension to Christian life. In accord with its affirmation of the world, the Church loves color, pageantry, music and rich decoration (as in the liturgy and papal ceremonials), even as, in accord with its detachment from the world, it loves the poverty of St. Francis and the simplicity of Mother Teresa.

The same tension governs its attitude toward sex and family. Again, in Chesterton's language, the Church is "fiercely for having children" (through marriage) even as it remains "fiercely against having them" (in religious celibacy).

Everything in this world -- including sex and intimate friendship -- is good, but impermanently so; all finite reality is beautiful, but its beauty, if I can put it in explicitly Catholic terms, is sacramental, not ultimate.

In the biblical narratives, when God wanted to make a certain truth vividly known to his people, he would, from time to time, choose a prophet and command him to act out that truth, to embody it concretely.

For example, he told Hosea to marry the unfaithful Gomer in order to sacramentalize God's fidelity to wavering Israel. Thus, the truth of the non-ultimacy of sex, family and worldly relationship can and should be proclaimed through words, but it will be believed only when people can see it.

This is why, the Church is convinced, God chooses certain people to be celibate. Their mission is to witness to a transcendent form of love, the way that we will love in heaven. In God's realm, we will experience a communion (bodily as well as spiritual) compared to which even the most intense forms of communion here below pale into insignificance, and celibates make this truth viscerally real for us now. Though one can present practical reasons for it, I believe that celibacy only finally makes sense in this eschatological context.

For years, the Rev. Andrew Greeley argued -- quite rightly in my view -- that the priest is fascinating and that a large part of the fascination comes from celibacy. The compelling quality of the priest is not a matter of superficial celebrity or charm. It is something much stranger, deeper, more mystical. It is the fascination for another world. –CNN

Foot Note

The Rev. Robert Barron is Francis Cardinal George Professor of Faith and Culture at Mundelein Seminary and author of several books, including "Eucharist," "Word on Fire: Proclaiming the Power of Christ" and "The Priority of Christ: Toward a Post-Liberal Catholicism." Barron is the director of WordOnFire.org, a global media ministry based in Chicago, Illinois.

The Veil vs. First Amendment

The Issue

Michigan's Supreme Court issued an order Tuesday allowing lower state courts to "exercise reasonable control" over the appearance of witnesses and parties, a rule change proposed after a Muslim woman refused to remove an Islamic garment in a small claims court.

The order allows courts "reasonable control over the appearance of parties and witnesses" so as to "ensure that the demeanor of such persons may be observed and assessed by the fact-finder and ensure the accurate identification of such person."

The order, which amends a rule of the Michigan Rules of Evidence, is effective September 1.

The amendment was prompted by a 2006 small claims case in Michigan filed by Ginnah Muhammad, who wore a niqab -- a garment that covers the entire face and head, except for the eyes -- to court, the order said.

According to the Detroit Free Press, Muhammad was contesting a $2,750 repair bill from a car rental company because she said thieves broke into the vehicle she was using.

As she prepared to testify, Judge Paul Paruk asked her to remove her niqab, saying he needed to be able to see her face to tell whether she was telling the truth, according to court documents.

"I can't see certain things about your demeanor and temperament that I need to see in a court of law," Paruk said at the time.

Muhammad refused, saying that she was a practicing Muslim and would take off the veil only in front of a female judge.

Paruk said a female judge was not available and told Muhammad she could remove the niqab or have her case dismissed -- she chose the latter, according to court documents.

She sued the judge in federal district court, which declined to exercise jurisdiction over the case. Muhammad has since appealed to the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals.

The Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations issued a statement saying that if the amended rule was interpreted broadly, it could "not only adversely affect Muslim females who wear the head scarf, but could also be used to violate Jewish, Sikh, and other people of faiths' constitutional rights under the First Amendment while in Michigan courts."

It added, "As a civil rights advocacy group, CAIR-MI is concerned about individuals who may be reluctant to report crimes or petition the courts out of fear that their religious rights may be violated."

Other religious groups, as well as the American Civil Liberties Union and domestic violence groups, had opposed the rule change, the Detroit Free Press reported. The ACLU had asked that the court add a sentence to the rule saying "that no person shall be precluded from testifying on the basis of clothing worn because of a sincerely held belief," the newspaper reported in May.

CAIR also said that it would announce on Wednesday the filing of a federal lawsuit against a Wayne County, Michigan, judge who had asked a Muslim woman to remove her head scarf in court.

"The Muslim plaintiff felt so intimidated by the judge's repeated demand that she eventually removed her head scarf," the organization said in a statement released Tuesday.

CAIR-MI is a co-plaintiff in the lawsuit being filed on behalf of the Michigan woman, who is a member of the group.

Last month, the Judicial Council of Georgia adopted a policy allowing religious head coverings in the state's courtrooms, the Atlanta Journal Constitution reported. -CNN

My Issue

Totally ridiculous! Why are we giving into such hideous demands! Violation of this woman’s First Amendment Rights? Bull!

This is what the First Amendment states: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”

No where in the First Amendment does it “protect” this woman’s refusal to remove her veil in a court of law. Thus, I don’t believe that the Judge violated this woman’s “right” in asking her to remove the veil covering her face. Furthermore, I believe that her law suit is nothing more than a scam, as well as a sham.

I don’t mean to sound insensitive or hateful, but this is America … we tolerate a lot. If Muslims women want to wear their spooky garments that’s their business. But when it comes to challenging how things are done here in our country, Muslims must conform to our way of life and in some circumstances our laws ... like removing their veils in a court of law!

In a court of law, positive identification is essential, specially in a cases involving a witness having to identity a criminal defendant. If no one can positively identify the guilty hiding behind a veil then justice cannot be served. Therefore, when in court, Muslim women must remove their veils.

Where will this nonsense end!?!

Food Art

Picture Christ

Martin Luther's advice on preparing to die.

The Three Temptations

Luther believed that death becomes ominous because the devil uses it to undermine our faith. He haunts us with death in three ways.

First, the Devil taunts us with the remembrance that death is a sign of God's wrath toward sinners. "In that way, [the devil] fills our foolish human nature with the dread of death while cultivating a love and concern for life, so that burdened with such thoughts man forgets God, flees and abhors death, and thus, in the end, is and remains disobedient to God."

Luther's remedy for this first temptation is to contemplate death all the more, but to do so at the right time—which is not the time of death. Instead, he exhorts us to "invite death into our presence when it is still at a distance and not on the move"—that is, in our daily lives long before death threatens us. Conversely, Luther counsels Christians to banish thoughts of death at the final hour and to use that time to meditate on life.

Second, the Devil magnifies our accusing conscience by reminding us of those who were condemned to hell for lesser sins than ours. This, too, casts us into despair, so that we forget God's grace in the last hour. Again Luther admonishes us not to deny our sinfulness, but to contemplate it during our lifetimes, as is taught in Psalm 51:3: "My sin is ever before me." The devil closes our eyes to our sin during our lives, just when we should be thinking of it. He then opens our eyes to the horrible reality of sin and judgment in the final hour, when our eyes should be seeing only grace.

Third, the Devil plagues us with the prospect of hell, specifically by increasing the soul's burden with haunting questions concerning election. He prods the soul into undertaking the one thing forbidden—delving into the mystery of God's will. In this undertaking, the devil "practices his ultimate, greatest, and most cunning art and power," for he "sets man above God" so that we look in the wrong place for assurance of election. In this respect, delving into the mystery of election is never a good practice, but especially not when one faces the final enemy.

How do we banish these devilish images and see only grace? Luther exhorts us to contemplate the image that saves: Jesus Christ, who "overcame death with life." In addition, he encourages us to contemplate the deaths of those who died in God's grace, such as the saints before us. The more one fixes one's gaze on such pictures, the more death appears "contemptible and dead, slain and overcome in life. For Christ is nothing other than sheer life, as his saints are likewise."

Luther says to look to Christ is to see grace, because "the picture of grace is nothing else but that of Christ on the cross."

Here sins are never sins, for here they are overcome and swallowed up in Christ. He takes your death upon himself and strangles it so that it may not harm you, if you believe that he does it for you and see your death in him and not in yourself. Likewise, he also takes your sins upon himself and overcomes them with his righteousness out of sheer mercy, and if you believe that, your sins will never work you harm.

Luther also says that when facing death's agonies, we should find support in the fellowship and faith of the church.

The experience of dying, though intensely personal, cannot be handled privately without our being crushed. As each person contends with death, we should not desert him or leave him to die alone. In the deafening loneliness of death, we "shout in the ears" of the dying to assure them of our companionship. In fact, God, Christ, angels, saints, and the entire congregation "shout" with us. The eyes of the entire communion of saints are upon the dying to empower him to go through the unavoidable. The annihilating voice of death, then, can drive us into the arms of Christ. The voice of the law that incites sin, death, and divine wrath is replaced by the voice of the gospel. That voice is like a lamp shining in darkness until the day dawns and the morning star rises in our hearts (see 2 Peter 1:19–20)—and it makes dying much easier.

Born Again

Death, for Luther, is "the beginning of the narrow gate and of the straight path to life" (Matt. 7:14). Although the gate is narrow, the journey is not long. Luther elaborates:

Just as an infant is born with peril and pain from the small abode of its mother's womb into this immense heaven and earth, … so man departs this life through the narrow gate of death. … Therefore, the death of the dear saints is called a new birth, and their feast day is known in Latin as natale, that is, the day of their birth.

This road through the dark valley may be traveled safely when we are assured of its end. We do not have to deny the pain of grief and death. On the contrary, it is the harsh reality of death that makes the heavenly mansion so glorious: "So it is that in dying we must bear this anguish and know that a large mansion and joy will follow."

While we should be aware daily of the inevitable reality of death, we can live as those who have been freed from the curse and sting of death. Luther wisely reminds us to ponder "the heavenly picture of Christ," for in Christ, we have passed from death to life. Death is no death to the believers whose lives are hidden with Christ in God. –Christianity Today

True Love

It was a very busy morning in the medical clinic where I worked as a nurse. At around 8:30, an elderly gentleman---about in his 80s---arrived to have stitches removed from his thumb. He said he was in a hurry because he had another appointment at 9:00 a.m. I took his vital signs and had him take a seat, knowing it would be over an hour before a doctor would be able to see him. I saw him looking at his watch, and since I was through doing the usual chores with each of the patients in the various examination rooms, I decided that I should, at least, evaluate his wound.

Upon examining it, it looked well-healed, so I talked to one of the doctors and explained that the gentleman had another appointment, and asked if he could see the elderly man next. The doctor agreed. I got the needed supplies to remove the sutures and redress the wound. It took less than a minute for the sutures to come off.

While dressing the wound, I asked him if he had another doctor's appointment since he was in such a hurry. The gentleman told me no but he needed to go to the nursing home to eat breakfast with his wife. When I inquired as to her health, he told me that she had been in the nursing home for a while because of Alzheimer's. Next, I asked if she would be upset if he was a bit late. He replied that she probably would not since she has lost concept of time, that she no longer knew who he was, and that she had not recognized him in the past five years.

I then asked him, 'And you still go every morning to see her and have breakfast with her even though she doesn't know who you are?'

He smiled as he patted my hand and said, 'She doesn't know me, but I still know who she is.'
I had to hold back tears as he left. I felt goose bumps all over me, and thought, 'That is the kind of love I want in my life.'

True love is neither just physical nor romantic. True love is an acceptance of all that is, has been, will be, and will not be.

==============================================

The happiest people don't necessarily have the best of everything;
they just make the best of everything that they have.

'Life is not about how to survive the storm,
but how to dance in the rain.

Author Unknown

The Bible And Long Hair

After successfully passing his written and practical driver's tests, a teenager immediately inquired about his right to use the family car. His father told him: "Well, as far as I am concerned, it's OK but under three conditions: (1) you raise your grades from C's to B's; (2) read your Bible daily; and (3) get your long hair cut short."

The teenager thought about the father's proposal for a moment and decided that it was fair enough. So, the two shook hands; it was a deal.

Several weeks later, the father approached the teenager and said, "Son, I'm really proud of you. Your grades have really improved and I've observed that you've been reading your Bible daily. But how about your long hair? When are you going to have it cut?"

The young man replied, "You know, Dad, I've been thinking about that, but in my Bible reading, I've noticed, and I am sure you'll agree according to your own Bible reading that Moses, Samson, John the Baptist, the 12 disciples, and even Jesus. . .all of them had long hair. In fact, all men in the Bible wore their hair long. So, I see no reason why I can't be like them, and leave my hair long, too."

The father quipped, "You're absolutely correct, but did you notice that all of them also walked wherever they went?"

Author Unknown

Fla. Residents Take Stand Against ACLU

Residents of one Northwest Florida town are pulling together to take a stand against the ACLU.

Robert Smith helped organize a defense fund for three Santa Rosa County school employees, after they were charged with defying a federal judge's order against prayer in schools.

On August 27, 2008, the ACLU filed a complaint in U.S. Federal Court that alleged that the rights of two minors had been violated in that the School Board, School Superintendent and Frank Lay, Principal of Pace High School, were forcing their religious beliefs on the minors.

Then in January, the court issued a preliminary injunction that called for school employees cease all practices that advance religion. Three weeks later, the complaint alleges Lay asked Robert Freeman to bless the food at the dedication of a new field house at Pace High School. Criminal charges have now been brought against both for this incident.

"I can't believe we are sitting here today and talking about this in America," said Smith, from his Milton Insurance office. "So far, our defense fund has raised close to $13,000."

Smith said the money is coming from all over the world. Tuesday he shared emails from people that have sent money from Texas, Denmark, Oklahoma and Georgia.

The money will be used to pay legal fees as the case heads to federal court.

Supports for Frank Lay and Pace High School Athletic Director Robert Freeman are selling shirts, stickers and yard signs to help support the fight.

"The shirts say, 'Frankly, we're standing against the ACLU,'" said Smith.

All over town, signs supporting prayer in school litter lawns and dot roadways. One resident gave a thumbs ups when asked about the sign in his yard.

"We're fighting this fight not just for what is happening in Santa Rosa County, but all over," said Smith. "This isn't just about today, but 10, 15, 20 years from now."

August 21st, supporters are planning a peaceful demonstration outside the Federal Courthouse in Pensacola. That's when Michelle Winkler will appear before U.S. District Court Judge Casey Rodgers for a civil contempt hearing.

"We are also planning a concert dinner benefit at the Farmer's Opry in Milton to help with Lay and Freeman's defense fund," said Smith.

For more information you can visit the group's website. -Fox 10 TV

Faith Groups Launch Campaign In Favor Of Health Care Reform

Religious groups in favor of health care reform have launched a national campaign to offset the loud opposition to President Obama's plan to overhaul the nation's health care system, organizers announced.

"This is as much a crisis of faith as it is a crisis of health care," said the Rev. John Hay Jr., senior pastor of West Morris Street Free Methodist Church in Indianapolis, Indiana.

"We just believe there is a better way."

He and others spoke in a telephone news conference Monday announcing the campaign.

"As a pastor, I believe access to health care is a profoundly moral issue," said the Rev. Stevie Wakes of Olivet Institutional Baptist Church in Kansas City, Kansas.

The campaign, called "40 days for Health Reform," includes a national television advertisement, a "sermon weekend," prayer meetings and a nationwide call-in with Obama on August 19, organizers said.

Prayer meetings emphasizing health care as a moral issue were taking place Tuesday in 45 cities across 18 states, organizers said. They expected about 4,000 people to participate.

"Healing and health are fundamental religious issues," said the Rev. Jim Wallis of Sojourners, one of the sponsors of the campaign along with PICO National Network, Faith in Public Life, Faithful America and Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good.

Wallis stressed that participants in the campaign are not going to weigh in on particular policy questions. "It isn't political in a partisan way," he said. "This is a fundamental moral issue. ... You're going to hear the moral drumbeat of the faith community."

Rabbi David Saperstein of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, who also spoke on the conference call, said the current system "doesn't work for everyone."

Other groups, such as the Christian Coalition of America and the Family Research Council, are strongly opposed to Democratic proposals to overhaul the health care system, saying, among other things, that they would lead to government-funded abortion.

"We don't want abortion to enter this debate and sabotage health care reform," Wallis said. He noted the legislation now being discussed on Capitol Hill is far from a final version.

Opponents of health care reform proposals have confronted U.S. lawmakers at town hall meetings in recent days, drawing heavy media attention with their boisterous protests. -CNN

Chuckle

A man was riding his Harley along a California beach when suddenly the sky parted above his head and, in a booming voice, the Lord said, 'Because you have tried to be faithful to me in all ways, I will grant you one wish.'

The biker pulled over and said, 'Build a bridge to Hawaii so I can ride over anytime I want.' The Lord said, 'Your request is materialistic. Think of the enormous challenges for that kind of undertaking; the supports reaching the bottom of the Pacific and the concrete and steel it would take! It will nearly exhaust several natural resources. I can do it, but it is hard for me to justify your desire for worldly things. Take a little more time and think of something that could possibly help mankind.'

The biker thought about it for a long time. Finally, he said, 'Lord, I wish that I and all men could understand women; I want to know how she feels inside, what she's thinking when she gives me the silent treatment, why she cries, what she means when she says nothings wrong, and how I can make a woman truly happy.'

The Lord replied, 'You want two lanes or four on that bridge?'

Author Unknown

God Has Positive Answers

You say: 'It's impossible' … God says: All things are possible. (Luke 18:27)

You say: 'I'm too tired' … God says: I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28-30)

You say: 'Nobody really loves me' … God says: I love you. (John 3:1 6 & John 3:34 )

You say: 'I can't go on' … God says: My grace is sufficient. (II Corinthians 12:9 & Psalm 91:15)

You say: 'I can't figure things out' … God says: I will direct your steps. (Proverbs 3:5- 6)

You say: 'I can't do it' … God says: You can do all things. (Philippians 4:13)

You say: 'I'm not able' … God says: I am able. (II Corinthians 9:8)

You say: 'It's not worth it' … God says: It will be worth it. (Roman 8:28 )

You say: 'I can't forgive myself' … God says: I Forgive you. (I John 1:9 & Romans 8:1)

You say: 'I can't manage' … God says: I will supply all your needs. (Philippians 4:19)

You say: 'I'm afraid' … God says: I have not given you a spirit of fear. (II Timothy 1:7)

You say: 'I'm always worried and frustrated' … God says: Cast all your cares on ME. (I Peter 5:7)

You say: 'I'm not smart enough' … God says: I give you wisdom. (I Corinthians 1:30)

You say: 'I feel all alone' … God says: I will never leave you or forsake you. (Hebrews 13:5)

PASS THIS ON. YOU NEVER KNOW WHO MAY BE IN NEED!!

Father, God, bless all my friends in whatever it is that you know they may need this day! And may their lives be full of your peace, prosperity and power as they seek to have a closer relationship with you.

Amen.

45 Lessons Of Life

To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I've ever written. My odometer rolled over to 90 … so here is the column once more.

Except for five … no, make that six … of the "pearls" which could be debatable, the rest are quite sensible and practical.

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24.. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come.

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift. By Regina Brett which appears in Cleveland, Ohio's local daily newspaper.

--Friends are the family that we choose for ourselves--

Newfound Planet Orbits Backward

Planets orbit stars in the same direction that the stars rotate. They all do. Except one.

A newfound planet orbits the wrong way, backward compared to the rotation of its host star. Its discoverers think a near-collision may have created the retrograde orbit, as it is called.

The star and its planet, WASP-17, are about 1,000 light-years away. The setup was found by the UK's Wide Area Search for Planets (WASP) project in collaboration with Geneva Observatory. The discovery was announced today but has not yet been published in a journal.

"I would have to say this is one of the strangest planets we know about," said Sara Seager, an astrophysicist at MIT who was not involved in the discovery. What's going on –Go To Yahoo News

God’s Busy

If you don't know GOD, don't make stupid remarks!!!!!!!

A United States Marine was attending some college courses between assignments. He had completed missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. One of the courses had a professor who was an avowed atheist and a member of the ACLU.

One day the professor shocked the class when he came in he looked to the ceiling and flatly stated, 'God, if you are real, then I want you to knock me off this platform. I'll give you exactly 15 minutes.' The lecture room fell silent. You could hear a pin drop.

Ten minutes went by and the professor proclaimed, 'Here I am God. I'm still waiting.' It got down to the last couple of minutes when the Marine got out of his chair, went up to the professor, and cold-cocked him, knocking him off the platform. The professor was out cold.

The Marine went back to his seat and sat there, silently. The other students were shocked, stunned, and sat there looking on in silence. The professor eventually came to, noticeably shaken, looked at the Marine and asked, 'What the hell is the matter with you? Why did you do that?' The Marine calmly replied, 'God was too busy today protecting American soldiers who are protecting your ass to say stupid stuff and act like an idiot. So, He sent me.' -Nancy’s Blog

Gay? Don’t Let Religion Make You Feel Bad About Yourself!

OK, it is time to write another post about religion and homosexuality. Specifically, religion that takes the Bible and pulls out a handful of versus to condemn an entire group of people. I have been having more and more clients call me with religion being their greatest block and source of unhappiness. This may be because people are having trouble accepting themselves (the worst) or because other people are making them feel bad about themselves (only slightly less worse).

Let’s talk about being gay and religion. My dear readers, I am not going to get into a theological, verse-by- verse discussion about Bible condemnation of homosexuality here. What I AM going to do is ask you to THINK. Yes, use your noggin and actually THINK about being gay, what that really means and also THINK about religion and what that really means. I know this is really different because many religious leaders do not want you to think logically, they only want you to believe what they tell you and follow the masses.

So, what does being gay really mean? For the people I talk to…and I talk to a lot of gay people in very intimate terms… being gay is primarily about love. It is about who they are attracted to and who they fall in love with. It is about finding completion, becoming a whole person and living in peace with oneself. That is what being gay means. Sure, of course there is gay sex involved, but it is truly incidental to the fact that that is where our romantic attractions lie. Pretty simple, really.

Now lets talk about religion and some of the things the Bible says. The Bible says not to eat cheeseburgers. The Bible says not to eat shellfish. So why is McDonald’s still in business? Why do I see shameless ads in the grocery store advertising “SHRIMP…ONLY $7.99 A POUND.” Why aren’t people picketing those disgusting places?

The Bible supports slavery. Wow. So, why did we bother to have the Civil War?

The Bible supports war. Basically, that is some of God’s creations killing other of God’s creations. And that is deemed OK and even necessary. Hmmm.

The Bible says not to wear cotton and polyester blend clothing. Yes, it really does.

You know, I could go on and on, but I think you get my drift and I really have lots of more important things to do today. Like pulling weeds in my yard and grocery shopping. Am I angry? You bet I am. The issue of homosexuality has been singled out of the Bible among many, many other topics that the majority does not choose to comply with because they themselves find it inconvenient.

If Christians, in particular those who interpret the Bible literally, believe that Jesus’ death for our sins and ascension supersedes all the Old Testament laws, then they should leave gays the heck alone! OR STOP EATING CHEESEBURGERS. –By Pat

The Birth Of The Song “Precious Lord”

Back in 1932, I was a fairly new husband. My wife, Nettie and I were living in a little apartment on Chicago's south side. One hot August afternoon I had to go to St. Louis where I was to be the featured soloist at a large revival meeting. I didn't want to go. Nettie was in the last month of pregnancy with our first child. But a lot of people were expecting me in St. Louis . I kissed Nettie good-bye, clattered downstairs to our Model A and, in a fresh Lake Michigan breeze, chugged out of Chicago on Route 66. However, outside the city, I discovered that in my anxiety at leaving, I had forgotten my music case. I wheeled around and headed back.

I found Nettie sleeping peacefully. I hesitated by her bed; something was strongly telling me to stay. But eager to get on my way, and not wanting to disturb Nettie, I shrugged off the feeling and quietly slipped out of the room with my music.

The next night, in the steaming St. Louis heat, the crowd called on me to sing again and again. When I finally sat down, a messenger boy ran up with a Western Union telegram. I ripped open the envelope. Pasted on the yellow sheet were the words: YOUR WIFE JUST DIED.

People were happily singing and clapping around me, but I could hardly keep from crying out. I rushed to a phone and called home. All I could hear on the other end was 'Nettie is dead. Nettie is dead'

When I got back, I learned that Nettie had given birth to a boy. I swung between grief and joy. Yet that same night, the baby died. I buried Nettie and our little boy together, in the same casket. Then I fell apart.

For days I closeted myself. I felt that God had done me an injustice. I didn't want to serve Him anymore or write gospel songs. I just wanted to go back to that jazz world I once knew so well. But then, as I hunched alone in that dark apartment those first sad days, I thought back to the afternoon I went to St. Louis. Something kept telling me to stay with Nettie. Was that something God was telling me? Oh, if I had paid more attention to Him that day, I would have stayed and been with Nettie when she died.

From that moment on, I vowed to listen more closely to Him. But still I was lost in grief. Everyone was kind to me, especially one friend. The following Saturday evening he took me up to Maloney's College, a neighborhood music school. It was quiet; the late evening sun crept through the curtained windows.

I sat down at the piano, and my hands began to browse over the keys. Something happened to me then. I felt at peace. I felt as though I could reach out and touch God. I found myself playing a melody, once into my head, they just seemed to fall into place: 'Precious Lord, take my hand, lead me on, let me stand, I am tired, I am weak, I am worn, through the storm, through the night, lead me on to the light, take my hand, precious Lord, lead me home.'

The Lord gave me these words and melody, He also healed my spirit. I learned that when we are in our deepest grief, when we feel farthest from God, this is when He is closest, and when we are most open to His restoring power.

And so I go on living for God, willingly and joyfully, until that day comes, when He will take me and gently lead me home.

-Tommy Dorsey-

For those too young to know who he is, Tommy Dorsey was a band leader in the thirties and forties.

Did you know that Tommy Dorsey wrote this song? I surely didn't. What a wonderful story of how God CAN heal the broken hearted! Beautiful, isn't it?

Worth the reading, wasn't it? Think on the message for a while. Thought you might like to share this, I just did. Also, below is the "Precious Lord" video.

"Precious Lord" by Jim Nabors

Divorce Takes Health Toll

Divorce causes more than bitterness and broken hearts. The trauma of a split can leave long-lasting effects on mental and physical health that remarriage might not repair, according to research released this week.

"People who lose a marriage take such damage to their health," said Linda Waite, a sociologist at the University of Chicago in Illinois.

Waite and co-author Mary Elizabeth Hughes, of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, found that divorced or widowed people have 20 percent more chronic health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes or cancer than married people. They also have 23 percent more mobility limitations, such as trouble climbing stairs or walking a block.

Their article, published in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior, examined the marital history and health indicators for 8,652 middle-aged people in research funded by the National Institute on Aging. The authors found differences between the overall health of those who remain married and those who divorce.

Almost half of all U.S. marriages end in divorce, according to the National Institutes of Health.

"Losing a marriage or becoming widowed or divorced is extremely stressful," Waite said. "It's financially, sometimes, ruinous. It's socially extremely difficult. What's interesting is if people have done this and remarried, we still see, in their health, the scars or marks -- the damage that was done by this event.

Divorced people "have more chronic conditions, more mobility limitations, rate their health as poorer than people like them in age, race, gender, education who've been married once and are still married," Waite said.

The authors assessed health by taking data in four categories: chronic conditions, mobility, depressive symptoms and their self-assessment.

Previous research has suggested that marriage has protective health benefits by providing financial, social and emotional stability.

Married women have more financial security, which means better access to health care and reduced stress, Waite said.

"Married men have better health habits," she said in comparison to single males. "They lead a cleaner, healthier life, and less times in bars and eat better. Women tend to manage men's interactions with the medical system, get him in for colonoscopy and make sure they get flu shot."

Mark Hayward, director of the Population Research Center and a professor of sociology Fellow at the University of Texas at Austin, said spouses check up on each other's needs. They remind each other about when to go see a doctor, a dentist or when to get a medical issue checked out.

"You're making decisions together about your lifestyle and investing in a future together," said Hayward, who was not involved in the latest research. But in a similar study, he found that divorce has a lasting impact on cardiovascular diseases, even after remarriage. His 2006 study, funded by the National Institute on Aging, found that divorced middle-aged women were 60 percent more likely to have cardiovascular disease than middle-aged women who remain married.

"There's no erasure of the effects of divorce," Hayward said. "There is intense stress leading up to divorce, stresses during divorce proceedings. Think of divorce as one of the most intense stressors. It leads to what we call dysregulation [impairment] in key cardiovascular process that may be permanently altered. You're not going back to your original set point."

Both genders suffer irreversible, detrimental effects on their health after losing marriage through a divorce or death of a spouse, according to the findings.

Those who did not remarry after a divorce or a spouse's death showed deficits in mental and physical health. Waite called this the "double whammy" because they don't get the protective effects of marriage and have gone through a "damaging, health-destroying experience."

They had worse health indicators than people who never married and therefore "didn't get the goods and didn't get the bads," Waite said.

People who remarried had better health than those who did not.

"If you loved and lost, did you find love again?" Waite said. "The people who did are doing better." But this group overall showed health deficits compared to those who remained married. -CNN

Militias Target Some Iraqis For Being Gay

The young man turns to the camera and pleads with his tormentors.

"I'm not a terrorist," he tells the Iraqi police who surround him. "I want you to know I am different. But I am not a terrorist."

To some fundamentalist Iraqi Muslims, Ahmed Sadoun Saleh was worse than a terrorist.

He was gay. He wore his hair long and took female hormones to grow breasts. Amused by his appearance, Iraqi police officers stopped him in December at a checkpoint in a southern Baghdad neighborhood dominated by radical Shiite militias. They groped Saleh and ridiculed him.

The assault was captured on video and circulated on cellphones throughout Baghdad, says Ali Hili, founder of London-based Iraqi LGBT, a group dedicated to protecting Iraq's gays and lesbians. Shortly after the video was made public, Hili says Saleh contacted him, fearing for his life, and asked for his help to flee Iraq.

"Unfortunately, it was too late," Hili says. Saleh turned up dead two months later, he says.

At least 82 gay men have been killed in Iraq since December, according to Iraqi LGBT. The violence has raised questions about the Iraqi government's ability to protect a diverse range of vulnerable minority groups that also includes Christians and Kurds, especially following the withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from Iraqi cities last month.

Mithal al-Alusi, a secular, liberal Sunni legislator, is among those who blame the killings on armed militant groups such as al-Qaeda and the Mahdi Army militia.

By targeting one of the most vulnerable groups in a conservative Muslim society — people whose sexual orientation is banned by Iraqi law — the militias essentially are serving notice that they remain powerful despite the U.S. and Iraqi militaries' efforts to curtail them, al-Alusi says.

The militants "want to educate the society to accept killers on the street," al-Alusi says in an interview. "Why did Hitler start with gays? They are weak. They have no political cover. They have no legal cover."

The attacks have terrified a gay community that, for a brief time after the U.S. troop surge in 2007-08, tentatively enjoyed greater freedom and security.

"I am worried about my life," says a middle-age gay man in Baghdad who asked to be identified by the pseudonym Hassan. He declined to be identified by his real name because the recent violence has made him fear for his life. "I don't know what to do," he says.

Hili and other gay rights activists believe the killers operate with the complicity and sometimes the direct involvement of Iraqi security forces.

As part of a drive to stop the sectarian violence that peaked in Iraq in 2006-07, those forces have taken into their ranks numerous former militia members from the Mahdi Army (loyal to radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr) and the pro-Iranian Badr Brigade.

"The Ministry of Interior in Iraq is behind this campaign of terror," Hili says in an e-mail.He says witnesses have told him that police harass and beat suspected gays at checkpoints and sometimes turn them over to militias for execution.

Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Abdul Karim Khalaf disputes such allegations. He says the ministry has assigned a special bureau to investigate the killings of gays; he says he knows of six gays who had been executed as of May.

Homosexuality, Khalaf says, is against the law and "is rejected by the customs of our society." He adds, however, that offenders should be handled by the courts, not dispatched by vigilante groups.

The killers aren't just executing their gay victims. They are "mutilating their bodies and torturing them," says fundamentalist Sunni cleric Sheik Mohammed al-Ghreri, who has criticized the violence.

Hili says the militias have come up with a particularly cruel way to inflict pain: sealing victims' anuses with glue, then force-feeding them laxatives. Hili says he has spoken to several victims who survived the ordeal.

'You can just be crushed'

Besides targeting gays, Sadr City militias also are harassing and sometimes killing straight young men who violate fundamentalist fashion and decorum by wearing low-riding pants and other Western-style clothing, slicking back their hair or making it spiky, hanging out in cafes or pool halls or flirting with girls, says human rights activist Mohammed Jasim, 28.

"The campaign is against gays and anybody who looks gay" in the eyes of militiamen indoctrinated to believe immodest dress is an affront to God, Jasim says.

"Young people felt their city had been liberated," says Jasim's friend Wisam Mizban, 32.

"They thought they could wear what they wanted. The militias felt threatened and started killing them. They are doing their crimes under the cover of the government. … Most young people want a civilized life. The militias and the government are putting pressure on them again."

The campaign has had a chilling effect on Baghdad's nightlife.

Entrepreneur Ali al-Ali opened the Shisha coffee shop in an upstairs storefront overlooking a bustling street in the upscale Karrada neighborhood. The place quickly became a hangout for young gay men, who'd sit and talk and drink lattes, and smoke flavored tobacco from the water pipes that gave the cafe its name.

But as the militias started killing gay men, Ali discouraged gays from congregating at his cafe. "If (militias) see gays coming here, maybe they will target me outside Karrada," al-Ali says.

His sentiments were echoed by Hussam Abdullah, whose tea shop also used to be a hangout for gay men — until militias warned Abdullah there would be trouble if he didn't send them away. So he did.

The militias usually send out warnings before they attack. Posters go up in Sadr City listing the offenders — gay and flashy straight men — by name and neighborhood. "If you don't give up what you are doing," said a recent one seen by a USA TODAY reporter, "death will be your fate. And this warning will come true, and the punishment will be worse and worse."

The poster referred to the offenders as "puppies," the fundamentalist epithet for gays here. "In Arabic culture, if you want to insult someone you call them a dog," human rights activist Yanar Mohammed says. "If you're a small dog, you can just be crushed."

Among those listed was a young man named Allawi Hawar, a local soccer star who incurred the wrath of the militias by wearing his hair long and partying with his friends in Sadr City cafes.

Hawar was playing pool one day last month when two masked men drove up on a motor scooter. One climbed off and made his way inside the cafe, clutching a pistol.

"We have something to deal with," he announced to startled patrons, according to witness Emad Saad, 25.

The gunman grabbed Hawar and dragged him outside. Then he shot the young athlete in the leg. After Hawar crumpled to the ground, bleeding, the gunman shot him again and killed him, Saad says.

The militiamen pick their targets by entering cafes and looking for men who appear feminine or too showy, Saad says. Then they ask around to get the offenders' names, and later put them on the death lists distributed around town.

Saad himself likes to wear Western jeans and slicked-back hair. He has taken to carrying a Glock pistol, awaiting his showdown with the militias.

"Some people are afraid, but I am not," he says. "I have done nothing wrong."

The Sadr City warning posters do not appear to be the work of educated theologians. A recent one was filled with Arabic misspellings, including a faulty rendering of "compassionate" — part of one of the 99 names for God.

But Ali Hili, the London activist, and others believe high-level clerics have ordered the killings. Iraq's Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani several years ago decreed that the punishment for homosexuality is death "if it is proven before the religious judge."

An Iraqi TV channel, Alsumaria, reported that Sunni cleric al-Ghreri has called for the execution of gays. Al-Ghreri denies issuing such a statement, but concedes that some "stubborn" clerics might support the death penalty for gays.

He says homosexuality is "abnormal" and that gays should know that "freedom has limits." First, he says, gays should be warned to change their offensive behavior.

If that fails, he says, they should be jailed. If detentions don't work, they should endure 100 lashes for engaging in gay sex. And if four separate lashings fail and if witnesses testify against the suspects, he says, then they should be executed.

Exactly what unleashed the recent wave of violence is unclear.

Some — including Hassan, the middle-age gay man — trace the terror to a birthday party around New Year's at a cafe on Palestine Street in eastern Baghdad.

The party attracted about 20 gay men who cut loose on the dance floor, celebrating what they thought was their freedom in a more peaceful, stable Iraq. A video of the revelry was entitled Gay Scandal and distributed around the city.

"This was the start of it," Hassan says. "It made the ministry people crazy."

In London, activist Hili calls the party "a foolish action from members of our community who let their guard down."

However, he doesn't believe the party "was the spark that ignited all the flames."

Hili says the violence started earlier, with clerical fatwas against gays and police raids in December in Najaf, Karbala and Kut.

The search for safety

Unable to trust the authorities — and in some cases shunned by their own families — many Iraqi gays have gone into hiding. Hassan and some gay friends say they had found refuge in a house in Karrada. But as the threat against them increased, they became afraid the police would find them. So they scattered.

Hassan says he sometimes stays at home with his brothers — their parents are dead — but he's afraid even of them, afraid they will kill him because he has brought shame to the family.

He says he wanted to move in with his sister, who lives in Abu Dhabi. She turned him away, saying she didn't want her children to know they have a gay uncle.

Unwilling to trust the police, Iraqi LGBT has set up its own safe houses for gays in Iraq. The group has struggled to raise money and had to close three safe houses in the past couple of months, leaving just one open.
Hili says five safe houses are needed, each of them housing 10 to 12 gay refugees. Rent for a 2,150-square-foot safe house is usually $600 a month. Yet other expenses pile up: security guards, food, fuel, medical bills, pots and pans, bedding.

"We desperately need to add more because we have so many urgent cases," Hili says. "We receive requests for shelter every day, but are not able to help."

Things were better for gays, Hassan says, under the dictatorial rule of Saddam Hussein.

"In the Saddam era, it wasn't like this," he says. Saddam's security forces, offended by Hassan's openly gay lifestyle, once arrested him and hauled him to court. The judge let him go, ruling that he had done nothing wrong.

"Now, you don't know who to be afraid of," he says. "Forget about freedom or democracy. We just want our safety." -USA Today

"Rain"

Pastor's Prayer Rejected By State House

As is tradition, Wednesday morning's state Senate session will open with a prayer.

But the prayer planned for Wednesday was previously rejected by the House because of one word.

Pastor Gerry Stoltzfoos of Gettysburg was invited to open a House session with prayer but his use of the word "Jesus" was considered offensive by House leadership.

The chamber's policy is to keep prayers non-denominational.

"I was shocked when they came back and said it's offensive," said Stoltzfoos, of Freedom Valley Worship Center. "Jesus is offensive in our culture? Come on. Have we really become that group of people?"

Stoltzfoos declined to edit his prayer for the House and was then invited to pray in the Senate chamber, where he will be allowed to reference "Jesus."

Below is his prayer in its entirety.

Preamble: I am painfully aware that there are many here today, who have embraced beliefs systems other than mine. I am not here to say that everyone ought to believe as I do. But I can only pray to my God. If you believe in some other power, I invite you to address yours as I address mine.

****************

Our Heavenly Father,

You have given us today, and for that we thank you.

You have allowed us to live in a great nation and given us meaningful work to do. You have even trusted us with a momentous time in history, when the decisions that we make will decide the direction, the tone, and the meaning of so many lives that will live with our decisions. We are humbled by our role, and deeply moved by the implications of what we do. You have given us meaningful opportunities to make the lives of others better, and for that we are in need of your wisdom, your guidance, and perhaps even your intervention if we lose our way in the details, or somehow lose sight the precious people that we serve.

As we go about our work today, we ask you to guide and direct this work for the good of mankind. Allow us to create a world that treats people well, and fosters true greatness in our people. Give us your great grace to see and admit our mistakes, and grow in our abilities to serve those we are charged to serve. Help us recognize and encourage great ideas, even when they are not our own, or convenient for our own careers.

Our desire is not so much that you bless the work of our hands, but that you would involve us in the those things that you are already blessing. Help us to form a government and a system that allows the created greatness of the human spirit to soar. Help us to imagine solutions, and to create room for people to create solutions of their own. Help us to make it possible for our constituents to build lives and families of meaningful and productive satisfaction.

As those who are charged with the formation of the possibilities of greatness in our communities, forgive us where we have fallen short ourselves. Forgive us where our own poverty in our own hearts, has caused us to see the potential of people poorly, and lead from a place of our own smallness. Help us be honest and forthright in dealing with our own weaknesses, so that our weaknesses do not spill over into other people's lives through the decisions that we make.

And Lord, grant us a sense of awareness that all that we have and all that we are come from you, and that we mere stewards of it. Help us to remember that one day we will stand before you and give an account of how we served and how we lived. When we do well, give us humility in acknowledging that you have generously given wisdom. Help us to honor you in all that we do, Oh God.

For those of us who are Christians, we pray in Jesus name.

Amen. -WGAL