The following is my opinion alone and does not reflect that of any institution that I may belong to. Sounds kind of like a disclaimer on a DVD doesn't it? That aside...
I have lately been meditating on a sensitive subject; at least in some circles. I am sure that I may set off some people when I discuss this, but so be it. I feel that I have to say something because it is bothering me. If I cannot sit here and put things that bother me on my blog then why do I have a blog in the first place?
I have been thinking about the way that some Christians treat people that homosexual or bisexual, for this conversation let us just say homosexual as regardless of being bisexual or not, if a person is in a relationship with someone of the same sex it is a homosexual relationship. Now, back to my original point. I understand, as do most people that interact with Christians, or just turn on the news, that Christianity, as well as a number of other religions, teach that homosexuality is wrong and is a sin against God. I am not going to get into this debate here. You are on one side or the other and while that is an important debate, I am not interested in it right this minute. I am also not interested in debating Religion X and Religion Y right now either. I am interested in something that intrigues me beyond this debate. I am interested in how individual Christians view and treat the homosexual community.
To me, as a Christian, Christ came to fulfil the Word of God as given in the Old Testament. When the Old and New Testaments are compared in fact, from a high level, one fundamental difference is how God is presented. In the Old Testament God was portrayed as a God dispensing Justice and Righteousness. He dealt with sinners head on, he punished those that stood up against him, he showered those who worshipped him with goodness. In the New Testament, God's tender and merciful side is highlighted a bit more. This is shown most specifically through the Holy Trinity, that God loves Man so much that he gave his only Son to the world to be crucified for our sins. Why do I talk about this? I am laying out some ground work here, so keep with me.
Christ taught and preached in such a way that it expressed love for Man. He spoke in parables. He taught with authority and with kindness. When tested to punish a sinner, he would not. Look to the Pharisees who were trying to trap Christ in several instances. What to do about the prostitute? Let he who is without sin cast the first stone. What to do with the paying of taxes? Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's and unto God what is God's. Christ did not react with anger, malice, nor an attitude of superiority in these instances, nor any instances that I can think of - save for one, when he drove the money changers from the Temple, his Father's house.
Now, this made me start to think. If Christ taught in a manner of peace and love and asked us not to judge one another nor cast a stone at another person - why do some Christians do so? Why is it that some Christians are happy to tell a person that is a homosexual that they are going straight to hell rather than try to speak with them, understand them and their beliefs, and try to provide comfort and understanding of what God teaches much like Christ did? Why do some Christians look at what is against Christianity and God and tell other people all of their wrong-doings while committing wrong themselves? This is not to say that Christians should not tell a person that they are sinning by the teaching of the religion but that there are different approaches that one can use when trying to explain this. Christ came to teach tolerance (a fair, objective, and permissive attitude toward those whose opinions, practices, race, religion, nationality, etc., differ from one's own; freedom from bigotry) yet there are Christians that seem to forget that.
I would challenge Christians that do judge others to look inward. Look at themselves and ask if they would want to be treated and judged by Man the same way that they treat and judge others. There is only one being that will judge us, and that is God through the Holy Trinity with his Son at his right side. We would all do well to remember that.
Perhaps if all Christians really did try to follow the teachings, or at least my interpretation of the teachings, that Christ gave, then perhaps Christianity would not be viewed by some individuals as a religion of the elite and of judgemental folks that aren't willing to bend at all. It is one thing to go around and say "What Would Jesus Do?" and an entirely different thing to actually do what Jesus would do.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Entitlements
People have felt entitled since the beginning of time itself. Even Adam and Eve, listening to the Serpent, felt that they were entitled to eat the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge, the Original Sin that cast Man from the Garden of Eden. It is curious to me where a sense of entitlement comes from and why I cannot think of many human beings that do not feel that they are entitled to some tangible or intangible thing.
This does lead to the question, is Man entitled to anything at all? Certainly. Man is entitled to certain rights and freedoms to live free and die free. Man is entitled to being able to provide food and shelter for himself and his family. Man is entitled to worship the deity of his choice or to not believe in a deity at all. Man is entitled to free will as well. This is the root of entitlements. From here you can branch out to other entitlements that Man should have in order to survive and to be happy.
However, in arrogance, Man feels entitled to so much more. Man feels entitled to trod over other men, entitled to land, entitled to wealth, entitled to respect, entitled to do whatever he or she chooses without consequence. Are any of us truly entitled to something that another is not? Are we not all equal? Yet people try to determine ways to justify how they are in fact better than someone else and therefore are entitled to something that another man is not.
This does lead to the question, is Man entitled to anything at all? Certainly. Man is entitled to certain rights and freedoms to live free and die free. Man is entitled to being able to provide food and shelter for himself and his family. Man is entitled to worship the deity of his choice or to not believe in a deity at all. Man is entitled to free will as well. This is the root of entitlements. From here you can branch out to other entitlements that Man should have in order to survive and to be happy.
However, in arrogance, Man feels entitled to so much more. Man feels entitled to trod over other men, entitled to land, entitled to wealth, entitled to respect, entitled to do whatever he or she chooses without consequence. Are any of us truly entitled to something that another is not? Are we not all equal? Yet people try to determine ways to justify how they are in fact better than someone else and therefore are entitled to something that another man is not.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Education
The other day I was hiking with a friend and he asked me a question.
Question: America is essentially last place in the world in terms of financial support for education and our students don't seem to have the drive that students in other countries do, why?
The first reason that I have, at least in school districts near me, is that the school administrations ask for one thing then do another. Time and time again the school districts have asked for additional money under the pretense of adding educational resources such as newer textbooks, teachers, teacher aids, etc to only turn around and have a principal hire an executive assistant or the administration consume the money for their own purposes. Because of this a large majority of voters are gun shy to ever vote on a tax increase to help provide additional funding to the school districts. If the school districts would actually invest the money the way that they say that they will then perhaps people would vote in a way that is pleasing to the school districts. Perhaps what is required is more transparency and legislation that requires the school districts to state that the money will be used in a specific way and require them to prove it. This would possibly encourage voters to take a chance and vote to provide more resources to the school districts.
The second reason, which is a large reason and really several other items can be driven back to this one is, the parents. That is right, the parents.
Let us start with encouragement for the children. Parents need to place emphasis on the importance of education and encourage their children to want to learn. I recall when I was in high school that there were students that just didn't really seem to care to be there and as such would interfere with the class and cause trouble. To them it didn't seem like they wanted to be there and didn't really have anyone telling them that this is a great opportunity that needs to be seized.
Next, the parents responsibility in managing their child's education. Parents need to be actively involved with the education that is provided to their children. They should know what subjects and courses their children are taking and be aware of the curriculum. If a student is taking math then the parents should be aware of the level that the students are taking and that the teacher is teaching correctly. If a student is taking a science class, the same things applies. Parents need to ensure that if there is homework passed out to their children that time is set aside and that the homework is completed. If this means not allowing a child to go outside and play or sit down in front of their favorite TV show or video game system then that is what needs to happen. Parents should also try to set aside time to help students with their homework and show that they are interested in what the child is learning. This will help the child realize that what they are being taught is useful and that their parents are there to help them and are interested in what they are doing. What better encouragement for a young child than to have their parents telling them 'good job' after solving problems on a piece of paper?
The parents should be involved with the school. Now, I am not saying that every parent should be on the PTA but that they should take their civic responsibility to ensuring that education is a cornerstone of society more seriously. Find a way to help the school that the child attends. See if there are days that they could use a parent to help out with a project. Donate school supplies, knowledge, time, anything. Be a crossing guard, go in and discuss careers, buy the teacher a gift card to a show appreciation. Perhaps attend the parent teacher conferences and actually pay attention and provide feedback.
Now to shine the light on our culture and society as a whole.
Finally our own culture needs to change. Being successful in this country is being a sports or pop star. There is not much emphasis on being a hero if you discover a new star, those stories are pushed to the back of the news and told on the Science and Discovery channels. If our culture does not place more emphasis on education and in the positive benefits of such then again there is not much encouragement to succeed in education.
Education in this country should also be a right and not a privilege. Too many students are treated poorly and not given the chances to succeed in certain school or school districts or even in colleges. The schools must be held accountable and must be teaching students what they need to know to be successful and to be encouraged to continue their education. This country is treating our own children as third-class citizens with regards to how we show support for education. Every child should master the basics and understand the importance of being an American citizen and that when they are grown and have children of their own that the fight that their parents should be fighting for them is now their own.
Question: America is essentially last place in the world in terms of financial support for education and our students don't seem to have the drive that students in other countries do, why?
The first reason that I have, at least in school districts near me, is that the school administrations ask for one thing then do another. Time and time again the school districts have asked for additional money under the pretense of adding educational resources such as newer textbooks, teachers, teacher aids, etc to only turn around and have a principal hire an executive assistant or the administration consume the money for their own purposes. Because of this a large majority of voters are gun shy to ever vote on a tax increase to help provide additional funding to the school districts. If the school districts would actually invest the money the way that they say that they will then perhaps people would vote in a way that is pleasing to the school districts. Perhaps what is required is more transparency and legislation that requires the school districts to state that the money will be used in a specific way and require them to prove it. This would possibly encourage voters to take a chance and vote to provide more resources to the school districts.
The second reason, which is a large reason and really several other items can be driven back to this one is, the parents. That is right, the parents.
Let us start with encouragement for the children. Parents need to place emphasis on the importance of education and encourage their children to want to learn. I recall when I was in high school that there were students that just didn't really seem to care to be there and as such would interfere with the class and cause trouble. To them it didn't seem like they wanted to be there and didn't really have anyone telling them that this is a great opportunity that needs to be seized.
Next, the parents responsibility in managing their child's education. Parents need to be actively involved with the education that is provided to their children. They should know what subjects and courses their children are taking and be aware of the curriculum. If a student is taking math then the parents should be aware of the level that the students are taking and that the teacher is teaching correctly. If a student is taking a science class, the same things applies. Parents need to ensure that if there is homework passed out to their children that time is set aside and that the homework is completed. If this means not allowing a child to go outside and play or sit down in front of their favorite TV show or video game system then that is what needs to happen. Parents should also try to set aside time to help students with their homework and show that they are interested in what the child is learning. This will help the child realize that what they are being taught is useful and that their parents are there to help them and are interested in what they are doing. What better encouragement for a young child than to have their parents telling them 'good job' after solving problems on a piece of paper?
The parents should be involved with the school. Now, I am not saying that every parent should be on the PTA but that they should take their civic responsibility to ensuring that education is a cornerstone of society more seriously. Find a way to help the school that the child attends. See if there are days that they could use a parent to help out with a project. Donate school supplies, knowledge, time, anything. Be a crossing guard, go in and discuss careers, buy the teacher a gift card to a show appreciation. Perhaps attend the parent teacher conferences and actually pay attention and provide feedback.
Now to shine the light on our culture and society as a whole.
Finally our own culture needs to change. Being successful in this country is being a sports or pop star. There is not much emphasis on being a hero if you discover a new star, those stories are pushed to the back of the news and told on the Science and Discovery channels. If our culture does not place more emphasis on education and in the positive benefits of such then again there is not much encouragement to succeed in education.
Education in this country should also be a right and not a privilege. Too many students are treated poorly and not given the chances to succeed in certain school or school districts or even in colleges. The schools must be held accountable and must be teaching students what they need to know to be successful and to be encouraged to continue their education. This country is treating our own children as third-class citizens with regards to how we show support for education. Every child should master the basics and understand the importance of being an American citizen and that when they are grown and have children of their own that the fight that their parents should be fighting for them is now their own.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Faith
Faith.
Here are five letters arranged in such a way that can cause a lot of controversy. It is something that when used in a religious context that a lot of people have a difficult time talking about and why is that? Why should a person be embarrassed to have a certain faith? Why should people not want to express their faith and tell people about their faith? Why does society tend to frown on the discussions and displays of religious belief and faith? It is like anyone of faith, like smokers, should only be permitted to express their thoughts in confined areas far away from the public eye for the convenience of people. Why is this?
It is something that I am trying hard to understand and can only come up with a few explanations. The first is that some people were hurt by faith and do not want to see it practiced in any way, shape, or form in front of them. The second is that some people do not want to accept faith and would rather ridicule those who practice it. The third is that some people choose not to accept faith and rather than try to understand it or discuss it they would rather just shut it out. To me all of these reasons come back to one root cause: fear. People fear things they do not understand and that they do not want to understand. People fear things that have perhaps caused them pain in the past or appear to persecute them presently.
This begs the question of why some people of faith choose to hurt or persecute others. Isn't it enough for one to state his or her opinion and then let people come to a judgement themselves? Is it not written to 'judge not, lest ye be judged?' How many people of faith tend to reach for other biblical quotes before that one? I am not trying to bash people of faith here, because not all people of faith are this way. It is the duty of those of us with faith to be a witness to our faith and to help guide others down a righteous path - but that doesn't mean that we need to do this with a baseball bat. It means that we must be loving in the way that we display our faith and that we are representing the core values and beliefs of our faith.
Here are five letters arranged in such a way that can cause a lot of controversy. It is something that when used in a religious context that a lot of people have a difficult time talking about and why is that? Why should a person be embarrassed to have a certain faith? Why should people not want to express their faith and tell people about their faith? Why does society tend to frown on the discussions and displays of religious belief and faith? It is like anyone of faith, like smokers, should only be permitted to express their thoughts in confined areas far away from the public eye for the convenience of people. Why is this?
It is something that I am trying hard to understand and can only come up with a few explanations. The first is that some people were hurt by faith and do not want to see it practiced in any way, shape, or form in front of them. The second is that some people do not want to accept faith and would rather ridicule those who practice it. The third is that some people choose not to accept faith and rather than try to understand it or discuss it they would rather just shut it out. To me all of these reasons come back to one root cause: fear. People fear things they do not understand and that they do not want to understand. People fear things that have perhaps caused them pain in the past or appear to persecute them presently.
This begs the question of why some people of faith choose to hurt or persecute others. Isn't it enough for one to state his or her opinion and then let people come to a judgement themselves? Is it not written to 'judge not, lest ye be judged?' How many people of faith tend to reach for other biblical quotes before that one? I am not trying to bash people of faith here, because not all people of faith are this way. It is the duty of those of us with faith to be a witness to our faith and to help guide others down a righteous path - but that doesn't mean that we need to do this with a baseball bat. It means that we must be loving in the way that we display our faith and that we are representing the core values and beliefs of our faith.
Thursday, July 08, 2010
Simple Things
How often do we, and by we I am talking to parents out there, get so caught up in every day life and forget about the simple things in life? I get caught up in so many different types of work; office work, house work, working out, cooking, and so on and before I know it the entire day is gone. I had not taken any time to go outside and enjoy the warm embrace of the sun, the sensation of the breeze, the view of the green grass, and the sweet smell of the honeysuckles in my own backyard.
Our lives are dictated by how much we can accomplish and produce and turn out and not by how we spend our time. Who is remembered for taking a walk barefoot in the park? Remembered for eating an ice cream cone during the heat of the day with vanilla dripping down their chin? Remembered for looking up at the stars and heavens at night and breathing in the cool summer air?
So we continue to push ourselves and attempt to accomplish things and prove ourselves. Maybe it is time to say that giving 110% of ourselves to work of any kind is a problem. It is time to give 80% of ourselves to our work and then 30% (hey, have to give 110% of ourselves, right?) of ourselves to nothing. Well, not really nothing, but something. Something small. Something simple. Something like I mentioned a little bit ago. Get outside, walk in the grass with our shoes off. Go and have an ice cream cone and let it melt. Stare up at the stars and forget where we are.
Our lives are dictated by how much we can accomplish and produce and turn out and not by how we spend our time. Who is remembered for taking a walk barefoot in the park? Remembered for eating an ice cream cone during the heat of the day with vanilla dripping down their chin? Remembered for looking up at the stars and heavens at night and breathing in the cool summer air?
So we continue to push ourselves and attempt to accomplish things and prove ourselves. Maybe it is time to say that giving 110% of ourselves to work of any kind is a problem. It is time to give 80% of ourselves to our work and then 30% (hey, have to give 110% of ourselves, right?) of ourselves to nothing. Well, not really nothing, but something. Something small. Something simple. Something like I mentioned a little bit ago. Get outside, walk in the grass with our shoes off. Go and have an ice cream cone and let it melt. Stare up at the stars and forget where we are.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Ramblings
Good gravy it has been over a year again. Why do I forget to stop posting on my blog? Sure, for a while there it was nice with the G1 being able to post from bed then I stopped doing that. Now I am trying the Netbook that we got last year to see if I will post something of value here, although really I do not think that it will have any value at all.
I think that most people follow me on Facebook and know what I have been up to in the past year. I have gotten older, gained weight, lost weight, and managed to get into much better shape. Why though? Well, not for myself. I did it for my wife and daughter which may be why I succeeded at it instead of failing like I have countless times before. So now I sit at around 155 pounds and am eating, well, a lot differently than I used to, that is for sure.
Now I look more to the future with a second child on the way. I do wonder about and fear the future more than I used to now. With two children there is a lot more uncertainty and a lot more to plan for and to wonder about. I suppose that is parenthood though.
Now, as I listen to a little bit of thunder, watch hail fall, and wait for a snowstorm (I love Colorado) I bid everyone good night.
I think that most people follow me on Facebook and know what I have been up to in the past year. I have gotten older, gained weight, lost weight, and managed to get into much better shape. Why though? Well, not for myself. I did it for my wife and daughter which may be why I succeeded at it instead of failing like I have countless times before. So now I sit at around 155 pounds and am eating, well, a lot differently than I used to, that is for sure.
Now I look more to the future with a second child on the way. I do wonder about and fear the future more than I used to now. With two children there is a lot more uncertainty and a lot more to plan for and to wonder about. I suppose that is parenthood though.
Now, as I listen to a little bit of thunder, watch hail fall, and wait for a snowstorm (I love Colorado) I bid everyone good night.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
No Subject
I looked at my blog and realized that I have not posted in a while. Then I sat and stared at the screen of my G1 and came to the conclusion that I am not sure what to even write. It would appear that I have a case of writer's block although I do not really write stories, unless on chooses to view "20" as a story.
That said, what is it that makes me want to pickup my handheld device and post something here? I know that a limited number of people read this and it is not an entirely popular source of entertainment or information. So what would drive me to want to take the time to write something? Especially since I pretty much only blog using my phone these days and while I am fairly quick on the phone's keyboard, I am much faster when using a full sized version.
So, what to blog about? Nothing is really coming to mind. It is as if part of my creativity is gone. Which may be a bad indicator. Not entirely sure though. How do you rationalize with yourself and attempt to convince yourself that it is normal to feel normal? That when you used to have grand thoughts and plans and schemes that would keep the brain busy for hours, even days, that it was perhaps a bad indicator. How do you accept the fact that sleeping 8 and 9 hours a day is the right thing to do when you were used to getting by on 4 hours a night and sometime even less or none at all. When you have become accustomed to a particular way of life, how do you change it. Well, it gets changed when one day your life shatters. When the high flying days come to a horrible and immediate stop. When the polarity is swapped so violently that the world shakes. When people start to wonder. Start to question. Start to judge. Start to doubt. All of that is amplified. The car lights go out on a country road in the middle of nowhere on a dark and cloudy night. No sense of direction. Just holding tightly onto the steering wheel, deciding if it makes sense to just let go.
But all of that is in the rear view mirror now. Now there is just a never ending twilight. Neither fully bright nor fully dark anymore. Just hues of yellow, gray, and red. And a road that leads out onto the flatlands which is seemingly endless.
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