Yikes. Why would I even think about tackling those topics? At my age and stage, I ain’t afraid of nuttin’! But I have no answers, just partially formed ideas, not big and not especially small. Ideas that are natural extensions of my faith, and maybe my dated thinking.
God set before us certain standards of living, you know the “Love your neighbor as yourself” or as Jesus instructed us: “Love your neighbor as I have loved you” — a much higher standard. Directly or indirectly, He set before us free choice. We can decide. Which destination do we want to move toward? So how do the “Big Three”, you know abortion, gay marriage and guns, fit into that thinking? Let’s see.
Abortion: Hmmm. I abhor the thought of aborting a healthy fetus, or any fetus. In my other life as a college counselor, I talked to a few distraught students, pregnant, contemplating abortion, and yet resisting it. Weeping over impossible choices, seeking a way. I know from some of those experiences the remorse that always seems to follow an abortion — the guilt, the grieving, the “what ifs” of a lost child.
I have held my personal view mostly in check, but not always, for the chooser should be aware of consequences. Generally, I don’t give advice, but sometimes I can’t hold back. What about God-given free choice? What about matters of conscience? Faith? I don’t believe that personal choice should be legislated nor unduly influenced. The decision must rest with the conscience of the person. That is what is meant by free choice…a gift from God.
But what about that fetus, that baby. What about that heart that just starting beating? How do you resolve that? How do you factor that in, along with your personal faith? How do you factor in shame, or facing family and friends? These are tough questions, especially if they are being asked by a young woman or even an adolescent.
Someone once said that religion is ruining Christian faith! I have seen that happen where conformity to The Law was a definition of faith. I don’t believe that for a moment. We got away from the Pharisees and those 613 laws a long time ago. Now The Law is influencing state legislatures, is imposing narrowness on hurting people. Saying “Thou Shalt Not” to the loss of God’s gift of free choice. This is painful! But, as I said, just thinking — I have no answers to share.
Gay Marriage: As a psychologist working on a college campus I am quite aware of the multitude of influences that young people are faced with in the process of maturing and adjusting to the social environment of the campus. Confusion of sexual orientation is common. Decisions are made, rejected, embraced, rejected again as maturity marches on. I am persuaded from all that I have read, the personal stories that have been shared with me, that sexual orientation decisions are reached painfully by natural inclinations, often bewildering, and from pressure by external forces, nature and nurture.
Too often we have underestimated the nature part of that equation. Scientific research has demonstrated that…WHOA! Back up the turnip truck! We are talking about God’s gift of free choice not research. What is the core of Christian faith? Love. I love my wife. Who are we to say who we “should” love? Who are we to say who others should love? Its that simple, and that incredibly complex.
But, let me finish that one thought about that science thing. Research studies in the U.S. and in the U.K. strongly suggest that, in some cases, homosexuality has a biological basis, determined more by genes and hormones than social factors or psychology. That would suggest, in turn, that homosexuality may not always be a decision!
This, too, is a complex matter and somewhere in the whole mix, often, is the issue of love. Which by association leads to gay marriage.
Guns: We have gone over the cliff! We have taken the 2nd Amendment and redefined it far beyond it’s intended purpose. The initial purpose was to guarantee citizens the right to possess arms in support of state militia, for the protection of persons or the state. Much of today’s argument about guns has its genesis with the gun industry with its eye on profit, not on personal rights, although they rest on that point.
What about all the talk about gun registration and military hardware? As far as gun license registration is concerned, that would seem to be a “no brainer”. We have licenses to drive, to marriage, to vote, to fish, to hunt, etc. In fairness, I don’t hunt, I don’t fish, but I have been married, I drive a car and I do vote. So, what’s the deal? It certainly would go a long way toward bringing order out of all this chaos.
I don’t know what the concern is about military hardware. Assault weapons, M4A1 is a military assault rifle that can fire 950 bullets a minute! It’s cousin, the AR15 is the most popular rifle sold in the US. Who hunts with a machine gun?
I know some young people whose greatest goal is to obtain a “carry permit”. In their mind’s eye they can see themselves carrying a Glock 17 or a Sig Sauer wherever they go in public, even to church. For their own protection? This is crazy! Back to the wild west!
In the aftermath of the Fort Hood shootings some years ago, military authorities ruled that no one is allowed to carry weapons on the base unless they were part of the Military Police. Yet, even then it did not stop the latest tragedy.
Common sense tells me that we should be protecting the “sport” of hunting. The fact of the matter is that you don’t hunt with machine guns or other military hardware, or even a Glock 17!
Does any of that make sense? Abraham Lincoln once said It is better for a person to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak and remove all doubt. Maybe I should have heeded that advice! Hmmm.
Like I say:
For What It’s Worth.
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