How would same sex marriage affect me?

That's the question apathetic voters ask and pro-gay marriage proponents use as proof. Rod Dreher answers then offers a video.

In the SSM debate, this is whence the familiar question: "How does my gay neighbor's marriage affect me?" -- the question carrying with it the implication that there is no direct effect, and therefore the direct effect on one's gay neighbors by denying them marriage is the more powerful claim. Nobody has stories of churches that will suffer a loss of religious liberty if SSM becomes the law of the land, because it hasn't happened yet. It's still an abstract threat to people. By the time we start seeing those stories, it will be too late. And besides, people in the news media are not inclined to worry overmuch about the loss of religious liberty in such matters. A colleague of mine in the editorial meeting this morning, in a discussion about Prop 8-related boycotts, said he didn't much care if "bigots" suffer a loss of business from their actions.

So my Christian friend, you don't care much about Prop 8, but in the legal SSM state when your church refuses to hold a SSM ceremony and gets sued and you have no building or staff and the only "churches" that do remain are so liberal Jesus becomes an option, will you be happy that you neglecgeted your right to participate in the democratic process? That won't happen you say. If you read Rod's post, he quotes from a recent legal survey of the states and the effect of legal SSM. He summarizes,

If opposition to same-sex marriage is to be understood as pure bigotry, then no accomodation for religious believers will be made. This is what people have got to understand is at stake in this conflict. It is not a scare tactic, or a made-up charge: there really will be a substantial effect on traditional churches, synagogues, mosques and religious institutions if gay marriage is constitutionalized.

Goodbye, freedom of [conservative] religion. Perhaps, this mob scene in the Castro district last weekend will represent the future. There is too much foul language in it here for this family-friendly blog. But here is the back story on these Christians harassed by angry gay men.

November 14, 2008
I went to the Castro (the homosexual district of San Francisco) like we usually do on Friday nights.
Normally, we sit on 18th and Castro, and someone plays the guitar, and we all worship God.
Sometimes a person will yell at us, or maybe a few. Sometimes people will ignore us. Sometimes people will let us pray with them.
This time was not a normal night. It was the first time we'd been back in the Castro to do our normal outreach since California Proposition 8, which defined marriage as "one man with one woman" was passed. We played the guitar and sang together and worshiped the Lord. After just singing and worshiping God for a while, Roger decided that we should all hold hands in a circle and continue singing. So we did.
Someone (Actually a person who came up and hugged and kissed some of us who he knew from the past) convinced some people that we were there to protest against the no on 8 campaign.

It gets worse. He continues the story with more details (in the more info link) before the filming started when the police showed up. Hello San Francisco the tolerant city where only those who agree are tolerated.

I also suggest the link on my UmLinks section called Same Sex Gay Marriage Answers.

Update: Today's article by Thomas Sowell lists other, similar "responses" by irate gay activists.

While demanding tolerance from others, gay activists apparently feel no need to show any themselves...

Nobody is in favor of anarchy. But some people want everybody else to obey the rules, while they don't have to.

What they want is not decisive, however. It is what other people are willing to tolerate that determines how far any group can go.

When the majority of the people become like sheep, who will tolerate intolerance rather than make a fuss, then there is no limit to how far any group will go.

complementarianism and spouse abuse

Dan Wallace, who is also a reluctant complementarian, writes, A friend wrote to me recently, asking why I haven’t written anything about wife abuse on Parchment & Pen. She urged me to do it because, according to her, complementarianism is rich soil in which to grow this kind of wickedness (she’s an egalitarian).

His words are good for any husband, regardless of his theology.

a right to life petition to sign for the United Nations

This petition is certainly worthy of signing. They are seeking 100,000 signatures for acceptance in the UN.

International Call for the Rights and Dignity of the Human Person and the Family

We, the citizens of UN member states, in this year of the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted and proclaimed by the UN General Assembly resolution 217 A (III) of 10 December 1948,

Recalling that:

The Universal Declaration is a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all Nations,

Bearing in mind that:

Human rights, dignity, freedom, equality, solidarity and justice constitute the spiritual and moral patrimony on which the union of Nations is based,

Stress that:

Proper consideration must be given to

1. The right to life of every human being, from conception to natural death, each child having the right to be conceived, born and educated within the family, based on marriage between a woman and a man, the family being the natural and fundamental group unit of society,

2. The right of every child to be educated by his or her parents, who have a prior and fundamental right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.

Therefore, we call upon:

All governments to interpret the Universal Declaration of Human Rights properly such that:

Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person (Article 3)

Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family (Article 16).

The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State (Article 16).

Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance (Article 25).

Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children (Article 26).

Top 10 diet myths

WebMD has a new article on recent findings presented at the American Dietetic Association this week. Here are the myths, but you'll need to read the article for the explanation.

Myth: Eating at night makes you fat.
Reality: Calories count, whenever you eat them.
Umblogger: Great, I enjoy a snack after the kids retire for the evening.

Myth: Avoid foods with a high glycemic index.
Reality: You could use the glycemic index to adjust your food choices, but don't make it your sole strategy for losing weight or controlling blood sugar, Rosenbloom says.
Umblogger: I avoid those sugary foods unless they are laying around the hallway at work, then all bets are off on my self-control.

Myth: High fructose corn syrup causes weight gain.
Reality: "There's probably nothing particularly evil about high fructose corn syrup, compared to regular old sugar," Rosenbloom says.
Umblogger: As I've told some friends, fructose is fructose, which is natural. HFS is concentrated. However, I enjoy 100% juices more than juice cocktails, because I think they taste better.

Myth: Caffeine is unhealthy.
Reality: Rosenbloom says there is some evidence that caffeine may have a positive effect on some diseases, including gout and Parkinson's disease , besides caffeine's famous alertness buzz.
Umblogger: I'm a decaf guy because when I'm hooked, I get bad headaches if I miss a day or two.

Myth: The less fat you eat, the better.
Reality: "For some people, counting fat grams can work for weight control, but it isn't the be-all end-all for people," Rosenbloom says.
Umblogger: I don't eat land animals most of the time. So I feel free to indulge in eggs, butter, cheese, and recently raw milk.

Myth: To eat less sodium, avoid salty-tasting foods and use sea salt in place of table salt.
Reality: Your sense of taste doesn't always notice sodium, and sea salt or other gourmet salts aren't healthier than table salt.
Umblogger: We aren't big fans of canned soup because the saltiness is so bad. The Smart Mom makes great chicken and vegetable soups.

Myth: Drinking more water daily will help you lose weight.
Reality: There's no evidence that water peels off pounds.
Umblogger: I had a trainer insist on me drinking a gallon of water a day based on another myth. All it did for me was increase the frequency my trips to the restroom.

Myth: Whole grains are always healthier than refined grains.
Reality: Whole grains are a healthy choice, but you needn't ditch refined grains. "You can have some of each," Rosenbloom says.
Umblogger: We make our own oatmeal bread almost daily in our home. We are not white bread folks. We even add wheat flour to our cookies.

Myth: Sugar causes behavioral problems in kids.
Reality: You might want to check your expectations about sugar and children's behavior.
Umblogger: But we will see them have a sugar crash.

Myth: Protein is the most important nutrient for athletes.
Reality: "It is true that athletes need more protein than sedentary people. They just don't need as much as they think. And they probably don't need it from supplements; they're probably getting plenty in their food," Rosenbloom says.
Umblogger: Most Asian nations prove this point. You can live mostly on rice.

Algonkian Church History

A new blog right up my alley has started this month during National American Indian Heritage Month. I am looking forward to many posts in the future from Jeff Siemers at Algonkian Church History.

Write to Obama

President-elect Obama has a form on his transition website where we can tell him what our vision for the country is. I wrote

A country that respects the 14th amendment that prohibits the deprivation of life without due process of law. This right needs to be respected for children in the womb.
God is good
jpu

I'm also talking to my Father about softening Mr. Obama's heart to the children.

The Advent Conspiracy

What would Christmas look like if we did it like Jesus did and gave ourselves to those who won't appreciate it, won't thank you for it, and won't reciprocate for it? And I'm not talking about your mean uncle. Consider the gift of clean water.



HT: Justin McRoberts

November is national adoption month

James tell us that pure and undefiled religion that is acceptable to God cares for widows and orphans. One way to care for orphans is by adopting them. November is National Adoption Month.The issue, of course, occurs worldwide. Please also see the Cry of the Orphan.

free blog psychoanalysis

According to Typealyzer, the Umblog belongs to an

INTP - The Thinkers

The logical and analytical type. They are especialy attuned to difficult creative and intellectual challenges and always look for something more complex to dig into. They are great at finding subtle connections between things and imagine far-reaching implications.

They enjoy working with complex things using a lot of concepts and imaginative models of reality. Since they are not very good at seeing and understanding the needs of other people, they might come across as arrogant, impatient and insensitive to people that need some time to understand what they are talking about.

Politics,common ground and the common good

“In working for the common good of our society, racial justice is one pillar of our social doctrine,” said George, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, during his address to the organization’s meeting in Baltimore. “Economic justice, especially for the poor both here and abroad, is another. But . . . the common good can never be adequately incarnated in any society when those waiting to be born can be legally killed at choice.”

“If the Supreme Court’s Dred Scott decision that African-Americans were other people’s property and somehow less than persons were still settled constitutional law, Mr. Obama would not be president of the United States,” George said. “Today, as was the case 150 years ago, common ground cannot be found by destroying the common good.”

My emphasis. Hat tip: Get Religion

Folded Homes

Haven't come across new yurt designs in awhile, until today. Folded Homes offers small single or double walled plastic yurts with windows and doors. Their answer to space needs are connect another yurt. At $1200 a yurt, its not the cheapest solution, but I like these as a way to occupy a remote piece of land. It's lightweight and easy to assemble. The double wall, which the owner fills with whatever insulation material at hand, addresses the noise concerns I have about yurts.

Thank you Veterans

As I rode my bike in this morning, I observed the traffic was really light. Then I realized, today is a national holiday, Veteran's Day. Thank you veterans for your voluntary service. Thank you veteran families for sharing your dear ones with the nation. Thank you veterans for standing in harm's way. Thank you.

Jesus and Old Testament rape law

How's that for a title?

I promise that I will connect the dots by the end of this post. My thoughts started when I read this before church today.

One friend reminded me that for almost 20 centuries of church history, Christian theologians regarded women as inherently inferior to men, prone to deception and perhaps not fully sharing in the image of God. Be patriarchal if you want, she said, but do not bother trying to soften the blow by calling it equality. Those conversations opened my eyes. I had downplayed the Old Testament passages that treated women as property, spoils of war, or trophies for victorious men. I had not noticed that Deuteronomy 22 orders rapists to be fined and then given their victims in marriage.

It's by a seminary professor, Bob Pyne, who describes his switch from believing in gender roles in church office (complementarianism) to gender equality in all church roles (egalitarianism). I can say I've waffled on this over the years. I'm currently a reluctant Complementarian, because I want to get out of the boundaries set in 1 Timothy 2 but I can't with peace, so I won't.

That's the background. Pyne's observation also bothers me. His solution, as is many of those who consider themselves hermenuetically in-bounds egalitarians, uses a trajectory hermenuetic, that asks where is God going with the progressive revelation of the Bible? It's also called a "redemptive-movement hermeneutic." It's used to affirm that outright condemnation of slavery, though lacking in the Bible, is implied as a goal. I would counter that it is actually affirmed in the Old Testament slave laws, where they were indentured servants who had to be released after seven years, Deuteronomy 15:12. That would mean I fall into the camp which believes everything we need to know about the Christian life is already in the Bible, from topics as diverse as human rights to marriage to church polity to gender based roles. But how does anyone find comfort in this rape law, no matter how they understand gender roles in the church?

Deuteronomy 22:28 Suppose a man comes across a virgin who is not engaged and overpowers and rapes her and they are discovered. 22:29 The man who has raped her must pay her father fifty shekels of silver and she must become his wife because he has violated her; he may never divorce her as long as he lives.

That is an unacceptable response in modern thinking. The typical response by Bible defenders is that laws in surrounding cultures were so much worse, including executing the woman who was victimized, which happens today as well. Some further research, though, does not bear this out fully or cleanly. Furthermore, so what? How is this of any comfort? God is making the laws to live by for his people. Why this law?

I think the key to this is that all of the Scriptures proclaim Jesus. I have screwed up eye sight though, so I see Jesus in places conservative Bible believing friends tell me I can't see him. In Song of Solomon, see my series, I recognized Jesus in Beloved, frequently. That irritates my friends, because seeing Jesus in a woman rocks their world way too much. Seeing him in a wife wrecks the consistent New Testament picture of Jesus as groom and the church as his bride. Obviously, I think the rule is not hard and fast. God compares himself to a mother hen, a lamb, a rock, a tower, and on and on. Jesus is definitely portrayed as a suffering servant, Isaiah 53:11. When I see someone treated unjustly and immorally in the Old Testament yet responding with grace and love, I think of Jesus.

So when I get past my offense of this rape law, I want to know, where is Jesus? My answer is that Jesus is portrayed in that raped woman.

Yet God wants them united. It's a picture of my interaction with Jesus. He gives me grace. I give him sin. He gives and I take. I lashed him with the whips. I pushed those thorns down on his brow. I hammered those nails into his arms and legs. I ripped off his clothes and gambled for them. His response? Father forgive them. I violated him with my sinful ways and he responded by saving me, making me part of his bride. He made me his partner.

In response to Mr. Pyne, who prompted me this morning, that law was not a half way measure. It was an intentional picture by God about Jesus. It only applied to that people and that culture which was supposed to convey all these pictures of Jesus before his arrival. Now that he has come, we have no need for this picture. We have the real thing. I do believe that God worked miraculously in any of those marriages that were made from rape, because he works miraculously in the hearts of all of us sinners whom he has showered his grace on with salvation. The picture would be incomplete without the change of heart.

Believe it or not, Jesus loves rapists. They are not excluded from the offer of eternal life, otherwise they will receive eternal judgment. Which is true for everyone on this planet.

Acceptable Honor Killing in America - Abortion

Last night I engaged an Obama/abortion post by a reformed black pastor at the Blaque Tulip, which I've read for a long time, but never commented at before. I've been mulling over my last paragraph, in which I wrote, "The big difference is Obama thinks it is a right to kill babies and McCain didn't. If you replace "babies" with any other part of the population, you'd see why I can't ever vote for someone who is pro-abortion, especially to the degree Obama claims."

As in my debates with other pro-choice friends, it's hard to get them to see abortion as analogous to anything else in life. There are three parts to the analogy; scale, segment, and justice. As pro-lifers, we point out the scale that never have so many humans been killed daily. We also point toward the collective outrage when a segment of humanity is systematically destroyed, like the Holocaust. We also argue that no one should be killed purely for another's satisfaction which is unjust, at the least. But I wonder if the scale is so immense that it shuts down pro-choice brain circuits.

Then I thought about honor killings, something that is relatively new to our country and our newspapers as immigration patterns have changed. Most of my fellow citizens are repulsed by the violation of family bonds, to the degree it is violated, and the disproportionate response to the "offense." Our country tends to think of those who practice honor killings are moral midgets, yet ignore our own honor killings. What honor does abortion protect?

• Exposure of out of wedlock pregnancy.
• Schooling or career interruptions.
• Poverty.
• Unfaithfulness.
• Incorrect gender.
• Disability.

Are these in proportion to murder? Are these just reasons for parental abandonment?

If I could re-frame the analogy. Would you vote for the honor-killing-rights candidate? Or would you choose the one who believes there is no right to honor killings? Would his economic policies effect your vote despite his immoral position? Meet a one-issue voter, me.

Persecuted Church in India

This Sunday is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. I have a special concern for the church in India, which is experiencing "religious cleansing" in some of its states. Here are links to some stories of recent atrocities and an open letter to President Bush from national religious leaders.

The Honorable George W. Bush
President
The White House
Washington, DC

Dear Mr. President:

For more than two months, Christians in seven of India's states have borne the brunt of repeated waves of violent and deadly attacks that have left scores of people murdered, communities and churches destroyed, and tens of thousands of people homeless. The situation demands a strong and urgent American response to a strategic democratic global partner such as India.

As has been well documented, the violence erupted following the tragic attack on a charismatic Hindu leader, Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and four others, which led to their deaths on August 23. Although a radical Maoist group claimed responsibility for the killings, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (World Hindu Council) blamed the deaths on the Indian Christian community. Using the instability created by the violence, Hindu extremist groups fostered civil unrest, initially attacking poor Christians in India's eastern state of Orissa as well as Christian agencies who serve the poor and the needy from diverse religious backgrounds in that state.

For some time, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and its allies regularly have alleged that Christians use force and material benefits to lure Hindus into "forced conversions," charges for which no proof has been produced and that local Christian leaders steadfastly deny.

Indian Christian leaders from various denominations have expressed in writing their deep shock at the magnitude of the human rights violations launched by Hindu extremists against the mostly poor Christians in the state of Orissa. They have also criticized the government for its subsequent handling of the incident as well as for not providing civil protection to these Indian citizens.

During his weekly audience at the Vatican, Pope Benedict has called the killing of the Hindu leader "deplorable" and also expressed his sadness at violence against Christians.

The failure of the Indian government at the federal and state levels to act has led to the spread of the violence from Orissa into six other states — Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Tamil Nadu and Uttarakhand.

To date, Christians in these states have become the targets of the extremists' hatred. More than 60 people have been killed; some 50,000 people have been left homeless; and some still remain in hiding. Churches and Christian-run institutions serving mostly poor communities have been utterly destroyed. Other minorities have also been attacked.

Modern India's founding father, Mohandas Gandhi, said, "My notion of democracy is that under it the weakest should have the same opportunity as the strongest. This can never happen except through non-violence."

What has happened recently in India, and has been happening over the past few years, is tantamount to "religious cleansing" of Christians and other minorities by extremists. This in the world's largest democracy that is a nuclear power and recently sent a mission to the moon.

Earlier this summer you affixed your signature to legislation that enacted a US-India nuclear trade agreement with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. At the time you stated, "This agreement sends a signal to the world — nations that follow the path to democracy and responsible behavior will find a friend in the United States."

We urge you, therefore, to hold the Indian government accountable to its own constitution, which guarantees freedom of religion and religious expression for all its citizens. As the world's largest democracy, India must demonstrate its responsibility and ability to uphold that constitution. We ask that you express to Prime Minister Singh the U.S. government's abhorrence of the continued violence against Christians and other minorities within India's borders. You should insist, in the strongest terms, that these reprehensible groups and the assenting local government agencies be brought into conformity with India's rule of law. Only if India agrees and acts with goodwill toward all its citizens will it continue to be viewed as a responsible global partner worthy of a place on the world stage with other democratic nations.

Respectfully,

Archbishop Vicken Aykazian, Archbishop

Armenian Orthodox Church

Dr. Ken Bensen, CEO

Habitat for Humanity of Michigan

Jeff Farmer, President

Open Bible Churches

Wes Granberg-Michaelson, General Secretary

Reformed Church in America

John Graz, Secretary General

International Religious Liberty Association

Dr. Richard L. "Dick" Hamm, Executive Administrator

Christian Churches Together

Archbishop Cyril Aphrem Karim, Archbishop

Archdioceses of the Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch for the Eastern USA

Bishop James Leggett , Presiding Bishop

International Pentecostal Holiness Church

Rev. Michael E. Livingston, Executive Director

International Council of Community Churches, and Immediate Past President,
National Council of Churches, USA

Jo Anne Lyon, General Superintendent

The Wesleyan Church

Dr. Carl A. Moeller, President/CEO

Open Doors USA

David Neff, Editor in Chief

Christianity Today magazine

Rev. Gradye Parsons, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly

Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

Bishop Serapion, Bishop of Los Angeles

Coptic Orthodox Church

Dr. William Shaw, President

National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc.

James M. Shea, S.J., Provincial

Maryland Province Jesuits

Ronald J. Sider, President

Evangelicals for Social Action

Rev. John H. Thomas, General Minister and President

United Church of Christ

Bishop Matthew A. Thomas, Bishop

Free Methodist Church of North America

Dr. Daniel Vestal, President

Cooperative Baptist Fellowship

Berten A. Waggoner, National Director

Vineyard USA

Bishop Thomas G. Wenski, Chairman

Committee on International Justice and Peace

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

Dr. Tom White, Executive Director

The Voice of the Martyrs

letter to a pro-choice sister

Victims of rape and incest already have rights. So I admit I'm a little lost about "addressing their rights." Interestingly, Planned Parenthood has been snagged repeatedly for covering up these issues when young women come in for abortions. There are laws put in place to protect these women and PP cannot be relied on to do that. It is absolutely tragic. I hope you agree.

There are adults who are glad their mothers didn't kill them after the rape. Here is one story. Here's another. The first link points out that perhaps less than 2% of abortions are due to rape or incest. I'd gladly live with that injustice if the other 1.1 million babies would be able to survive their gestation.

I think you know that single mothers made a choice to have sex outside of the safety net of marriage/wed-lock. That may be a mistake, but mistakes have consequences. Compounding it with another mistake of even greater magnitude is foolishness. The mother escapes the pregnancy but lives with nagging guilt and shame for the rest of their lives, resulting for some in post-traumatic stress syndrome. My local CareNet runs recovery groups for these women.

These children are not unwanted. If adoption didn't cost over 20 grand in the U.S. there would be enough families to adopt 1 million children a year. What Carenet finds, though, is that many of these mothers decide they want to keep their child. If abortion were de-legalized, don't worry, there wouldn't be a need for multiple orphanages around the country.

I'm surprised by your assertion that I probably believe a torture life is better than death. Indeed, I do believe a tortured life is better than death. You just had a friend commit suicide. Do you really believe he made the better choice? This world is full of tortured lives. Is your solution for them suicide? Do you think a kid should kill himself if he gets put in the foster system? Perhaps you should talk to foster kids and their parents before you make assertions on their behalf. You will find they strongly disagree with you.

A woman makes her choice when she decides to have sex outside of marriage. The government is not telling her who to sleep with or when. It's her choice. But consequences always follow our choices. The government already provides for poor women and children. We as Christians are commanded as well. James writes, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." chapter 1, verse 27. In Roman times, orphans and widows were unwanted. Their options were usually slavery or prostitution. They could do nothing else in exchange for society. They were utterly dependent. Just like unwanted babies.

Jesus knows that mistakes and poor choices and accidents happen. He knows that moms and kids are left without husbands and fathers and he tells his people to do something about it. Why? Because he loves them. He created them. He creates those babies that are killed in their mother's womb. He loves those babies. He loves their moms. He loves their dads, even if those dads are rapists. But he will also bring justice, see 2 Thessalonians 1:6. So I'm doing something about these unwanted. My church is doing this. I give a percentage of the money God gives me back to organizations like Carenet for local needs, but also to orphanages outside our country. Those orphanages are not ideal, but they are better than a life without parents or an orphanage. Are those children unwanted? They may not be useful to society, but is usefulness a criteria to determine value of a life? God wants those children, that's why he created them. And he asks us to take care of them. Killing them is not God's way of caring for the unwanted.

How are you practicing this acceptable, "pure and faultless" religion? How does your support of legalized abortion care for the "unwanted" children?

Congratulations Nation!

One great accomplishment of this election is another example of MLK Jr.'s dream for a person to be evaluated on his character and ideas instead of his skin color. It's taken over 143 years since the end of the Civil War and 40 years since the Civil Rights era for an African-American man to be elevated to the highest political office in our land. It's taken too long, but now that it has happened, I am glad for our country. We may still have racist citizens in our country, but our country is not a racist country. I am actually really happy for our country. Racism is not now magically erased from nation's actions and psyche, but it's in retreat. Hurrah!

Yet, as you might expect, my feelings are also bittersweet. The pro-life movement has a new hurdle before it. Yet our methods remain the same, prayer and persuasion. We will continue to ask God for mercy and the grace for softened hearts among our fellow citizens. We will continue to try, by persuasion, to soften the hearts of our friends, neighbors, and political representatives. Without a filibuster-proof Senate, we can hope that FOCA will not be presented to President Obama. Nevertheless, we can try to persuade all of our legislators not to pass it. We have no political effect on the current Justices, but God can soften their hearts as well, as Justice Ginsburg might be demonstrating. I hope my pro-life, pro-Obama friends will continue to pray and persuade with me, and seek to work within the Democratic party to elevate the efforts of groups like Democrats for Life.

Honestly, if McCain won, I would still feel bittersweet. Sweet for the pro-life movement, but unhappy with his positions and plans. But God is on the throne, and my feelings really don't matter, because the Lord decides who will lead. I did see several bitter postings by Christians over this election. Why? If a Christian considers Obama an enemy then Christs commands us to pray for them and bless them, not to curse them. Judgement and cursing are the Lord's not ours.

Rejoice! This is the day that the Lord has made!

Thank you Lord for placing us in a nation that let's its people choose a leader. Thank you for the privilege to partake in this privilege that so many people in the world do not have. Thank you for peace after this election. Protect Mr. Obama from angry, homocidal, would-be assassins. Give him vision and wisdom. Turn his heart to your reighteous ways. Surround him with good counselors. Give him a peaceful season. Heal our country. Heal our land. Re-unite your church. Be glorified.

Why vote Yes on Connecticut question 1?

Perhaps you want to change the eminent domain laws or home schooling laws or keep the definition of marriage out of the hands of 4 Ct supreme court justices. Voting Yes for a Connecticut Constitutional Convention will help you do those things. Endorsements can be found here (PDF).

Crazy ducks!

Here are our three Indian Runner ducks. This is their abode and pen. They live behind chicken wire, in a dog house filled with straw, and, at night, behind a board held against the opening with cinder blocks to keep the coyotes, foxes, skunks and raccoons out. We feed them in the morning and afternoon and we keep their water bowls full, but not clean. I think they like it dirty. We bought them as big handfuls a few months ago, hoping we'd get all girls. No one is laying yet, still too early, but the big duck has a curled feather at his tail, which usually indicates a non-egg layer. These ducks belong to my children, one for each, but I end up doing alot of their pen and house maintenance.

I must admit I enjoy it.

My grandfather came east from an Iowa farm, and I must be feeling my heritage when I'm slinging a little bit of hay around. The beautiful weekend past enabled me to get them in better shape for winter. I dumped out the dirty hay. I put a pallet underneath their house, and filled it with new pine shavings and fresh straw. Then I put bagged leaves on the sides and the back to provide some winter insulation, which may be unnecessary with the down God gave them. I had to shore up their fencing where it sagged between posts and on the ground where some critter had started to dig under. I was making quite a ruckus in their pen.

Those poor ducks were terrified. They went to the farthest corner and huddled together, waiting for the big scary monster to finish messing up their nest. They are so funny in their flock mentality. They imitate each other. They follow each other. Not one of them seems to get like my three children and stomp off for some privacy. So they huddled together, for 20 minutes, pushing the fence again and again to see if there was any escape. They can fly some, but not very well.

When I finished and left their little pen, they felt safe to explore the damage. Their home is now a little higher off the ground so I used bricks as steps up for them. There is a gap between their house and the first step, which they are still getting used to. So they fall into it and act like their goofy selves. We even sit around the pen and watch them for entertainment. I know, life is tough without cable, but they are very amusing in their cluelessness.

I sometimes think, in anxious days like these, God enjoys watching me too. He's doing a lot of banging around, and things are unstable, and I'm worried, but he's still in control. Whoever becomes our next president, will not get there without God's decision. I'm consigned to the pro-abortion candidate winning it and screwing up the Supreme Court and keeping the abortion industry alive and well. That scares me. It depresses me. But it's the Lord who is running the show. He's the one who put Bush and Clinton in the office.

My hope is in a true Sovereign. One who constrains and releases. If the pro-abortion candidate wins, I won't cower in the corner with my fellow worried ducks. I will trust my master and do what he told me to do. Pray for him. I need to pray for those justices, too, and my federal and state legislators. I need to pray for their conversions. I need to pray for their faith. I need to pray for their virtue. Who knows, perhaps there will be revival in Washington, D.C. Only God knows. But I've been lax and need to repent of not praying for the leaders God has placed over me. Forgive me Lord. I know you love me. That's why there is always daily bread for us. I'm like a crazy duck sometimes. I like to dirty up the water He provides for us. I'm a mess, but I'm glad He bought me. I will trust Him as he rearranges the pen we're in.

Vote Yes for Question #1 in Ct. and Prop #8 in Ca.

As usual, I'm copying over a comment I left on a friend's blog and expanding it a bit here. He lives in California, is a Christian, and doesn't like the choices Proposition 8 offers him. He compares it to the Halloween trick of the burning bag of dog waste outside his door. It's a no win situation. So my comment picks up on that analogy.

I like your analogy to the burning turd bag. It works. However, If you don't step on it, your house might catch on fire. Ignoring it doesn't improve anything. I live in Connecticut facing a very similar constitutional amendment proposition with an opportunity to vote on constitutional change. I like your idea about how civil and religious marriages are done elsewhere. They are done like that south of the border too. However, I don't think you'll have the opportunity to push for that change if you don't push back on the court now when you have momentum and a chance. When you vote against the court's decision you are countering the culture. And you will be misunderstood. And you will get persecuted. Yet you can still love. In the midst of the AIDS crisis in the 90's my gay friends knew my stance on the God and homosexuality and they didn't like it, but they also knew I volunteered at a free AIDS test clinic weekly. That's how I tried to practice love in word and deed.

Anyway, I came across an article at a right wing conspiracy site titled "8 is not hate" that might be informative.

Update: Another right wing conspiracy site with some good thoughts on persuading the non-committed to act.

Several summers ago I had a conversation with a young woman that has stuck in my mind. We were talking about marriage. She was saying that she didn't believe in marriage, because her parents had divorced; she didn't believe in sex only within marriage, because that was unrealistic; and she didn't believe marriage related to kids, because so many kids are born outside marriages. In this, she was accurately reflecting many people's view of our situation.

At some point, I asked her this question: "Let's grant that life is like this for many people. But if you could, would you want a society where men and women entered into lasting marriages and raised children together, who in turn married and raised children and linked the generations?" Her response was immediate: "Of course I would!" I continued, "Then don't you want a legal order that encourages this?" She balked. No, she said, that was "too judgmental."

There is the challenge: to rebuild people's confidence in the link between morality and law. In terms of this issue, we must convince the American people to actively reaffirm marriage as the proper moral and legal norm for sexual relationships. It can be done! Just remember the example of Hawaii. The experts told us marriage had no chance to win. Instead, marriage won in a landslide. People in Hawaii know we can affirm marriage and be tolerant at the same time.

We can be realistic and hopeful. God is not mocked, history is full of surprises, and we're all in this anyway for the long, long run. As Michael Novak has recently written:

We will have to endure the present age, as Christians have had to endure many others like it in the past. Our best hope is that there are cycles of decadence and rebirth, rotating slowly from principled standards to rebellion to permissiveness, and then from decadence to a renewal of conviction. For us too, one day, cultural renewal will return. Meanwhile, the best strategy is to burrow in and to endure. Whatever others do, one retains one's liberty to seek a different way, and to hope for better times.