4 posts tagged “freedom”
Why Christians Should Vote to Legalize Same Sex Marriage
For the purpose of this article I am going to adopt a distinctly
conservative Christian perspective and write for a distinctly
conservative Christian
audience. I want to put forth the idea that even if you believe
homosexuality is morally wrong, a sin even, you should still vote for
its legalization.
Freedom vs. License
"Freedom and fear are at war. Freedom is not, "being able to do whatever you want to do." That is license. If you have license, rather than authentic freedom, your house is built on sand and will collapse. Authentic freedom is the power to do what we ought to do; the power to choose the good, the true, and the beautiful. That will vanquish fear every time. If your concept of freedom is really license, fear will come out on top every time. Freedom has to be united with truth. There is no freedom outside of the truth: No authentic human freedom outside of the truth. "If you are truly my disciples, you will abide in my word. You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." True freedom is rooted in God."
- Fr. John Corapi
As Fr. Corapi says, Freedom is not license, it is more along the lines of personal authenticity. If God is both Truth and within you, then when you are acting the most authentically and genuinely, you are acting in God's will. Interestingly enough, this does not mean we should forsake license, for license and Freedom are tightly intertwined. If it weren't for license, we could not genuinely choose to do what is right, for we would do it automatically. This is why God gave us free will. He allows us to sin so that we might learn, grow, and come to the truth in a very personal and authentic way. There can be no authenticity, and no Freedom, without license.
The opposite of Freedom is fear, and the opposite of license is restriction. When a society implements restrictions on its citizens, it does not only prevent its citizens from acting authentically, it acts out of fear itself. Even though our intentions are good, restricting the public to do only what is morally right harms everyone. The people may choose the right thing, but for the wrong reasons. They follow truth, but they do so disingenuously. We are teaching them to act a certain way out of fear of the consequences. And we ourselves, who put the policy in place, we are acting out of fear as well. We are afraid that we can't trust people, and that if we don't exert some pressure on them, they won't choose the right thing.
When God looks at us, does He have these fears? Well, His heart is probably breaking all the time, seeing us choose to bury our true selves and choose against His will. But He does not intervene and force us to change our minds. He honors His gift to us of free will, and He lets us make mistakes. He does not act out of fear that He will lose us. In fact, one of Jesus's most persistent messages was "Be not afraid." Fear blinds us, keeps us from the truth. And out of fear we impose God's will on the people in our society, when even God himself will not do that.
The Purpose of Law
Contrary to a lot of current thought, the purpose of Law is not to uphold or enforce morality. Law is about enforcing the minimum standard of action necessary to be a functioning member of society. It is about preservation of society, putting restrictions on license where necessary in order to prevent its citizens from harming each other. Other than that, it should allow its citizens as much license as possible. If you look at many of our current laws (against murder, theft, drinking and driving, etc), we make acts illegal when they harm someone or infringe on their rights against their will.
Morality calls us to a much higher standard than the Law. Christian morality is about rejecting sin in all its forms and transforming yourself inside and out to become more and more like Jesus Christ. And, as I stated in the last section, we cannot force Christian morality on members of our society without denying them the chance to choose it freely. That's what makes morality such a wonderful, lofty, and praiseworthy ideal. It is not something you are forced to do, it is something you choose to do.
Given everything that has been said thus far, as Christians it is our duty to emulate God and allow people to sin, as long as that sin does not harm another person. It may break our hearts to see people shun the truth, but we have to let them. From the standpoint of the Law, we need to allow same sex marriage. To vote against it is to act out of fear, and to thereby distance ourselves from God.
Calming Leftover Fears - Definitions
In order to get ourselves to a place where we are emotionally ready to permit same sex marriage on a political level, we need to address two major fears that plague our hearts.
The first is that by legalizing gay marriage, we would be corrupting an institution that God created. I know this is a sensitive issue, and I will try my best to treat it fairly and gently. We must admit that the word marriage is full of different meanings on different levels. Traditionally, marriage has not always been meant as a spiritual union in the eyes of God. There has always been a social aspect as well. Marriage has been used as a political tool to unite warring factions or countries. It has been used in order to barter out a better life for your family line. It has been used as a financial safety net. Even today, people marry for all sorts of reasons. They marry for money, for lust, or for social status. Some people get married for love, but do not associate themselves with any religious tradition at all.
This does not in any way detract from the beauty and profundity of the Sacrament of marriage in its religious context. It is as if we can talk about marriage on two levels. There is the social/political level, and the spiritual/religious level. The social/political level has changed many times over the centuries without affecting the spiritual/religious ideal of marriage. And so it is today. Allowing same sex marriage affects the social definition of marriage, not the religious one. As a Christian, you do not have to recognize same sex marriages as being approved or sanctioned by God. It is in the name of the State only.
If this proves to be too difficult of a place for us to reach, then perhaps we need to take another route. Many have stated that they are just fine with civil unions, as long as gays aren't allowed to marry. But what is a civil union other than the social/political level of marriage? Although, if we insist on keeping the word marriage solely in its religious context, then we must be fair in how we treat it on a social/political level. By this I mean taking the word marriage out of State hands entirely. Everyone would get civil unions, and then if they chose to take the extra step of getting married, they can do so through their Church.
But it is imperative that we maintain equality between same sex couples and heterosexual couples. When Jesus dealt with sinners, whores, and thieves, did he not treat them as equals? Isn't that what allowed him to get through to them?
Calming Leftover Fears - The Children
The other major fear has to do with what our children will see and be taught with regards to homosexuality. We do not like the idea that schools and/or the media will be telling our children that homosexuality is okay and perfectly acceptable.
Before we go into ways to ease this fear, let us explore for a bit the root of it. When it comes to our children, we want nothing to corrupt them. We want the best for them. And because we are Christians, we want them to grow up with those same values, that they might find their way to God as well. But this leads us to be fearful of letting anything "unclean" touch them. We are afraid that the power of evil is too strong, too tempting, and that if our children are exposed, their weaker minds will be enveloped and there will be nothing we can do about it.
But children can smell our fear. And they react in one of two major ways. They either adopt the same fears, or they rebel against them and challenge them. As we discussed earlier, fear is not truth. Truth is Freedom. Some children sense this on a deep level...that the actions we take are spawned from fear, and so they reject any truth that they might express. Either we perpetuate the feeling of fear, or our children take their lives in a radically different direction in order to reject it.
There is a better way. Do not be afraid to talk to your children. Do not be afraid that they won't turn out how you want them to, or that their lives won't be as happy as the lives you imagine and want for them. Trust God. By working on your own inner state, you can better help them grow up in God's love.
If you adopt the frame of mind discussed in this essay, talking to your children about same sex marriage is not as confusing as many, including the National Organization for Marriage, have made it out to be. By showing your acceptance of it on a political level, you do not give off the same fear, and children are less likely to rebel. You can then explain to your child what I explained in this essay, that marriage for Christians is something even more deep and spiritual and religious than society's definition.
Should your child still grow up and choose to marry someone of the same sex, the other thing that legalizing same sex marriage will do to help you is that it will drastically change the homosexual community. With marriage and finding someone to love seen as the end goal of any life, even a homosexual one, your child will grow up seeing examples of gay men in loving, committed relationships. They will see gay women caring for each other and their children. If your child does end up to be homosexual, wouldn't you rather they choose this sort of life as opposed to one of promiscuity?
This brings me to another caveat to adopting a position free of fear. We must maintain a sort of "detachment" from the outcome. If your child does happen to be homosexual and to choose to marry someone of the same sex, you cannot take it personally. It may break your heart, but to force your child to deny what he feels is truth makes you look fearful and your child will not respond. To give your child a chance at Freedom, authenticity, and Truth...you must let him make his own choices.
Conclusion
In summary, the Christian life is about transforming ourselves and emulating Christ, who is God in human form. In order to become like God we must follow Freedom, authenticity, and Truth...and we must lay aside fear. It is difficult, and there is much resistance. The path is indeed narrow. It is hard to give up what we think keeps us safe. But to do so shows that we really do have Faith and Trust in God, that we are willing to let Him shape events and to adopt His perspective rather than merely our own. In our own struggle towards Freedom, we must surrender our fears about the paths of others and strive, by example, to be a light to the world, should they choose to see it or not.
*As you may have guessed, I am by no means conservative. I tried to adopt that perspective for the sake of the argument.
Not very well written. I wrote it really quick on a message board. But I figured I'd post it here anyway.
"My brother and I lately have been wondering about an American mythology. We were inspired by a talk Junot Diaz in which he talked about how Americans don't really look back on the past. The way he put it, and I'm paraphrasing, is that no one in Kansas ever really stops and asks themselves "Wait, why am I in Kansas? Where's the ocean?" The point stands. We don't look back on our past to guide us into the future, and my brother and I decided that it's because te past for America is nothing but racism, genocide and exploitation. Therefore, it's impossible to make a myth about the founding of America, since it's impossible to paint those events in a good light."
Good point. There's also the fact that we have inherited so many other mythic systems from the cultures out of which we were born. American is *literally* littered with shattered mythic systems. Just look at our advertising. Symbols abound, but they've lost their power and their meaning. Ideas and myths that once structured society lie in ruins all around us. And they are built into us, and they affect everything we do. But you're right, we don't look back. We don't look within either. We have so many fragments inside us, many of them outright conflicting. But because we don't look back and in, we assume that it all fits and works and we don't look at where it came from.
We're a jumbled conflicting mess. 
Maybe that's part of why we don't look back. It's too confusing, and it doesn't hold together. Maybe we're afraid to find out that it's all inconsistent? Or maybe we just don't care to know what's really motivating us and coloring our perception of ourselves?
"Therefore, the entire idea of an American Dream is just another way to keep people down. And not just minorities, but everyone, since it's not about oppression so much as it's about an illusion. Anyone can reach for the American Dream, but so few reach it. The ones that seem to embody it are idolized and are placed above others, so that others will try and reach that status. It all perpetuates itself and eventually we're caught in this dream from which we never have to wake up."
Yeah, I can't tell you how many people I heard coming out of movies like the Pursuit of Happyness saying see!? It *is* possible to rise up! We *don't* have to feel sorry for the homeless! They *could* do it if they wanted! He did!
Another huge aspect of the American Dream, I think, is our concept of individualism. I think it stems from our political and economic theories, and then when combined with our somewhat warped idea of freedom it becomes even stronger. Anyone who's studied American History has studied social contract theory. It's a thought experiment, but it seeps into our conceptions of ourselves and our relation to everyone else.
The idea is this. In a state of nature we are separate individuals. We choose to come together to form society because it is mutually beneficial. We maintain that we are separate self-interested individuals. And everything is constructed around this individualism. Then, add in the fact that American freedom is a freedom from obligation...so we tend to think of freedom as a state of being able to be separate and autonomous. We define liberty based on what we do *not* have.
This creeps into *every* aspect of our lives. Politically, we don't want anyone stepping on our toes...which is a good thing. But it's there in our personal lives too. We don't like relationships because of their obligations. It's too hard to make it work and it feels restrictive. We're always feeling like we're being limited and restricted and held back. We just want to escape. Get away. Take a vacation.
And I find this particularly interesting within religion. How do you reconcile this distinctively American notion of separateness and individualism with Christianity? Christianity is not about separateness, it's about interconnection and reliance and love. It's about accepting and *loving* the limits placed on us, not trying to escape them. It tells us that limitation is a blessing, and the only true way to join with God. But we are Americans. Limitation is the worst thing for us.
So how do these conflicting messages interact within us? Most of the time, being American wins. Christianity changes to fit the American ideal of hyper-individualism. We interpret Christianty through that lens. Everything bigger is better, and Christianity is an *escape* from limitation, not an embrace of it. Megachurches and commercialization abound. We think of the message of Christianity and how we can tailor it to appeal to as many people as possible. Grow, succeed, shed limitation. Feeling horrible? God is there and he will save you.
Why do you think American Christianity has so much emphasis on salvation and getting into heaven? We want escape from limitation, we want the American Dream. What better escape is there than telling people they don't have to worry about this life and all its pain? There's a better place where you'll be *free.* Even look at people's conceptions of what Heaven might look like. Oh it would be the same as earth, only you could have whatever you want. There wouldn't be pain or suffering, we'd be free of it! You could get back everything you lost in life, see all your family and friends, but you wouldn't have fights with them or feel obligated anymore because everything is perfect!
It's all an escape into separateness, independence. And it makes sense with American history, not just American politics. Isn't that what we sought when we wanted freedom from England? A freedom from obligation, a freedom to be self-determined.
The American Dream is an illusion, exactly how you say. But it eats at us in *every* area of our lives, like a poison. But we love it, because escape is so much easier than reality.
"It is no measure of health to be well-adjusted to a profoundly sick society."
[Note: the person I am quoting is Pete, view his blog here]
I just found a one page paper I wrote in college about Blue, I figured I'd put it up.
Thesis: In Blue, Julie regains hope through the people around her and
gains the most important kind of freedom.
After losing her husband and daughter in a terrible car crash, Julie
most wants to get away from everything she's known. She wants to be free
of everything; no attachments. However, what she wants "to avoid is
disappointment." [M. 55] She wants to be free to avoid being hurt again.
So she proceeds to cut herself off from everything and everyone, hiding in
her little apartment with only a blue glass lamp to remind her of the past.
Somehow, even though she's doing her best to cut herself off from
others, and perhaps from her own emotions, her connections come back to
her. The boy brings back the necklace, Oliver finds her at the coffee
shop, and she finds the woman who had been her husband's mistress. She
even unintentionally makes new connections, such as with the whore who
needed her help. These people seem to be even more determined to connect
with Julie precisely because she has locked herself away so tightly.
It is these connections that allow Julie to regain her hope. They
force her to deal with the finite and not to get lost inside the infinite
nothingness of solitude.
".hope is always associated with a communion, no matter how interior
it may be. This is actually so true that one wonders if despair and
solitude are not at bottom necessarily identical." [M 58]
The love that Oliver gives and the compassion that the prostitute shows
begin to open Julie up. The finite is again confronting her, but this time
not in the horrifying and limiting way that it did in the crash. However,
it is not until she gives in and loves them back that she begins to release
herself from the prison of complete freedom from the finite. She begins to
trust that the finite will lead her somewhere. She is able to regain her
compassion, and begins to love with an intensity that transcends facts.
She even loves the woman who had her husband's heart in her place.
It was said that Julie had been a kind and compassionate person before
the accident. Upon first glance it may seem that she has returned to her
being. She lost herself and is now found. But it is more than that. The
return is there, but there is something else that is entirely new. It is a
freedom, not from the finite things in life, but in them. It is a freedom
fueled by love; a freedom to give love to those around her, and in turn to
allow her to see paradise in the dust of the streets.
Not much that has been said before, but I figured I'd post it anyway.
The last line is a reference to Denise Levertov's poem, City Psalm.
Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
I've decided to make this post, even though we're not done with the book. There have been so many posts on it that I thought it would be helpful to get it going. :)
So, for posterity, here are the links to all of discussions we've had thus far on Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky.
General
Active Love - Zosima's talk with the woman of little faith.
Brief Comment on Alexei Fyodorvich
Jason identifies with Ivan's religious struggles.
Before-and-after shares her favorite parts of the book.
The Devil and Ivan Karamazov - Laura shares a video depiction of Ivan's conversation with the devil in his mind.
Love - A bit on love, doesn't relate directly to the book, but was inspired by it.
Professor Herbert Dreyfus’ lectures on Brothers Karamazov from the webcast for his class Existentialism in Literature and Film. Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3.1 - Part 3.2 - Part 4 - Conclusion
Can morality exist without God? Draconem posts a discussion about it.
Brothers Karamazov and Kierkegaard's Levels of Despair - Laura discusses how the characters in the book relate to Kierkegaard's conception of despair. (vox won't let me unbold this)
The Grand Inquisitor
Utterly Humbled By Mystery - "How strange that the very word "faith" has come to mean its exact opposite."
Jesus' Ways vs. Worldly Ways - Huston Smith helps us understand the Grand Inquisitor (This link may be broken)
Only We Who Guard the Mystery Will Be Unhappy - A scene from a play by Tony Kushner that discusses the Grand Inquisitor
Summary of the chapter, and a discussion on the role of Jesuits in the Spanish Inquisition
Deliver Us From Evil - A discussion about the documentary of Catholic molestation scandal and the response of different denominations to scandal in general. Relates directly to the two sides of the discussion in the Grand Inquisitor.
Charles B. Guinon's take - Part 1 - Part 2 - Laura summarizes Guinon's interpretation of The Grand Inquisitor, and gives insight into the historical context surrounding it and Dostoevsky's intentions regarding it.
Not Cut Out For Religion - A modern day Grand Inquisitor using spoken word poetry to talk about the commercialization of religion.
