CJ is learning about the Old Testament in Religion Class. He learned this week about Moses going to the mountain and God speaking to him from the burning bush. Surely, Moses needed to get away from the noise...and perhaps the insanity of humanity is what led him to go along with the fact a bush was talking to him. Like, "Okay, this must be the final straw before I crack, I'm talking to a bush on fire." The reality is, God needed to be present in a dramatic way to get attention.
I find that sad. Why does God need to be dramatic to get our attention. How do we fail to find God in the everyday life? The beauty a new season, the sound of the rain, the eyes of a child, the smells and sights of a church...instead we are so accustom to noise that the subtle ways get ignored. We think we need noise.
But this noise distracts us from the truth, also known as God. With the elections coming up we've all been living with noise. You know the kind--the television ads, the watercooler talks, Fox News, Chris Matthews crazy rants, celebrities, church leaders, lay people, automatic phone calls. What can you really believe? Do you really believe what you think you do? How can you believe anything with SO MUCH NOISE!
As I prepare for the upcoming election, I've been determined that I will be voting on morals alone and will leave money out of the equation. Problem is, I can't. Not because I don't have the balls to do it, but because neither side possesses my morals completely.
So, I'll break down the noise in my head and share with you, "what I'm thinking:"
- Religious freedom is VERY important to me. I do not want a government that simply views us "religious folk" as the minority and completely disregard deeply held religious beliefs. I am very upset about the HHS mandate. And as a woman, I do not believe this is about women's health at all. What's healthy is to not put any chemicals in our body whatsoever, regardless of religious belief. What's healthy for a woman is to be in a caring, loving relationship with someone that, should she become pregnant, is man enough to love and support her and his child. It is not healthy to alter our bodies that were perfectly functioning before for the sake of wanting sex on demand. I want to eat boston cream donuts whenever I want, but I know I have to refrain or else I'm going to die of congested heart failure. Too bad there isn't a pill that allows me to eat donuts without getting fat and heart disease. Right? Silly argument you say? Just eat them in moderation? Don't eat them whenever I feel like it? The point I'm trying to make is religions have specific reasons for not believing in birth control, abortions and sterilizations, And those reasons are not to be judgemental and prudish...the reasons are to protect women and men alike, both which are affected by the decisions. I'm not saying outlaw them, I'm saying, don't force people who don't believe in them to pay for them for people. That's like forcing the Heart Association to pay for my cholestorol drugs for I can eat as many donuts as I want. What? They would just tell me to quit eating the freaking donuts, it's not their problem.
- On this issue, my vote goes to Romney
- Giving Preferential Option to the Poor/Weakest in our Society. Regardless if we're American or not, taking care of the least in our society is the human thing to do. It's not about being the richest country in the world (can we still claim this?) or sharing our blessings. It's about our call as humans to help those who cannot help themselves. We have elderly citizens living on social security and still not being able to afford their medicine, groceries, etc. They can't afford the tax increases, the price increases, etc. We have single moms who are trying to work (because you know, get a job you lazy bum) only to find that their food benefits for the family have been cut in half and she can no longer feed her family, therefore needing to go to pantry's to make up the difference. The job only made things worse. We have addicts that have been driven to live on the streets with untreated mental illnesses that need food, shelter, clothes, love. The fastest growing poverty population in the US is the suburbs. We have families who are spending their entire retirement while trying to find another job and hiding from their friends and family how bad off they are. And, they do not qualify for any assistance. We need social services and money to fund them. On this issue, my vote goes to Obama. HOWEVER: I also believe the weakest in our society is also the unborn children in their mothers wombs who cannot speak for themselves. Should they be lucky enough to be given a live birth, they have rights--but have absolutely no rights during gestation. That's a shame. And, it's even more a shame the father has no rights either. I am a woman. I get it's a woman's body. Trust me, I get it. But, "getting rid of the problem" is often because the woman is embarrassed or can't afford the baby, not the right time, young, etc. I do completely empathize with this situation. I really, really do. We've got to make some other options available to these mothers. We've got to make it completely awesome that she would choose to bring life into the world and give another family happiness who can't have babies or who want to adopt another child. There are loving people waiting to hold these little ones. Can we make adoption cool, hip? What if Angelina Jolie started a trend, I don't know. Can we, as a society, embrace the unprepared mother and give her help and guidance and not judge her for having unprotected sex before she was ready? It happens. Like, to almost everyone. So, my vote goes to NO ONE because both sides are absolute on pro-life/pro-choice without bringing about discussions for alternate options.
- The Economy-neither knows what their talking about. Really, it's sad. This is the best we can do with all the supposedly intelligence we have in this country? Oh, I forgot, it's politics, we don't listen to rationale. My vote: Both have losing plans.
- The Environment-Obama seems to have a better sense on this one.
- National Security-Again, both seem ill-prepared. But, I have little confidence in Obama for this one because he has sold us down the river a few times to foreign dignataries. It's like finding out your mom was talking bad about you to her friends. "What the hell mom, you're suppose to have my back--you're my mom--don't talk about me." Yeah, like that Obama. Quit talking trash about us to people. That sucks.
Okay, just typing all this has created more noise. I think I need to go to a mountain and talk to God. I need to hear him and drown out all these conflicting messages. Mainly, I pray for God's wisdom and protection of this country...one I fear is increasingly being forsaken.
