Have you noticed that there is a widespread view that the country is “on the wrong track.” Political candidates, TV commentators, newspaper pundits and preachers in various churches seem to be of a common mind on that. The Secret Service scandal, Walmart’s bribery in Mexico and beyond, “flash mobs” in department stores, the Navy captain providing pornographic movies to his crew, an $800,000 weekend meeting of the General Service Administration, an agency that is supposed to shepherd our financial resources, violation of corpses in Afghanistan, etc., etc., etc. None of these problems are new; none of them particularly original for this period. What is different is that these very discouraging modes of operation are more easily tolerated than was ever the case in the past. Most of us are saddened by it, most of us regret these activities but most of us feel that there is little that we can do about it. Is that the case?
Our culture, if you can call it that, is the first one in human history that has denied itself the right to pass on responsibility to the next generation its own set of values.
Not only does that lack of religious values add to the criminal activity I mentioned above, but it is one of the underlying causes of so many other agonizing human problems from which we are suffering in this country. Shattered marriages, all too many immature, irresponsible adults, alcoholism and drug addiction, lack of commitment to education and a host of other tragic let downs that mark our society, our families and our individual lives.
Why not try something new? Religious formation. Some of the churches have sizable school systems and most churches have Sunday school, but they tend to concentrate on the religious teachings of that particular church. The U.S. Supreme Court continues to feel that any religious formation in the public school system is a violation of the Constitution. What a tragic mistake.
Not only are the American people blocked from using its enormous educational system from transferring moral values in any realistic way, but the court has actually worked against outside groups, such as churches and synagogues to reach its students. Several decades ago, serious efforts were made in areas such as “released time” and other efforts to provide religious instruction to public school students, but it was always rejected by the Court. The vast majority of American people hold that religious values are extraordinarily important and they ought to be imported to each new generation as effectively as possible. Can anybody imagine teaching math and science one hour a week after school? If only half our students attended those voluntary classes, can you imagine the destructive effects on their education? Well, that is what we are doing with religious values and we are paying for it.
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Ecumenical, Humanity
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alcoholism, Culture, drug addiction, humanity, irresponsible adults, marriage, mistake, moral responsibility, Religious education, Religious formation, religious values, responsibility
Over the last 100 years, there has been a strong tie between American Catholic citizens and the Democratic Party. Catholic immigrants, sensed early that union membership would help them to progress economically, and the democratic party was a strong supporter of unions. This informal alliance was only natural. In other important areas, such as racial relations, opposition to the death penalty, and health care for all, that bond only strengthened. However, roughly 20 years ago, a real rift has developed. The Democratic party in its national platforms, has consistently espoused a women’s right to choose, while the Republican party has decided to take a powerful anti-abortion stance. For many Catholic democrats, this has created a very real tension. They like so much about what the party has accomplished since the 1920′s, yet they cannot see themselves as being on the side of a group that takes a pro-abortion stance.
Nevertheless, many Democrats stayed with the party, and started their own group- the pro-life Democrats. Now, however, a new situation has developed that makes it even more difficult for Catholics. The recently enacted legislation for national health care had a great deal of Roman Catholic support, but very real problems are presenting themselves as the regulations are developed. There is an old saying in politics, “the devil is in the regs”…
The Obama administration is directing that all hospitals, social service entities, clinics, etc., that provide health insurance to their employees must cover contraception and abortion. The Catholic Bishops have repeatedly urged the administration to grant an exclusion for entities in this country that find this policy morally objectionable and immoral. As of this date, the administration has refused.
25% of the electorate in this country is Roman Catholic. I think that the Democrats are making a very bad political judgement, and, from my Catholic prospective, an even worse moral judgement.
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The United States of America has been a functioning democracy since late in the 18th century. Being a democracy, its people (utilizing our complex governmental structures) ultimately make the decision on how our limited resources will be utilized. Currently, the various forces in Congress are struggling over the national budget. Those who have the most votes will win on various individual issues and the total budget itself.
In my opinion, the House, which is naturally vitally concerned about the size of budget deficits, has just made a very sad decision, a mistaken decision! The United States is involved in two wars simultaneously and the threats of conflagration in other parts of the world are all too obvious. The House Finance Committee has voted to suppress the small budget of the U.S. Institute for Peace. The Institute’s budget was roughly equivalent to what we spend each morning to wage war in Afghanistan.
Something is certainly wrong with our priorities. We don’t bat an eye spending billions and even trillions of dollars to wage war but this small structure, which is aimed at making peace in various conflicted situations around the world, was cut to zero. For me, the Institute for Peace was more symbolic. It represented the fact that the United States, although it has been at war for most of the last 30 years, is really interested in peace and is willing to hire peacemakers and place them in conflicted situations around the world. That has been our position since the mid-1980’s when the Institute was set up at the height of the Cold War. It is now closing down! What a pity. How sad.
Onward through the fog.
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How can you tell an Irishman has Alzheimer’s? He forgets everything but the grudges!
Yes, I know it’s a poor joke, but it does bring up the subject of grudges and I want to say a word or two about this topic. All of us are willing to admit that we all make mistakes. Implicit in that oft repeated statement is the willingness of the speaker to point out that he should be forgiven for his recent mistake, because, after all, he is only human, right? Have you ever noticed that many of us are not quite as easy in forgiving the mistakes of those around us as we are those which we have made ourselves? Again, that’s human, natural, and extraordinarily common. That does not, however, make it right.
Make the world a brighter place! Make the day a happy blessing.
LET GO of your grudges!
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Themocracy