Legitimate Rape and Ignorance

I pulled this image off of Being Liberal's Facebook Page.  Notice how they are all men commenting on rape.  I can't believe these were said.  Women's bodies go through a biological process each month, we ovulate, we menstruate.  If it is "legitimate" rape, according to these Republicans women will not get pregnant because we can control these.  If this is the case, then why can't I wish my period away until I want to get pregnant?  I've tried wishing with all my might that my period would go away until I actually want it back, it isn't like it is pleasant to receive.  Ugh.  These people are ignorant about women, their bodies, biology, life, compassion, and so much more.  If all these people all took a long walk off a short cliff, I certainly wouldn't mind the disappearance of these guys.

First, it is a woman's fault if she gets raped because she dressed with a little cleavage showing or she's in high heels, and we all know what that means:  Please mount me, with or without my permission, oh please.  Ignore me if I say no and please, rape me.  Morons.  And now, because they are desperate to try to try to get abortions looked at as negatively as possible, they are turning toward this load of crap that if anyone has even an ounce of knowledge about women and biology they would know this is rubbish.  I'm not saying that women should use abortion as a means of birth control, but I do think that it is their body and they have a right to decide.  We already have too many children in foster care and too many children being abused by parents who never wanted them.  I guess I'd much rather see them at peace than having to live a life that they are abandoned or abused.  Also, it isn't like these people really care about the children.  As soon as they are born, they want to eliminate any government help to them and their families.

All I can say is that come this election, if majority votes for Republicans, it will be a sad day for the United States of America.  I will be very disappointed in my fellow citizens and wonder how many could be so ignorant of the selfishness and ignorance of this party.  It is time to overthrow the extreme Republican party and get a different one, one that is more middle of the road.  The 1% richest people can vote for them, and I would understand those votes.  Republicans look out for the rich, no one else.  Everyone else who votes for them, there is absolutely no excuse for you and your stupidity.

*Kristen

Video and commandments...

http://www.upworthy.com/every-biblical-argument-against-being-gay-debunked-biblically?c=bl3

A link to a great video (Every Biblical Argument Against Being Gay, Debunked Biblically, Matthew Vines).  It is fairly long but definitely worth viewing.  This goes along with most of my previous blogs....Vines also has a facebook page you can like: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Matthew-Vines/409201242470903 and website: http://matthewvines.com/

This is just something to think about, if you know of anyone or if you are someone who is very....traditional or conservative then please listen.  What do you have to lose?  You get to hear a counterargument, thus making you more informed - how can this be a bad thing?  I do feel bad that he has to defend himself, defend himself for something he can't choose.  I do believe that we should interpret the Bible through a contemporary eye and choose which pieces still are applicable in today's society.




More to think about that is my opinion:
Let's look at a couple of of the commandments:
1. “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me."
 2. “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My Commandments.
 3."You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain."
4. "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.  Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it."
 5. "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you."
 6. "Thou shall not murder."
 7. "You shall not commit adultery."
8. "You shall not steal."
9. "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor."
10. “You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's.”

***Cliff notes version: Put God first, worship God only, use God's name with respect, remember God's Sabbath, Respect your parents, do not hurt other people, be faithful in marriage, do not steal, do not lie, do not be envious of others.

How many people actually put God first?  There are a lot of "homophobic" people out there that use the Bible as some sort of shield, but how much of their day is devoted to God and putting everything He has "said" first?

If asked this question: If you were forced to live on a deserted island and you have the option of bringing one or even two or, heck, even three of your possessions along with you, how many people would say "My Bible!"?  No, it is because we live in a society, even though many pretend we do not or that they are not guilty of this, that worships material possessions.  So one can pretend to be oh-so-religious, but they'd probably try to bring along their iPod because they bought the new version that just came out for a lot of money even though their old one worked just fine.

Just the other day I heard someone use the Lord's name in vain, people do it several times a day.  We even read (and most laugh) at jokes that do it. Why is this, one of the 10 commandments not important to people today, yet homosexuality (not listed in the 10 commandments by the way) is important to shun people?

Sabbath....how many people do absolutely NO WORK on Sabbath?  I don't know about you, but my week is busy....when else am I going to clean my apartment?  I am definitely NOT the only one who does a little bit of work on Sabbath.

Respect your parents...if you are a parent, how respectful are your kids to you?  Do they listen with their undivided attention?  Need I say more?  I have seen kids scream at their parents, acting spoiled rotten.  Some kids do need to be spanked or punished, and if you disagree, then don't do it to your kid!  Ugh.  Backseat parenting annoys the crap out of me.  Make the kids work for something in their lives, if you hand them everything, they will not respect you, your hard work, your money, or the thing(s) you just bought them. Or if you aren't a parent, how many times to walk into a store and see kids screaming their heads off because their parents said "no"?

We do punish people for murder and stealing, but check out the prisons - overcrowding because people do this often.  A lot of these people are Christians....

People lie everyday, many several times a day....we tell little white lies, some to try to protect our friends or whatnot, but bottom line is it is still a lie.  We deem these okay because we have to justify to ourselves someone would get hurt.  Murderers and thieves lie to stay out of prison, usually.  Big fat lie = lie, little white lie = lie.  However, I do not advocate for someone to be so brutally honest with someone that it harms them in anyway, mentally, emotionally, or physically.  I think this is where interpretation comes in: I think God will judge you in the end how you treated others, were you kind? or did you judge them and shun them?  Because I am fairly certain that a kind person who doesn't necessarily go to church every Sunday, tells a few lies here and there to avoid hurting someone and is homosexual will make their way to Heaven before someone who lies about their lifestyle, is mean to people because of their race, sexual orientation, gender, etc but goes to church all the time, remember, if you believe in God, then you also believe you can't keep secrets from him.  Your life is an open book to Him. 

How many people do you know who have had an affair?  How many people do you know who don't leave their eyes lingering on an attractive someone who is not their significant other?  This happens all the time...the same political people who say homosexuals are bad or wrong are probably married but have someone on the side.

How many people have envied another?  People kill over jealousy.  Grass is always greener, people.

The 10 commandments merely offer a guideline of how to live.  We, ultimately make the choice of whether or not to listen to them.  For those who think being black, a woman, and/or homosexual is wrong, it is a choice to believe it is wrong, however, you should seriously consider this: those people didn't have a choice to be born that way.

*Kristen

Wipe Out Homophobia

I wanted to share this facebook and webpage of Wipe Out Homophobia.   If you are not already familiar with this facebook page, it offers a supportive community and believes that everyone should have equal rights.  Gay, straight, bisexual, etc. you are welcome here,  Their site offers more information about the fight for rights.  It speaks about hate crimes committed against people just because of their sexual orientation, just because of a single difference.

If you are open to differences and believe all have the right to be considered equal, then I praise your tolerance.  If you are not, I do not know your reasons, however, I ask that you consider this: if it were your family that were being targeted for a single difference, if it were your family receiving threats or having people chase down your children, or worse, would you think any different?  I am not saying you have to like the idea of being homosexual or having a different sexual orientation, but I am saying that everyone should respect others.  Everyone should respect that other people have a right to live their lives that allow them to pursue happiness for themselves and for their families, so long as their pursuit to happiness doesn't harm others.  Being homosexual doesn't cause harm to others, it doesn't break marriages apart, it doesn't cause hate, homosexual relationships don't harm children, or anything else.  Divorce rates are already high in this country, we could do with a little more love, not hate. 

A person's differences do not make them any less human.  They have a heart, they have dreams, don't take away their lives or dreams because you can't understand why they are different.  Just accept that they are and move forward with your own life as they move forward with theirs.  Everyone is different, don't lose sleep over it.  Instead, walk a mile in their shoes.  Look at this organization, hear what they have to say, hear alternative view points, etc. or just find a supportive community that you would like join.

https://www.facebook.com/WHOF1?ref=ts
http://www.wipeouthomophobia.com/

*Kristen

Opportunities

In June, I had the opportunity to visit Mexico City and Cuba with an art history class, attending the Havana Biennial.  We were in Mexico City for the first few days and then in Cuba for the rest.  It was an amazing experience, as it always is and will be to travel where customs and beliefs differ from your own.  Don’t fear differences but embrace them.  If we were all the same, we couldn’t teach each other anything and it would be a pretty boring world.

I wanted to share a couple of photos of the trip, these were both taken in Cuba.  One was taken on the most amazing day.  We traveled into the country, away from Havana’s tourism.  We stopped at a quaint little fruit stand on our way to see a mural and a cave.  Our group was supposed to eat at a more tourist-approved restaurant later, but the family was awesome.  Across from the fruit stand (which had the most amazing mango and pineapple and now fruit in the U.S. just disappoints me) was their home where they also had a restaurant.  Unanimous decision: stay and eat at this family’s restaurant.  Most awesome decision ever made.  J  It was peaceful, and they treated us like family even though we were basically tourists.  One of them began playing his guitar for us.  They did improv as well as traditional songs.  We stayed there for so long, we just didn’t want to leave.  The food was incredible, and we had freshly squeezed fruit juice.  We sang along with them and just hung out until our tour guides told us we really had to get going.  I will never forget this day. 

The other picture was taken when we had some free time and went to the beach.  I believe this was the day that one of our group members placed a dead fish under our professor’s things while he was swimming.  J  Professor = unimpressed, but he got his revenge.  The same member of the group also climbed a coconut tree while at the beach….he didn’t actually get a coconut off the tree, but the family nearby who gave him the inspiration gave him a couple.  I think they were impressed that a tourist would even attempt climbing the tree.

*Kristen

A lot of questions...

Though there are a lot of questions regarding this letter and it is actually pretty old...written in 2000, I believe, I think the letter on this site speaks to our critical thinking abilities. It also brings up the idea that we should accept that times change. It also begs the question of why some people choose to use the Bible as a means to define what should/should not be accepted today, should we go through the Bible and pick and choose excerpts that are convenient for us as well as when we deem them convenient for us? We can't say some of the statements in the Bible (or any one source) are "etched in stone" and should be equivalent to the law (also, please remember separation of church and state at this time) and discard other statements/suggestions.

Found the letter here: http://www.snopes.com/politics/religion/drlaura.asp

Dear Dr. Laura,

Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God's law. I have learned a great deal from you, and I try to share that knowledge with as many people as I can. When someone tries to defend the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind him that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination. End of debate.

I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some of the specific laws and how to best follow them.

a) When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord (Lev. 1:9). The problem is my neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. How should I deal with this?

b) I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as it suggests in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her?

c) I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of menstrual uncleanliness (Lev. 15:19-24). The problem is, how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offense.

d) Lev. 25:44 states that I may buy slaves from the nations that are around us. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans but not Canadians. Can you clarify?

e) I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself?

f)A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an abomination (Lev. 10:10), it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I don't agree. Can you settle this?

g) Lev. 20:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle room here

h) Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev 19:27.  How should they die?

i) I know from Lev 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?

j) My uncle has a farm.  He violates Lev 19:19 by planting two different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of two different kinds of threat (cotton/polyester blend).  he also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot.  Is it really necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole two together to stone them?  (Lev 24:10-16) Couldn't we just burn them to death at a private family affair like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws? (Lev. 20:14)

I know you have studied these things extensively, so I am confident you can help.

Thank you again for reminding us that God's word is eternal and unchanging.

Your devoted disciple and adoring fan.

*Kristen

Human Rights

I guess I have been thinking more and more about our nation’s history and about historical figures, specifically about Martin Luther King Jr’s I Have a Dream Speech: “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” We see the same judgments being made today, only this time it is about gender and sexual orientation. This is not an attack against religious people, for everyone in this country has the freedom to choose their own religion (and might I add, some people disagree with this law, but it is still a law). It just breaks my heart that people decide they have the right to consider themselves superior to another because of differences.

During Martin Luther King Jr’s time, just because a person’s skin was darker than another’s skin tone, this made it acceptable to treat them as though they were not human, as though they did not have feelings, as though they didn’t have dreams. Until 1920, women fought for their right to vote, to be seen as equal enough to men to be able to have a political say in their future and their country’s future. And, yet, 92 years later, we are still fighting to be 100% equal to white men. Almost 100 years later after being granted the right to vote, we still have a male dominated Congress who spend a fair amount of time talking about whether or not women have the right to decide for themselves whether an abortion is appropriate for their circumstances or whether they need birth control or if birth control is even a right to have regarding their health. I guess men just have so much experience being women that they know what is best for those with vaginas, huh? Throughout history, there have been questions as to whether or not people who have a dominant left hand should be fixed as well. Lefties would have their left hands tied behind their back during school to force them to write with the “correct” hand. Being chastised or discriminated against because genetics won, in each of these cases. One doesn’t choose to be born black or white, or a man or a woman or left handed or right handed. One also doesn’t choose to be homosexual or heterosexual.

And though we still are not rid of our prejudices we have fought against in the past., today, we find ourselves in that same situation; except it isn’t a person’s skin color that makes one inferior it is their sexual orientation.

Why do we continue to allow history to repeat itself? Don’t we, as human, have the ability to adapt and to learn from our past mistakes? In the past we were able to see, unfortunately, after a lot of pain and suffering, that some beliefs were mistaken. How long before we see them now? Will we ever allow ourselves to truly see others as 100% equal with ourselves, or will we always deem ourselves superior and stomp on those around us? When will we walk beside each other as friends, or as equals? Will those who say a particular sexual orientation is wrong, consider this: the Declaration of Independence states life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are basic human rights. If marrying someone is part the journey it takes to get to that person’s happiness, then it is a basic human right, whether it is a man marrying a woman, a man marrying a man, a woman marrying a man, etc.

Everyone needs to stand up and fight for everyone’s rights. You never know when your rights will be the next to be questioned. I have friends and family who are homosexual, bisexual, transgender, and “normal” a.k.a heterosexual. I love them all. I will fight for their rights as if they were my own, as should everyone else.

*Kristen