Moral Side

The Moral Side of the News - Topic for Sunday, May 13, 2012 - President Obama Supports Same-Sex Marriage

TOPIC: President Obama Affirms His Support for Same Sex Marriage

President Obama today announced that he now supports same-sex marriage, reversing his longstanding opposition amid growing pressure from the Democratic base and even his own vice president.  In an interview with ABC News’ Robin Roberts, the president described his thought process as an “evolution” that led him to this place, based on conversations with his own staff members, openly gay and lesbian service members, and conversations with his wife and own daughters.  "I have to tell you that over the course of several years as I have talked to friends and family and neighbors when I think about members of my own staff who are in incredibly committed monogamous relationships, same-sex relationships, who are raising kids together, when I think about those soldiers or airmen or Marines or sailors who are out there fighting on my behalf and yet feel constrained, even now that Don't Ask Don't Tell is gone, because they are not able to commit themselves in a marriage, at a certain point I’ve just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same sex couples should be able to get married,” Obama told Roberts, in an interview to appear on ABC’s “Good Morning America” Thursday. Excerpts of the interview will air tonight on ABC’s “World News with Diane Sawyer.”

The President stressed that this is a personal position, and that he still supports the concept of states deciding the issue on their own. But he said he’s confident that more Americans will grow comfortable with gays and lesbians getting married, citing his own daughters’ comfort with the concept.  “It’s interesting, some of this is also generational,” the president continued. “You know when I go to college campuses, sometimes I talk to college Republicans who think that I have terrible policies on the economy, on foreign policy, but are very clear that when it comes to same sex equality or, you know, sexual orientation that they believe in equality. They are much more comfortable with it. You know, Malia and Sasha, they have friends whose parents are same-sex couples. There have been times where Michelle and I have been sitting around the dinner table and we’re talking about their friends and their parents and Malia and Sasha, it wouldn’t dawn on them that somehow their friends’ parents would be treated differently. It doesn’t make sense to them and frankly, that’s the kind of thing that prompts a change in perspective.”

Roberts asked the president if First Lady Michelle Obama was involved in this decision. Obama said she was, and he talked specifically about his own faith in responding.  “This is something that, you know, we’ve talked about over the years and she, you know, she feels the same way, she feels the same way that I do. And that is that, in the end the values that I care most deeply about and she cares most deeply about is how we treat other people and, you know, I, you know, we are both practicing Christians and obviously this position may be considered to put us at odds with the views of others but, you know, when we think about our faith, the thing at root that we think about is, not only Christ sacrificing himself on our behalf, but it’s also the Golden Rule, you know, treat others the way you would want to be treated. And I think that’s what we try to impart to our kids and that’s what motivates me as president and I figure the most consistent I can be in being true to those precepts, the better I’ll be as a as a dad and a husband and hopefully the better I’ll be as president.”

Previously, Obama has moved in the direction of supporting same-sex marriage but has consistently stopped short of outright backing it.  Instead, he’s voiced support for civil unions for gay and lesbian couples that provide the rights and benefits enjoyed by married couples, though not defined as “marriage.” At the same time, the president has opposed efforts to ban gay marriage at the state level, saying that he did not favor attempts to strip rights away from gay and lesbian couples.

CONTINUE READING: http://gma.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/president-obama-affirms-his-support-for-same-sex-marriage.html

QUESTION: What are your thoughts on the President’s announcement?

"The Moral Side of the News" Topics for Sunday, November 20, 2011

The topics for "The Moral Side of the News" to be broadcast on Sunday, November 20, 2011, are found below.  You may comment if you like.

The program is broadcast on WHAS-TV on Sundays at 5:30pm and on the FAITH CHANNEL in Louisville via Insight at 12:00nn on Sunday.  On radio the program is broadcast on several Louisville stations on Sunday morning at 7:00am or 7:30am; and on Sunday evening on WHAS 840AM radio at 9:30pm.

TOPIC 1

Retail Employees, Shoppers Fight Black Thursday Openings

While many Americans are eager to take advantage of Black Thursday and Black Friday sales, Target employee Anthony Hardwick would rather spend time with his family and started a petition to urge his employer and its competitors to stay closed on turkey day.

Hardwick's petition on Change.org has about 100,000 signatures requesting Target open its doors at 5 a.m. on the day after Thanksgiving rather than at midnight, which requires Hardwick, 29, and other employees to get to work at 11 p.m. Target announced it would stay open from midnight to 11 p.m. on Black Friday.

"A full holiday with family is not just for the elite of this nation -- all Americans should be able to break bread with loved ones and get a good night's rest on Thanksgiving!" he wrote in the petition. "Join me in calling for Target retail stores to push back their original opening time of 5am on Black Friday."

Molly Snyder, a spokeswoman for Target, said Hardwick has never been scheduled to work on Thanksgiving or Black Friday. In early November, he informed his managers that he was scheduled to work at his other job on Black Friday and indicated that he needed the day off from Target, she said.

"We honored that request," she said in an email to ABC News. "Target does our best to work around the schedules of all of our team members, making every effort to accommodate their requests."

She added that Target will offer holiday pay to all hourly "team members" who work on Thanksgiving Day.

"Black Friday is one of the busiest and most competitive shopping days of the year," she said. "We have heard from our guests that they want to shop Target following their Thanksgiving celebrations rather than only having the option of getting up in the middle of the night. By opening at midnight, we are making it easier than ever to deliver on our guests wants and needs."

Hardwick said it was "bologna" that retail employees could not work on Black Friday if they choose.

"No one in retail requests Black Friday off and gets it. It's a blacked out date," he said.

Hardwick said he did not request Black Friday off and if his employer called to request that he work that day, he would comply "and not let my team members down."

When asked why he was not required to work on Black Friday, Hardwick said, "I guess if you start a petition and raise a national media stink" he made clear his preference.

"I didn't start this for my own personal gain," he said. "I started it for my team members and retail employees around the country."

Other stores have one-upped the midnight opening time. Toys "R" Us will open at 9 p.m. on Thanksgiving night for the first time, the retailer announced on Monday. Walmart announced earlier this month its stores will open at 10 p.m.

Meanwhile, Best Buy, Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic, Macy's, Kohl's and Target are embracing a midnight schedule.

WATCH STORY: http://abcnews.go.com/Business/target-retail-employees-fight-thanksgiving-openings/story?id=14963563

QUESTION: What are your thoughts on this?

 

TOPIC 2

White House Shooting Suspect Arrested

A 21-year-old Idaho man suspected of firing a semi-automatic rifle at the White House was arrested today, authorities said.

"On Wednesday afternoon at approximately 12:35 p.m. EST, based on information generated by Secret Service agents from the Pittsburgh Field Office, Pennsylvania State Police Troop A located and arrested Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez at a hotel near Indiana, Pa.," according to a statement from Secret Service Special Agent in Charge Edwin Donovan.

Donovan said that Ortega-Hernandez was in the custody of Pennsylvania State Police after being found at a Hampton Inn.

The Secret Service fanned out across the country, coordinating with local law enforcement to find the shooter. The agency said that it had received information that Ortega-Hernandez was using certain hotels during his travels.

This morning, a hotel employee reportedly recognized the suspect from photos distributed by the Secret Service and contacted the agency.

The Secret Service said Tuesday that it suspected that a bullet fired in the shooting incident Friday may have hit the White House after a round was found in a window. The agency said they feared the suspect in the incident might be a threat to President Obama.

The round was stopped by ballistic glass behind the historic exterior glass, while an additional round was found on the exterior of the White House.

Police believe Ortega-Hernandez is mentally ill. He has an extensive record, ranging from domestic violence to drug charges. Sources say a police investigation uncovered evidence suggesting Ortega-Hernandez has a fixation on the White House.

At 9:30 p.m. Friday, police received reports of shots fired in the bustling area of 16th Street and Constitution Avenue

Authorities later found a car in the area. The suspect had fled, but what police discovered inside the vehicle left them deeply concerned: an assault-style rifle and empty shell casings.

Police linked the car to Ortega-Hernandez and started searching for him.

Authorities suspect Ortega-Hernandez had been in the area for weeks, coming back and forth to the Washington Mall. Before the shooting, he was detained by local police at an abandoned house. U.S. Park police say Ortega may have spent time with Occupy D.C. protesters.

Obama, who is currently on a visit to Australia, was not present at the White House at the time of the incident, and has been out of town for the last week.

WATCH STORY: http://abcnews.go.com/US/white-house-shooting-suspect-ramiro-ortega-hernandez-arrested/story?id=14966099#.TsQPuD0k6dA

QUESTION: What are your thoughts on this?

Top Five Issues for 2011

What are the issues facing our communities, nation, and world in 2011.  I have identified five areas that shall be at the forefront in 2011.  The overarching theme for these five issues is the continuing assault on Western culture, values, and democracy.  I welcome your comments.

1. The Assault on the Foundational Values of the American Nation.  The values of the American Nation are threefold:  "Liberty," "E Pluribus Unum," and "In God We Trust."  If these sound familiar, they are printed on our coins.  These values are under assault.  Liberty, or equality of opportunity, is being replaced as a primary value by Equality, or the guaranteed equal outcome.  E Pluribus Unum (out of many, one), is being replaced by political correctness and divisive diversity.  In God We Trust, or faith in God, is being replaced by trust in government and an anything-goes I-can-co-what-I-want approach to morality.  Issues within this general area will be family, abortion, protection of children, education, marriage, drug-abuse, and religion in society.
2. The Conflict with Middle Eastern Fascism and Asian Communism.  Western Democracy has always opposed and been in conflict with systems that enslave and diminish human beings.  Western Democracy has defeated European Imperialism, European Fascism, European Communism, and Middle Eastern Imperialism in the Twentieth Century.  The conflicts for 2011 and for the Twenty-First Century are Middle Eastern Fascism (e.g., Iran), Asian Fascism (North Korea), and Asian Communism (China).
3. Border Security and Related Issues.  Illegal immigration, the smuggling of drugs and human beings across the border, protection against terrorists, cyber-terrorism, nuclear proliferation, and the current administrations lethargic and clumbsy response to these problems are a major area of concern for 2011.  One of the primary tasks of the federal government is protection of its citizens.
4. Economic Strains in the US and Western Europe.  This area includes the collapse of Western European socialism.  In the US there are the continuing conflicts over health care, taxation, national and individual debt, unemployment, and bailouts of large companies and state and local governments.  The uncertainties of the housing and financial markets are adding to the problems.  No longer will we be able to assume (or hope) that governments will be able to take care of every problem.
5. Transformation of the Christian Church.  I list this area of interest not because it is the least.  Indeed, it is the most significant, but will occur over a long period of time.  I list it last because it is something we can see God at work and join Him.  It is the NewReformation.  Mainline denominations (including Roman Catholicism) are collapsing under the weight of their bureaucracies.  Those organizations who focus on survival of the institution instead of continuation of the mission are fading.  Just as the Reformation of the 1500s and 1600s brought new life and new understanding of the Church and was fueled by new technology (the printing press); so too will this New Reformation bring new life and new understanding fueled by the Internet.  Denominational "brand names" will become less important.  The focus will shift from social issues to witnessing.  Organizations and ministry will become decentralized and local.  Mid-sized churches will disappear.  Small fellowships, para-church organizations, and mega-churches with satellites (mini-denominations) will flourish.

The Moral Side of the News (March 28, 2010) - Health Care Insurance

The panel of clergy discussed the Health Care Insurance bill that passed the House of Representatives on Sunday, March 21, with a vote of 219-212.  With all of the mourning of a lack of bipartisan consensus, it should be noted that the "Nay" vote was bi-partisan.

There are many concerns I have about what is now the law of the land.  It improves the health of no person.  It does not improve health care, nor does it improve access to health care.  It does not lower the cost of health care.  What the new law produces is unfunded state and individual mandates.  Health insurance companies will now become "utlilities."  Both state and federal taxes shall increase.  Individual will be required to purchase a product.  Employers will find the cost of labor will increase - and thereby, lower employment.

The insolvency of Medicare is not fixed.  Medicare "savings" that were counted to help pay for the bill are not put back into Medicare, but used to create a new entitlement.

Of course, everyone knows by now that the cost of what is called the "Doc Fix" - adjustments made to payments to physicians - was not included in the cost analysis of the bill.  It it had been, the cost would have increased dramatically.

 

For the first decade, we shall be taxed ten years, but the "benefits" will only be for six years.  What happens in the second decade and beyond?  My guess is even higher taxes and fewer benefits.

The political conversation has become poisoned.  The President who ran on unity and bipartisanship has created a partisan majority in Congress that is at best oblivious and at worst contemptuous of the voice of the majority.

On thing more troubles me; and that is the moral shift in much of our nation.  I sense that we are losing our moral strength.  Many are discarding their spines and become sponges.  A spine can carry much more than its own weight.  A sponge has no spine, but can absorb much more than its own weight.

How can I say this?  Some statistics I have recently reviewed show that about 41% (2006 numbers) of the households in the United States pay no federal income tax.  That number is growing by the addition of about 1% per year.  This year we shall probably be at or above 45%.  We are coming close to the time where half of the households in America carry the other half.

Who is it that carries the other half on their backs?  75% of all federal income taxes are paid by households headed by married couples.

We are losing the self-reliant and independent spirit that has made America exceptional.  We are descendents of people who survived the journey to this country in any number of ways.  We are squandering our strength and our heritage. 

Many are satisfied to ask not what they can do for their country, but to ask what their country can do for them.  Many are satisfied to get more than they give.  Many are satisfied to have others take care of them.  Many seek rights and ignore responsibilities.

This Health Care Insurance law is a step in a direction that will destroy American exceptionalism.  It will cause us to wither as a nation.

Tiger Woods' Apology

Tebow Superbowl Ad: What Exactly Is the Problem?

The Manhattan Declaration

Christians, when they have lived up to the highest ideals of their faith, have defended the weak and vulnerable and worked tirelessly to protect and strengthen vital institutions of civil society, beginning with the family.

We are Orthodox, Catholic, and evangelical Christians who have united at this hour to reaffirm fundamental truths about justice and the common good, and to call upon our fellow citizens, believers and non-believers alike, to join us in defending them. These truths are:

1. the sanctity of human life
2. the dignity of marriage as the conjugal union of husband and wife
3. the rights of conscience and religious liberty.

Inasmuch as these truths are foundational to human dignity and the well-being of society, they are inviolable and non-negotiable. Because they are increasingly under assault from powerful forces in our culture, we are compelled today to speak out forcefully in their defense, and to commit ourselves to honoring them fully no matter what pressures are brought upon us and our institutions to abandon or compromise them. We make this commitment not as partisans of any political group but as followers of Jesus Christ, the crucified and risen Lord, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

These words appear on the Home Page of the Manhattan Declaration.  This declaration was made public on November 20, 2009.  At this moment (0849 on 24 November 2009) there are 76,430 signatures.  I was signature 75,987.  In the time it took me to read the declaration over 500 persons had added their signatures.

I encourage you to do as I did.  Read the declaration.  Pray over it and seek God's guidance.  Read it again.  If God so leads you, sign it, and share it with your congregation.

For more information go to Manhattan Declaration or to ReStart (go to categories under "Manhattan Document").  

Yours in Christ,

John 

The Moral Side of the News (September 13, 2009) - Registered Sex Offender to Be Ordained as a Minister

Topic:  There is controversy involving a Louisville church ordaining a registered sex offender as a minister.  The church in question serves a predominantly homosexual and transgendered congregation but one former member says he's concerned that the new minister could be a threat to the congregation's children.  The pastor of City of Refuge Worship Center admits it's the first time he's heard of a church in the United States ordaining someone who is registered for life as a sex offender but he says the man in question has changed and deserves forgiveness.

Comment:

First, let us not confuse this religious group with a Christian church.  I visited their website last week and though the site makes reference to Jesus and includes some Biblical passages, there is no statement of what the church believes.  As Jesus says, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord," will enter the Kingdom of Heaven...." (Matthew 7.21)  There are many religious groups that quote the Bible and use Jesus' name, and are not Christian.

With that in mind I believe that this religious group can ordain whomever they choose.  This group is unaffiliated with any other faith or denomination, so they can make their own rules.  The congregation and pastor are certainly exposing themselves to potential problems, but that is their choice.

I am a United Methodist pastor.  It would be difficult if not impossible for the individual in question to enter into ordained ministry in the United Methodist Church at this time.  I would oppose any attempt within the United Methodist Church to ordain a person with such a background.  Ordination in our denomination has the pastoral ministry as its norm, and it would be impossible for a person to function as a pastor in a United Methodist Church with all of the restrictions that are being applied to him in this particular congregation. 

We take extreme precautions with everyone who works directly with children.  In our tradition pastors work directly with children.  Our priority is to safeguard the young people in our congregations.  If we err (and I do not believe we do) it is on the side of protecting children.

The pastor of the City of Refuge Worship Center has connected ordination with forgiveness.  Having served on our conference Board of Ordained Ministry in the past, I would suggest that forgiveness and ordination are not connected in the sense that being forgiven is not the only requirement for ordination. 

Christian ordination requires the invitation of God, the response of the individual, and the validation of the Church.  Ordination should not be considered as therapy or validation of a particular lifestyle (sin).

Having said all of that, let me add that as a pastor and as a United Methodist I welcome anyone into the fellowship of the church that I am serving.  We do not affirm or validate sinful lifestyles of any kind; but we certainly seek to minister to all who have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.  That means we do not seek to enable sinful behavior.  We seek to heal, reconcile, disciple, and offer the Good News of God's love in Christ.

All persons have been welcome in the churches I have served.  I do not seek to leave persons where they are in life.  Rather I seek to introduce others to Jesus in positive ways; help others mature in Christ; heal suffering in my community; and encourage healthy (Christ-like) families and relationships.

Christian Healthcare Ministries

For those of us who are worried about rising healthcare cost I post the following links.  I am not endorsing these ministries, but I am simply providing you with information.

• Christian Healthcare Ministries
• Alliance of Health Care Sharing Ministries
• Samaritan Ministries 

The Moral Side of the News (August 16, 2009) - U of L Coach Rick Pitino denies rape, admits to consensual sex and paying for abortion

University of Louisville men's basketball coach Rick Pitino told police that he had consensual sex with Karen Cunagin Sypher at a Louisville restaurant where he'd been drinking on Aug. 1, 2003.  He also told police that he later gave Sypher $3,000 to have an abortion, according to Louisville Metro Police reports The Courier-Journal obtained under the Kentucky Open Records Act.  But Pitino denied Sypher's allegations that he raped her at Porcini, after the restaurant closed, and again a few weeks later at a different location, police records show. And prosecutors who have reviewed Sypher's claims say Pitino won't be charged.  Sypher has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of conspiring to extort money from Pitino in exchange for her silence about the alleged crimes, and with lying to the FBI. She has pleaded not guilty.  She reported the alleged rapes to Metro Police on July 9, about two months after she was indicted.  The University of Louisville's contract with men's basketball coach Rick Pitino allows him to be fired for cause for acts of “moral depravity” or for being dishonest with the university.  It also allows him to be terminated for generating disparaging media publicity, if it is caused by his “willful conduct that could objectively be determined to bring (the) employee into public dispute or scandal, or which tends to greatly offend the public.”  A conservative lobbyist says the University of Louisville should fire Rick Pitino for having paid the cost for an abortion to a woman with whom he had sex in 2003.

It's a matter of "moral leadership, being a model to students," said Martin Cothran, a lobbyist for the Family Foundation of Kentucky who has in the past advocated for restrictions on abortion and on other issues, often in cooperation with religious conservatives.   Pitino's lawyer, Steve Pence, said in an email that Pitino gave Karen Sypher $3,000 to pay for medical insurance, not for an abortion.

 

The latest developments in this case raises issues about public figures and the standards of conduct to which they should be held. Do you think Pitino’s conduct should cost him his job? Should he resign? If U of L does not discipline him in some way, what message does that send? What crosses the line for you – the adultery or the payment of money that, apparently, led to an abortion? What about the argument that this is a private matter and has nothing to do with his being a basketball coach? What about those who say that all of us have skeletons in our closets, so this is no big deal? Was Pitino’s apology enough? What are your thoughts about the actions of Karen Sypher?

My short response is that this issue is none of my business.

My long response is that this specific (micro) issue is none of my business.  There are so many aspects to this particular event about which I should not make a public comment. 

There is a legal aspect that is being handled by the federal prosecutors.  I do not have all the facts that pertain to the legal process, nor do I have any knowledge about that process.  My comments on this aspect of the event would be made from ignorance.

There is an employment aspect to this situation.  The University of Louisville and Coach Pitino have an employer/employee relationship.  I have no business inserting myself into that relationship.  The leadership of the University of Louisville will determine whether or not to exercise the "morals clause" in Mr. Pitino's contract.  I support the University of Louisville.

Most importantly there is a personal aspect to this situation.  Two families and many people have been hurt by these events.  I do not know any of the people or many of the facts.  To comment would add hurt to those who have already been hurt.

I am very disappointed that some have used this instance to make a statement about an issue for which they advocate.  This is not the time for such posturing.  Too many people are making assumptions about the facts and the individuals involved.

The general (macro) issues that this situation raises are my business.  Rape, adultery, and abortion are immoral; so is extortion, as well as lying.  These behaviors which may or may not have occured in this specific instances are wrong morally for all persons.  We should not condone any of these actions in any persons.

Still, how do we respond?  As in any situation we allow for the legal process to work deliberately and calmly.  We also allow persons who have been hurt by the sinful actions of others to heal and seek help privately.  As we hold others to high standards, let us also hold ourselves.

Our God is a forgiving God.  We must, however, desire and seek His forgiveness for ourselves and for others.