The Fading Pulse of Women's Rights

A terrifying wave of archaic sexism has washed ashore in a handful of states in the US recently, flooding the streets with baseless claims of human rights and drowning decades of feminist progress. The Heartbeat Bills and several other similar legislation making the rounds in state senates have set back the hands of time in placing the rights of a mass of cells in a woman’s uterus before the rights of the living, breathing, fully developed organism that carries that mass of cells. The absurdity of it all is unrealized to the pro-lifers that shout and protest miles above reason, rationality, and compassion.

I was once one of those pro-lifers. As a young lass I was a die hard Christian who wore Christian band shirts to school and joined the Christians on Campus club. I doodled crosses on my notebooks and attended church and youth group weekly, thirsty for the divine intervention that would save my wretched, misguided soul. It was during these youth group gatherings that we were introduced to pro-life propaganda. Small cases of tiny, fully formed humans were passed around the room (at 13 I had no idea that embryos did not look like this at 6 gestational weeks). Posters and photos of what appeared to be charred remains of dismembered babies post-abortion were held up for our God-fearing eyes to gaze upon. One youth leader shared a harrowing sinful tale of her choice to abort a baby when she was a teen, bearing her scarlet letter for us to gawk at in horror. I remember sharing this information with my peers at school, recruiting pro-lifers with the same propaganda that swayed my young and impressionable mind. I remember arguing with a friend that rape victims could receive treatments of spermicide to prevent pregnancy and our focus should be getting them help, not abortions. I even remember arguing that no matter how a child was conceived, it was not the child’s fault and abortion should not be an option.

I left the church about a year after this fateful lesson, but it took years for the light bulb of enlightenment to go on over my head, and I don’t quite recall exactly when it happened. I was a conservative. I voted Republican. I was a pro-lifer. But contrary to these labels, I was also gay, and I do remember how frustrated I felt as a gay woman to have people all over my home state voting on my personal life and my right to marry because of their personal beliefs. I remember realizing this was not much different from me voting for abortion. Eventually education set in as well and I realized the definition of life and the circumstances women face in pregnancy are not black and white, and I became pro-choice.

Now a liberal, Democratic, Atheist, pro-choice, feminist lesbian, I cannot handle the threats of the insanity knocking on all of our doors with these senseless bills. Though there are more than 11 states with such bills, most notably, Ohio, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, and Georgia have recently introduced variations of the heartbeat bill. These bills indicate that once a heartbeat is detected, an abortion can no longer occur, neglecting the difficulty women have at even confirming pregnancy at this stage. Some have placed harsh restrictions on the circumstances under which abortions can occur, at times forcing women to carry non-viable babies to term even though they will not survive long past birth, so long as the mother’s life is not in danger. Some have repealed protective exceptions based on a baby having severe disabilities, and pregnancies resulting from rape and incest, even if they’re children. Some have criminalized doctors who perform abortions as well as women who seek abortions within or outside of their home states, and even opened the doors for investigations of miscarriages to ensure they occurred naturally. Some have even taken it a step further in Ohio, where they are proposing that any “drugs or devices that prevent the implantation of a fertilized ovum” equate to an abortion as well. That’s right, using birth control pills, shots, patches, IUDs, or the morning after pill is considered an abortion in their eyes.

The fight against pro-lifers has been waging for centuries. Medically-induced abortions began legally in the early 1800s and were typically allowed prior to a woman’s “quickening,” or the period where the woman first felt the baby kick, typically between 20-24 weeks. These abortions were performed by various practitioners, including midwives, apothecaries, and homeopaths, and risks were high, as they were with any surgical procedures back in the day. Many states made it illegal on moral grounds but it has been suggested that doctors did not appreciate having these individuals who were not formally medically trained traipsing on their professional stomping grounds. It was made illegal in 1910 and many women were forced into back alley abortions, which at times ended in their deaths. In 1973, abortion was re-legalized through the Supreme Court decision of Roe vs. Wade, but this victory was short-lived as many states worked through the loop-holes of the federal case to limit funding, access, and time frames for women to receive abortions. In 1992, the Supreme Court decided that restrictions can be placed on even first-trimester abortions, opening the door for these heartbeat bills to come down the line years later.

The trouble with heartbeat bills is that it attempts to define when a life begins. While some go so far as to say a fertilized ovum is the beginning of life, others have argued implantation, detectable heartbeat, or viability mark life’s commencement, and some have said at birth. The reality is even scientists are at odds in defining this, as Dr. Jennifer Kerns notes that heartbeats at 6 weeks are nothing more than electrical impulses of cells, not a pulsating organ that is supporting a cardiovascular or neurological system, as neither the cardiovascular nor the neurological system have developed enough to sustain life in the organism. Simply because technology has advanced enough to detect electric activity in cells does not mean that embryotic development has advanced enough to warrant human rights at the same time. But while science and reasoning sits on the table being blatantly ignored, pro-lifers have continued to gain traction on the battle for women’s rights.

What has become dangerous with this sudden surge of anti-abortion laws is that these lawmakers fully anticipate a fight. One state senator expressed his hope that someone would come forward to challenge the bills as it would eventually lead to a Supreme Court case. With the Supreme Court leaning toward a conservative majority, it is entirely possible that a SC case could overturn Roe v Wade, making the already complicated business of abortions impossible.

The obstacles women have faced in seeking abortions even after the landmark Roe v. Wade have placed such burdens on women that it would seem pro-lifers have had the upper hand for quite some time. Many states have shut down the majority of abortion clinics that once stood; some only have one clinic operating state-wide. Many of these clinics have completely lost federal funding, placing the responsibility of costs on the patients, and many insurance companies do not cover abortion as it is considered an elective procedure. Abortions cost anywhere from $350 to $1000 in the first trimester, and even more in the second. Many states require waiting periods, forcing women to meet with a physician and receive education on their potential baby, then wait another 24-48 hours before they can proceed with the abortion, hoping to guilt the mother into keeping the pregnancy. Some clinics have even forced these women to listen to their baby’s heartbeat prior to the abortion, waging psychological warfare on a decision that already bears so much emotion for the patient. Women even struggle to trust their general practitioners with their decision, as one Reddit user posted some time ago. She wrote that when she informed her doctor of her decision to abort, the doctor promised to provide information for an abortion clinic, but (illegally) provided her information to a pro-life clinic where she was contacted and misled into scheduling an appointment. Upon her arrival, she found herself being presented with anti-abortion information and was told she would not be receiving an abortion there. Delays in scheduling the appointment with the clinic almost resulted in her exceeding the legally permitted time limit for abortion.

Finding legitimate clinics to receive an abortion has grown even more challenging in recent years. With the Trump administration, it was widely known that funding for Planned Parenthood was completely cut due to the fact that its clinics performed abortions. It did not matter to him or any pro-life supporters that only 3% of their services were abortions, and the remaining 97% were services such as cancer screenings, pelvic exams, STI testing, sex education and birth control provisions, infertility treatments, and even adoption service referrals. They turned a blind eye to scientific evidence that showed when birth control and contraceptives are unavailable or difficult to obtain, unwanted pregnancies and thus abortion rates increase significantly. In addition to cutting funding to prevent pregnancy, funding has been cut to assist families who struggle to survive, including welfare programs WIC, and food stamps. Likewise, in a private insurance world where medical insurance is nothing more than big business, providing care for children with severe disabilities places families in significant debt trying to keep up with their medical bills. So essentially what the GOP is saying is we will not help you to avoid pregnancy, we will not help you end your pregnancy even if you can’t afford another child or your fetus is severely disabled, and we will not help you care for the child we forced you to have. It’s almost as if they expect women to commit themselves to a life of celibacy, which of course is entirely unrealistic, especially if it means these manly lawmakers will not be getting laid. And let’s not forget that when they do need to get laid and they accidentally get their mistress pregnant, they will briefly become pro-choice and suddenly abortions are okay.

It’s not easy to challenge a lifetime of indoctrinated beliefs. It’s not easy to overcome the strongest of confirmation biases and open yourself up to another viewpoint and logical reasoning. In one post on Reddit regarding these bills, a poster commented that people cannot and will not change their stance on abortion no matter the circumstance. I’m proof that people can. But even if in your heart you cannot bring yourself to agree with abortion, try to come to terms with this: whatever decisions we make for ourselves, we do not have the right to make those decisions for others, no matter what our personal beliefs may be. Pro-choice doesn’t mean being pro-abortion, it means being 100% minding your own fucking business.

Pure Hearts in Lost Souls

Throughout the years, I have struggled with my relationship with a higher being and the following that has convened in the name of that entity. I have battled with the corruption of the very foundation of religions as the roots of belief systems have been torn from the ground and implanted in a pot of carefully manipulated lumps of soil, nourished with tainted holy water.

I cannot, with a clear conscience, completely banish the idea of God from my mind. Perhaps it’s the fear of the unknown, the possibility of some dark retribution awaiting me in the flickering shadows of a fiery afterlife. Perhaps it’s simply the wiping away of an ideology that has been deeply ingrained into my mind since I was a small child that I find impossible. Or, perhaps it’s the simple comfort He provides, an omniscient guardian to keep us safe.

A host of questions arise, with answers upon which one can only postulate. What would become of a society that has no basis for moral values or beliefs? Who would we become without the looming threat of eternal damnation, or the glorious promise of paradise after death? Would people still be generally good without being morally accountable to anyone but themselves? Such inquires send the mind hurdling back to the ultimate question of human nature: are humans inherently good or evil? Without the social influence of theology, would we grow to become saints or swine? Or would we simply exist, driven by biological forces of survival rather than of greed or just rewards?

Having a host of friends who are active atheists, I have many times had this discussion with them, debating the existence of God and the purpose and benefits of believing on pure blind faith alone. Being a lover of science and the knowledge it has provided me, I’ve struggled with the notion of blind faith and am usually left questioning, always questioning, with no answer given. I remember as a small child in Sunday school our teacher was arguing against the Big Bang Theory, stating “someone had to create the Earth, you can’t say that it was ‘just there’”. I raised my hand, in innocent curiosity, and asked “Well if God created the Earth, who created God?” My teacher fumbled briefly for an answer before sputtering out, “well…he was just there”. And as I sat back in my chair, I knew the answer was not satisfactory, but my religious education continued on. We moved to a new church and for a moment, the experience was fulfilling. I became a diehard Christian, bumping Christian rock music, joining the Christians on Campus club, doodling crosses and crucified hands on my notebook, preaching and recruiting to anyone who would listen. I loved my faith and my church, before we merged with an upscale church from the hills where snobbery and presumption was not in short supply. The hypocrisy of Sunday do-gooders drove me mad; you know the types, those Christians who do God’s thing on Sunday and do their own thing every other day of the week. Jaded by superficiality and morning preaching of religious superiority, coupled with a deepening crippling depression, issues with my sexuality, and dwindling faith, I finally threw in the towel and left the church before my 14^th birthday.

Though I had given up on believing that God actually gave a damn about me, I could never quite bring myself to believe he wasn’t there at all, and in spite of walking away from the church, I never walked away from aspiring to be the best human being I could be. As a 13 year old, I used my miniscule allowance to support a starving child in South America. Throughout my high school years, I donated to various causes and participated in charities, rejecting the extra credit my fellow students needed to be motivated with to take part. During my college years, I worked with foster children and emotionally disturbed teens, I volunteered at an after school program, and I started a cancer fund raising over $2,300 for cancer research. Post graduation, I became an advocate of tolerance, specifically for the Muslim community after 9/11, and I became a therapist, working at a non-profit organization for autistic children.

Now, am I providing this repertoire of activity in some vain attempt to secure my status as a pompous ass? Not so much as to demonstrate that one doesn’t have to be perched on a pew, singing some poorly adapted verse, keeling over a man-written document in search of a purpose and an explanation to be a good human being. Having an understanding of our shared humanity, being an active global citizen, taking care of one another and trying to have the most positive impact on the world around us that we’re capable of makes us good human beings. In fact, getting away from the church and out into the world is probably more beneficial to anyone’s spiritual journey. Where God fits into this, and how much, is dependent upon the practicing individual. For me, he’s there, and I’m here, and we acknowledge each other’s presence. I do what I feel I need to do to sleep at night, hoping I’ve done the best I could, and if it’s in agreement with him, great, if not, maybe next time. I do believe we can be an ethical and moral community without accountability to a higher being. Likewise, I don’t believe the immediate presence of that being automatically makes one ethical, moral, or accountable.

The hypocrisy I’ve previously mentioned is rampant in all organized religion. Many people, especially as of late, pick and choose which parts of the Bible they wish to enforce and which they wish to sweep beneath the rug. They utilize their religions as a vehicle to further personal agendas and cite their holy books as justification for discrimination and hatred. In the process of writing this blog, I was compelled to track down my old youth pastor, and found a site pushing religious superiority and a video of a panel he participated in arguing against homosexuality and equal rights. Many just don't practice even the most basic of principles that they preach. Last week I was set in a Christian school awaiting a lecture from my boss, and found myself in the throes of a mini-sermon, discussing Bible passages of delighting in the Lord and praying before my boss took center stage. I made a conscience effort to keep an open mind before a slight cutting comment towards Jews was made, then I shut down. But the tone of the room was one of devotion, love, and kindness, a tone which quickly changed once my boss, there to lecture on teaching techniques and brain functionality, began her speech. Met with criticism, snide remarks, and constant argument, a level of unexpected, unexplained hostility slowly rose through the three and a half hour presentation. It ended with a verbal battle between entities, one I did not witness because I left out of frustration and anxiety. The tension in the room was overwhelming and the difficulty of seeing a colleague and a mentor being attacked was too much to handle with quiet grace and decorum. While it would be unfair to overgeneralize this experience to all Christians, I think it’s fair to say, given this situation and numerous others, that the presence of God in one’s life does not guarantee that individual to be moral, ethical, accountable, or even to have an ounce of integrity.

I still struggle from time to time with my relationship with this God, but I figure at this point, I will continue to do my best and hope it’s enough. If God’s there in Heaven, I’m sure he’s watching, and if he’s not, well I’ve still done my duty as a human being and helped someone here on Earth to have a slightly easier existence than before. And in the end, that’s what makes it worthwhile.

When Morons Play with Matches

This past week, as we remembered the tragedy of 9/11, there was much more animosity toward the Islamic faith than in anniversaries past. Deep-seated emotions tied into the terrorist attacks of the World Trade Centers, Pentagon, and Flight 93 meshed with newfound apprehension and anger as the controversy of building an Islamic Community Center has taken center stage in recent news (no it is not a mosque, no it is not solely for Muslims, and no it is not directly on Ground Zero). However, despite the ongoing battle of that war, we won a small battle of our own last week when a Florida pastor of a small, insignificant Christian community declared that he would burn a collection of Qu'rans on the nine-year mark of the terrorist attacks on the US.

Pastor Terry Jones had planned a protest that involved the fiery desecration of the holy book of Islam, arguing that he was upset about the building of the "mosque" so close to the former site of the Twin Towers (about the same time last year he sported an "Islam is of the Devil" shirt long before such plans were revealed. Methinks I see a pattern). Despite the fact that his small church had no more than 35 regular parishioners, this tiny congregation garnered worldwide attention in what would later be called an "epic fail" on the media's part as he received the acknowledgment he so desperately sought. As news of his plans spread across the globe, protests ensued where demonstrations of pastoral effigies, pleas for Obama's death, and US flag burning flooded the streets of various Muslim countries.

Initially when I read of Jones' plans, I was appalled and angered. But, being the proponent for free speech that I am through the good and the bad, and truly believing this act could not be stopped, all I could do was implore my Muslim friends to ignore it so to not give this fool what he wanted: a reaction. However, seeing the protests and the fury he managed to elicit from the world, I realized simply ignoring him was not going to be an adequate solution. I watched as attitudes toward the US soured even more, and was deeply offended by the burning of my nation's banner. However, the one thing that disturbed me the most was a quote a young man from Kabul made during their protests, stating, "we know this is not just the decision of a church. It is the decision of the president and the entire United States."

Now hold on there, Scooter. Much like Muslims don't like to be overgeneralized with terrorists, Americans don't take kindly to being lopped in with hateful, bigoted Christian extremists either. Ironically, it took the threat of burning a holy book for us to prove it.

Many non-Muslims took a stand against this "Burn a Qu'ran Day", some of public persuasion (that nice Jolie woman), some of considerable power on their own (Sen. Clinton), and many of considerable power combined (the rest of us). Petitions were signed, Facebook pages were created and liked, and anti-burning protests took place all over the globe. Gradually, as dissent grew, one of two reasons pushed Jones to cancel the burning: either he realized how foolish he'd been and gathered together with the local mosque to hold hands and sing Kumbaya (it could happen, with faith and love...or some LSD and that damn Barney song), or after pressure from the government due to the possibility of endangering Americans abroad, he backed down. Whatever the reason, it was over, and he desperately tried to save face by claiming that he accomplished his goal by showing the radical side of Islam, but actually only demonstrated that thanks to today's media principles, any idiot can get on TV.

Naturally, as with any failed attempt to be a jackass, there are many more who leap at the opportunity to fulfill the prophecy. Another mock demonstration in Texas ended abruptly when a young skateboarder snatched a doomed copy of the Qu'ran, already soaked in lighter fluid, from a Christian fundamentalist group who had planned to burn it on a barbecue in a park. Protesters of all backgrounds, Christians, Muslims, Buddhists and Atheists gathered for a protest organized by a Unitarian church and even laid their hands over the grill of the barbecue to prevent the fundamentalist group from lighting it. The book was not retrieved and the burning was cancelled.

I've come to believe that there is nothing more powerful for a cause than having people who won't directly benefit from its success or suffer from its failure add their voices to it. When you fall into the median of any great dispute, it is your responsibility to facilitate a mutual understanding, a compromise, a peace treaty, or just simple tolerance of one another. We are the ones who must bridge the gap between those polarizing to either ends of the argument. I believe this was well demonstrated here and hopefully showed the world's Muslims that they were not the only ones hurt and angered, and they were not the only ones fighting the burning of this book.

Now I've spoken before on my feelings of holy items and the importance that religions place on inanimate objects, but for those who don't remember or didn't read it, I hardly care for it. I don't believe these physical possessions bring us closer to God, no matter what sentiment has been tied to them. I believe that our connection to God comes only from the strength of our souls and our hearts. Yes, these books act as guiding lights for those who follow them (I'm spiritual, not religious, and choose not to have a book), however it is not the book itself that is important, but the message that you find inside. The pages, the covers, the binding, are not God's, and so long as you carry that message in your heart, no one can ever truly burn it. As one person wrote: "the living Qu'ran, who are all those with pure hearts, is untouched". Because I believe that more people will try to mimick this event and accomplish it, I caution you all to keep this in mind, to rise above the madness and turn away from the ignorance. Then you will be untouchable.

Despite the anger, disbelief, and frustration this entire ordeal stirred up, I do believe that some good came from it, and will go so far as to say that this was necessary for us to find our mutually shared humanity. In what could be our flickering light of hope, when this evil ignorance reared its ugly head, suddenly we came crawling from beneath our rocks and gathered together to fight it, rather than sitting at home on the couch, watching the news and sadly shaking our heads. It called us to action and ultimately, good prevailed. Perhaps we humans have a chance after all.

Today's Youth: Fighting for a Voice to Save Tomorrow

Yes, as they say, children are the future. And as the younger generation slowly marches toward adulthood, the tides and traditions of the world are being reinvented. Attitudes and values are changing, and not always for the worse, as the Leave it to Beaver generation would have you believe. Yes, today's youth seem to be a little more disrespectful, a little more hedonistic, and seem to walk about with an air of entitlement. However, today's youth also seem to be less discriminatory, less judgmental, and less ignorant than our archaic predecessors. And, in those fleeting moments when they set down their cell phones and iPods, they have in their hands the fate of our world. It may prove to be a promising fate, but do they have the time to fulfill it?

We've all been there, shaking our heads in those frustrating daily moments when you've run into some hormone-driven youngster who's done something annoying or atrocious, attesting to what we believe is the downward spiral of society as we know it. They may shoot out in front of your car on their skateboards, or curse loudly in the store next to the elderly and young children, or you may see a girl too young to wear make-up with an 8-month old belly protruding from beneath her shirt. Whatever it is, we find ourselves wondering what the world will be like when they're old enough to vote, old enough to know better but perhaps never growing old enough to care.

But on the other hand, with the unprecedented exposure to information, opinions, and the outside world in general thanks to the internet, tomorrow's leaders have been groomed to be less capricious in their world views. Kids today seem to be more anti-extremism, whether it be political or religious. They shy away from far right or left wingers, they care not for the religions of last century that breed hatred or demand unquestioning unwaivering devotion. They seem wiser about war, and the reasons (or lack, thereof) for pursuing it and are more invested in the suffering of those in places far removed from themselves. They seem to be less hateful and more open-minded about their peers and people in general who are different.

The generational gap is expanding and people are polarizing. As the older generation seems to hold tighter to the wisdom of past generations and deeply rooted old-fashioned values, the younger generation seems to be rebelling by taking a more relaxed approach to significant issues today. While the older generation is burning holy books and protesting soldiers' funerals, the younger generation is joining in conversations about diversity and tolerance. While the older generation is still trying to justify this war, the younger generation knew it was a ruse all along. And while the older generation is trying to speak over them, the younger generation is finding their voices. But who's listening?

Despite the heavily utilized cliche of children being the future, far too many people ultimately ignore, brush aside, or shush the younger generation, rebuffing their opinions and thoughts as the nonsensical rantings of emotional naive children. Now granted I'm 26 years old, and depending on your personal opinion, caught in between the two groups; too old to be considered a "youth", too young to be considered wise enough to matter. However, in a recent heated debate with an "oldie", I was informed that I was young, inexperienced, and ignorant of the world and therefore my opinion was of virtually no consequence. So, I think it only fair that I categorize myself with the younger generation. And I can only imagine how many like me have had similar experiences.

But as we're being swatted aside like some gnat who's made a nuisance of itself, the oldies, self-proclaimed omniscient leaders of today are driving our world to ruin. Greedy, wayward politicians and fat cats have single-handedly sunk the world's economy. Hypocritical religious leaders incite moral contention upon so-called sinners and opposing faiths while protecting their own ravenous wolves. War mongers driven by anger, power, and blighted eyes kill innocent people without remorse. We see it all for what it is, we see the sorrowful state of things, and yet we are gagged by ageism and our hands are bound as we stand on the sidelines and watch our future go down in a fiery inferno.

The oldies refuse to listen. They refuse to acknowledge the overwhelming simplicity of our proposed solutions just because they're ours. And yet, they will, as people do, die one day, and all the decisions they made, the disjointed paths they followed will leave the world in such disarray, and we will inherit it. Like a sack of manure thrust into our hands, the mess will be ours, but we were never given the chance to prevent it. Why are we good enough to clean it up, but not good enough to stop it before it worsens?

So, though our generation and the ones after us have their faults, we have some fantastic strengths as well, and it seems promising that the gifts in our hearts will surpass the bad habits we've collected along the way. And just in case you were wondering, here's our answer: Enough is enough. You have enough money, you have enough land. You've had enough anger, you've had enough hatred. We need more compassion, we need more altruism, we need more understanding and more love. And above all, nothing, absolutely nothing, be it religion, emotions, values, or aspirations should supersede your sense of humanity. If this solution seems too simple, it's only because you are making the problem too complicated.

Are you listening yet?

The Ultimate Solution?

So I think I've found the answer to part, if not all of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. Lying in bed awake far later than I ever imagined I could be at this stage, the one fail-safe solution dropped on my head like an anvil. Now for my more religious friends, this could be a less than favorable end so I caution you about the upcoming offense. To end the fight, one must simply remove the problem: blow up the holy land. Now, not being much of a religion buff, I am vaguely aware of the significance of this land to either side of the argument, and somewhat understand why some, in reading my suggestion, might be angered. I do know it holds great importance to both the Jews and the Muslims, as well as the Christians. However, much like a frustrated mother who rips a toy from her bickering children, one must remove the problem in order to restore peace, if only for the sake of the mother's aching head.

But, while I was tossing these thoughts and revelations around in my head, it occurred to me just why this land is so crucial to the parties involved. It is not simply about the religiously historic events that took place there, but what that land represents to people. For years religions have claimed this place, that item, this book as holy, as revered, as the word of God and a map for a better life. These relics offer the physical, tangible evidence that one needs in order to provide to them a deeper connection to their roots, to solidify the origins of their religions, and to reinforce their faith in their beliefs. Few people if any can go on pure blind faith alone, they need something to see, something to touch, something to tell them that what their hearts feel actually exists, that what their minds tell them actually happened.

Now, whether or not such events occurred, the ultimate question is are these land masses worth dying for? Are they worth killing for? Is one's need for that concrete evidence so dire that it is justifiable to wipe out an entire nation of people to have unmitigated access to your holy site? Is it worth giving your own life in a suicide bombing attack to prove just how dedicated you are to obtaining rights over that site? I would imagine that God, not only weary of being called down on both sides of the argument, is greatly pained by the death and destruction that has followed what may have been to him insignificant events. A child was born, as we all are, a man ascended to heaven, as I believe most of us will, and suddenly a decades-long war of devastating proportions ensued with no foreseeable end in sight. Ironic, what some have regarded as holy have blatantly disregarded religious teachings of peace and have spilled innocent blood and soiled whatever reverie the land once held. Given the opportunity, God might reach down and simply smear the land off the face of the earth, if only to end this madness and save us from ourselves.

Religion is a belief in a higher being, a higher power, something left unexplained by any other means. It provides people more resilience in dark times, it increases the healing capabilities of the ill, it offers peace of mind to those fearing the afterlife and it motivates one to strive for goodness. It fosters a connection to something greater than oneself, through devotion, through prayer, through faith. However, that connection is not achieved through inanimate objects like metal, wood, veils, water, fossils, or papers. It's not achieved through geography; countries, buildings, sites. It's achieved through the strength of your own soul and your devotion to whatever belief system you follow. It doesn't matter where you pray, or what places you visit. It doesn't matter if you're in a church, a mosque, or in the middle of a swamp. It doesn't matter if you're where Jesus was born and where Mohammad ascended to Heaven or if you're standing in the middle of a Metallica concert. If you need God, he is there. If you need to talk to him, he'll listen no matter where you are, if you want to prove your loyalty, you prove it in everyday life with people who need you, not on an expensive and time-consuming trip to Jerusalem just to say, "Look Lord, here I am".

Places hijacked by a people so desperate to be closer to God, so incapable of reaching him on their own have poisoned humanity against each other. They have laid unprecedented importance on a chunk of dirt, they have killed for it, they have died for it, and all the while, I imagine, God looks down, saying "that is not what I meant at all, that is not it, at all".

Christmas in the Classroom?

It's that time again, where we're decking the halls and donning our gay apparel, the time of the year where Christians celebrate the birth of Christ and Jews celebrate their festival of lights. It's also probably the busiest time of year for the ACLU, or the American Civil Liberties Union. The more nativity scenes on display and the more school Christmas programs dusting off their Away in a Manger sheet music, the more atheists and holiday-hijackers are up in arms filing complaints. And now it seems they have a doozy on their hands.

The Tea Party movement has been spreading like a wildfire and they have been popping up everywhere. Self-proclaimed protectors of the Constitution, they're organizing protests nationwide fighting big government, Obama, the stimulus package, and health care reform. Now, one of the tea party patriots is ironically pushing big government into our faces and ignoring separation of church and state as declared in the Constitution they claim to protect. Merry Hyatt, a substitute teacher in California is pushing a bill that will make singing religiously based-Christmas carols mandatory in public schools.

Now I respect everyone's rights to practice religion how, when, and where they choose. However, I also respect everyone's rights to not have someone else's religion crammed down their throats, especially in a public school system where no singular religious group foots the bill, but where everyone pays taxes to keep such facilities running. Will I stop a Christian child from reading the bible at school? No. Will I tell a Muslim they can't do a few of their five daily prayers on school grounds? Hell no. Will I tell a Jehovah's Witness, Mormon, Buddhist, or atheist child they have to sing the holiday praises to the Christian God and his son? Absolutely not.

As previously mentioned, in the US, we have a theoretical standard of separation between religion and state. Theoretical because it's rarely true but standard because it's in the Constitution. This is generally in place to keep major religions (Judaism and Christianity) from overpowering the minority (everyone else). And Christians are not happy about it. They stand firm on their beliefs that this country was founded on Christian roots and that above all else this is a Christian country, everyone else is just along for the ride. Christian activists in Cobb County, GA were able to strong arm their school district into teaching the Christian belief of creationism alongside the scientifically-driven theory of evolution. Many activists have been pushing for specified prayer times in classrooms for years. Now we're pushing for Christian hymns to be sung in school, simply because they embody the holiday of the season.

I am in no way against religion in public schools specifically, but my beef lies in the fact that when we say "allow prayer in school" or "allow holiday songs in school", we are not talking about the mosaic of religions that comprise the US and its public school systems. We are not talking about prayer times for every religion, nor are we talking about holiday programs for every religious holiday of every student. We are simply talking Christianity. Christian prayer, Christian songs. Their recommendation for everyone else? "During prayer time, if your child isn't Christian, they can put their heads down on their desks until we're done praying". Why should their time, time specified for education, be wasted while waiting for others to practice their religions? As for Christmas programs, non-Christians "can leave the classroom while the Christian students rehearse, and stay at home the night of the big show". As if kids needed one more reason to feel different, excluded, separate from their peers. For the majority of Christian parents, this is not a problem to them, because it's their religion being observed. But what if your child's education was placed on hold two or three times a day while Muslim children prayed? Or if holiday and birthday parties were suspended altogether because there's more Jehovah's Witnesses in your child's class than Christians?

Now one could argue that allowances could be made for every religion. Prayer time for all, holiday celebrations for all, teachings of all religious perspectives, etc. Some countries have mastered the art of religious compromise. Jordan's Queen Rania recently posted a photo of her son's Christmas concert via Twitter (above), presumably taking place at school. The royal family of Jordan is a devout Islamic family, but exceptions are made to observe the main holiday of the mere 6% of Christians in the country. However, here in America, this would infringe upon the rights of atheistic children in this country. And school schedules are so tight these days, teachers barely have time to teach the basics, let alone have parties for every holiday or cut time out of the busy day for various prayers.

The only solution? Keep it out altogether. School is for learning, church is for praying and singing religious songs. If you want to mix the two, send your child to a religious school or home-school them. But it's time we stop smearing the line between church and state, because no matter what is done, someone's civil liberties are going to be trampled.

Tom Cruise the Scientology Dumb-Shit

OK, I really did not want my blog to take a turn into the celebrity world, especially on my first actual post, but I am not a fan of Tom Cruise, his psychotic Scientologist ways, or his anti-psychology bullshit, so I need to comment on the viral video that is now circulating the web. A few exerpts from his rant and rave...courtesy of Us Weekly...

"We are the authorities on getting people off drugs, we are the authorities on the mind, we are the authorities on improving conditions... we can rehabilitate criminals."...then why haven't you done it? Why is it that Scientologists seem to think they're the only ones who can help these people? Psychologists and therapists and sponsors and mentors help these people, and I would like to know, exactly how many of these people are Scientologists?

"Being a Scientologist, when you drive past an accident... you know you have to do something about it because you know you’re the only one that can really help."...again, the paramedics do nothing? The police? Other passers-by who may have CPR and First Aid training can't help?

"So it’s our responsibility to educate, create the new reality. We have that responsibility to say, 'Hey, this is the way it should be done because we do it this way and people are actually getting better."....and the other methods aren't working?

"...We can bring peace and unite cultures..."...we're still waiting for that pesky Middle East Crisis to be averted but sorry, Tom is busy lapping up the attention for Katie's Mad Money....guess the Gaza Strip will just have to wait.

My main issue with all of these statements is Tom's air of superiority. "Scientology is the one true religion! Tom is the way, the truth, and the light, and no ones comes to the spaceship except through him." Why is it, if Scientology is so successful and proven to be such, are problems still on-going in the world? Why are there criminals? Why are children dying of hunger every day? Why is AIDS still a problem?

Nevermind the fact that these problems which Tom claims they can cure still exist, but why is this the only possible solution? How does Tom justify disregarding thousands of years of established organized religion and global assistance groups such as UNICEF and the Red Cross? Hundreds of thousands of people are out in the world actively making a difference, the majority of whom I am sure are NOT Scientologists, while Tom is at the latest Mad Money premiere sucking up his wife's attention. Never have I seen Tom in Louisianna with Brad Pitt rebuilding homes, never have I seen him wearing the UN armband out in the middle of Africa with people like Angelina Jolie and Orlando Bloom, or helping with AIDS epidemics in Africa like Bono and Charlize Theron. Certainly haven't seen him out there walking with Renee Zellweger and Julianne Moore for Breast Cancer. I have no doubt Tom is charitable in his own special way, but it's not hard to sign a check, the big difference is going out and getting your pretty little manicured hands dirty.

It is one thing to rejoice in your own beliefs and to promote them, it is an entirely different thing to attack the beliefs of others, insinuating that they are inferior, ineffective, and useless. For thousands of years, belief in God, Allah, Buddha, various Bhagavans, Jehovah, etc, has brought strong senses of spirituality, responsibility to mankind and the earth, kindness, love, and a genuine need to help others. Now, all of a sudden, they aren't enough. Granted they have not resolved all problems in the world and some problems have resulted because of such Holy Wars. But, at the core of the problems, the very reason nothing has been resolved, are these ideations that "I have the answer" and "only I can solve these issues", and no one is willing to compromise amidst their differences to find a common ground and come together to help one another. So, adversely, Tom's claim that only Scientology can fix the world is the one thing perpetuating most of the world's problems and ensuring they continue. And, despite how helpful Scientology claims to be and how dedicated they are to helping others, Scientology is the only religion that charges their followers to do so. While some religions appreciate donations, Scientology requires a fee to learn their teachings because they are so concerned with making you a better person....cult, anyone?

Tom this isn't War of the Worlds and no, Steven Spielberg cannot write you out a happy ending, no one man can save the world, but let's face it, you aren't even trying.