We pray for peace

Matthew and I have been reading the book Practicing Peace: A Devotional Walk Through the Quaker Tradition by Catherine Whitmire.  The book has a compelling introduction written by the author, and then the rest of the book is essentially a compilation of quotations from throughout the last few centuries.  I checked it out from the library, read a few chapters, and I felt in my heart that I needed to own that book.  I don't know if you've had similar feelings, but as I was reading the book, I felt inspired and empowered to be better than I currently am. I certainly couldn't absorb all of the wisdom and inspiration before returning the book!  I've been mulling through some thoughts about peace, and I think I'm ready to put some of my thoughts into words.

Reading this book has made me realize that we need to pray for peace in our world and believe that God hears our prayers and doesn't cast them aside. In one of my groups of friends in high school, I learned to have the attitude that peace will never exist in Israel because of the long-lasting, deeply-rooted conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians.  I have let that mentality subconsciously continue for about 10 years now, and I have only recently realized what I believe to be an error in my thinking. If I believe that God desires peace in our world and that with God all things are possible, then I have to believe that peace is possible, and I have to live like I believe it.

I also have been confronted with my own failings when it comes to peace.  How many times have I harbored such frustrated, hateful thoughts toward people?  How many relationships have I soured through my own attitude?  How many times have I argued my case (because I'm right, of course!) despite the damage that my arguing was doing?

I don't think that I have to remain silent about issues that inspire passion within me, but I do believe that I can relate to people in peaceful ways.  I have often wondered, "Why can't people discuss things?  Why can't we discuss religion and politics and issues that matter without feeling ready to attack the other person?"  I am not sure I fully know the answer, but I do know that I want to be able to have these conversations while maintaining inner peace and the peace in the relationship.  Humans are never going to all agree on pretty much anything, so must not we all work on finding a way to live together in love instead of in hate despite our differences?

I am inspired by people who patiently bring about peace in our world by being peaceful and connecting to people.

In my idealistic and romantic heart, I think that I desire for my life and home to be marked by peace.  It might be silly, but I genuinely hope that people feel peace and love in their lives when they enter our house. I haven't stopped a war, but perhaps I can start by creating peace in our home and then watch it splash out into our community.

Finally, I have come to the realization that the next time our country considers declaring another needless war, which won't be too long from now if patterns from our history continue, I hope that I will have the courage to speak against it even if my position is not popular. 

I feel like this post is lacking.  Sometimes when I write I feel my logical, mathematician self typing as my passion bubbles in my chest trying to get out.  Perhaps I will try again another day to somehow spill my bubbles onto the page.  Or perhaps you can just get your hands on a copy of Practicing Peace so that you can also be inspired by the words of many throughout the ages...

Peace be with you.

And so we vote!

I have felt compelled to write about the 2012 election a few times either on Facebook on my blog.  Each time I start typing, my words fall short of the ideas in my head, and I worry that I will add to the drivel of election season.  Heaven forbid!  Finally, as election day has arrived, I think that I have figured out the words that I wish to add to the "conversation".

We have heard over and over from opposing parties about how awful (or wonderful!) things would be if a candidate is elected this year.  The numbers have been crunched (or made up), facts (or lies/half-truths) have been brought to the voters' attention, and speeches have been made (and then taken out of context)!  I don't think that anybody can deny that election season is messy in the U.S.

So what do I want to add to all of it?  My call to unify rather than polarize.  My prayer is that we:

• Unify as a nation to face our problems and work together, taking time to consider diverse opinions, to solve them.
• Bring peace to the world.
• Use resources (monetary and planetary) wisely so as to provide a positive future for generations to come
• Face the problem of climate change and deal with human impacts responsibly.
• Be compassionate to those in need that we are able to help.
• Create policies that bring justice, social and otherwise, both in our country and the rest of the world.
• Create a food system that is safe, healthy, just, and sustainable.
• Treat all people with equal respect and rights.
• And..

Regardless of who wins any elections, I hope that our representatives in government succeed in creating a better country and a better world through their policies.  We are not electing "the lesser of two (or more) evils", we are electing one of two (or more) people.  Each person will have both talents and faults to share as he or she governs.

But if we bicker and complain and attack our candidates and then our leaders, how are we making anything better?  How can we work together after an election if we can't be civil during one?

I end with these thoughts:  Our country, and our world, is made up of citizens.  Our government has a huge amount of power, and it can make choices that largely impact individuals and the world at large.  However, while I cannot control the choices of the government, I am left with the choice about what kind of citizen I wish to be.

I can contact my representatives to let them know how I feel about different issues.  I can stay caught up with the news even between election cycles so that I can understand the array of issues better and be as well-informed as possible.  I can choose my words wisely when discussing politics; I can speak gently instead of with the grace of a battering ram.

I can share my resources with others.  I can improve my community.  I can participate in meetings of the local government.  I can make choices with others' needs in mind.  I can volunteer.

I have the power to bring beauty and love, or darkness and hate, into the world.

I want, and will work toward, good things in the world, and no election can change that.  I simply believe that I can be a more effective citizen if I am engaged, cooperating, thoughtful, concerned, and respectful instead of whiny, uncooperative, attacking, violent, and disrespectful.

And, besides my own ballot, that is my contribution to the election of 2012.

FASHION!

Did I mention that I miss writing in my blog?  I really do.  I don't know what's wrong with me... Actually, I do.  Fact:  I find it challenging to just sit unless I'm doing something at the computer for my students.  I like to DO!  However, today I'm kind of tired, and sitting on the couch writing a blog post sounds just right...

But I digress.

FASHION!

Those who know me well may wonder why I am writing a post about fashion.  I think it is fate.  (It's certainly not because I can tell you what the current fashions are...)  Two people brought clothing to my attention through two articles/blog posts on Facebook this week.  The first is an article written by a journalist who does some research about the "afterlife" of much the clothing we buy in the U.S.  The second is a blog post written by a Christian woman who is giving her two cents about the Great Christian Modesty Debacle.  I am not going to summarize or paraphrase what these people say since they do such a good job of speaking for themselves, so I would recommend reading the links before you continue.

Done?  OK.  Let's go.

I honestly don't have much to say about the article about the afterlife of clothing except that I continue to hope and pray that we come to our senses when it comes to "stuff".  It truly baffles me that we discard so much clothing in the U.S. that after thrift stores get stuffed to the gills, the natural solution is to turn perfectly good (sometimes brand new) clothing into rags or to ship it off to Africa.  The whole thing reeks of waste.

The post regarding the Great Christian Modesty Debacle earns more of a response.  Sheila and I agree that rules about modesty may very well go beyond what God requires (for example, a rule where women are only allowed to wear skirts/dresses down to the ankle).  We also agree that the clothing that we wear does not have to be societally unfashionable.  However, Sheila makes the argument that, in fact, Christian women have the duty to God and their husbands to be societally fashionable.   It is with this thesis that I am taken aback.

The following ideas run through my own head as I consider Sheila's post:

My husband loves me, is proud of me, and is attracted to me regardless of the clothes that I wear.  He loves me because we are called to love.  He is proud of me based on my actions and the content of my character.  He is attracted to me because he loves me and he is proud of me and I'm ME!

I do not need to earn the respect of society through what I wear.  I will earn respect through who I am and what I do.

There is nothing wrong with something "looking like it came from a thrift shop".  There is nothing wrong with used clothes or hand-me-downs.  There is nothing wrong with wearing "last year's fashions".  There is nothing wrong with the people who cannot afford to put together a closet of clothing that makes them look stylish.  There is nothing wrong with people who can afford to put together such a wardrobe but choose not to.

I do not believe that I can justify spending my money on a fashionable wardrobe in this society.  Women are expected to have a bunch of different outfits and be in fashion at all times (even when fashions change on a dime).  This can be expensive, and I feel that I can be a better steward of our resources.

I do not believe that I can justify the environmental and social ramifications of a fashionable wardrobe.  Creating fashion creates waste through the production of the fabric, the shipping of everything, and the discards readily cast aside as fashion changes.  Additionally, if I buy new clothing, I run the risk of supporting a company that allows horrible work conditions unless I do my research first.

I do believe that I should respect, appreciate, and thank God for the clothing and resources that God has provided.  This keeps me satisfied with what I have instead of in want for more.  This encourages me to wear my clothing until it is worn out.  This prevents me from feeling like I have "nothing to wear".

Overall, I personally found that Sheila has too much concern for appearances and plays into what I believe is one of our culture's issues.  While you may have noticed that I wrestle with some of what Paul wrote, I think that this is something particularly beautiful that he left us:

Since prayer is at the bottom of all this, what I want mostly is for men to pray—not shaking angry fists at enemies but raising holy hands to God. And I want women to get in there with the men in humility before God, not primping before a mirror or chasing the latest fashions but doing something beautiful for God and becoming beautiful doing it. 
1 Timothy 2:9-10

I pray for beauty from doing something beautiful for God!

As always, you are more than welcome to disagree with me, but I thought that I'd get my perspective out there since, after all, this is my blog. :)

Home Economics

And by this, I mean economics of my home.  I have been reading some of Bill McKibben's books recently (Eaarth and Deep Economy, in case you are curious), and he has reminded me of the power of community and supporting our local communities.  As I became an adult, I had the tendency to try to avoid spending money preferring to save for the future.  As I have become a slightly older adult, I tacked on the desire to not spend money so that I'd also have plenty to give away.  Inn the last few years I have become more and more conscious of the fact that I am accountable to God for every dollar I spend, and I want to use money well.  However, an idea has been growing in me: There may be a way to use money that may be as good (if not better?) than charity if done correctly.

What I mean is that by spending our money, we are putting it in another's pocket so that it can provide for his/her needs.  So if I participate in my local CSA, I am directly putting money into the farmers' pockets so that they can buy seeds but also help pay for their clothing, bills, mortgage, etc.  However, if I buy food from a large grocery store, I may be putting a lot of money into the pockets of a few CEOs and a few cents on the dollar into the hands of the farmers.  The same thing goes with just about anything you want to buy:  If you buy it as local as possible in as small of a store (or no store!), you are more likely to be getting money directly to someone who is going to use the money to exist and not to buy another private yacht.

Of course, some things make sense to make and distribute on a large scale (I've never heard of a local computer-maker...), but so much of what we need (food, clothing, shelter, etc) and even much of what we don't need can be done at the local level which is awesome.

I think that while there is nothing shameful in accepting assistance when in need, and I think that we absolutely should help people who are in need.  However, I think the idea of supporting our local economy is wonderful because I think it can help fewer people reach the point of being in need of assistance.  I think most people want to work for a living, and local economies can provide rewarding, authentic jobs that will help them do just that.

This is non-partisan, too!  Who doesn't want to support their community?  Liberals want to help the down and out, so let's help prevent people from getting there.  Conservatives want to support small businesses, so let's support them by purchasing from them (even if you pay more than at the bigger store).

When you spend or invest money, you are investing in something and supporting something.  The question is, are you sure you are supporting what you value?  That's something we'll keep striving for throughout our lives.

Compassion

As we near the end of the Easter season, I want to give a shout out to Jesus.  One of the attributes of Jesus that  always moves me is His compassion.  I think that we take it for granted that Jesus was a man of great compassion.  According to the Bible, Jesus was moved with compassion repeatedly.  He felt compassion when He was in the presence of the ill (Matthew 14:14). He felt compassion for his followers when they were hungry (Matthew 15:32).  He had compassion for those debilitated by blindness (Matthew 20:34).  In other stories I sense His compassion even if the Bible does not describe Him as feeling compassion at the moment.  When He speaks gently to the adulteress despite all of the men ready to condemn her.  When he restores His relationship with Peter.  When He raises Lazarus to ease the burden for a widow with no other sons.

When Jesus saw people hurting, He generally seemed to feel compassion, and He would fill the needs of the people around Him.  Ultimately, I believe that Jesus' compassion for us is what led him to the cross.  He saw our need for an ultimate sacrifice to pay off a debt, and so He paid the debt.

I am moved by the compassion shown by Jesus.  Thanks be to God that Jesus didn't just see problems and say, "Well, if they had made better decisions, and if people just did things better, that wouldn't have been a problem.  They really should just pull themselves up by their bootstraps and make something of themselves!"  Instead, He first met needs, and by doing so He generally seemed to gain favor and followers.

---

Recently, I have been considering how I would like our country to run with the idea of showing compassion as Jesus did.  One current hot topic is the mandate for all people to have health insurance.  This has been brought to the Supreme Court because some feel like it is unconstitutional to mandate that all people buy health insurance.  The Daily Show had a segment about this recently, and I think Jon Stewart really hits the nail at one point.  The following segment has been on my mind for a few days now (NOTE: At the end there are some graphic cartoon beheadings.  I think it's a segment with a great points and it's worth watching, but I  totally admit that the beheadings are gross.  Feel free to stop the video at 3:40 if you have delicate sensibilities!):

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

In this video, Donald Verrilli, the US Solicitor General, says that paying for our health system is predominantly done by health insurance, but over 40 million Americans do not have access to health insurance and for these people our health care system is not working.  Justice Antonin Scalia says that the US federal government is not supposed to be the government that has all the powers, but rather, it is supposed to have limited powers.  Jon Stewart then points out that the government is looking for a way to solve a problem the U.S. citizens have.  Namely, to have a system where insurance companies can afford to take all people (including those with pre-existing conditions, for example), we must have all people participating in the system to share the cost.  Stewart then picks up on a key exchange between General Verrilli and Justice Scalia:

General Verrilli: ...in the health care market, you're going into the market without the ability to pay for what you get, getting the health care service anyway as a result of the social norms that allow — that — to which we've obligated ourselves so that people get health care.

Justice Scalia: Well, don't obligate yourself to that. Why — you know?

And herein lies the crux of the matter! Until another solution is put on the table, the choice being made here is really between providing or denying health care to those without insurance, for whatever reason.

Note: For time purposes, the Daily Show obviously must exclude a lot of the exchange. For the transcript of the case, go here.

Forty million Americans don't have access to health insurance, but they still get sick and injured. How can we not have compassion on them and do what we can to heal them? I may not be able to pay all their medical bills myself, but there is a change to our system that we can make to help them to have access to the care that they need. How can I not support that change?

---

Another group of people who have been the object of scorn is those in the Occupy Wall Street Movement. Mind you, I'm aware of the weaknesses of the movement. However, it's memes like this that make me sad. While I'm sure some people are lazy, wanting too much, etc., is it alright to minimize the legitimate hurts of people due to the issues in our system and country? Do we really still believe that everybody still has equal opportunity in our country? If we don't, how should we react?

In my mind, I would rather be cheated by a lazy person to guarantee that a few other underdogs get what they need. While there are still hungry and homeless in our country, our work isn't done.

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A song by Derek Webb always stirs my heart.

My Enemies are Men Like Me

I have come to give you life

And to show you how to live it

I have come to make things right

To heal their ears and show you how to forgive them

‘Cause I would rather die

I would rather die

I would rather die than to take your life

‘Cause how can I kill the ones I’m supposed to love

My enemies are men like me

So I will protest the sword if it’s not wielded well

‘Cause my enemies are men like me

Peace by way of war

Is like purity by way of fornication

It’s like telling someone murder is wrong

And then showing them by way of execution

And I would rather die

I would rather die

I would rather die than to take your life

‘Cause how can I kill the ones I’m supposed to love

My enemies are men like me

So I will protest the sword if it’s not wielded well

‘Cause my enemies are men like me

When justice is bought and sold just like weapons of war

Oh, the ones who always pay are the poorest of the poor

So how can I kill the ones I’m supposed to love

My enemies are men like me

So I will protest the sword if it’s not wielded well

‘Cause my enemies are men like me

---

I ache as we struggle to extend our hands to those in need.  I ache as we go to war over and over again and innocent people die for a cause that I cannot name.  I ache for the hungry.  I ache for the cold.  I ache for those who are facing medical debt.

I ache because I know better, but I still don't always offer compassion.

I am grateful that I have opportunities to give compassion.

I am grateful that God is more compassionate and loving than we can imagine.  I celebrate His compassion, and I ask to be able to do my part to extend it to our world.

As we observe Good Friday, I thank Jesus for having compassion for all people.
Happy Easter

Electronics: They come from where?

Note:  Before reading this post, I want to disclose the fact that after I wrote this post I found out that Dr. Daisey perhaps used some creative license to share the information he gave.  It's not that the information about the working conditions is necessarily false, but, from what I can tell, he essentially is telling some true stories and some made-up stories that he believes honestly represents true situations.  The information he gives matches with other sources that I have read, so I still think it is still worth thinking about.  However, I do wish that he hadn't been somewhat "deceptive" in how he delivered the information.

A couple of my friends linked to Mr. Daisey and The Apple Factory on Facebook recently, and one friend asked if I had heard it and said:

"Maybe you could do a blog post about "good" vs. "bad" companies: are there any that are responsible third-world employers? What does that even mean? Which major (tech) manufacturers don't use third-world labor?"

Well, I had not yet listened to the radio show, but I had heard of Foxconn and their policies.  However, I am going to go ahead and listen to the show (which is about an hour long), and I will make notes as I go in case you don't have an hour to listen to such things.  I am taking notes quickly, so let me know if you thing I mistyped something that was said.  The notes are in purple, so you can skip them if you just want to see the punchline at the end: I will tell you my findings about "good" and "bad" companies and third-world labor.

• Daisey loves his electronics, but he points out that he rarely thinks about how things are made.  He says that he sort of assumed that robots made them.  However, he learned that humans are involved in the process, and then he started to think.
• Shenzhen (a city of over 8 million people) is the place in China where almost all our "crap" comes from, yet most of us don't know it's name.  We know the stuff's from China, but we don't realize it usually comes from one specific city.  Corporations made a deal with the Chinese to help create a modern China.  Shenzhen is part of this deal.
• Daisey plans to go to Foxconn which is a company that makes electronics for Apple, Dell, Samsung, Nokia, etc.  He plans to stand at the main gate and talk to anybody who wants to talk to him.  Journalists in Hong Kong tell him it's a bad idea, but he can't get any information through the normal channels.  
• When he got there, he saw that the plant is enormous - 430,000 workers.  There are more than 20 cafeterias at the plant each one holding up to 10,000 people.  (Try to visualize that!)  There are guards at the gate who look "really pissed", and they carry guns.  
• Recently a journalist had been beaten for taking pictures near the Foxconn building.
• Daisey was there right after the successive suicides at Foxconn.  The nets to catch the suicidal people have been put into place.
• A huge line of people show up to talk to him!  They want to tell him the stories of their lives and workplace.
• One lady cleans the screens of I-phones.  She's 13 years old.  Some of her friends have jobs at Foxconn too.  Foxconn doesn't check ages.  During an inspection, Foxconn puts the oldest workers on the inspected line.
• Can Apple not know?  A company obsessed with the details?  Or are they just doing what we're all doing?  Do they seek what they want to see?
• His next plan was to visit a bunch of factories, pretend to be a businessman, and pretend to want to buy whatever factories are selling.
• Each factory had gates and guards.  Then big green lawns and huge lobbies.  The executives come down "in a gaggle" and escort you to a conference room.  Then they show you the factory floor.  The floors are silent.  Nobody is allowed to speak on the line.  The only sound is  bodies moving constantly.
• Anything that can be made by hand is made by hand because the cost of labor is effectively zero.
• The people he talked to worked 12 hour shifts standard, but often much longer than that.  When a "hot new gadget" is coming out, they might work 16 hours or more a day for months.  While he's in the country, a Foxconn worker died after working a 34-hour shift.  That's not the only case of that happening.
• Dormitories are cement cubes.  About 12'x12' with 13-15 beds.  There are cameras in the rooms and hallways.
• The way Daisey sees everything is starting to change.
• He notices that things are still "handmade", just not in the way that we always wish things were handmade.
• Runs through his head: "Paranoia is not paranoia if they're actually out to get you."  He goes to a restaurant to meet with a union interested in labor reform.  These are secret because you can go to prison for years for being involved with one of these unions.  He wants to hear what they have to say.
• There is turmoil is Southern China.  They helped organize a strike in Honda factories.
• n-hexane is used to clean screens, and it's a known neurotoxin.
• Peoples' joints have disintegrated by the time they are 26 of 27 from doing the same motion over and over and over.  Then they are fired.
• If you talk to the labor board about problems, you get put on the black list and you get fired.
• The workers usually never get to see the final product on.  A worker said, "It's a kind of magic," when he got to see an I-pad working.
• His partner (Kathy, a Chinese translator) wonders if they are mentally ill.  "Are they making it up?"  Daisey's answer, "What do you think?"   Kathy says, "No... It's just, you hear stories, but you do not think it is going to be so much, you know?  It's just so much."

The following is the host's responses and further exploration (I didn't do a terrific job with this section, sorry):  

• The host did their best to fact check everything from the excerpt.  The host tried to get Apple and Foxconn to respond, but they refused.
• Only one real objection from Ian Spaulding, founder and managing director of INFACT Global Partners, which goes into Chinese factories and helps them meet social responsibility standards set by Western companies:  There is child labor in China, but not in top-tier electronics factories.  Daisey continues to claim that he met the workers.  Not many, but some.
• Apple found 91 under-aged workers in an audit of it's own factories.  It helped the kids get back in school, and ended working with one supplier.
•  SACOM, Students and Scholars Against Corporate Misbehavior, based in Hong Kong claims:
• The workers are forced to stand to improve productivity
• 10-20% overturn of workers every month
• Workers leaving forces factories to make some improvements
• Apples claims they are 100% transparent, but they refuse to come to the air
• They have a code of conduct the suppliers must comply with, and Apple conducts audits
• If audits don't go well, Apple claims to end work with supplier
• Apple asks suppliers not to use n-hexane
• Daisey is happy they do some things, but he is concerned that even in Apple's own reports, things aren't good.  He thinks companies need to be held responsible, but they won't provide supplier names so that people can independently check up on things.
• The question is, "Should we feel weird about buying these things made faraway?"
• Many say no.  Sometimes the factories are an improvement from other possibilities (including poverty).
• People say that the factories provide employment opportunities in China, especially for young women.  It takes people from the grimness of rice paddies to the grimness of Foxconn.
• Sweatshops are bad, but they help fight poverty.
• "Sweatshops are a phase countries go through."
• Daisey just wants basic worker protection.  Rotate people in jobs in factories.  Inspect without announcement.
• We fought for these things in our country to protect people.  Then we just shipped the jobs to other countries to treat other people as poorly.

"Out of sight, out of mind..."

First of all, the ethics of electronics goes way beyond the serious labor issues.  I just read The Story of Stuff recently, and I learned a lot about electronics.  (I highly recommend that book, by the way!)  The ethical issues begin with sourcing of materials which often damages natural resources in other countries and even forces people off of their land, and the issues end with the fact that electronics are often sent to China at the end of their lifetimes where they are recycled by workers who are not properly equipped to be dealing with the toxins and other nasties that the electronics are filled with.  From beginning to end, and all the way throughout the process, the manufacturing of electronics is a messy process that maybe should probably turn some heads.

Now back to the original concern.  I am similar to Daisey in that I think that we should care that people are not being treated well as they make all of our "crap".  However, in my research, it is really hard to label any company as "good" or "bad".  I have read that HP does a fair amount to try to be "good", but even HP is not close to perfect when it comes to helping the environment or people.

So what should we buy?  There is no black-or-white answer here!  However, first of all, buying used or refurbished is probably best for the environment and people.  Additionally, buying fewer electronic gadgets in general is an option.  If you are going to buy something new, though, you might want to check it out on the Good Guide which is an amazing site (recommended by the author of The Story of Stuff, Annie Leonard).  You can get the Good Guide to rank potential purchases by different issues (environment, society, health, etc).

Other sites that I found interesting:

• Green Peace ranks electronics companies based on environmental concerns
• Here is where HP discusses their supply chain policies.  There website has a lot of information about their social and environmental policies, although it isn't easy to verify that they are maintained.
• This post is a similar discussion to that of this blog post.
• The Ethical Consumer site has information about audio/visual electronics, and they are similar to the Good Guide in purpose.

Good luck to all of you who are interested in being an ethical consumer!  It's not always clear what the best decision is, I don't think, but I personally think that if we choose to work to improve things, things will get better.  At the very least, let's not have the "out of sight, out of mind" mentality anymore.  Let's keep this in the open and keep discussing things because we want to make the world better for everyone.  Additionally, feel free to contact companies when you question their values.  Let them know if you choose another company over theirs because companies will respond to consumer pressure.

Keeping the Baby, but throwing out the Women with the bathwater

If you have been following the headlines much recently, you may have noticed that Susan G. Komen for the Cure has pulled its contributions to Planned Parenthood with the reasoning that they do not give money to agencies under investigation by Congress.

I know that a lot of anti-abortion people rejoice as Planned Parenthood loses funding.  I understand that Planned Parenthood performs many of our nation's abortions, and I guess that the idea is that if they aren't funded as much, then people won't have as many abortions.  I assume that the symbolism of crushing a huge abortion provider is also appreciated.

The thing that bothers me is that I haven't seen a single anti-abortion person or website acknowledge the fact that there will almost definitely be huge negative consequences for pulling funds from Planned Parenthood.  The consequences, in my opinion, deserve consideration.

Here is a side rant.  You can tell because it's in a new color.  While I want abortion to be gone from the world, there are a few reasons why I really struggle to label myself as "pro-life" in the political sense.  One of the reasons is that I feel like there is too much hypocrisy.  The pro-life politicians are the same ones that do not seem to be worried about providing for our poor.  They are the ones who often do not want the government to guarantee healthcare to everybody (instead letting the free market choose who gets healthcare, I assume).  They are the ones who are more likely to jump at going to war.  They are the ones more likely to support capital punishment.  It is fairly convenient to outlaw abortion.  It is incredibly inconvenient to be willing to give up our resources to help those who need it.  If I am going to jump on the "pro-life" train, I need to know that the train is not only concerned about the rights of the baby before it's born, but also the rights and health of the baby (and mother!) throughout life.  Until then, I continue to stand against abortion, but I view it as a cause that is intermingled with other causes that need to simultaneously be addressed if I say I believe in the value of all life.  Which I find that I do!

*ahem* Back to my main post.  The problem is that Planned Parenthood does more than provide abortions.  It is a huge provider of birth control, cancer screenings, preventative education, STD treatment, menopause treatment, etc.  The kicker?  75% of its clients have incomes at or below 150% of the federal poverty level.  (According to Wikipedia.)  This means that millions of poor women are using the Planned Parenthood facilities to participate in potentially life-saving activities.  Additionally, other services provided (like the STD treatment) are generally just improving the quality of life of the individual receiving treatment.

So why is no anti-abortion person talking about the fact that the defunding of Planned Parenthood will likely cause poor women to be less likely to receive the care that they need?  Why are we praising God that Susan G. Komen is removing its funding for cancer screenings?  Doesn't this appear to be callous?  Isn't there more to be talked about here?  

I think babies are incredibly important people, but I don't want to just keep the babies and throw out the women with the bath water.

Note: As I am about to publish this, I found that Susan G. Komen has decided to continue providing Planned Parenthood the grant money to provide cancer screenings and preventative education.  I hope that we can all agree to celebrate the lives that hopefully will be saved or bettered by the treatments provided through this grant money!

Second Note:  Regarding the investigation... I understand that if Planned Parenthood is illegally using federal funds then, from my understanding, it forfeits the right to those funds.  That is a separate issue.

Some Chocolate Love

 Do you think that chocolate is one of God's gifts to humankind?  I can't argue with you there.  It's delicious and apparently is even considered good for you when you eat it in the form of dark chocolate!

Unfortunately, the way that cocoa is grown and sourced is currently not one of God's gifts.  There is a huge problem with child labor and even slavery in the industry.  Beyond retaining people against their will, the form of slavery used includes physical violence including whipping.

These people are real people.  I quote from Food Is Power:

"Drissa, a recently freed cocoa slave who had never even tasted chocolate, experienced similar circumstances and when asked what he would tell the people who eat chocolate made from slave labor, he replied that the people enjoyed something that he suffered to make, adding: 'When people eat chocolate they are eating my flesh.'"

There is a lot more information about the conditions and reality of cocoa farming at the same page on Food Is Power.

The good news is that there are things that you can do to try to avoid this chocolate!  Perhaps the best way would be to look for Fair Trade certified chocolate.  (While there are imperfections in any certification, it does provide accountability.)
There is a more comprehensive description about how to find slave-free chocolate at this site, and it even includes a list of Slave-Free chocolates to choose from!  If you find you really get into the issue, you can let your favorite chocolate companies know that you do not approve of slave labor in the acquisition of cocoa products.  If you can honestly say that you will avoid buying their chocolate until they change their policies, that provides a good consumer pressure on the company.

As you buy some chocolate to say "I love you" to people this year at Valentine's Day, you can also say "I love you" to some people in Africa by getting slave-free chocolate.  How cool is that?!

God Grew Tired of Us

If you are into watching documentaries, God Grew Tired of Us is a really moving one that is worth watching.  It is a bit old (released in 2006), and the genocidal conflict between the north and the south of Sudan was declared finished with a treaty in 2005.  However, tension remains in Sudan (you may have heard of the recent war/genocide in Darfur).  In fact, according to a New York Times article linked from Genocide Watch, early in 2012 there was a massacre in South Sudan that left 3,000 killed.  To make a connection in our US minds, this is just about the exact same number as the count given for the death toll from the 9-11 attacks (2,996 including the 19 hijackers according to Wikipedia).  And this is just the most recent attack in Sudan in a conflict that dates back to at least the 1980s!

In addition to gaining some information about the conflict and the consequences for the people, it is amazing to watch pastoral Sudanese be introduced to what we take for granted: electricity, abundant food, and showers.  It also gave me a glimpse into how different our cultures are, and it made me feel like we could learn a lot from each other!

The story is not for the faint-of-heart: The images of refugees are heartbreaking.  However, I cried out of happiness, too, as there were happy endings for some of the individuals' stories.

Not just relevant to the past: Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

On this day, many people in our nation get a day off from school or work in honor of someone that our nation has decided is a hero worth honoring.  We know that Dr. King was a huge force that pushed the civil rights movement to a new level.  However, I think that if he visited our nation today, he would probably not think that he could rest.  I believe that he would continue to fight for the underdogs in the system since the civil rights movement did not immediately create balance, and I learned today that he was a activist for the poor as well.

"A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom."  -- Martin Luther King, Jr.

Indeed, there was more to Dr. King than we commemorate!  While he was probably speaking out against spending our resources in Vietnam (a war which he opposed) when he said this, would he feel much different about the endless wars that we have been in since his untimely passing?  How would he feel about how we treat those in poverty today?  Would he think that we are sufficiently lifting them up?

I don't believe that Dr. King's goals for the US must be your goals.  I don't believe that he was a perfect man with all the right ideas.  However, from what I have heard, I do believe that he was a hero, and I respect him.  As such, I think that it is worth considering his ideas outside of the realm of civil rights.  So, as you go about your day, perhaps you can take a few moments to honor our hero by asking yourself what you are called to do to uplift those who need uplifting.

"Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness."  -- Martin Luther King, Jr.

May we live unselfish lives filled with love.  I leave you with a favorite quotation of mine:

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."  --Martin Luther King, Jr.

Because things are complicated...

... I write this post.  I reposted this meme on Facebook yesterday:

I do not know where this image originally came from!  I found it here,
but they do not state where they got it from.

I then explained what I thought when I saw it:

"I suppose that some explanation would be good, too. I'm not positive what was intended by these photos, but what I see is the irony of people thanking God for food that was provided to them (so cheaply!) at the expense of the underpaid, overworked workers. Perhaps I'm reading too much into it though, and perhaps it's just making the point that we should be grateful for our farmworkers (especially since they don't get paid much... and they are part of the reason food is so cheap...)

I stand by the point of irony, though."

I think that some people may have interpreted my words as saying that the family was conscious at the time of thanking God that their food was likely provided by workers that were, in some peoples' opinions, unfairly treated.  That honestly wasn't what was happening in my mind.  I was just noticing that in our system, we end up regularly thanking God for His provision, and to me something is wrong with this because it is hard for me to say that "God's provision" is food provided by workers in horrible conditions.  Minus the provision of the sun, the rain, and the beauty of growing plants, I do not see a lot of God in our food system.  This is where I find unfortunate irony.

Before I continue, I want people to realize that I am not suggesting that families starve before buying unfairly provided food.  Life is not black and white.  We all have our own decisions to make and battles to fight.

Now, here is where I confess that I draw these conclusions on my own.  There is nothing in the Bible saying that the US food system is broken.  There is nothing stating how much farm workers should make.  There is nothing stating how often farm workers should get breaks.  There is nothing stating how much compensation they should get when they get injured doing their jobs.  It is not even a church teaching that leads me to my conclusions.  I have not yet found a church who openly speaks about these things.  It is my own personal convictions that lead me to want others to know more about our system so that they can make their decisions based on knowledge.  I do not claim to be God's voice although I believe that He is the root of my passion for these issues.  If you disagree with me, that is certainly your right.  I'm human.  It's a humble position.  I could be wrong.

If I am honest, though, I do personally believe that Christians are sorely lacking when it comes to responding to issues of social justice.  I think that this happens partially because the issues are very complicated and not very self-apparent.  When you buy green beans at the store, you probably don't even think about where it came from or who picked it.  This isn't because you are a bad person, but it is because it is not how our culture works.  However, I also believe this happens because Christians do not separate themselves from the rest of culture when it comes to consumer habits.  While we say that "whatever we do, whether in word or deed, we do it for the glory of God" (or at least make it our goal), I think that somehow our consumer decisions are often made based off of the black and white ethical guide of, "Can I afford it or not?"  While certainly it is good to avoid debt if possible, I believe that a lot more should go into the decision to purchase almost any sort of item.  Food is certainly one example.  Another example that has gone painfully ignored is the use of sweatshops around the world to create almost all of the consumer goods that we buy: clothing, toys, electronics, etc.  Unlike our food system, I do believe that it is widespread knowledge that sweatshops are a problem, but I do not observe that Christians have, in my opinion, reacted accordingly.

I know I am not perfect.  I do try to buy food from farmers making fair wages.  I do this by trying to buy most things from local farms and looking for the fair trade certification.  I buy what I can from the co-op in Corvallis since I know they research the origins of products as much as they can.  However, there is a chance that some of my food still comes from poorly treated workers.  I also try to avoid sweatshop labor by buying almost everything used.  However, even in the last year I couldn't find a used soap dispenser (which I wanted to buy to use for homemade tooth soap so that we could stop buying toothpaste), so I ended up buying a new one.  I looked, and it had the typical "Made in China" sticker, and I felt the pang of guilt, praying that the workers who made it were treated well and apologizing if they weren't.  I know I am not perfect.


It is with humbleness that I ask you to weigh my words in your heart and decide for yourself whether or not these are problems that you are called to address in your life.  I don't expect anybody will be perfect, but I think that with God we can change the world just by trying to do right!  I personally believe that our government can be used to effect positive change as well, and I encourage you to use your voice in our democracy.  However, I think it would be huge and beautiful if we all work to put our money in positive places.

Because things are complicated... I ask you to consider my words and ideas.
Because things are complicated... I come to you humbly.  I could be wrong.
Because things are complicated... I hope to give and receive grace if and when we disagree.

Thank you for all of you who take the time to read my words on this blog.  I hope that I generally come across as informative and maybe occasionally inspiring rather than judgmental and critical.  I love you all!

Animals: The feathered and the furry

Recently some friends posted a picture of an abused dog on Facebook.  In my opinion, animal abuse is horrible.  To me, it seems bizarre to needlessly, purposely inflict trauma and pain upon a living creature.  I think that most people probably agree with that.  This always stirs in me a question: Then why are so many people not disturbed by how the animals that provide them food are treated?  The same people furrowing their brows about a dog in pain may easily have eaten eggs from chickens that were debeaked or beef from a cow skinned alive during slaughter.  There is a disconnect in my mind, so I wanted to present some information to hopefully help bridge the gap.  First, here are some pictures:

From Alliance for Natural Health USA.

Here are some of your cage-free laying hens.  From Powered by Produce.

Chickens aren't meant to live like this, and it stresses them out.  To keep them
from attacking each other, they debeak them.  From  Powered by Produce.

It's not just chickens...
Picture from eutrophication&amphypoxia.

Cows too...
Picture from Kitchen Stewardship

After living a stressful life, these animals don't always even get to enter death peacefully.  In a book that I read (I apologize, I don't remember which one although it was likely Fast Food Nation or Food Inc.), I learned that animals are sometimes skinned alive and, if things don't go quite right, they can even be skinned while conscious.  Talk about torturous.  This is also incredibly dangerous for the worker skinning the animal for obvious emotional reasons but also because the heavy, flailing animals can hurt the human.

How do you avoid all of this?  That's a great question.  While "organic", "free range", and "cage free" labels may sound like the animals producing your eggs, dairy and meat lived happy lives, that's not necessarily so.  I would look up the farm, talk to the store that you are buying the products from, and/or buy directly from a farmer that you trust.  For more on eggs, here is a good source (there is a great table on Pages 14 and 15 that show you how tricky certifications can be!).  It is helpful to look up certifications so that you know what each one guarantees.

It is likely that a good source of animal products will be more expensive, so you might find that you need to cut back on these products to stay within your food budget.  I've mentioned before that Matthew and I eat an almost exclusively vegetarian diet, and this is why.  For us, meat was the easiest animal product to cut back on because there are a bunch of amazing vegetarian recipes out there!  You can eat a bean and cheese burrito, enchiladas, various soups, vegetarian chili, lasagna, etc.  A lot of the meals that you eat can be turned into vegetarian meals.  If you consider eating more vegetarian foods or vegan foods, just make sure that you look up some information about how to make sure you are getting the nutrients you need.  It's totally doable though, and a vegetarian/vegan diet can lend to a super healthy life as long as you are grabbing whole foods instead of processed stuff.  If you need any more motivation:  I gained a bit of weight near the end of my undergrad career, but I have lost fifteen to twenty pounds in the last year and a half to two years.  I'm smaller than I was in high school, and I feel good, too.  I also tend to move a lot (partially because I avoid our car like the plague, but that's a different story), but I'm pretty sure that diet plays a large part in my weight and health.

Any thoughts about why people are not concerned about animal welfare when it comes to animals providing our food?  Do you think people don't know about it?  Are we just so used to seeing animals crammed together that it seems normal now instead of cruel?  I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Solar Lighting

While solar lighting doesn't make a lot of sense to me right now as I look outside at a gray, cloudy day, it does make all kinds of sense to people in sub-Saharan Africa.  This post talks about how much sense it makes when compared to the alternative -- often kerosene.  It also make sense because it can free up a significant portion of a person's income!

In case the term "solar light" is new to you, the light is simply a lamp that contains a rechargeable battery and is charged by a photovoltaic panel (like those you see on roofs, only little).

After considering the list of projects, Matthew and I found Solar Sister to be the one that most caught our attention (although there are a lot of other wonderful projects...)  What appealed to us was the fact that a donation would provide the means for a woman to gain income through the sales of these solar lights.  It reminded us of Kiva.  (Speaking of which, have you set up an account at www.kiva.org yet?  Because it's awesome.  Seriously.)

Legislation-palooza

Today when I got on the computer, I was immediately bombarded with news of some bills that made me go, "Cool!"  Now, maybe these bills aren't perfect, but they are all things I personally have been hoping that congress would do something about.

Here is a description of a bill that would protect farmers from the current ramifications of genetically engineered (GE) seed technology.  In short, patents have made it so that certain big corporations (*cough* Monsanto *cough*) have been able to commit what I consider heinous crimes against farmers.  For example, farmers who did not plant Monsanto's GE seeds can get sued for exorbitant amounts if some of that seed ends up in their supply when they save their seed at the end of the season.  (This happens when other farmers in the area have GE crops.  Cross-pollination occurs.)  Small farmers have been going bankrupt as a result.  I've been hoping for legislation to stop this.

Here is a description of a bill that would mandate that GE foods are labelled in stores.  Americans polled have said they'd like to know, and there are also health safety issues when people eat GE foods. For example, if you are allergic to a food, and you eat another food that has been given genes from the food you're allergic to, you might possibly have an allergic reaction to a food you'd normally be OK with.

Next is a bill that would help to prevent plants the have been engineered to produce substances (human or veterinary drugs, biologic, industrial, or research chemicals, or enzymes) from being able to let loose this new DNA into other crops or the wild.

Finally, here is a proposed constitutional amendment that would deny personhood to corporations.

Will any of these things pass? I have no clue. I do expect that they will be lobbied against with full force. They all involve corporations losing power and, consequentially, possibly money. However, what is good for corporations isn't necessarily what's good for the people of the US, and the government is supposed to do what's good and right for the people.

If you are interested in any of these issues, feel free to look up more about them and then maybe consider writing to your representatives in congress.

What's going on out there...

I've been reading and listening to some interesting things this week, so I thought I'd share some of them here.

First up is an article about how large multinational corporations are marketing their junk food products to new people... the poor and malnourished around the world.  It really does bother me that corporations are willing to grow at the expense of the health and well-being of people.  Want to know what you can do to help?  My personal method is to do my best to avoid products from large companies unless I figure out that they're a good company.  Every time I spend money, I view it as a vote in my mostly capitalistic economy.  If you want something else to do, I think that it might also be good to write to corporations to let them know how you feel and why you will not buy their product.

The next article discusses the future of global warming and some geoengineering ideas of how to combat it.  It really scares me to have humans try to play with the atmosphere, clouds, etc to try to affect our climate.  I totally understand why they are considering these ideas, and I respect them for acknowledging that this would be a last ditch attempt to buy more time for humanity to stop destroying our home (you know, Earth), but I think that such a large-scale action that cannot really be tested in advance could also be devastating.  The idea of temperatures rising 11.5 degrees Fahrenheit over the next 90 years is overwhelming, too.  I know I will only be around so long, but I'd really like for my children and grandchildren to be able to live a peaceful life and enjoy our beautiful planet.  (To Christians who believe that Jesus will return and make it all better before any of this happens, I must say this:  You don't know that.  We have no guarantee that we won't destroy much of our population in the years to come.  God loves us, but He certainly is not obligated to miraculously save us from our own selfish actions, right?)  Want to know what you can do?  Take some time to learn about what's going on.  Be willing to change yourself.  Be willing to speak out at the political level.  Again, vote with your money.  Learn to live differently, and pray that your life will positively affect others.

Up next is a video of a young man speaking about how he was raised by a lesbian couple.  When I was adamantly against the legalization of gay marriage, I was asked why it mattered if a homosexual couple had the same legal rights as a heterosexual couple.  The reason that I was taught to give was that adopted babies wouldn't be given as good of a home to live in.  Now I just don't think this argument is fair, and I don't think it should be used.  I do think that children should having loving relationships with both men and women (opinion, not fact), but I think that a homosexual couple could ensure that this happens through extended family, church family, and other groups.  I know that not everybody out there agrees with me, and I think that everybody has the right to their own opinion, and they should vote for what they believe is right.  I just encourage people to think about their decision and be open to listening to God even if it might mean changing.  At this point in my life, I feel strongly that I need to support homosexual couples in their endeavor to be accepted in society.  I tend to believe that in 100 (or fewer) years, people will look back and view the efforts to prevent gay marriage similarly to how most of us view the efforts to prevent interracial marriage (which was also justified using the Bible).

Speaking of interracial marriage... Here we have an example of a church who still struggles to accept that it is truly alright.  If this isn't a humbling example of why we should keep our heart open to change, I don't know what is.  What comes to mind is: Live justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God...  (Micah 6:8 for those of you who are amazed that I'd come up with something so lovely on my own... I didn't!)

I will leave you with a really neat story about a man who, to me, seemed to follow the teachings and show the love of Jesus.  I have no clue whether or not the man was intending to do so, but my heart tells me that God was in the details.

The Occupy movement... money... life... and stuff

Unless I have written a post that I have forgotten about, I think that so far I have not said anything about the Occupy movement sweeping the nation.  I have mixed feelings about the movement.  I am so happy that people are able and willing to assemble to express their dissatisfaction about a system that has failed them (or not them, but people they know).  I am concerned that the movement has no clear direction and will thus fizzle out without causing change.  When doing a sit-in type protest, it seems like it is vital to have a list of demands.  With that, I actually really want to talk about the reactions to the movement that I have heard.  Not that this is a new thing to hear, but one recurring response is essentially the thought that the people participating in the movement are freeloaders who need to go get a job, any job, and stop trying to get pity.

It breaks my heart to hear people speak about the jobless, homeless, and penniless (especially when including debt like student loans) in this way.  It ignores the elephant in the room:  The way our system currently works does not give the same opportunity to every American in the room.  What's more, our system is not fair.

I can go on and on about what is unfair about our system.  It includes the fact that we bail out big banks while still foreclosing on peoples' home.  It includes the fact that not all public schools are created equal, and the richer your area is, the nicer the public school probably is.  It includes that fact that our government's decisions are being affected by the people with the most money more than those with no money.

I am an example of our unfair system.  My mom stayed at home with me and she and my dad both gave me a jump start in my education; I could even read before kindergarten thanks to my parents dedication to reading to and with me.  My parents also had enough money to give me a chance to be involved in sports and other activities through my K-12 education.  Being educated themselves, they helped me to value learning and education.  My dad, being a high school counselor, helped me prepare for college when I was in elementary school by teaching me to save my money and do my best in school.  Not only that, but by luck of the draw, my very genetics allowed me to get straight A's in high school.  Add the activities I participated in (thanks to my parents' ability to make sure I had transportation) and the fact that I happened to be in a small school, and I was a great candidate for scholarships.  I took my eighteen years of privilege to OSU, and I worked hard, and I got enough scholarships to live on each year as long as I lived frugally (which my parents also taught me to do).  I also finished needing summer jobs before the economic crash, so I could earn money each summer.  We also believe that possibly the only reason Matthew has a job now is that (through his own story of privilege) he had an internship at the company that hired him.  Matthew was applying to entry-level positions and never receiving a response despite his grades and internship experience.

I've had people tell me I've done a good job and that I have earned my achievement, and yes, I have worked hard.  However, it's just not fair.  What about the people who could have found stability if born into the same privilege?  What about the simple truth that I would almost certainly not be this well off if I hadn't been a product of all those factors that had absolutely nothing to do with my choices?

So, to me, it goes beyond asking for our system to be fixed of its glaring faults.  It's about being humble about my position of power and compassionate to those who have need, not from fault of their own, but because of circumstances out of their control.

I had three things that I was looking forward to as we exited college: starting a family, buying a house (and more importantly, some land), and having more money to give away.

We've always agreed as a couple that tithing (the literal 10%) is something we should do but should not ever be the end of our giving.  Even throughout college, we had a few extra good things that we made sure to support, but I felt that as we entered the middle class, we'd have a chance to do more.  Immediately upon Matthew starting work, though, I realized that it can take some time to save up for a down payment for a home.  While we don't need a house right away (or technically ever), I think it makes sense for us to own, and as quickly as possible, because I want to make good use of the space through gardening, storing food, maybe having chickens, allowing kids a space to run free and learn about the land, etc.  The "as quickly as possible" part comes from the fact that every month we are shelling out $770 in rent, and while some of that would be going to property taxes and the like, I'd say at least $500 a month is really going toward nothing.  I'd rather be using this money to pay off the house.

So, as we start making more money, I immediately start feeling like we need to make sure that we are saving a fair amount which terrifies me.  I am horrified about always feeling like I need something and, as a result, never giving as much as I can.  From what I have experienced, it seems that no matter how rich people are, they seem to always feel the need to hang onto their money.  People making $20,000 say that if they made even just $50,000, they could give more away.  People making $50,000 say that if they made $100,000, they'd give more away.  If we all do this, it's no wonder that there's a lack of "giving away" in this world.   Financially, and for the lifestyle we live, I still believe it makes sense to aim to own a house.  In the long run, this type of purchase can actually free up more money.

Before I fell asleep last night, I made a decision to remain open to giving freely even while we are saving for a home.  I have a couple specific things I plan to do, and the rest I hope to remain sensitive to.

May God poke me with a big stick if I ever lose passion for doing my part in this earth and instead gain interest in my own first-world wants.  If God seems to be holding off on poking me, it might be because He's hoping one of you will.  Please do!

The argument matters

I recently wrote a post about abortion, and since then I have been considering the stereotypical pro-life voice and why it makes me want to fight against it even when I think we agree that part of our well-wishes for the world include the wish that that there weren't abortions.  I have realized that, oddly enough, it is the way that logic is used to support the pro-life cause that is one of the biggest reasons that I felt like I couldn't support it.  I'll give you some examples that you almost undoubtedly have heard before.

"Life begins at conception."
This is certainly a valid viewpoint.  Certainly we can all recognize that a human life begins somewhere.  It is the use of the Bible to back this assumption that bothers me.  I don't think that there is any verse in the Bible to back this up.  I once had a person tell me that "God told us that He knit us together in the womb", and this was part of his/her rationale for the biblical support of a fetus being a human being.  From what I can tell, there are a few errors in that logic.  First, the verse in the Bible that he/she was referring to was Psalm 139:13 where the psalmist (David, in this case) told God, "For your created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb."  So, this is not God speaking, but David.  Of course, if one believes that what David was saying was inspired, inerrant truth from God, then the point still stands.  (However, I request that you read Psalm 139:21-22 and ask if the same logic can be used to say that God wants us to hate our enemies.)  Regardless of whether this was God's inspiration or simply David's poetic devotion to God, this verse says absolutely nothing about when God starts knitting us. It is still an unjustified claim that it is at conception when this process begins.

"Abortion is MURDER!!!"
This is of course assuming the first point, that life begins at conception (or at least by the time you realize you're pregnant.)  Of course, I'm not going to bother with discussing the point that murder is wrong.  However, I think that the question, "What is murder?" has been left unanswered or is incomplete, and this is fundamental here.  I think that the Christians saying this would probably answer that murder is the killing of an (innocent) human being.  (Tell me if I'm wrong!)  I add innocent because the pro-life camp generally tends to be for capital punishment (justified by the Old Testament stonings, or at least that was how I justified it in my past).  From what the Bible relates to us, God told Israel to go into nations and kill all men, women (including the pregnant ones), and children (including infants).  I think that infants are generally considered fairly innocent, so is God now commanding Israel to commit murder?   What about soldiers killing civilians (again including pregnant women and infants) in wars?  By supporting any war, are we supporting murder?  Perhaps at this point we redefine murder to be illegal killing or killing with malice aforethought, but then we've now defined murder to not include most abortions.  I suppose there is an occasional women who has malice aforethought when having an abortion, but as far as I know, most are just scared and concerned about the implications of bringing a baby into the world.

"If you believe in legalized abortion, you are going against God/are not Christian/are for murder/etc!"
I personally have never had anybody explain to me why followers of Jesus are required by the Bible to push for their own morals to become state/federal law.  I mean, I think we are all glad that we don't have some laws about morality so that we can stand together as a nation in the support of people not shooting people and not stealing others' possessions.  However, I have not yet heard, or found for myself, biblical justification for being mandated to regulate people at all (especially those outside of the Christian church).  Feel free to point me to a verse if you think that it provides the mandate to regulate.

It is funny for me to write this post since I have actually proclaimed all of these italicized things with righteous certainty at some point in my life.  I knew I was right and that I had God on my side, and it was a powerful feeling.  It was also really nice to feel like I could have all of the answers.  Doubt and ambiguity lead to some serious wrestling, and it's not always easy.

I write this post mostly to those of you who feel like I do: Concerned about women, concerned about babies, but also put-off by the pro-life arguments including the ones I listed, and many others, that we hear over and over.  I am personally worried that these arguments that we hear are doing damage as they frustrate people and damage the credibility of a legitimate cause.  For what it's worth, I personally feel like abortion, like miscarriage, is not the way God wishes for a pregnancy to be ended.  I believe that regulation for abortions should be on the political table; however, I think it is equally important to consider the underlying causes of these abortions so that we can serve women in a way that prevents unwanted pregnancies and supports and enables women once they become pregnant.  In the end, I can't find a verse in the Bible that tells us not to have abortions, and I certainly can't find a verse that tells us that we have to regulate abortion.  It is through various teachings about love, life, and helping those around us that in my heart I reach my conclusions about abortion.  It's subjective, but most of the decisions we make in life really are.  I'm doing my best.

Last night I stumbled upon this website, and I read a bunch of what they have on their website.  Gosh, I love that they make it clear that their genuine interest is in respecting and valuing women as well as babies.  Their target group is college-aged women since apparently that is a the group in which about half of US abortions occur, and I was filled with joy when their methods to help prevent these abortions was to empower women to be able to have their child and stay in school.  They also graciously acknowledge that most women really don't want to have an abortion, but the women also don't want to drop out of college, and women tend to think one or the other needs to happen.  It just thrills me that this organization works to help people in a way that does not condemn or judge them but rather gives women a new perspective about their worth and their ability to raise a child and not spend the rest of their lives in poverty.

Global warming + chocolate

Read this!  Don't you want to help fight global warming now?!

Call to Civility...

... on the issue of abortion.

My cousin-in-law (my husband's cousin's wife... that's a cousin-in-law, right?), wrote a lovely post about issues and causes.  In particular, she talks about abortion.  I have largely remained silent about my thoughts about abortion, but it's a big issue (with about 50 million babies aborted since Roe v. Wade in 1973).  I try not to skirt around big issues, but this is one that I have intentionally left alone.  However, since my CIL wrote such a lovely post, I feel able to go ahead and talk a bit about this issue.  So here we go.

Here's the deal.  I'm not a fan of abortion.  I think babies are very important people.  However, as I say this, I fear that I am going to be clumped in with the loud religious voices yelling at people and being very dogmatic and perhaps self-righteous.  I'm absolutely not calling you a murderer if you have had an abortion because most likely you are not one (unless you had "malice aforethought"), and I'm sorry if anybody has tried to instill guilt in you using this tactic.

I am concerned about unborn babies lives, and I am concerned about the effects of being a society that pushes down the moral questions that should naturally come with removing a baby from the womb so that it will die or killing the baby first in the womb (as in a partial birth abortion).

However, I also care about you, mothers.  I can't imagine how scary it must be to be pregnant as a teenager or to be pregnant after rape.  I can't imagine the feelings that you have as your doctor discusses the disability of Down Syndrome instead of the blessing that your baby can still be.  I can't imagine the panic rising in your chest as you fear the life that your child will have as you feel unready or incapable of raising this new little human.  I would love to talk to you, and I would love to pour love and support into you.

There is so much to discuss if we can just cool down and discuss it.  We also really need to talk about what will happen to the babies that would otherwise have been aborted.  Will they really all be snatched up by loving homes?  If the mothers choose to keep their children, will we agree as a society to support them financially and emotionally?  What about doing more as a society to help people value sexual relationships and family?  What will be the rates of illegal, and probably very unsafe, abortions if we make abortion illegal?  Is there something we can/should do to help prevent the large number of unwanted pregnancies in the first place?

We live in such a hurtful and complicated world.  The fact that there are so many unwanted pregnancies in the first place is evidence of this.  I just don't want it to be made more hurtful by ignoring the needs of the unborn.

So, I'm really here just asking us to get back to considering this issue civilly and without political tricks and maneuvers that has escalated this serious issue to an undignified level.  I love you all, even if you disagree with me.  God loves you, regardless of any opinion or action that you take.  Let's communicate.  Let's work to make this world better for everyone.



    

The Oregon Food Bank

Since moving to Aloha, I have found that I have a fair amount of free time and no friends nearby.  To combat both of these issues, one of my thoughts was that I could volunteer somewhere.  I searched on Craigslist for awhile with no great opportunities popping out at me, but this past Saturday I somehow ran across the possibility of volunteering at OFB.  The Beaverton warehouse is about three miles away, so I signed up for a couple of hours today, and I ended up packing a bunch of frozen carrots into family-sized (3 pounds) packages for distribution.  I met a few nice ladies, and we ended up working with a group of students from a high school.  It turned out that in about an hour and a half or so, we prepared about 5,000 pounds of food for distribution which is a lot of food.  I really enjoyed doing this, and when I got home, I signed up for a few more shifts in the coming weeks.

For those of you who don't know much about this organization, it is a private non-profit that does a lot of work to try to prevent Oregonians from going hungry.  OFB is centered in Portland, but, if I remember correctly, the central Portland warehouse works with/feeds into 20 other warehouses across the state, and each of these warehouses works with smaller agencies that actually do the food distribution or cook the food for people to eat (like soup kitchens).  Even better, OFB is genuinely interested in helping prevent hunger, so they run free classes that teach people how to make good food choices to stretch their food dollars farther, how to cook inexpensive and nutritious meals, and how to grow gardens to produce their own food.  A couple blocks from the warehouse that I was working in was a garden that OFB runs, and they use this garden to teach people, and they also use it to create produce (5,000 pounds this year so far as of a few weeks ago) for the food bank.  Additionally, OFB advocates at a legislative level to speak for the hungry and poor in our state.

I really like the idea of doing something to help people be able to feed their families.  I think Jesus had compassion for the hungry, and I want to share in His vision for a world where people are not in need.  It would be very cool if we could all reach out to the people around us who are in need and spread our resources that way, but that is clearly not working, and I think that from my research and experience so far at OFB, it is a great (and perhaps efficient) way to reach out to people in need.  I maybe handled 100-200 bags of carrots today, so I feel like I'm now involved in that many people's lives.

Apparently Oregon is the "second hungriest" state, following Mississippi, I believe, in the nation right now.  The people in our state have been hit very hard by our economy, and OFB is distributing record numbers of emergency food boxes.  From the OFB website, "As a result of growing levels of long-term unemployment, 260,000 people per month eat meals from emergency food boxes. Of those, 85,800 are children. For the first time ever, Oregon Food Bank distributed more than 1 million emergency food boxes in fiscal year 2010-11."  People are hungry!

If you are interested in working with OFB, visit their website.  If you want to find your regional center, you can find that here.  You can also dig around a bit to find local agencies to work with if you want to be a part of actually distributing the food to people.  Of course, OFB takes donations, too.  They accept food donations, and if you find your region's food center, you should be able to either find a list of drop-off sites on their website, or you will be able to find a number to call to ask for this information!  If you want to get more food for your dollar, I'd recommend donating money directly to OFB.  By using their connections and by buying bulk, they can get four pounds of food for a dollar, and that's just impressive.
I think that's all I can think of to say for now, but please let me know if you have any questions!