2007 July archive at Being Frank

Archive for July, 2007

Jul

The environmentalist pigeons come home to roost

By The Dumb Ox 56 Comments

Categories: Being Frank...

Let me start by saying that I love the environment and I firmly believe that we are called to be good stewards of the creation that God has given to us, but one thing I am beginning to realise more and more every week, is that the environmentalist movement is riddled with nut bars, fruitcakes and downright frightening and dangerous ideologies that are anti-human.

Take for example the UK think tank came out last week calling for a maximum two child per family policy in the UK, and all for the betterment of the environment (if that’s all they can come up with then perhaps they should leave the thinking to someone else).

Maybe you saw the article in the weekend papers about these clowns – who are calling for the voluntary extinction of the human race for the sake of the planet (how about they go first?!)

Or the article that appeared in the New York Times recently supporting the ridiculous idea of animal ensoulment, where one Nancey Murphy states that:

“Evolutionary biology shows the transition from animal to human to be too gradual to make sense of the idea that we humans have souls while animals do not,”

“All the human capacities once attributed to the mind or soul are now being fruitfully studied as brain processes—or, more accurately, I should say, processes involving the brain, the rest of the nervous system and other bodily systems, all interacting with the socio-cultural world.”

Therefore, she writes, it is “faulty” reasoning to want to distinguish people from the rest of creation.”

Animals aren’t humans – end of freaking story, and that means that they don’t get human rights like human beings do because they are not equal with humans, and neither is the environment!

Sadly, the cult of environmentalism has even found its way into the Christian church, with individuals and groups signing up to weird concepts, like the idea that being anti-whaling is just as important as being anti-abortion – what absolute nonsense.

Human life always comes first, but sadly it seems that much in environmentalism has lost sight of this important truth.

Oh, and here’s something just for the animal lovers:

[youtube]ANg7iPu9DAg[/youtube]

Jul

Cut-through

By James the Least 77 Comments

Categories: Being Frank...

Question for the group: what are the most powerful Catholic brands? Please don’t jump up and down on me for commercialising the Sacred – I’m simply wanting to know what symbols of our Catholic culture you think carry the most weight in our modern world?

I ask this for a number of reasons. For starters, I have had a few discussions over the last few weeks with different people who have different ideas from me about one brand in particular – the Roman collar. It seems to be a generational thing. My parents’ generation generally looks on the collar as a representation of the “old” Church – i.e. what they experienced growing up. So, because many of them were taught by brothers and priests and nuns, and many of them didn’t like the overall experience (especially the corporal punishment), they associate negative connotations with the collar.

However, myself and others from my generation didn’t grow up with priests and religious teaching us, and most of the priests in NZ over the last 20 or so years haven’t really worn the collar (broad generalisations, I know). So, when I see the recent re-emergence of the collar, it seems to be on younger priests who are reclaiming it as their own and I, therefore, associate the collar with hope, faith, youth and renewal.

Interesting. Same symbol, different thoughts.

I ask this also because I am always interested in what aspects of our Catholic culture seem to have the biggest impact on us, and on our non-Catholic friends and family. The collar may be a bad example – plenty of non-Catholic ministers seem to wear it or a variation. But what about the Rosary beads? Or the Sign of the Cross? Or pretty much anything in Latin? :)

I’d be keen to poll you all out there and find out what symbols do you think really represent the Catholic faith? What symbols could we resurrect and reclaim like the collar? Where are the opportunities to insert our own faith-based take on a world saturated by brands and commercial imagery? What are some ways we can think of outside the square to get our “brand” out there (e.g. Godmarks is an interesting idea…)? I see the answers to these questions also forming part of the answer to the question “how do we spread the Good News of Christ in 21st century New Zealand?”

Your thoughts?

Jul

Decisions decisions decisions

By eyeWitness 6 Comments

Categories: Being Frank...

Making decisions can be really hard, especially for really indecisive people like me! I guess the major task for all of us is discerning where we should head in our lives, and what God wants for us.

But how do you discern God’s will? God gave us the Holy Spirit to guide us in our lives. But it can start to seem a bit extreme asking God about every single thing. I think to an extent God gave you commonsense and you have to be guided by that! Not to sound cynical but it can start to seem a bit questionable to me when people are always saying “this week I feel God telling me to do this / go here” then the next week God is telling them something different again.

So how do we determine God’s will and make decisions based on faith? Can we base our decision making on prayer? We see lots of examples in the bible of people going away to pray in some solitary place before making decisions. I think discussing things with God opens us to new possibilities. And of course the teachings in the bible, the way Jesus lived, what he taught, and how he treated people are an example for us to follow.

Maybe the answer is that prayerfulness and a closeness to God and His teachings leads us to make the right decisions in our lives? But I think through those things we then have the ability to weigh up the pros and cons for ourselves and make a decision to do what’s best. Maybe sometimes it happens, but I don’t think God just suddenly tells us things directly that often…

Jul

Am I a Masochist?

By Filia Day 31 Comments

Categories: Being Frank...

Firstly, this definition of a masochist will apply to this post “one who derives pleasure from their own pain or humiliation”. Just to avoid any confusion.

Well last weekend wasn’t one of my best. On Thursday I came down with a nasty cold – the one that everyone seems to have at the moment, and then to top it off, my back tooth started to throb. I was in intense pain all of Friday night that no amount of ibuprofen or panadol would ease. When I got to the dentist, he basically told me that it was eroding from the inside. Rotting, if you’re not much into euphemisms. Nice, real nice. Once I’d had the tooth taken out and my pain had eased a little, all was well with regards to my jaw. My cold seemed to go quite quickly as well, which is a surprise because I’m a smoker and that never seems to help (please no lectures). My swift recovery I put down to eating a massive bag of mandarins and this great iodine gargle that I got from the chemist. Anyways you guys (and girls – just for all those on the blog involved in forwarding the inclusive language agenda) probably don’t want to know all the intricate details about my recovery. Superstitious women and their home remedies eh, lucky I happen to live in the 21st century and not the 16th (otherwise I may have been accused of being some sort of witch!).

Anyway, that was a tangent if ever I had seen one, however what I wanted to talk about this week does relate, even if just vaguely. I was thinking on Friday night, when I was in intense pain, trying really hard to offer up the pain and unite it to the Cross, about the value of suffering. Now in my experience a toothache is the worst physical pain that I have endured (pretty sheltered I know), but I was somewhat reassured by the fact that I could unite my suffering to the Cross. It got me thinking that it’s a real shame that our separated Christian brethren don’t have a similar understanding of the Cross, or more aptly underrate our role in participating in the redemptive value of the Cross. I feel more sorry for those who don’t know Christ at all – I would have been a bit lost without the consolation that my suffering had some sort of value.

One last thing on the topic of co-redemption. I would be most grateful if any one could divulge a little more on Mary role as mediatrix of all graces and thus her superior form of co-redeeming mankind (humanity-hehe) For example, how does our role as co-redeemers differ from that of Our Lady as co-redemptrix par excellence? I’ve heard the term and have a general knowledge on the topic but would love to know more.

Jul

Roxanne

By Methuselah's Beard 21 Comments

Categories: Being Frank...

You’ll usually find in life that there are two kinds of bad ideas. There’s bad ideas. Then there’s BAAAAAD ideas. There have been rumours about a third legendary kind of bad idea. Idea’s so bad they defy all laws of physics or other applicable natural laws. While perusing the internet on Wednesday, I believe I have found an example of the legendary bad idea. I give you:

http://nz.news.yahoo.com/070718/3/xoy.html

In case the link doesn’t work, the headline was “MP’s float idea of tertiary prostitution”.

“Funding for tertiary courses in prostitution could be considered under changes aimed at boosting quality and relevance in the sector, education officials say.” Hahaha! The paragraph will probably have to be read in context, but hahahaha! I cannot even begin to dream up a worse idea than this. How would you teach it? How would the course be assessed?

Oh dear… well I’m fairly confident this would never happen, what could of society are we living in where these things are even remotely considered?

Jul

Dark time for Catholics

By The Captain 116 Comments

Categories: Being Frank...

I read the latest news about the child abuse scandals in the US with interest, abhorrence and embarrassment this week.

As Catholics in modern-day times, we’re forced to defend a lot about our religion – and I’m more than happy to do so. But what has happened to children at the hands of priests over the years is indefensible.

And what continues to happen in this matter also fits into that category.

I was particularly sickened by Cardinal Mahony’s comment: “I have come to understand far more deeply than I ever could the impact of this terrible sin…” Um, excuse me? You only NOW have come to understand how bad the impact of sexually abusing a child – in my opinion, one of the worst crimes against humanity and God? What the hell did you think before all this happened? That they’d get over it? That life would be fine for them? Sick.

Hiding those who perpetrated these crimes, hiding those who covered up for them and allowed the animals to continue to work in our Church, is outrageous. If they committed crimes against children, or if they were accessories after the fact, they should face criminal proceedings and be locked up. They should not be able to roam free, paying off their victims.

We should hang them out to dry; turn them over to the courts and as a Church distance ourselves from them. They do not represent us, nor should they be allowed.

I know I should be comforted in the knowledge that one day they will face Our Lord and no amount of money will wipe away the truth in His eyes. But sorry, I’m not. Because the scandal of the historic abuse continues. What message does this send to those outside the Church? What message does it send to priests who may, God forbid, still be abusing children? Our Church is not above the law; criminals are criminals and should be tried by the laws of the land.

Not good enough. Not good enough.

Oh, and (sorry, I thought I was done too) what’s with the payouts? Never a good thing to be paying money to victims of crimes that often don’t have evidence… Turns it all into a big transaction; I’m not wanting to cast doubt on any of those who made accusations, but certainly when you involve massive sums of money, the system becomes open to abuse…

Jul

Avoiding a pointless discussion about “dissent”

By Peter the First 2 Comments

Categories: Being Frank...

Just thought I’d ask you all to pray for those affected by flooding throughout the country, and natural disasters everywhere. Not easy, in an age where we take everything for granted, to find yourself unable to get home.