2007
Week 11
March 17, 2007

Hi

Geezers can be bold. People consider us not changeable or not accountable or past fear -- or all three. So this week I will boldly complain about God-talk that gets in the way of good discussion on legislation. Specifically, announcing for God on anything.

We Christians have a wide variety of opinions. Which makes us very interesting. All we agree on is that God loves us and we are to love God and one another. The rest is commentary. Here I am simply quoting Jesus (Matthew 22:37-40).

Three examples of mischief. An anti-cloning bill had press play because over half the senators signed on as cosponsors. Everyone opposes human cloning. (Even God, since that is competitive with creation?) So what's the deal? The senators discovered it is not to stop the straw man threat of human cloning, but to criminalize embryonic research. Several signers have switched to oppose the bill and it certainly will not get out of committee in that form. A human being is more than tissue.

I refuse to vote on measures which are simply fund raisers. “Look. We stopped cloning in its tracks. Send more money.” However, the God-talk which is tucked into the spin is bad news. Supposedly, this is all tied to abortion, on which God could have negative thoughts (does God think?) But then they spin a connection beyond reason. How does one have an abortion without a pregnancy? How do we have pregnancy without a uterus. Without sperm? Can a petri dish get pregnant? Some claim their ‘truth’ is known since the beginning of time. Twenty years ago this spin was not known.

I do not object to opinions. Persons can believe a piece of my thumb in an egg is a human being. Just do not pretend to quote God, please.

Case #2 is related. We are asked, in God's name, to set limits on medical research. Frankly, I would assume God is pleased with our curious minds. God made them.

The hardcore attitude is supposedly to represent God, but it reflects more a lack of understanding on the nature of research. Confusion on research is to be expected, as a true researcher is a unique person. I studied how to do research for a while, but my real learning came from Ruth's Dad. Bob Wallis was a researcher on insects for over forty years, for the U. S. Dept. of Ag. If it were not for the potato bug I would never have met Ruth, because that little varmint brought Bob to Scottsbluff and Nebraska for 17 years. (Without that bug, our Doug and Jo would not exist. That is a mystery which far surpasses research on embryos. Should we criminalize thinking about it?)

True research includes a basic assumption that it may take you to facts not known. If Bob knew where he was to come out he would not have come out with new knowledge. (And with the saving of millions of dollars of crops, for which he was given a distinguished service award, and by which our state budget continues to benefit!)

Bob examined the life cycle of a creature so flimsy in its flight stage that it could barely direct itself. Did it winter over in a nearby irrigation ditch? A pond? A mountain meadow?

No. In New Mexico, where somehow it knew to catch the wind and be blown to western Nebraska. Makes no sense. Only a dedicated researcher open to things unknown would have discovered it. I am still in awe. Hopefully, we will all be in awe of what our med researchers discover if we quit trying to block their inquiries into truth.

The third case relates to legislation coming up. We will surely hear what God thinks of gays, ideas built complete without the benefit of a single verse of scripture on gays. (There are nine passages on same sex activities of heterosexuals and hundreds of verses on mixed sex activities of heterosexuals -- which get crowded out by our prejudice.)

The President of the large Southern Baptist seminary in Kentucky, Dr. R. Albert Mohler (close to a Baptist Pope), has announced that God made some persons gay as a punishment to all of us for original sin. Hang on. We can sort this out.

First, original sin is Adam biting an apple, for which God could not forgive him (no one tells us why not) and for which we are all guilty. Please, this is not Jesus talk. This is from some monks in the Middle Ages who had spent too long away from the sun and had forgotten about God's light and love. Off the screen, the theory plugs into some Christians' sincere beliefs, which I respect but do not believe.

The more amazing part of Bro. Mohler's statement is that he is ready to accept that gays are so by genetic makeup. So how could a good God do this “bad” thing to someone? Because God was punishing Adam and us, that's why. God changed the gene code or messed with hormones and made some of his creation gay. Hang on. It gets stranger.

He says perhaps science is close to identifying the “defective” gene or lack of hormones that cause gayness and perhaps that can be known in the fetal state so that the mother can take action. Perhaps a patch on her tummy will “cure” the “defect” (created by God!) Therefore, he says, we should root out God's punishment (and thereby avoid pressure for forgiveness?) so we can get rid of the gay blemish (by God) on creation.

I love it. Whatever your and my convictions, he stands them on the head. Are you a ‘conservative’ Mother who discovers a gay fetus? Have a ‘liberal’ abortion and clean up a bit of sin. Are you a ‘liberal’ mother who strongly supports gays -- but would not want to raise one? Have an abortion and make the world more conservative. Are you a conservative who is ‘liberal’ on research? You may discover more than you wanted to know about your fetus. Are you a conservative who thinks only Jesus takes away original sin? Put a patch on your tummy and do it yourself.

Ridiculous. All of this messed-up thinking comes from labeling our opinions as God's. “I hate gays because God hates gays.” “I love everyone just like God does. It's people I can't stand -- especially unusual members in my family.” “God did not intend choice.”

A hearty cheer for all who keep thinking past easy clichés!

Lowen