We walked him to the station in the rain
We kissed him as we put him on the train
And we sang him a song of times long gone
Though we knew that wed be seeing him again
(far away) sad to say I must be on my way
So buy me beer and whiskey cause I’m going far away (far away)
Id like to think of me returning when I can
To the greatest little boozer and to Sally Maclennane
- The Pogues – ‘Sally Maclennane’
Tomorrow morning I’ll be making my move back to my old home of Iowa. I am looking forward to it but it is still a little sad. On Friday I had my last day at work and I was amazed at how many people stopped me to tell me how much they had appreciated having me there and other kind words. The co-workers I had there are something great.
So what’s next. Not really sure yet. I am seriously concidering the semenary option and I have a good friend doing that currently that is gung-ho about getting me in that direction. It’s seeming very appealing to me right now. I guess we’ll see.
It is another sleepless night and I am feeling uneasy. Mainly, I am feeling uneasy about my future. I am moving back home in just three days and from there I don’t know what’s going to happen. My plan has been to apply for that place out in LA but I’m feeling unsure about it. It could be I’m just nervous since finding out it is an unpaid internship (with room and board provided). It’s time like this that I wish I could just ask God directly what He wants me to do.
As a result of that I’ve been considering my options. I graduated from college with a degree in Religion (which some consider one step up from a philosophy major as far as job market) and I have a bit of skill in media production. I’ve considered going to seminary to learn to be a Christian counselor. I don’t know.
I will keep praying about it. Maybe I should spend a day fasting as well.
Sometimes I get a little embarrassed about what I am passionate about. Take video games, for instance. That is something l greatly enjoy and always spikes my interest. As a kid I just got into them for fun but as I got older and the market expanded I started to see them not only as a fun activity but as a valid art form on par with film and literature.
This particular passion isn’t as geeky as it once was so I’m not really embarrassed about it in that way. It is more the case that I question whether I should spend so much time and money (even though I’m a cheapskate that buys almost all used things) on something that, in the grand schemeof things, isn’t that important. I suppose it is the continual question of how much focus can we give to temporal things and still live lives if meaning and purpose. On the other hand, though, I like to think about how I can use my own passions to affect good in the world. What I am doing with film production in my current job is an example of that.
I think too much.
So much has been made of the state of California passing an amendment that effectively bans gay marriage in the state and I know probably no one cares about my two cents on the matter. Since when has a lack of an audience stopped bloggers.
I’ll get this out of the way first: I am a devout Christian and as such I do believe that homosexuality is morally objectionable. At the same time, though, I am strongly against any government passing a law prohibiting the rights of gays. The reason is simple, morality should not be legislated. Government cannot dictate what is and what is not moral. As much as they’d probably like to be, governments are not gods.
Now you may object saying that if government should not legislate moral concerns then how can such obviously wrong things like murder and theft be outlawed. The difference is that these sort of things actually fall under the jurisdiction of government. You see, the role of a government to to be a protectorate of the people. They are protecting people and property by prosecuting those who would do harm to their neighbors.
So what, then, should be done about gay marriage by Christians? Well the first thing that Christians should remember is their Biblical mandate to love and respect all people (including homosexuals) and they would also do well to remember that we are forbidden to judge those outside the fold of the Church:
Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
- Matthew 7:1-2
What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside?
- 1 Corinthians 5:12
We tend to forget that marriage was not always under the jurisdiction of the government. There was a time when the institution of marriage was purely the concern of religious communities. The government recognition is more for the purposes of taxes and social benefits than sacred vows. If the Church does not believe that gays should be wed then all that needs to be done is for the Church not to marry them. Beyond that they need give little concern to what the government declares them to be. Furthermore, when you allow governments to overstep their legislative boundaries in such a way the primary consequence is that government is given legal president to dictate matters of faith by force of law. One only needs to look at history to see how this can quickly go awry.
As with any opinion I state on this blog, I could be mistaken. Those are simply the conclusions I have reached so far. How about you?
After a night of celebrating the election results with my co-workers I took some time to process all that had happened in this country in a day. It really was a historic day. Not only is Obama our first black president (first president of any minority, really) but also a president who has given hope that the stagnant, self-serving ways of the US don’t have to stay the same. I’m cautiously hopeful about all of this.
I would like to give a warning to all Democrats and everyone in general. Things are likely to be much more of an uphill struggle than we probably expect. The presidency, by design, is not all powerful and even a majority hold in the legislator won’t necessarily bring unity. After eight years of blaming every ill wind on Bush and the Republicans don’t be surprised if that blame gets shifted to our new heads of state.
I believe Obama is a good man, but he’s no savior. He will likely do the best he possibly can but the condition of the country is bleak and expectations are insurmountably high. If we turn on him (legislators and citizens alike) we will only have ourselves to blame.
So we have a new President Elect now. It’s even the one I voted for. Wonder how all that will turn out.
