directing tolerance
The implications of Prop 8 in California are quite hard to fully grasp. As a Christian I wish to affirm Biblical marriage, as a thoughtful person I want to affirm the fundamental health of society when it comes to traditional marriage, and in wanting to be thoughtful about the freedoms of the U.S. I want to be fair in how the government treats crime, vice, and virtue. If only we were voting on marriage certificates on November 4th this issue might be clearer for me... but here is a story, only one story, from Massachusetts. Certainly food for thought:
Whether this story has "extreme" parents or an "extreme" administration on either side is irrelevant. It happened, and will continue to happen with such confusing messages to our kids from two distinctly different worldviews.
I wish our legislation would teach or direct us how to treat each other in a more tolerant way. In other words, how to be civil when we deeply disagree over something that we both agree is important.
4 comments:
Ryan--
Thanks for an "illuminating" post.
This is quite a story, although I found it dissappointing that there was no ultimate resolution to the Parker family's dilemma.
I have a concern though, with your closing comment... I don't think it's the legislature's responsbility to teach us to deal with each other... that, I humbly submit, goes back to (catching the drift of the video) the parents, and families... after all, that's where most of us learned to get along together (or not) in the first place. I also submit that traditionally and historically, the place that families sought and received moral and relational guidance was from their churches and faith congregations, and that as institutions, they (WE) have increasingly failed... we've allowed ourselves to become irrelevant, disconnected to the point of being insular, and signifiicantly segmented from the practice of 'relational faith' that Jesus taught.
No my friend, the solution is NOT in the legislature, but in the family and in the Church (and the "C" is intentionally capitalized).
-The Old Guy
Yes! I agree that "the solution" is not in the legislature (and not in institutions in a corporate or government sense).
However, I think (which means I am not sure but am running with this as a presupposition until further notice) it is the part of the purpose of the constitution to direct government and inform the citizens on how to live civilly together.
I wrestled with the word "teach" and so that's why I went with "directing tolerance" in the title.
Legislation then directs us on how to honor and not infringe on others rights (especially when we deeply disagree).
So I would like to see a law that helps us not infringe on one another's rights (which both sides of Prop 8 do in their own ways) but honors our deep disagreement about the fundamentals on marriage (if we have lost the Fear of God that Thomas Jefferson said would mean the end of the American experiment).
Perhaps I am an idealist, in the worse sense of the word, on those one.
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As a note, I was inspired to put the Thoreau quote after watching Dead Poets Society. What a great flick. And I can't watch it without thinking about you Old Guy.
Wow, that's a challenging video. Personally, I think we give up a significant arguing point by letting the government control education. If they are ultimately the ones who can decide what gets taught, we're fighting a losing battle.
I'm caring less and less about trying to conform government and law to Christian standards, because I believe the nature of government is profoundly un-Christian (its only method is coercion, which I believe Jesus forbids). To me, the most obvious solution is not a questionable law, but taking kids out of the school system. Now, I speak from a privileged position in this regard, and it's not possible for every family to do this (or at a very high cost). But I would rather uphold real parental rights -- which include education -- rather than reform an institution that by its nature does not respect parental rights.
dido toph.
This may sound not very compassionate, but the entire time i was hearing them talk about their parental rights, I was thinking - "but they gave up their right to educating their children to the government....what do they expect"
I would like to discuss the "Un-Christian"-ness of government with you sometime Toph....it's hugely difficult topic, and my opinion on it is most definitely in formation right now...but I've been learning things about government in a variety of fascinating ways (I'm taking a government class - just a weekly lecture, no homework - the teacher recommends as the best and most concise treatise on Government -(drumroll) the Law by Frederic Bastiat. I'm thinking maybe I should read it.... ;)
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