Democrats/Liberals it is not the end of the world!

One of my good friends, a lifelong Democrat has texted me several times since the election asking if I still thought it was going to be alright.  I think he expresses the fears of many in our country after a stunning upset victory by Donald Trump, a victory that surprised even many of his own supporters.  I was and still am a supporter of President Donald Trump, although I did tell my friend a few days prior to the election that I really did not think he had a chance to win.

Forty-eight percent of voters are happy with the results of the election.  Many felt disenfranchised, fearful or frustrated over the last eight years.  Many, like me, felt we have been headed in the wrong direction as a nation for a long time.  To us this election brings the hope that Donald Trump can in fact, “make America great again.”

The other half of our country are still confused, disappointed, angry or hurt.   I realize many women are disappointed.  I am all for a woman to become President, but I want the right woman and I definitely do not believe Hillary Clinton was the right woman. 

There were many, like my friend, who saw the last eight years as a time of positive change and of course they are disappointed.  This is where the divide came between conservatives and liberals. Regardless of the number of times Hannity on Fox News reported all the negatives of the Obama Administration the Liberals did not and will not ever get it. The celebrities will continue to ridicule our elected President instead of getting behind him in an attempt to improve our country.  They are full of criticism and offer no solutions and I understand why.  The Democratic Party has always solicited the support of celebrities and put them on a pedestal while in office.  It has always seem to me that Republicans in general are more willing to live in the real world than a fantasy world.  That is why I left the Democrat Party during the Nixon campaign.

The pundits and politicians will continue to analyze the election results and the Trump Administration, seeking to tell us what they mean in the hours, days and years ahead.  But the questions for me are, Where do we go from here?  How does our nation come together?  And, to my friend’s point, Will it be okay?  It will be okay only if the media returns to journalism and presenting facts instead of personal opinions and the celebrities go back to being overpaid entertainers and stop attempting to be pseudo politicians.

I think it will be okay.  I liked Donald Trump’s acceptance speech and the spirit it conveyed; a lofty vision, a humility, a willingness to work together and a desire to represent all Americans.  I also appreciated Hillary Clinton’s concession speech, which was moving and which reflected, despite the disappointment and pain of loss, a hopefulness and confidence in America’s future.

I am willing to give President Trump a chance and unlike my friend I am not expressing disappointment that he has not performed miracles in less than a month.  Those opposing President Trump were willing to give Obama four more years to correct all his mistakes, but are not willing to give President Trump even his first one hundred days before condemning him.

It will be okay because we live in a democracy whose founding fathers wisely created a system of checks and balances in government that are meant to spread power across the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government. Presidents do not rule by decree, although some like Obama try, the majority seek to lead and influence, and if they are ineffective, they and their party are voted out.  It’s a good system that has served us well for more than two centuries.

It will be okay because, despite his shortcomings and unsettling rhetoric, Donald Trump has strengths that he brings to the presidency.  Strengths that to my knowledge NO president has ever brought to that office in our past.  We need to always remember no candidates are as bad as their opponents paint them, nor as good as they believe themselves to be.  I do believe President Trumps strengths in negotiating deals will serve him well in Washington and perhaps help find win-win solutions to challenging issues we face.

I believe it will be okay because my hope and faith has never been primarily in politicians and political parties, but in Jesus Christ.  You may think that is naïve, but I think it is far more naïve to listen and put faith in the bias media and the celebrities.

I personally am praying today for Donald Trump and his team. I pray that God will enable them, and prepare them and guide them as they prepare to lead our country.  Finally, I’m praying that we as Christians can be instrumental in bringing healing to the divisions in our country today, rather than making the divisions even wider.  We have a mandate to forgive, to love, and also to “speak up for those who cannot speak up for themselves” and “to do justice, and practice loving kindness and walk humbly with God.”  This is a personal opinion I will give all for FREE - many including Christians have become to judgemental of others and have come to believe they have all the answers.

There are challenges and opportunities ahead of us.  But, the sooner we come together as Americans to face the challenges, to seize upon the opportunities and together, find a way to help our country live up to its potential the better it will be for us all. 

I honestly believe by 2018 we will experience the worse recession we have ever had since the Great Depression.  I pray not, but the wrong path has been traveled too long for any correction to be made to prevent it in just one year.  It is more important now than ever that we work together as one people and one nation seeking God’s guidance. 

Which is better - committed sexual relationships or casual sex?

I know the 60’s were supposed to be the sexual liberating years, but even in the 60’s people in the church questioned a girls morality if she had a child out of wedlock. Then and now they allowed the boy to escape criticism.

We had it happen in our family and the young girl was sent to spend several months with a “sick aunt”. The common practice of church going parents was to send the girl away to have the baby and put it up for adoption. The secret was supposed to be kept forever, but sometimes the secret came out later in life to haunt the young girl, who was now a woman, with another family.

Churches don’t often spend a lot of time reminding people of the importance of sexual intimacy. Society tends to trivialize and cheapen it. People talk about “hooking up” or having “friends with benefits.” Sex has become merely an end in itself. It is common now in our society to think that after a first or second date the couple is supposed to have sex.
This trivialization of sex does not liberate us it robs us of sexual intimacy. The Bible uses an interesting word for sex:  to know.  So when Adam was intimate with Eve the text says, "Then Adam knew his wife…"

When you have shared your body with another, you have shared what others cannot see or experience.  You know that person as others do not.   We are not ready to reveal our innermost selves to another human being after one or two dates; the bonding that happens is premature. And when we pull away from one person and bond quickly with another and another, sexual intimacy eventually no longer bonds us to our partner.

I am not saying you are a bad person when you have trivial or casual sex. Unfortunately we are human with human desires and some of those desires are moral and some are immoral. We long for intimate touch and companionship. It requires extraordinary restraint and self-discipline not to experience sex before marriage. But it is still a Biblical principle.  I confess as a priest I have been tempted many times and it sometimes it was extremely difficult to fight the temptation.

It is later in life when you really begin to appreciate the covenant you have with another human being ‘in sickness and in health’. It is comforting to know that someone will be with you in good and bad times. It helps your ego to be told you are still handsome or beautiful when everything begins to sag and your teeth are in a glass in the bathroom.

Sex has far more meaning than our society gives it credit.  I ask you to consider even if you have had casual sex in the past to consider thinking of sexual relationships in a way that pleases God and does nothing more than bring you instant gratification that usually end with heartache.

I read the study that stated U.S. researchers found that in those who were up for it, casual sex was associated with higher self-esteem and life satisfaction and lower depression and anxiety. That may be true if you are a sexist, manipulative, coercive and narcissistic man. It is important to note that the test trials were done only among 300 college students away from home for the first time.

I also found it interesting that the ‘scientist’ doing the test came to the conclusion that those who benefited from casual sex were generally extroverted, sensation-seekers, impulsive, were not comfortable with commitments, invested less in romantic relationships and were more likely to cheat on a romantic partner.

Another study from Ohio State University found that casual sex can cause depression and can even lead to thoughts of suicide.  This research involved 10,000 students. Casual sex increased suicidal thoughts by 18%.

The choice is yours God’s plan or the world’s plan!

Do homosexual children need protection from some church leaders?

I certainly am not a supporter of President Obama.  To say I do not like him and disapprove of what he and his administration have done is putting it lightly. I honestly believe if Obama could serve a third term and was reelected the United States would be destroyed.

The one thing I do agree with Obama on is that LGBT conversion therapy should be banned for minors and vulnerable adults in the United States.  It should be a Federal law that anyone practicing or encouraging such quackery would serve a minimum of ten years in a Federal prison. This law would apply to religious leaders and mental health workers.

The American Psychiatric Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics, said that therapies that claim to cure homosexuality or transgenderism are harmful to the participants. Suicide, depression, substance abuse and homelessness, among many other things are often related to the rejection of children due to their sexual orientation, their gender identity or their gender expression by parents, friends, relatives, churches and society in general.

Attempting to convert the feelings of homosexual or transgender individuals has been found in a great many cases to increase the health risks of participants and such conversions are frequently conducted by people trained in religion who do not have any or little medical training.

Instead of conversion therapy the report found that, “Supportive families, peers and school and community environments are associated with improved psychosocial outcomes for sexual minority youth.”

In April, President Obama called for a ban on conversion therapies following the suicide of Leelah Alcorn, a transgender Ohio teen who had undergone a conversion program.  There are many, many studies that have demonstrated conversion therapy is harmful.  California, New Jersey, Illinois and the District of Columbia all passed legislation to ban the therapy for minors and some vulnerable adults and other states have introduced legislation to do the same.

Alan Chambers, the once president of a conversion therapy organization called Exodus International, one of the largest religious conversion therapy organization closed the organization and offered a public apology for the damage they had done.  I say too little too late Alan Chambers for you have blood on your hands.

JONAH, another group offering conversion therapy was found guilty of fraud in a lawsuit brought by gay Orthodox Jewish men. 

Parents and mindless gay adults that follow religious leaders like Rev. Mohler who is President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary need protection.  He has stated publicly and he teaches seminarians studying to be Southern Baptist ministers that Christians should not attend a same-sex wedding even if it is their own children.  In his recent book he states, boycotting weddings of gay friends and loved ones will be excruciatingly difficult, but “We cannot be silent.” He cannot understand how any Christian could congratulate a couple of a same sex union.   

He and other religious bigots have stated even if scientists proved people are born gay, the “sinfulness of homosexuality” would not be eliminated.  I guess he believes God is not perfect and creates “junk”.  It should be obvious that I believe God does create homosexuals and that they are loved and regarded highly by God.  If God creates homosexuals and condemns them to a life of ridicule then He is not a loving God, but, instead a cruel and vindictive God.

Mohler has somethings in common with the Catholic Church in that he also believes limiting family size is a sin.  He has also criticized the Catholic Church and said it teaches a false gospel and the pope holds an “unbiblical office”. Mohler believes those who practice yoga, “either deny the reality of what yoga represents or fail to see the contradictions between their Christian commitments and their embrace of it.”

His 213 page book “Speaking truth to a culture redefining sex, marriage and the very meaning of right and wrong” is dedicated to intelligent evangelical readers.  This man encourages parents to use conversion therapy to fix their homosexual children.  With a doctrine like this it is obvious to me why the Southern Baptist denomination in the USA is in decline. It has lost over one million members since 2003. If they stopped their bigoted teachings maybe they could disciple the up to  2.2 million homosexuals in the USA.  Regardless of what you believe on this subject how can you say this is the way God intended Christians to act toward some members of society and be disciples for Christ. Christ did not discriminate.

The Rev. Joseph Phelps, pastor of the Highland Baptist Church praised Moher’s intellect, but called his words on homosexuality harsh and offensive.  He went on to say that his words would damage the families and cause division in society.  Phelps members are the ones that go around the United States holding rallies that say “God hates fags” and “The only good queer is a dead queer.” I did not think there was any group more vile and disrespectful than Rev. Phelps group, but I guess there is.

I think Jesus would encourage Christian to attend the union of a same sex couple.  Did He not dine with prostitutes and drunkards? Attending a union of a same sex couple does not necessarily signal approval, but it does signal love and support of the couple.

I cannot put heat on the Southern Baptist leaders without acknowledging that some Catholic bishops have urged parishioners not to attend gay weddings. 

I have many gay and lesbian friends and I enjoy their company.  I would have no problem going to a union of a gay couple, going to dinner with a gay couple, loving and encouraging a gay couple. I would encourage friends, parents and relatives to attend their union. I would discourage any attempt at trying to convert a homosexual to a heterosexual lifestyle.  Gay or straight your children are the children God gave you. How could anyone possibly turn their back on them and consider they are good parents?