Load up. Fire!
Last night and this morning I read about the committee hearing in the United States regarding the potential nomination of Brett Kavanaugh for a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court of the United States. The hearing featured passionate testimony from Mr. Kavanaugh and from Dr. Ford who accuses Mr. Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her at a party when they were both in high school. Much of the world and I have listed to or read the accusations and counter accusations for some weeks. These accusations – not debates – come at a time when there has been many accusations and consequent actions as women come together in what has come to be called the MeToo Movement to report their history of being treated as sexual objects and often the subjects of sexual abuse or harassment. At the very same time the Roman Catholic Church is increasingly being publicly called out on its history of failing to address the fact that many priests sexually abused men, women and children. Many have also lived a life which forced them to uphold a policy and doctrine of condemning many sexual behaviors while feigning celibacy and often impulsively acting out sexually with both minors and adults. The Roman Catholic Church leaders are now vowing to publicly out the list of priests who they know have sexually abused others and often to turn over files to legal authorities so that they can punish the priests as criminals.
It seems the lines in all these situations have been carefully drawn and labeled as:
A part of me has always envied those who seem to be able to so clearly divide the world with such labels. This makes living in the world very simple. One always knows who to treat well, who to condemn, who to invite to dinner and who to keep out. One knows who to put in jail and who to allow to enjoy the benefits of a so called free society. If one is a religious person one also knows with who they will spend eternity and who they will be able to avoid because they will be in that place of the eternally dammed. Yet, try as I might, I have not been able to put myself or others into such neat categories. Oh, sure, I might have a moment when I impulsively or passionately label someone, but I always know that I am or could be a person deserving of that label.
This morning I listened to an August 2011 rebroadcast of the On Being podcast featuring a conversation between the host Krista Tippett and Frances Kissling. Ms. Kissling posits:
“If we are interested in understanding each other, and if we are ultimately interested in a policy that reflects what is good in the concerns of those who disagree, the only way we’re going to get any sense of what that is, is if we can acknowledge what is good in the position of the other, acknowledge what troubles us about our own position. You know I don’t understand how you can work on an issue for 35 years and never change your mind about anything.”
Ms. Kissling uses the examples of the issues of abortion and same sex relationships. She does not suggest that the goal is to find common ground or to agree on the primary issues, but she does suggest that each side may have valid points and points which they, if honest, are less sure about.
I am, if honest, concerned about some of the possible decisions of Mr. Kavanaugh should he become the next United States Supreme Court Judge. In my mind that is not a reason for the Senate to reject his appointment. I believe he may have sincere views of the United States Constitution and how it applies to such issues as abortion. I also believe that our interpretation of the United States Constitution needs to be informed by what we understand to be the intent of the Nation’s founders and the acceptance of the limitations of the cultural and religious understandings of that time. I have no idea if Mr. Kavanaugh sexually abused Dr. Ford when they were both in high school and possibly drunk. I do believe that if he did so, he should be able to safely say it and talk about how this experience affects his thinking today without it necessarily preventing him from being appointed to the important position of Supreme Court Judge.
On the issue of abortion, I am pro-choice, but I cannot imagine, even as a father, having to make a choice to terminate a pregnancy. I can easily admit to having used methods to prevent a pregnancy and believe I could be okay with a partner using the morning after pill. I am also acutely aware that I am not a female and my feelings cannot fully identify with those of a female. I believe that most of our efforts need to be focused on preventing pregnancies so that no woman or very few women ever have to consider the question of abortion.
Whether it is these issues or the issues which the Roman Catholic Church must address, we can either keep labeling each other and throwing verbal missiles at each other which will polarize, create more problems and help us successfully avoid resolving any of the important issues which present us from living harmoniously with each other and the universe or we can resolve to more accurately and honestly diagnose the issues and explore solutions which will allow us to respect our individual positions, live together more harmoniously and heal.
Written September 28, 2018
Last night and this morning I read about the committee hearing in the United States regarding the potential nomination of Brett Kavanaugh for a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court of the United States. The hearing featured passionate testimony from Mr. Kavanaugh and from Dr. Ford who accuses Mr. Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her at a party when they were both in high school. Much of the world and I have listed to or read the accusations and counter accusations for some weeks. These accusations – not debates – come at a time when there has been many accusations and consequent actions as women come together in what has come to be called the MeToo Movement to report their history of being treated as sexual objects and often the subjects of sexual abuse or harassment. At the very same time the Roman Catholic Church is increasingly being publicly called out on its history of failing to address the fact that many priests sexually abused men, women and children. Many have also lived a life which forced them to uphold a policy and doctrine of condemning many sexual behaviors while feigning celibacy and often impulsively acting out sexually with both minors and adults. The Roman Catholic Church leaders are now vowing to publicly out the list of priests who they know have sexually abused others and often to turn over files to legal authorities so that they can punish the priests as criminals.
It seems the lines in all these situations have been carefully drawn and labeled as:
- Victims
- Perpetrators
- Bad People
- Good People
- Sinners
- Saints
- Criminals
- Law abiding citizens
A part of me has always envied those who seem to be able to so clearly divide the world with such labels. This makes living in the world very simple. One always knows who to treat well, who to condemn, who to invite to dinner and who to keep out. One knows who to put in jail and who to allow to enjoy the benefits of a so called free society. If one is a religious person one also knows with who they will spend eternity and who they will be able to avoid because they will be in that place of the eternally dammed. Yet, try as I might, I have not been able to put myself or others into such neat categories. Oh, sure, I might have a moment when I impulsively or passionately label someone, but I always know that I am or could be a person deserving of that label.
This morning I listened to an August 2011 rebroadcast of the On Being podcast featuring a conversation between the host Krista Tippett and Frances Kissling. Ms. Kissling posits:
“If we are interested in understanding each other, and if we are ultimately interested in a policy that reflects what is good in the concerns of those who disagree, the only way we’re going to get any sense of what that is, is if we can acknowledge what is good in the position of the other, acknowledge what troubles us about our own position. You know I don’t understand how you can work on an issue for 35 years and never change your mind about anything.”
Ms. Kissling uses the examples of the issues of abortion and same sex relationships. She does not suggest that the goal is to find common ground or to agree on the primary issues, but she does suggest that each side may have valid points and points which they, if honest, are less sure about.
I am, if honest, concerned about some of the possible decisions of Mr. Kavanaugh should he become the next United States Supreme Court Judge. In my mind that is not a reason for the Senate to reject his appointment. I believe he may have sincere views of the United States Constitution and how it applies to such issues as abortion. I also believe that our interpretation of the United States Constitution needs to be informed by what we understand to be the intent of the Nation’s founders and the acceptance of the limitations of the cultural and religious understandings of that time. I have no idea if Mr. Kavanaugh sexually abused Dr. Ford when they were both in high school and possibly drunk. I do believe that if he did so, he should be able to safely say it and talk about how this experience affects his thinking today without it necessarily preventing him from being appointed to the important position of Supreme Court Judge.
On the issue of abortion, I am pro-choice, but I cannot imagine, even as a father, having to make a choice to terminate a pregnancy. I can easily admit to having used methods to prevent a pregnancy and believe I could be okay with a partner using the morning after pill. I am also acutely aware that I am not a female and my feelings cannot fully identify with those of a female. I believe that most of our efforts need to be focused on preventing pregnancies so that no woman or very few women ever have to consider the question of abortion.
Whether it is these issues or the issues which the Roman Catholic Church must address, we can either keep labeling each other and throwing verbal missiles at each other which will polarize, create more problems and help us successfully avoid resolving any of the important issues which present us from living harmoniously with each other and the universe or we can resolve to more accurately and honestly diagnose the issues and explore solutions which will allow us to respect our individual positions, live together more harmoniously and heal.
Written September 28, 2018
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